How to make a CHEAP Crown Vic into a RACE Car
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 ก.ย. 2022
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The Crown Victoria became a legend while serving as the reliable choice for police departments and taxi services. Lately, thanks to people like Cleetus McFarland and, well, us, more people are seeing them as sleds for racing, drifting, or overlanding shenanigans. But can you actually make one go around a corner? Or a whole road course?
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MODS:
Engine:
K&N drop in
F150 3v throttle body
SR performance plenum 41120
Mo's Speed Shop custom tune
Brakes/Wheels:
Wilwood Aerolite 6 piston 14" rotors kit
Wilwood SS brake lines
TCE Performance SS rear lines
04 Mustang GT Master Cylinder (Larger bore)
Wilwood Hi-temp race fluid
GT500 wheels with 275 RE71R
Chassis:
Seam welding / Frame bracing along door edges
Driveshaft Pro Custom Alum. driveshaft
Outcast Autoworks Adj. Motor Mounts
Suspension:
ADTR Front coilovers
750# 2.5 ID coilover
ADTR 1 3/8" Front swaybar
ADTR 1" rear swaybar
Custom 4" spherical & adj. front end links
Maximum Motorsports Ride Height adjusters MM5RRHA-2
Maximum Motorsports spherical lower control arms MM5RLCA-52
SPC camber bolts
Massive Speed Systems spherical Watts link
Energy Suspension Poly Rear end links
Interior:
Bimarco FIA racing seat
Grant suede steering wheel
Differential:
Ford Racing LSD w/ carbon clutch packs
Ford Racing 4.10 gears
Transmission:
Tremec 3650 swap
Exedy Mach 350 stage 1 clutch
ADTR pedal assembly
UPR shift arm
SR Performance firewall adjuster
Amp Distributing copper shifter bushing
Steeda Tri-Ax shifter
Borla XR-1 race mufflers
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Interesting how you did not have to constantly use the word “aggressive” in this review, which I believe breaks all laws of TH-cam auto journalism. No small thing. Just a terrific, informed, relevant review. Respect.
Zach is a word wizard. Truly a gem to the automotive journalism realm
Minus having no interior and keeping the 4.6, this is basically exactly how I'd build a crown vic. They cop cars are surprisingly good right out of the box. My dad took one to Pacific Raceways here in WA for a track day and he'd get dusted on the straights by the Miatas, but he was doing times that were competitive with way "better" cars. Might be a driver mod, but still, a 4000 lb auto yacht has no business handling as good as they do.
Yep keep the interior
More NASCAR than NASCAR
Matt reviewed this car years ago. It's great to see there progression of this ride
Don't let Cleetus McFarland get his hands on this.
I really hope Zach continues to be compensated for his contribution at the smoking tire.
*Fixed spelling of Zachs name
Matt pays him in Ralph Lauren Polos
He is a full time employee of TST.
Back in my day Zach was HATED when Matt stopped reviewing fan cars. I always loved him before and after the transition. Fascinating
@@Finnspin_unicycles I'm aware I just hope hes being compensated in a way that I feel he deserves.
@@PigglyWigglyDeluxe i remember that aswell
Great video Zack. I am a retired LEO and proud owner of my second '95-'96 Chevy Caprice 9C1 which I already done mods to it like ,boxed the frame, put on Vogtland lowering springs, change to Bilstein shocks all around, put on bigger swaybars, change to a TruTrac LSD w/3.73 gears and run 275/40-18 tire mounted on 18" x 9.5" rear C5 Corvette wheels and also some other stuff that I probably forgot.
Granted there is a lot more aftermarket stuff for the GM 1977-1996 B-Body available especially after the introduction of the '94-'96 Impala SS. There is a company that even makes a BW/Tremec manual transmission conversion kit. But it's great to see that the Ford Panther platform finally get some enthusiast and aftermarket love. Fun fact the 1977-1996 GM B-Body shares the same Herb Adams designed front suspension as the 2nd Gen F-Body that why there were known as great handlers from the beginning in spite of their size. The then downsized 1977 B-Body beat a stock Porsche 911 on the skidpad according to the car mags of the day.
Turning a sow’s ear into a silk purse. Kudos to the builder and to Zack for the humorous presentation.
RE-71Rs are magic tires. If you've ever read a review of a MK7 or MK8 GTI that praised its on-track handling or lack of understeer, it was thanks to the 71s that VW liked to fit on press cars that I will note - were never an option from the factory
I have rt660's which a similar tire, and the amount of grip out of them is insane.
How do they compare to RT660s? I want to start autocrossing and most people recommend those to me
I find them to be one of the worst of the 200TW tires on offer today (well, they're discontinued now). What made the RE71R so great was the grip from cold, they were great for Auto-x. They overheated easily on hot track days, which led to you killing them off easily. They were decent on the street and did surprisingly well in the rain for the aggressive tread pattern.
They don't make the 71s anymore, so anything you buy will be old stock from 2019/2020
RE71's are godly on the street and touge
Zack is a natural comedian
Zack is a natural 🤡 FIFY
@@Twobarpsipussy
I have a 2011 Police interceptor. 5 speed coming as soon as ADTR has more peddle assemblies. Installed the adjustable coilovers all four corners, Metco aluminum rear trailing arms and Metco Watts link all from ADTR. Big sway bars front and rear. I have a 2022 Bronco but drive the Vic 90% of the time because it so freaking fun!!!
"in the wet, it was absolutely scary"
Can confirm, had multiple CVPI's as my first cars and always kept them stock as I bought them, with police spec. Even in drizzle I've lost control and sent one over a curb divider, and nearly lost control in traffic just by applying gas a little too hard.
Don't underestimate these things, I drive like a grandma now in rain.
The police tires are terrible, a thought that I confirmed with an on-duty police officer.
Yeah I've learned my lesson too, I've spun out going up a hill in my vic
@@zackklapman3569 The upshot is the ability to do second gear figure 8's with 4 people on board if it's wet and your parking lot is big enough...
My P71 swapped ends on a long sweeping highway corner in the rain during my commute, and from them on I drove extra slow in the rain
i have some bridgestone turanzas on mine, such a big difference in the rain now, definitely not scary.
That is badass. As a foreigner, That generation of Crown Vic is a serious icon of Americana to the rest of the world as it is to you all. To see this is so cool. A real hark back to true hot-rodding. Having fun with the most unexpected car. Brilliant 👏🏻 🇺🇸
When something so ridiculous turns out so well, it's absolutely praise worthy. I want one!
I KNOW zach has basically taken over one takes and i loveeee his one takes but sometimes it'd be nice to see matt in a viewer car from time to time again . much love habibi
This is my favorite Zack video so far. Just letting him be a goofy smart ass. Seems like he really enjoyed himself, and was able to do it how he wanted. Well done, dude.
The P71s had an aluminum driveshaft from the factory, versus the steel units regular Vics got. Hell, Ford even stamped "POLICE" on it.
I'm a mechanic who daily drives an 07 p71
My perspective is that these cars are handicapped primarily by 4 things if the goal is track or canyons- extreme weight, a solid rear axle, the engine being too far forward, and a terrible hesitation prone automatic transmission. Relative to other panthers it has considerably more power than most, better brakes, much less sway, and a limited slip differential. And yet it STILL handles in a way reminiscent of 60's galaxies.
When I get a new daily my goal is to death kart mine including a junkyard IRS swap and a much further back engine, probably dog housing it like I've done on similar builds.
The 07 P71 crown Vic police interceptor has the 3.27 limited slip?
@@juanray2614 Definitely limited slip, I don't recall the ratio. But given the 15 mpg highway and ability to jump off the line rather hard I'd have thought it might be a 3.73.
Zach is fantastic at these reviews. Brilliant on camera, super fun to watch these modded builds!
a manual swap makes any v8 car, awesome
This is probably the coolest car I've seen on your channel!
Yeah mine is similar but not as fabricated & more bolt ons for power
So cool seeing the NFT shirt that I designed on a One Take! Great review of a wacky car.
Nice, my Townie has a few of those mods! though mine is a '99 with air suspension so I have to figure out other ways to go about tightening the steering and suspension up. Nice to see he also went with Marty for his tune!
Subtle self invite to freedom 500 🇺🇸
killer team tho for Lemullets Matt x Zack
Nah we need someone just as insane as Zack behind the wheel. Bring back Morningstar. Tom x Zack Freedom 500
Imagine this is how they were set up
I know this is from a year ago. But this is fantastic. The time he put in alone was admirable. I continue to plan to build my personal Vic in a manner that's similar. Fantastic cars.
Good to see you guys back to your roots, driving viewer's crazy cars on mountain roads!
I would narrow the rear end, and throw some 345's in the back or some 295+ size tire depending on area available, matched to an appropriate front set of tires.
The rear ends were narrower in the 2002 and older cars. I don't know how much, at least 1 inch per side, and shock mounts will be different.
Lmao I met Austin at Big O when he needed an alignment for this car. He was a chill guy. His crown was just sitting there, it’s funny to see it in this video.
those three questions you opened up with ... I've seriously been asking myself these same questions for for 15 years (like, seriously). thanks for the video!
At my local autox we had a father son team with a crown Vic interceptor they got at police auction. It was so cool to see it out there
I love how so much work went into converting it and making it handle, but the numbers on the side are just stuck on with tape :))))
Excellent priorities
Beautifully shot video. I don't know if you got new cameras recently but it looks fantastic.
Absolutely love everything about this car. I was literally talking to my 78 year old father the other day about building a Crown Vic and what shows up on my YT feed?
4:15 McGruff The Crime Dog FTW
WHAT A FANTASTIC BIT OF KIT !!
Great phrase “…trying to turn a cow into a cheetah.” Isn’t that every “performance SUV?” The difference is this works, illustrating what you can do when you ignore the Bs of how “sick” the exhaust sounds and how “aggressive” that carbon fiber splitter is, and how wide the tires are. The funny thing is, the performance wouldn’t be that different with a full interior.
Both cows and Crown Vic’s are known for their ability to idle.
A lot of autocross guys I've met are the ultimate weight weenies. They will put up with a horrible daily just to eek out that last .01 of a second by completely gutting the interior.
This totally deserves a full interior. I too have an ex-k9 unit and it’s horrible without back seats. It’s loud, and the CV produces so much heat 🥵 That car is so simple, that with the two front seats already installed, all you need is the carpet, door panels, and rear bench. Not much.
You’d be surprised how much low profile tires will change the handling of a grandpa driven CV/MGM or a TC(panther platform). I have slightly smaller tires on 18” wheels on my TC and it can decent curves at 30-40+ mph than with the regular size 16/17” tires- along with d+s rotors and P71 sway bars/springs- and about an 1.5-2” lower- it’s amazingly better than stock.
This car makes me want a Vic again. Having one of these with some coilovers, sway bars, and some sticky tires purely as a weekend or backup car would be _so_ nice.
Finally the Panther Platform has returned to The Smoking Tire!
I had a 97 Grand Marquis and I can vouch for the loose wobbly steering. It was so bad it was dangerous at highway speeds. The car would wander all over the road and you had to constantly apply correction to keep it running in the same relative direction.
Drove a crown vic in the Lucky Dog race at Atlanta Motorsports Park a couple of months ago.
All the thumbs up .. I've taken my 84K mile "05 Crown Vic LX from stock to coil overed, monster sway bared, tuned, 5 speed swapped, 4:10 geared, fiberglass hooded fun daily driver.. Next big plans are the Godzilla swap sometime over the winter of 2023/24 .. Looks quicker than it is, but it isn't a slouch .. P.S. 5 Speed Swap is a MUST (Unless you don't have function of your legs, or you are a female that can't drive a stick in heels).
Good thing Matt didn’t test this one he would want one!
Great review and this car looks fun and exciting to drive.
I just got a Mercury Grand Marquis and I have a Mercedes E320. I was thinking of swapping the E320 to an E55 but now I think I'll do some mods to the Marquis (de Sade) and have my space and carry it too. Trunk is massive, can rent it out as a B&B
Making a fourth gen Mustang in to a Autocross car would have obviously made way more sense. But this way more fun and original. I like it!
Crew cab mustang
Basically a crown Vic is a mustang just heavier with 4 doors.
Now that was a great TheSmokingTire video. That's the ticket.
Austin and his crown vic are a big inspiration for me and my g37 sedan. Turning a barge into a speedboat isnt easy
G37 is a barge?
Well I think Austin made his point in the end. Nice review Zack
Doug Norridin from Global West Suspension has been making these big American sedans handle with the best of any european sedans for years. He is a suspension genius. This is no surprise to what he does.
I have ALWAYS wanted a sleeper manual crown vic!!!!
its surprising to me that more people don’t modify crown vics. i had a stock civilian 03 model for about 3 years (and thanks to the used car prices of 2022 i was able to sell it for a profit) and i actually loved the way the car handled. no, it was not sports car-like whatsoever, but it felt relatively well balanced for what it is. it corned shockingly well for its size and weight, and i never felt uncomfortable hustling it around on a windy mountain road. ok, the 2v 4.6 is not very powerful from the factory, nor is it great for modifying, but torque never felt like an issue for that car. again, this was a civilian model with a front bench seat. not bad all things considered. the only “modifications” done to that car were a cold air intake, a set of sn95 mustang wheels which actually looked quite good on the car, and bfg advantage t/a sport tires. again, it was no sports car, and would struggle to keep up with really anything in a straight line, but considering it was a $3000 super clean old lady owned example (and by the way required little more than regular maintenance, and when stuff did break it was dirt cheap to fix) i’d say it was a fantastic buy. i really enjoyed that car. it went on long trips and did a lot of pizza deliveries and doordash. never left me stranded, never even saw a check engine light or anything. i sold it to a girl who lives one town over from me (over snapchat of all things) and so i still see the car every once in a while. good stuff. go buy one. and do the manual swap. i think it’s totally worth it.
Probably my favorite thing about this build is that he built it to spite the autocross people who told him "its the wrong car"
edit: I have a 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis which according to google search weighs 4038lbs so I thought the full stripped interior would be less than 3800lbs
Now we need a 30 vid of this car ripping around an autocross
Awesome awesome awesome - this car rips
That car was really grounded to the ground.
Even though the explorer replaced these in law enforcement...they still make my heart drop when I see them driving behind me...😒
The computers in the doors might be part of the interceptor pack, as in an easy way to add the extra electronics by just fitting different door to the standard chassis?
Crown Vic's aren't that terrible of a platform. Double wishbone front suspension, Rear wheel drive, LSD, and basically a 50/50 weight distribution isn't a bad starting point. They're slow but the weight / lateral grip distribution front to back is surprisingly even and balanced.
I Was here on Saturday 09-11-2022.. After the Rain that Crown Victoria is Awesome.
Just took my 2022 Roush Mustang with the Proper 3rd Pedal Manual Transmission. S/N: 22.0001.450R I also, have interactive 360VR footage as well as Inside Camera it's Titled GMR. 🧑🏻🦱👍🏻🏁🏎️⛰️🌲 Great background views
Office Oversteer. Lets make this a thing lol
That was amazing Zack is so funny
this thing sounds insanely good
Handling should come first in all categories when the mods list begins for your car. That’s why JDM cars are really great applicants for every variant of racing
Crown Vic p71 are great from factory. Simply put a 4 door mustang (same driveline 99-04 any mustang motor and transmission from 79-04 fits with heavy duty brakes and a watts link ………..simple set up I had p71 08 or later w tremec 3650 lsd in rear w 3:55. If motor swap 351w or just add turbo or supercharger to 4.6
The modules like on the door are like little stand alone on the police car, so if you swap in a coyote you can leave doors alone , so on so fourth
I'm at a point in my life where I think I need this
Build list, some of us want to build clones of this beast....I've got a all aluminum 5.3l LS lm7 that I'd love to stuff in a auto crossed P71. Along with a couple turbos
Gives me strong Corbin vibes.
I've always dreamed of a road course series where only former patrol cars can be used. You'd be allowed to remove whatever you wanted, but only wear items could be upgraded. It wouldn't be fast, but it would be cheap and fun!
Spec P71
1/3 rd of the Champcar field.
Zack for President
Got my tr3650 from my old stang still can’t wait to to throw it in my p71
he didnt "add" swaybars he replaced the swaybars with bigger ones. I know the 2000 civilain didnt even have a front swaybar not sure on new ones. but the front sway bar totally changes how this car handles a turn lol. I know cuz I added one to my 2000 and it was night and day LOL. my sport has same suspension as a PI but air suspension in back. not only is the car reliable but its cheap and easy to work on. sure the intake manifold is going to crack eventually but its pretty easy to replace just dont be dumb and replace it with a metal one LOL...
I own and bought the last year of the Merc Grand Marquis. This car has never let me down even pushing it to the limit! I've raced her through those very roads you shot on today. She has never let me down, even with the wife screaming through the corners!
What would be the most performance increasing thing on the list? Maybe the wider tires for keeping grip while turning?
BEING A P71, THE DRIVESHAFT IS A HOLLOW LARGE DIAMETER THIN WALL SHAFT WITH A CARBOARD INSERT.
Watching this car go around corners is a bit unnerving. It really looks like they sped up the footage. Amazing car, kudos to the owner.
"You turned a cow into a cheetah."
Missed a perfect opportunity to say panther instead.
Big fat square tires and a reasonably stiff suspension that isn’t lowered outside the working geometry of the suspension design will make just about any rwd car handle like a race car.
Another option to one of these old police cars would be a Chevy Caprice. It’s the only way to get one in the states and they come with a monster 6.0 LS motor. I bet if you gutted one and gave it some good tires it would be a track monster.
I want to drive one!
Next upgrade, Gozilla!!!!
Nice! I’ve had P71’s all my life. The best car made. SAP is what you want. I did heads cams headers yata yata on my channel. I miss the times when ppl didn’t want them 😔
Actually, it is still possible to heel and toe downshift with that pedal positioning. You would just reverse it NASCAR style. Instead of holding the brake with the ball of your foot and dabbing the throttle with your heel, you would do the opposite, which is heel on the brakes and ball of the foot dabs the throttle as demonstrated in this onboard footage.
th-cam.com/video/7DhtCbSayj0/w-d-xo.html
94-96 Impala SS FTW!!!
Cleetus approved crown vic.
4.10s in panther cars is lit
A new pedal box will be a nice thing. What's next, Gridlife?
Thank you for making my mustang look reasonable.
Zack has big shoes to fill with One Takes but he makes a really good video
Captain Redline owns this car! 🚗
holy shit these in-video adds are a bummer... you guys have to figure out a way around how you do them now... we already get bombarded by TH-cam ads them we have to deal with yours too. youre double monitizing and we feel it.
THE RACE BOAT lmfao
Is this super troopers part 3? Oh wait, Zack is not from Vermont.😅🏁🍾
Cleeter is going to bring the MF country together by getting us all to build crown vics. 😂
honestly im somewhat surprised he stuck with the solid axle. but hey, if it works i guess
What’s some good lowering springs for the 07 crown Vic police interceptor. Not too expensive something to just lower it cheaply. Badass Vic tho bro.
It's the CamMaster's younger brother!
Perfect 😊
I think the pedal box might be made for men with bigger ummm... shoes.
Zac is hilarious
Cool car but what's up with the Model T style steering wheel? That thing is near vertical!
My thoughts too. Steer with your chin in this car
I'm tall, I forgot to tell him he could tilt the steering wheel down. Lol