Lincoln town car as a toad - anyone??

[Planocat]

Has anyone ever used a 95-97 Lincoln Town Car as a toad? If you or any of your friends have used this particular vehicle as a toad, I would like to hear your thoughts. This vintage is the last of the "Big Box Town Cars" and I tell people this will be the car they drive to my funeral. I can't think of any reason not to use it as our dinghy as it is rear wheel drive, weighs right at 4,000 lbs, gets 22-25mpg, and would eliminate the need for an additional vehicle..... Not to mention that it's the most comfortable vehicle I have owned.

The only drawback I see is the length at 18'. But I tow my boat or a cargo trailer (both longer and heavier) without issue, so why not the TownCar?

Just looking to cover my bases and not overlook some obvious flaw in my demented thinking.

Any and all observations/experiences are welcomed. Thank You.

[frankdamp]

I'm gob-smacked that the Town Car weighs 800 lb less than my '03 Kia Sedona. If you can find a drive-shaft disconnect to fit it, I don't see any reason why not, particularly if you already own the car. Definitely, it will need an auxiliary braking system, but I can't see any reason it wouldn't work just fine.

[spritz]

We use our 99 Concours as our toad but it's front wheel drive and we use a KarKattySS also.
I agree with frankdamp, I don't know why you couldn't if using everything he mentioned.
What are you going to tow it with?

[Mekanic]

Originally Posted by frankdamp

I'm gob-smacked that the Town Car weighs 800 lb less than my '03 Kia Sedona. If you can find a drive-shaft disconnect to fit it, I don't see any reason why not, particularly if you already own the car. Definitely, it will need an auxiliary braking system, but I can't see any reason it wouldn't work just fine.

Yep They are probably the most comfortable car I have ever driven as well.
GREAT cars. Mechanically they are a stretched Ford Crown Vic/Merc Gran Marquis. Any driveshaft disco that fits a Crown Vic should fit it.
In fact they use the same kind of rear axle as a rear drive Explorer

If you would have seem them in salvage years next to a crown vic you cna see where the areas where the extra length.

One Caution: Don't jack the rear end up at all without throwing the switch in the trunk to disable the rear axle air ride.

[whem2fish]

I see you are close look in the grand Prairie phone book for drive shaft king they are at loop 12 and Jefferson they did my drive shaft disconnect

[Planocat]

I am so lucky to be in the Dallas area and have access to Drive Shaft King. I have already spoken with David and he says we are good to go as far as the Drive Shaft Disconnect goes. Base plates are a little issue as they list them for 95 and 96 but not the 97. Road master says it may be because they have never had a 97 in the shop to see if they are interchangeable. David says if they aren't the same, he may be able to modify or custom build. I trust him completely as any past experience I had with him was 5*.

Planocat

[whem2fish]

Used them since the early 80's good people back then it was a drag car can't remember how much disconnect was on my truck about 5 years ago seems like $1500 or so but like I said they are good people to deal with

[Steve N Sal]

Wow sounds like you lucked out on your project. Hope they can get the baseplate to fit and then you'll be close to hitting the road. Good luck hope it all works out.

[Wayne M]

My wife has a 2004 TC and said, "No way! You buy yourself another car!"

We named the TC the "pimp mobile."

[Planocat]

Wayne:

My wife would never ask me to part with my Town Car. She knows that after 46 years of marriage, low mileage women are much easier to find than low mileage '97 Cartier Town Cars. LOL

I can't valet park my car without being asked if I would consider selling it. So maybe instead of calling ours "The Cruiser", if I did sell it they would call it "The Pimp Mobile"........ But it won't happen in my lifetime. At 6'2" and 270 I've had my fill of Explorers, Saturns, and Hondas as towed vehicles. At last, room and comfort in a toad. I'm excited about the prospect.

Now it's on to the supplemental braking system.... leaning toward Air Force One.
Any thoughts?

Hope your new Lincoln will be a great vehicle for you. My wife's Aviator would make a great toad, but it is AWD and non-towable. And she loves her vehicle as much as I love mine..... which is an economically great thing.

[JFXG]

Originally Posted by Planocat

..... Not to mention that it's the most comfortable vehicle I have owned.

Originally Posted by Mekanic

Yep They are probably the most comfortable car I have ever driven as well.
GREAT cars.

+3 on that! I did about ten years of corporate chauffeur work, all in new ( < 100k miles, about 1.5 yrs) Town Cars. I think this may be the best car made in the US. The design life is 400K miles, and with proper care they'll make easily. Corporate fleets and top tier livery companies buy or lease new and turn them at about 100k. By the time the cars get to third level companies or independents they've usually eclipsed 300k. Still running fine, but looking a little worn unless they've got a good owner who takes care of the body. Ford stopped making them in 2010 (I think it was), but strangely you can still find some out there with less than 25k miles.

The only car I've ever encountered I consider more comfortable than a TC was the Navigator I owned from 98 to 04, and that was primarily due to the seat geometry-- more upright and chair-like, but still extremely comfortable. Just my preference. That Nav was about perfect-- except for the gas mileage! Drove it 175K in six years, and it averaged 13.7. Ouch. But what a great car! Both my kids learned to drive in it. It was like learning to drive in one of those big land-yacht station wagons in the 60s.... once you learned in something like that, judging your position was never an issue again!

[Mekanic]

They are a good base to make any kind of car you want. as that is a full size 4000 lb car.
improved handling is easy with police cruiser suspension parts installed.
Years ago I saw a guy drag racing what looked very much like a stock Town Car.
However he had a 6.8L V10 with a supercharger under the hood!!

[Wayne M]

Originally Posted by Planocat

Wayne:

My wife would never ask me to part with my Town Car. She knows that after 46 years of marriage, low mileage women are much easier to find than low mileage '97 Cartier Town Cars. LOL

I can't valet park my car without being asked if I would consider selling it. So maybe instead of calling ours "The Cruiser", if I did sell it they would call it "The Pimp Mobile"........ But it won't happen in my lifetime. At 6'2" and 270 I've had my fill of Explorers, Saturns, and Hondas as towed vehicles. At last, room and comfort in a toad. I'm excited about the prospect.

Now it's on to the supplemental braking system.... leaning toward Air Force One.
Any thoughts?

Hope your new Lincoln will be a great vehicle for you. My wife's Aviator would make a great toad, but it is AWD and non-towable. And she loves her vehicle as much as I love mine..... which is an economically great thing.

Earlene still has the 2004 TC and it has 93,000 miles and still purring. Garage kept and no way will she let me put the 2013 in it's place in the garage.

I have AFO. Had it on the Saturn Vue and transferred it to the 2013 MKX. My personal belief is that it is one of the better braking systems on the market. With the TC you will not have any problem installing the TOAD controller box under the hood. Even with the Saturn and the MKX they mounted it to the top of the battery box but in your TC you will have plenty of room. I opted to have it installed by a professional but several have done it themselves. It was worth the $200 to me to have it done.

I have heard that the M&G is also a good one but I have no experience with it.

Have you been able to find a disconnect for the TC drive shaft? I think Demco makes one.