Zenith

So I was thinking about buying a shift kit for my 97' T-Bird Auto and as I was researching it I could not find any thing on the installation of it. So my question is How would I install it and is it worth the money to help preserve the performance of your tranny?

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ThunderPhoenix

First off bud, I would recommend reading thoroughly on the 4R70W transmissions. If yours is a 4.6L and stock I am assuming that's what it is. Check into which transmissions will fit yours. If you really want power, I would personally take the drivetrain from a Mark VIII since they are DOHC and in general pretty powerful.

Also I would highly recommend that you NOT street race. I'm not your father and you don't know me but you could ruin your driving record, kill yourself, or someone else. I've seen it happen and too many of my friends have died that way. By all means, build it up, and take it to the track. If anyone calls you a pu**y, then tell them that THEY are the pu**y for not taking to the 1320.

Put some money into it and invest in a DOHC. Romeo blocks are pretty good when mated to a good set of ported and polished heads. Do some research and for Gods sake, don't tear it up before you build it up. Just makes for more work.

Enjoy your Bird and be safe, I'm tired of reading about street racers in the statistics.

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Zenith

Thank you thunderphoenix. I know exactly what you mean about the whole street racing scene. I do want to take my car to the track. I have a friend who street races and i ask him why. I really just want to take it the track and get it up to its full potential. My only concern is that I really don't want to invest that much into a drivetrain Mark VIII. I would really just like to keep the stock tranny I have and just use a B&M Shift Improver Kit which fits the 4R70W tranny I have. So I figure then I could get through my gears a lot smoother and quicker when i take it to the track and not grind down my tranny.

The only concern I have with the kit is I want to know what tools are required and how I am going to put it on before I buy it.

I swear that I will not street race trust me. I really don't have that intention in mind but I don't want to see my T-Bird waste its full potential.

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ThunderPhoenix

Ok, well it's good to know you won't be street racing in it. I am guilty of occasional late night, red light encounters, but after I get to the speed limit, I let off of it. The goal is to stay UNDER the radar friend. As you can tell by the bar <<< I am only 22, but I have seen a lot of sh*t in my life, a lot I didn't want to. Can you provide a link to the Shift improver kit? I can do some research and tell you exactly how to install it and do it properly.

And I just looked, and the Mark VIII packs about 70 more horsepower, and it will mate up to a 4R70W Tranny. The only thing (I believe) is that you will need the Torque Converter and flywheel from the Mk8.

Provide me with a link and I will help out if I can.

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Zenith

Ford AODE 4R70W E4OD transmission shift kit B&M 40264 40266 10025 Shift Improver Kit
The Mk VIII does seem nicer but wouldnt it involve removing my entire engine and dropping that one in let alone paying for it and the TC with the flywheel? I guess I could always try a junkyard. :)

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Bert

I Saw the same kit for less. Do asearch and you'll find it cheaper. Here's one.
B&M Shift Improver Kit - 96-99 Ford, Lincoln, Mercury 4r70W [B&M-40266] - $70.95 : Powered By Ford - Your only high performance parts supplier for your Ford car or truck, When you want it done right and done well there is only one Powered By Ford!

Zenith

Yeah I saw that one and i would buy it i just want to know what im getting into. Also Some people have said to use a J-mod but i dont think it will work because i have a 97 model which j-mods are not recommended for. plus i do not want to remove my 1-2 accumulator.

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ThunderPhoenix

Bingo! Try to find one that was in a REAR end collision. (less chance of damage to vital components) OR you could go the PI route and change over to PI heads and intake. Granted you should know how deep you are getting before you dive in. A PI intake and a tune plus running premium fuel could help out some as far as performance. If you do the Mk8 swap, order an aluminum Crown Vic IIRC driveshaft.

You would be surprised what a Tune, Premium gas, and a PI intake will do. That's the route I personally suggest because it provides less restricted intake flow and will make it run like a champ! The shift kit will help as well. All in all it's much cheaper than buying a whole engine and building it up.

Do a little research on PI intakes, and the process included in a swap, weigh out your financial and physical assets, and let me know what you want to do, how much money you have to work with and I'll do what I can to help you.

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Zenith

Well the thing is I am running on future finances. I made a list of possible things I wanted to do to my car to ensure a long life out of it. Thing is I really would like to do the engine swap and all but thats just out of my range. The shift kit is my main focus. I plan on keeping the stock engine and tranny for as long as I can. The only issue I have with the shift kit is that some people say that they make the tranny fail in the future and that I should use a J-Mod. So my confusion is now on which one to do. As for the physical aspect I am willing to work on my car when i get the time and the professional advice when I can.

In short I am an aspiring car hobbyist who is working on limited funds and just wants to keep his T-Bird while having a little fun with it. And then later down the line Ill start really trying to get it up to its full potential. It sounds like you know what your talking about and I have taken your info to heart. I did some research on my tranny which was hard too understand but got the gist of it.

Note: The only time I would consider a engine swap for the Mk VIII is if I blew my engine and had to get a new one. Then I might shoot for that. I am glad you suggested that as a possible engine for the car.

Thank you and I hope to talk to you again. If its ok, I could send you a message about possible mods or work and maybe you could help me to the best of your abilities. And in return I can give some of my knowledge which is mainly about car issues.

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ThunderPhoenix

Yep, sounds good man. Check out Super Coupe Performance Parts - Ford Thunderbird, Mercury Cougar, Lincoln Mark VIII (8) and Ford Escape and look around if you want performance parts for cheap. Just send me a PM and I'll do a little looking around for you.

And BTW, I don't know a lot, but I know a little about our cars due to the research I have ALREADY done and had to replace or considered replacing.

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