If we had cash that we could burn like there was no tomorrow, believe me, the BangShift garages would be even more wild than they are now. For every car we have going, there’s a hundred we’d love to slam together and do fun things with. That’s the one problem about operating with a real-world budget, however…you don’t get to throw everything and the kitchen sink at the car of your dreams and haze tires into the sunset. We prefer the real-deal approach here, and reader “andy30thz” sent us video on just what a budget deal can actually look like.
Ford Crown Victorias aren’t expensive, but if you really want to save a few more bucks, start with a Mercury Grand Marquis. Same car, but no real cop-car clout to speak of. Find one painted “Early Bird Special” gold, for that added bit of snark, then proceed to throw bits and pieces at it until you have a fun four-door bomber. It won’t be as fast as a Shelby Mustang, but it can be just as entertaining. Here’s what this particular Merc has going for it:
- Heinous billet rear control arms
- 3.73 rear gears with a Trac-Loc from a Mustang Cobra
- P71 Interceptor intake, dual pipes, aluminium driveshaft, and sway bars
- Professional Products ported and polished plenum
- Mo’s Speed Shop tune for the ECM
Half of the list can be raided from the right junkyard and the rest of the list are easy scores. Nothing about that should break the bank and everything should vastly improve the Senility Sedan’s get up and go better than the last time Grandpa swallowed a blue pill he didn’t recognize. Speaking of…note the age of the driver whipping this Mercury around. That isn’t the Little Old Lady from Pasadena in there making the donuts. That’s the guy who is betting that no cop would ever suspect that the culprit leaving stripes is a Grand Marquis. Nobody expects the Grand Marquis.
(Thanks to “andy30thz” for the tip!)
