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Junkyard Gem: 1973 Mercury Montego MX Brougham Sawzall Convertible Edition

You know how it goes— the weather is warm, you want to do some top-down driving, and you lack a proper convertible... but you do have a hooptie Detroit car on one side of the garage and a big ol' Sawzall on the other. Put the two together and you have a Sawzall Convertible, which generally lasts for about one summer before it gets scrapped. Here's a fine example of such a car, photographed in a San Francisco Bay Area self-service junkyard. Most Sawzall Convertibles (yes, it should be called a roadster, but nobody does that) have raw, ragged metal edges, or maybe duct tape over the stumps of the amputated pillars, but someone went to the trouble to weld nice smooth metal covers over the hackage on this one. The windshield is gone. Instead, the windshield frame is ringed by tongue depressors held in place by gooey roofing tar. No, we don't know why. The Montego MX Brougham was a hot-selling personal luxury coupe in its day, selling for $3,041 in 1973. That's just under $17,000 in 2017 dollars. It must have been fun, cruising this thing on Bay Area streets with no roof and a rattle-can spray-bomb job. This one has the optional 400-cubic-inch V8 engine, rated at 171 horsepower. What would this car's original buyer have thought of its fate? This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. It's like a Marquis Brougham after you squish it in the car crusher! Featured Gallery Junked 1973 Mercury Montego MX Brougham Sawzall Convertible View 22 Photos Auto News Mercury Convertible Luxury Classics montego

Ford finds flex-fuel engine design plays big role in emissions output

How bad is ethanol for your engine? There's been a lot of debate on this issue as the US considers upping the biofuel content in the national gasoline supply from 10 percent (E10) to 15 percent (E15). The ethanol industry and some scientists say higher ethanol blends show no "meaningful differences" in new engines while the oil industry says ethanol creates health risks. Researchers working at the Ford Research and Innovation Center decided to take a closer look at how a wide range of gas-ethanol blends - E0, E10, E20, E30, E40, E55 and E80 - affected the emissions coming out of a flex-fuel 2006 Mercury Grand Marquis. To see the full report, printed in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, requires payment, but there is an abstract and Green Car Congress has some more details. The gist is that, "with increasing ethanol content in the fuel, the tailpipe emissions of ethanol, acetaldehyde, formaldehyde, methane, and ammonia increased." At least NOx and NMHC emissions decreased. The researchers say that the effects are due to the fuel and "are expected for all FFVs," but that the way that a manufacturer calibrates the engine will affect NOx, THC, and NMOG emissions. It's this last bit that's important, since the researchers found, "Higher ethanol content in gasoline affects several fundamental fuel properties that can impact emissions. ... These changes can have positive or negative effects that can depend on engine design, hardware, and control strategy. In addition to direct emissions impacts, higher ethanol content fuel can also provide more efficient combustion and overall engine operation under part-load conditions and under knock-limited higher-load conditions." So, as we head towards more ethanol in our fuel supply (maybe), manufacturers are going to need to learn how to burn it most efficiently.

Ford recalls 300,000 Crown Vics over lighting module

The Basics: Ford is recalling 312,814 units of the Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis sedans from the 2003-2005 model years. They were built at the St. Thomas Assembly Plant between Oct. 3, 2001, and Aug. 2, 2005. Ford says 296,004 of those units are located in the United States, with another 14,714 in Canada and 2,096 in Mexico. The Problem: The solder joints on the lighting control module could crack, depriving the headlamps of the power they need to light the way ahead. That could increase the risk of a crash, particularly at night and in other low-visibility situations. Injuries/Deaths: Ford reports that it is aware of 11 accidents that resulted from the problem, leading to one injury described as "minor." The Fix: The manufacturer is instructing dealers to replace the entire lighting control module. If You Own One: Make sure your headlights are working before getting under way. If they're not, avoid driving under low-light conditions, including at night, in heavy precipitation, or in fog. Ford Issues Three Safety Recalls and One Safety Compliance Recall in North America DEARBORN, Mich., Dec. 22, 2015 – Ford Motor Company is issuing three safety recalls and one safety compliance recall in North America. Details are as follows: Ford Motor Company issues safety recall for certain 2003-2005 Ford Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis vehicles to replace lighting control module Ford Motor Company is issuing a safety recall for approximately 313,000 2003-2005 Ford Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis vehicles to replace a lighting control module. The solder joints on the module could crack and interrupt power to the headlamps – increasing the risk of crash at night. Ford is aware of 11 reports of accidents and one report of a minor injury related to this issue. Affected vehicles include certain 2003-2005 Ford Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis vehicles built at St. Thomas Assembly Plant, Oct. 3, 2001 through Aug. 2, 2005. There are a total of 312,814 vehicles that might be affected in North America, including 296,004 in the United States and federalized territories, 14,714 in Canada and 2,096 in Mexico. Dealers will replace the lighting control module at no cost to the customer. Ford issues safety recall for certain 2016 Ford F-650 and F-750 vehicles to replace rear air brake chamber Ford is issuing a safety recall for 177 2016 Ford F-650 and F-750 vehicles to replace the rear air brake chamber.