general questions...

[carson_arson]

I'm a new user and a new owner literally I got my first SHO 2 weeks ago. its a 97 and I love it. but I have a few questions about it.
So first I heard that some of the engines form the 3rd gen model just randomly blow up is this true if so can I take preventative measures also how common is this?
the speakers that came with mine are mach audio I searched it and didn't come up with much anyone else have these and know a little bit about them?
finally my paint is in really bad shape lots of oxidation etc so I plan on plasti dipping it and generally making the car look better if anyone has an awesome 3rd gen SHO I would love to see it for ideas
Thanks in advance!!

 

[kevinspann]

The cam gear slip and bend the valves. First thing is to see if they have been welded. If not, have it done. The transmissions have a habit of quitting too.

Mach audio? It's pretty lame - cheap ass speakers, most likely blown out by now. Just get a decent replacement, 5x7 or 6x8.

I've seen pictures of a flat black gen 3...I didn't think it looked good, but if you want to spend the time trying plastidip, it won't really hurt.

 

[stephen newberg]

Its the cam sprocket gear. To find out more about this and getting it welded, you should look about over on V8SHO.com. If yours has not been done, it does need it or eventually it will self destruct; the timing almost random on that. Its not a difficult job. Any competent welder can do it with the engine in the car if proper protection is taken. The cams are hollow, so some caution is required not to have burn through or warping.

The transmission tends to become a problem over time for most people, simply because nothing with bands and moving parts lasts forever, but it happens faster for those that use the car at WOT from a stop a lot. Unlike the Gen I/II, the Gen III was never really intended to be a stoplight racer. Instead it was targeted more at the BMW series 3. So if stomped on frequently, the transmission seems to give up sooner. A good rebuild shop can fix them up correctly though, I am told.

pax, smn

 

[Liquid_force]

If you have plans to drive the car for long at all cam welds are critical.

When I bought mine at 91.5k I drove it home and garaged it immediately and started to disassemble the intake to have the cams welded. The welding itself is not difficult. A local shop did mine for $60 (unusually cheap from what I've read). It's the disassembly/reassembly that takes time so labor is most of the cost if you choose to have a shop do it all. It's common to find quotes around $800 including disassembly, weld, new plugs, rotate coils, wrap wire harness in hi-temp tape, reassembly.

Mach speakers come from JBL, but they're definitely nothing special. The stock radio is about 20w per channel. You can replace the front 5x7's with a good 6.5 (w/adapter plate) and a good pair of tweeters in the sail panels (also requires adapter plate) and get a minor improvement in sound quality, but if you really want good sound at a higher volume you'll need to add an external amp. HU is difficult to work with because of the shape and the fact that most of the electronics are actually in the trunk. The portion in the dash is basically just a keypad.

v8sho.com has a TON of good info on just about everything concerning these cars.

 

[Bull Geek]

If you have plans to drive the car for long at all cam welds are critical.

When I bought mine at 91.5k I drove it home and garaged it immediately and started to disassemble the intake to have the cams welded. The welding itself is not difficult. A local shop did mine for $60 (unusually cheap from what I've read). It's the disassembly/reassembly that takes time so labor is most of the cost if you choose to have a shop do it all. It's common to find quotes around $800 including disassembly, weld, new plugs, rotate coils, wrap wire harness in hi-temp tape, reassembly.

Mach speakers come from JBL, but they're definitely nothing special. The stock radio is about 20w per channel. You can replace the front 5x7's with a good 6.5 (w/adapter plate) and a good pair of tweeters in the sail panels (also requires adapter plate) and get a minor improvement in sound quality, but if you really want good sound at a higher volume you'll need to add an external amp. HU is difficult to work with because of the shape and the fact that most of the electronics are actually in the trunk. The portion in the dash is basically just a keypad.

v8sho.com has a TON of good info on just about everything concerning these cars.

The 97 MACH audio speakers are teh same speakers used in a Taurus GL. The radio control unit in the trunk controls whether you get 3 watts or 20 watts per channel.

I don't floor it from a stop in a FWD car like a Taurus anyways - too heavy and trans is made of toothpicks and bubblegum. I certainly have no problem romping on it when i'm coming around a curve/entrance ramp and going to merge onto an interstate.