How about a good ol' versus thread? :)

In reply to dropstep :

The winter(s) where I had my Lincoln Mark VII's I was shocked how well they performed in the snow, especially the blue one since it still had a somewhat functioning diff.

They were MUCH easier to reel back in when they stepped out than my Vic. Which is one of the reasons I'm looking at things I wouldn't normally consider, providing they have rack and pinion steering, like my Marks. Even though the fact that they have rack and pinion and my Vic does not, may not necessarily be the deciding factor in my ability to better reign in a drift, I believe it may be a contributing factor. The direct input and feedback helps me immensely and makes me much more comfortable.

Listen to me sounding all high maintenance. 

Or my wheelman skills have evaporated. Which is entirely possible since I haven't driven at 10/10 in... a long time. lol

I know I'm coming across as an askhole but, I assure you, I will begrudgingly heed the advice given. It is afterall the most logical plan.

 I'm going to clean up and paint the P71 wheels and mount some snows  for the Vic while looking for a '98 and up Ranger (since that's the year they made the switch to rack and pinion steering) preferably four cylinder, preferably manual transmission. 

If I don't find one, that's fine since I'll have the snows mounted for the Vic. If I do find one, that's fine, I can run the snows on the Ranger.  

Sounds like a logical approach to me!

Just a note, the 98-early 01 Ranger 4 cyl is the 2.5L, SOHC, iron block Lima engine. They're very reliable, but the design goes all the way back to Pintos of the late 70s. They're great if you're planning boost at some point, but in my opinion there are better options for daily driven appliances too.

As a mid-year change in 2001, the Ranger and Mazda B Series got the all aluminum, DOHC 2.3L Duratec. It's a shared engine platform with Mazda who branded it as the MZR and put it in the NC Miata and pretty much everything else they made with Pistons between 2000 and 08. The Duratec is lighter, more powerful, and more fuel efficient than the previous Lima engines. There's a much smaller aftermarket for the Ranger Duratec, but that's about the only drawback vs the older 4 cylinders. Just try your best to get one with the manual trans. Auto equipped trucks get worse fuel economy and feel much more sluggish, even though they're geared numerically higher.

aside from my Disco, the best car I ever had for snow duty was my old Saab 900. I know they are very thin on the ground anymore, but nothing stopped it. Beyond that, my 1988 Hyundai Excel used to pass 4x4s in the snow. I am not talking a couple of inches, I am talking "state of emergency" levels of snow. Light weight, skinny wheels, and lots of ground clearance got me through three years of nasty winter weather.

when I had my 318ti, it had the "winter package" which included an LSD (one of the last non-M bmws to get one too) and even with Star Specs, I was able to get around. The one and only time I got semi-stuck, I was able to spin the rear wheels and then lift off of the gas, the wheels would grab instantly and impart all their momentum into moving the car forwards.

Ooo brainstorm.

Your 99 P71 front sub frame can be replaced with one from a similar year explorer. Everything bolts up, I've been told, and you can have a 4wd crown Vic. 

From some research it's possible, but I've heard it from several sources. 

Surprised no one has mentioned an XJ yet. Cheap, plentiful, and can be fixed with a hammer for no more than $20 spent the the junk yard. Mine is an absolute beast in the winter, even when it was stock height and on rock hard, old all seasons. Also shares bolt pattern with both the Ranger and Crown Victoria  (IIRC offset is wrong, but that's what spacers are for!), so falls in line with your current plan. Granted, it is not, however, a pickup, and steering feel is uh...lacking, to be polite. 

My best winter beater was an '87 Buick Century with the skinniest snow tires available from Sam's Club.  It was not as good as a Subaru or a 4x4 truck but it surprised a lot of people - including me.

In reply to Furious_E :

My XJ was a beast too.  In a straight line.  I had the old school Select-Trac? and it struggled to make sharp turns at intersections.  It always wanted to push straight ahead.

In reply to A 401 CJ :

The lack of a center diff will cause that.  But it's very fixable, especially with a limited slip in the rear.  A few minor suspension and alignment tweaks and it'll have no problem bringing the tail around for you (either under power or with momentum if you're not doing 3 mph). 

RevRico said:

Ooo brainstorm.

Your 99 P71 front sub frame can be replaced with one from a similar year explorer. Everything bolts up, I've been told, and you can have a 4wd crown Vic. 

From some research it's possible, but I've heard it from several sources. 

I had this very idea a while back, except I bench built one with the AWD setup and, of course, swapped the GT40(P) headed 5.0 into the Vic....in my mind. 

In reply to The_Jed :

You have a PM

In reply to SVreX :

Sorry, Paul. I just now checked this thread!

My wife was standing next to me when I opened the message.