Previous Gen 6 MC owner here. Hello all. First post on this site. I'm on the verge of making a sound investment but I want to know what would be better off in terms of aftermarket parts, tuning, and drag racing. The 1997 thunderbird LX 4.6 2v or the 2004 Monte Carlo SS 3.8 supercharged? I'm making my purchase this weekend so hopefully you all can help with the decision. Both motors are strong and reknown

 

Engines are known to be strong.. Have you compared the durability of the trans connected to them? I really hate to say this being a bit biased for the MC but if your intention is drag racing (again I hate to say it) but you may be better off with the thunderbird.

Now, I know nothing about the trans thats in the thunderbird but I cant imagine its made of glass like the 4t65e... Isnt the thunderbird also RWD?

There is TONS of aftermarket/performance for the 3800 however, a quick google search isnt showing much for the 2v..

Honestly, im not sure what would be the better choice.. Im sure others will chime in here..

 

From a quick search, the Tbird transmissions aren't that great either, at least as far as automatic goes. Check these sites and threads.

https://www.tccoa.com/threads/quick-...r-gain.161273/

https://www.stangnet.com/mustang-for...d-help.605750/

 

Drag racing - thats a hard pass for the monte.

The 3800 is excellent and can make all the power you'd ever want in a FWD platform.

The transmission is the killer. The 4t65 is garbage and barely adequate for stock power, much less elevated power on top of actually racing it. You can build them somewhat, but its fairly pricey and can never really be built to hold up to a full out 3800 build when being raced. Theres also no better plug and play swaps (yes the 4t80 can be made to work, but its not a drop in).

FWD is also a big downer for drag racing, especially for a street/ strip setup. You're always going to be fighting weight transfer and the ideal setup for drag racing doesn't work well for the street.


Even if the stock T bird trans sucks too, there are adapters for the 4.6 to bolt it to a trans that'll hold whatever you can throw at it - 4l80, glide, etc.