The '91 Taurus SHO Project
Photos and writeup by Trevor Freeman.
BackgroundFord made quite a splash in the automotive world when it introduced the Taurus in 1986. This midsize car was rounded, aerodynamic, and was powered at the front wheels. It received accolades from Car and Driver Magazine and won Motor Trend's Car of the Year award in 1986. And yet most Ford Taurus drivers never experienced the most exciting thing about these cars: The SHO model.
Most people would never guess from its "Clark Kent" appearance that this family sedan packs a real "Superman" punch under the hood! SHO was an abbreviation for Super High Output, which referred to the 24-valve, 220 HP Yamaha V6 engine. When combined with a 5-speed manual transmission, this car was the ultimate factory sleeper of its day.
The Taurus SHO boasted several upgrades over the base model including body-colored trim, fog lights, and 16-inch aluminum "slicer" wheels. It came well equipped with power windows and locks, 4-wheel disc brakes with ABS, and cruise control. Options included black leather seats, a moonroof, and a premium JBL audio package. For a mid-size family sedan in the low $20,000 range, this car really surprised people. The story of how I came to own part of one was also a surprise, to me anyway.
The Big Purchase
For over a year, the guys and I had been bouncing around the idea of purchasing a project car together. Our plan was to find the largest and cheapest vehicle from the 1970s we could get our hands on and transform it into the scariest looking thing anyone has ever seen. We still plan to do that, but we had to put that project on hold for now because we ended up buying a 1991 Ford Taurus SHO instead.
After spending several months searching through classified ads for the perfect car, we stumbled upon the Taurus in June of 2008. Some guy across town was selling one for $750 dollars or best offer and we gave him a call. We told him that the most we could afford was $600 dollars, and he said to come on by and take a look at the car. After a quick test drive, we decided to seal the deal. Me and two friends each chipped in $200 bucks and we bought the Taurus on the spot.
There was a sense of excitement in the air as we took the title and the keys. We purchased a battery from the closest AutoZone and drove it to the gas station to check it over. The car was running fine, but it had several issues which we needed to address. We added some water to the radiator and some air to the tires. It was also necessary to jam a piece of paper under the dash so that the brake lights would work. From there, we drove it home with smiles on our faces.
More Than a Few Surprises
Once we got it home, the magnitude of our purchase began to sink in. Outside, the car was in great shape. The front and rear wheels were mismatched, but the matching ones were in the trunk. The interior was stripped of all but the dash and the front seats, and the floor was covered in wires. Under the hood we discovered a disconnected ABS system, an oil leak above the exhaust manifold, and several other issues like missing bolts, missing hood struts, and a tangled mess of wires. The classified ad said the car had 92,000 miles, but the title told a different story: 192,000 miles. The air conditioner and the radio in the Taurus did not work. Almost every warning light on the instrument panel was illuminated.
In spite of all these problems, we discovered that our project car had several serious modifications already done to it! The shifter had been converted from a cable shifter to a rod shifter. All of the bushings in the front end had been replaced with heavy duty ones. The car had definitely been lowered; the suspension was extremely stiff when taking corners. Additionally, someone went to the trouble of welding a set of subframe connectors to the bottom of the car! They appear to be made of square steel tubing and they run the length of the chassis. What a surprise that the guy we bought it from didn't mention that!
We made a quick trip to Wal-Mart where we picked up a few quarts of oil and had three sets of keys made. Over the next few weeks there was a lot of cleaning, several late-night repairs and a few wild test drives. Here is a timeline of what we have done to our SHO project car so far:
June 7th, 2008
Purchased the SHO and a new battery. Swapped in the backseat from a Mercury Sable.
June 8th, 2008
Removed the "Taurus" emblem from the trunk lid and painted the driver side door handles.
June 10th, 2008
Changed the spark plug wires and removed lots extra wiring from the previous owner's stereo install.
June 12, 2008
Painted the passenger side door handles and touched up a few spots on the trunk.
June 14, 2008
Today we mounted a set of old tires on the 16-inch "Slicer" wheels, painted all four wheels white, and painted the black exterior trim light gray. The car is looking a lot better already!
June 16, 2008
Many of our donor parts (including the carpet) came from this Mercury Sable.
June 23, 2008
We used the high pressure sprayer at the car wash to clean the carpet before installing it in the Taurus. We also filled the empty space below the radio with these gauges.
July 25, 2008
Our joy ride came to an abrupt end tonight when the battery died. We ended up pushing the Taurus home with a more reliable car.
Please continue to Page 2 for the conclusion of the Taurus SHO Project.