I believe the compressor is inside the passenger wheel well closer to the front bumper.
Behind the wheel well liner on the passenger side toward the front of the car.
Passenger side behind the wheel well liner toward the front of the car
Where is air ride leveling switch on 1996 Lincoln town car
Yes it does
a mark VII (7)? http://www.cardomain.com/ride/3149133
spring struts
There is no air ride in the LS,..maybe your thinking Mark VIII or Towncar??
Right next to the master cylinder.
Yes, but it's not safe
Yes, if you turn the air ride switch off in a 1997 Lincoln mark 8 you can still drive the car but this should be used as a temporary measure
any Lincoln mark VII's from 1984-1992 all have the same air ride but these are the only cars that have this setup unfortunately but they do have conversion kits that run $300 to $400 hope this helps.
There is a switch behind your glove compartment that you need to disable the sensor that controls that message.