Progress Thread Finally got my first Fox Body - 1988 GT

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Thanks for sharing the pics of the blocks. My biggest concern with those again comes down to getting the car high enough to get onto them. I have the same issue with both the Fox and the Coyote. Both are a pain in the butt to get high enough to get under. I really wish I had a lift. I've thought about investing in one of those quick jack portable lifts but after watching a few videos of people using them on youtube, I'm not completely convinced. One of them seemed like it didn't get the car that much higher than it would be on jack stands or ramps but I'll have to do more research.

It snowed again this week. I did get time to make a trip to an auto body shop in Fredericksburg to get a quote on replacing and painting the rear bumper cover on the Fox. It's the thing I hate the most on the car visually...so I think I might just do it if we can find the right bumper cover.

I also have some scratches on the 2014 that I have been wanting to get fixed for a long time....but I'm also floating the idea of getting into a newer Mustang or something different like a WRX STI or Civic Type R. The amenities of the Forester have me day dreaming of something newer/fancier but still fun and fast. I figure the Fox could still serve its function and fit my RWD V8 needs but I don't know if I'll do it or not. I've had a lot of automotive ADD lately. We'll see.

Anyways, I got bored and made another video.

View: https://youtu.be/7x8RVf9u8MM
 
The right bumper cover is a yellow urethane stock bumper thats in good condition. Hard to find but the best. The replacement black bumpers get brittle. Mine did on my GT. A lady backed into it and the bumper cracked in three places. There was no flex. It looked good when it came and was flexible ...but after paint it litterally shattered from a minor tap.
 
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Ironically what I've always liked about any "cruiser" car I've owned ( had a few from the big 3 over the years )
is that they don't have the amenities, gadgets, smoothness of new cars.
When I get in my 93GT radio is off , car is rumbling , cabin is not tranquil, things are rattling here and there, I don't know to me it's
the more visceral experience that I enjoy about driving cars like these.
Then again I'm weird.
When I want refined I hop in one of the dailys.
 
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Ironically what I've always liked about any "cruiser" car I've owned ( had a few from the big 3 over the years )
is that they don't have the amenities, gadgets, smoothness of new cars.
When I get in my 93GT radio is off , car is rumbling , cabin is not tranquil, things are rattling here and there, I don't know to me it's
the more visceral experience that I enjoy about driving cars like these.
Then again I'm weird.
When I want refined I hop in one of the dailys.
Totally get this...and I think it sort of sums up what I love about driving the Fox, but I guess now I’ve been thinking about something different. A different driving experience if you will. I still love the way the 2014 looks and it’s still fun to drive but it’s not particularly comfortable and all the things that I would consider doing (new seats, supercharger, stereo upgrades) are pretty expensive...and aside from the supercharger, wouldn’t really give a different driving experience, if that makes sense.

I would prefer to just buy another car and keep both Mustangs but I gotta be somewhat realistic, lol. We’ll see though. I will probably at least test drive a few vehicles, see how I like them, and see how my 2014 feels in comparison after each one.
 
I painted my front and back bumpers with primer,finish,and clear spray cans from AUTO TOUCH UP PAINT.COM You give them the VIN. and they give a mixed match to your color. About forty bucks for everything. Matched perfect on my car. Of coarse your car has to be original color. My bumpers were a slightly different color because of the plastic over time. The paint dried out smooth, and just wet sanded....On a different note I drove into my daughters car, and painted her bumper perfect.
 
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Totally get this...and I think it sort of sums up what I love about driving the Fox, but I guess now I’ve been thinking about something different. A different driving experience if you will. I still love the way the 2014 looks and it’s still fun to drive but it’s not particularly comfortable and all the things that I would consider doing (new seats, supercharger, stereo upgrades) are pretty expensive...and aside from the supercharger, wouldn’t really give a different driving experience, if that makes sense.

I would prefer to just buy another car and keep both Mustangs but I gotta be somewhat realistic, lol. We’ll see though. I will probably at least test drive a few vehicles, see how I like them, and see how my 2014 feels in comparison after each one.
I get it.
Money for most of us ( myself included ) is the ultimate determining factor.
 
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Someone needs a 2021 Mach 1. ;)


or a mach-e? :shrug:




:)
Man...I really like that new blue Mach 1. Not cheap though and I’m sure there will be a lot of dealer markups. :-/

I saw the Mach E at the Washington Auto Show last year before things got really crazy. I dig it. Definitely want to drive one when they are more readily available.
 
Nerd alert.....just got a new phone case. Not an exact match clearly but I dig it. :cool:

IMG-9127.jpg
 
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How is the quality of those in person? I've seen pics but they all seemed like renders, so I've never been able to see one in person
It’s better than I expected. Seems reasonably sturdy. One bad thing is it doesn’t have an element that covers the screen like my old case so I will have to get a screen protector. Im also not sure about the mustang design...like I can’t tell if it’s a really thick sticker or if it’s painted or sealed on some other way. Let’s see how it holds up.
Thats cool Dude. Where did you get that?
This is one of the few times that I actually clicked on a very clearly targeted Instagram ad.

 
So I got a few parts in the mail a couple of days ago. I wanted to try and start working on getting the door aligned (I think I mentioned this in my latest video) so I went ahead and ordered the inner door renewal kit. After watching some videos, it seems this won’t be particularly easy but that’s fine.
B12F2AE0-525E-453C-8D24-48AC69E50E09.jpeg

So naturally I started with what I thought would be the easiest part - the door latch strikers. I had noticed recently the bushings were missing on mine anyways. So I got the new striker installed on the driver side with the spacer (the cork/beige looking washer, followed by the lock washer (it doesn’t have any parts list in the box so based on the LMR video, Im assuming the black piece is the lock washer).

1D75791E-D0E6-466D-AEEA-1BB7261B27AA.jpeg

I threaded the new striker in by hand, lined it up, and tightened it with a wrench. I also put a little grease on the washer. Here’s how it looks at the moment.
8BAC9C14-DBBC-435C-AFB6-1C855936C443.jpeg

The first time I closed the door, it closed fine and sounded good but then I couldn’t open it. I had to go around to the passenger side, get in, hold the inner door handle open and push hard on the door to get it to open. I have tried closing it and opening it multiple times with mixed results. Sometimes I can open it on the first try...sometimes I have to pull on the door handle really hard like 5-6 times before it opens.

Anyone else experience this after adding new door latch strikers or even just the bushings?
 
Ok, so I just sprayed some WD40 in the door latch assembly and now it seems to open every time on the first try but it still seems I have to pull up a little harder on the door handle than I’m used to.
 
Try moving the striker out just a tiny bit, if you continue to pull on the door hang hard to open it will break, same with the inside handle and it's plastic.
Thanks. I played around with it a little bit. Now it seems to open pretty easily, consistently...but it’s really quiet, whereas the passenger side makes a pretty loud click sound when I open. If this doesn’t make sense in writing it will make more sense in the video I’m working on hopefully.

I haven’t changed the passenger side striker and it is also missing the bushing. Is the door supposed to open quietly? It seems I’ve been so used to the loud clicking sound that it feels normal to me...and the quiet opening makes me think something is wrong. :chin