Progress Thread 1989 GT Hatchback Restoration

Maaco is a joke. Their paint only lasted ( maybe ) two years on my car. The bondo brand body filler in most parts stores isn't the best at all and does shrink over time. It will work but not on anything more than about 1/16th thick. A 1/4 if you're lucky. You've got to give it a long time to cure and must be kept away from humidity or moisture. A good primer and sealer is a must too. I'm no body man but I've done a bunch of body work over the years. NAPA has the best over the counter body products that I've found. If you use Bondo get the gold class stuff. It shrinks less and is a little easier to deal with.

What yard do you go to in Baltimore ? The Crazy Rays... well... LKQ on Erdman Ave is a little scary.

There are a lot of aspects to what makes a good paint job, and a lot of it is largely in the prep work. What was the cause of your paint failure? Adhesion, oxidation, fading?
 
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There are a lot of aspects to what makes a good paint job, and a lot of it is largely in the prep work. What was the cause of your paint failure? Adhesion, oxidation, fading?

The paint ashed up. It started on the top of the hood and wing first. Then got really bad. It was supposed to be a base coat clear coat in SVO blue pearl. The paint chipped off the bumpers in hige chunks withing the first 6 months. ( no flex additive added ). It wasn't base coat clear coat. I knew that the first time I had the car cut and buffed to flatten the dirt in the paint. The buffing pad was blue ( paint had cured 3 months before this. The painter also cracked my very hard to find factory ford fiberglass wing and trunk lid.

20181022_125322.jpg
 
What yard do you go to in Baltimore ? The Crazy Rays... well... LKQ on Erdman Ave is a little scary.
Yup- LKQ is where my buddy got his tools stolen... I've never experienced this at a junkyard before. Perhaps 40% of the people walking around in the yard looked like junkies- multiple requests to borrow tools (yet they didn't appear to be working on anything).. Totally sketchy place (as is Baltimore in general).. Lovely city.
 
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Ok. So, I drove to a mustang specific yard in PA (https://www.billfoxsautosales.com/), as they had on their website some fox hatches in perfect shape. However, when I got their in a borrowed midsize SUV- they determined that the hatch still would not fit. ALSO, they said the 1990-on hatch was slightly different (different latch?) than the 1987-1989 hatch, and all they had were 1990's hatches. Finally, the ones they had were sitting outside, and unbeknown to them, had acquired some surface rust since the last time they inventoried. So, absolutely not a dig on them (they appeared to be SUPER cool- were happy to chat mustangs with me, and were super friendly!) but the hatch just didn't work out. I did pick up a driver's side door however:

replacementDoor.jpg


It's very dirty in the picture as you can see- but the whole door is smooth, un-damaged, and rust-free. (It's an LX door, and it is power window equipped, so I'll have to swap the trim and the window regulator over).. But, unlike my driver-side door which has through rust under the trim, and several dings/not straight, this one will allow me to reduce the amount of body work needed when I do get the car painted.

For you paint savvy peeps: Is there anything that I can buy and spray out of a can, that will allow me to temporarily paint this door, that won't cause extra work when I take the car to be painted for real?
 
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Ok.. Swapped it over today. My wife's cousin stopped by, and offered to help- and these doors are kinda heavy (and he also has an '89 5.0 convertible, so he's familiar with the type) so I decided- time to do the door swap. I'm glad I did; The inside of the door was pretty minty! First of all, I must have looked at a bunch of doors (they actually had a '93 cobra door there- could tell from the VIN tag on the door!) and many doors/most doors were power window. Mine is actually manual wind after-all, so I didn't have to swap that! A nice surprise (how the heck did I miss that!)

My 247k mile GT had the original door pins in it. So, that required dremal action to get the pins out. BUT, the new-to-me LX door had replacement pins in it, so they came out quickly (the door came with hinges).. I had a new door pin kit from LMR in stock, so I put in new bushings, and new pins (and a new roller for good measure). A small adjustment to my front fender and striker, and now the door shuts without binding or making noise- and feels WAY more solid. Must be the new pins... I'm getting quite the collection of colors here (the hood is originally white in color too!) but, this door has no rust, and is very straight.

blueDoorSwap1.jpg


I still need to remove the pin stripe, and the LX door molding. I've ordered new door moldings from LMR- they appear to have good reviews. Anyone know if they come with the tape needed to mount them? I won't be mounting until after it is painted- so I'll leave the LX molding on for now. Look how nice the inside of the door looks:

blueDoorSwap2.jpg


I swapped the mirror, the lock cylinder, the lock tab plastic (mine is black, this door came with silver?) and put my door panel back on. The front edge and body panel gap appears to be perfect. The rear of the door is fine height wise (even though the pin stripe makes it look a little strange), but, the top (near the door handle, not the top of the window frame) rear of the door sticks out perhaps 3/16" away from the quarter panel. Not terrible, but not perfectly aligned either. The striker is all the way inboard, so I don't think I can do anything here.. Anyone else experienced this? What do you do to get the gap smaller at the back near the door handle?

Also, my original driver's seat is at a local shop- I got quoted 300 bucks for re-weld of the frame, and new vinyl panel to repair the tear, so I jumped on it. I'll show you what it looks like when I get it back- supposed to be right after Thanksgiving week.

Jason
 
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Looks like the water barrier has never been removed. Door moldings come with double sided tape already on the molding. Paint and install.
 
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Update time!

I was happy because I just picked up my drivers seat, which as you know from a previous post needed to be welded and repaired. I found a local upholstery shop who disassembled the seat, welded the frame, and replaced a vinyl panel where it was ripped- all for just under $400 bucks (and it looks great!) I consider this a deal because I know my limitations: trying to do this by myself, I almost certainly would have screwed it up! So to celebrate, I was out driving my car- cruising around at night (so no one can tell I have at least three different color panels on the car!), and I'm operating the clutch pedal to shift gears, when I hear a loud BANG, co-in-siding with my clutch pedal rapidly going to the floor. Hmm- this can't be good! I pull over, and confirm, no more clutch- although it feels like at first it might work, only to find it then again hits the floor, and makes a goofy ratcheting sound when it's coming back up. At least I made it to the side of the road when it broke, but dumb knee-jerk reaction was I then shut off the car.

So, I first contemplate calling a tow truck, but then after thinking for a bit and assessing the situation, I realized- it's light to no traffic, a tow truck is $$$, and if I try and still can't make it home, worst case is I gotta pay $$$ for a tow anyways* So, I put it in gear, and since I knew already my clutch interlock was never functional since I've owned the car, get it in first, confirm no traffic, run the starter, and it actually starts in first gear. I got going a little ways, then backed off the throttle, while pulling it into neutral. Then while coasting I tried best I could to rev match, and it actually went into second gear. I drove it home in second, timing two red lights just right, and being VERY careful at a stop sign that I may or may not have stopped at. Somehow I timed the garage door opener, my driveway ramp, and pulling into my garage just right- shutting the car off and hitting the brakes, I stopped in my usual spot.

At first I was really happy- I made it!!! Back in my garage! *Then I realized how f'ing stupid I was to attempt to drive the car like this, how lucky I was that I made it, and didn't screw up in traffic, or wreck my car or my house pulling into the garage. On the other side of the garage is the dining room- my wife would NOT have been happy! :rolleyes: Anyways, gracias a Dios, I made it.

Online research convinces me, that I've probably broken my clutch quadrant, which I was able to visually confirm was actually the stock plastic unit. At first I considered that trick looking Steeda aluminum quadrant. Then reading the fine print, I see that you have to use their special adjustable clutch cable. Then, I notice just about everyone that has one has the firewall adjuster too. Hmm.. That's funny, I never had to adjust my clutch before- and I always thought how good the clutch felt for such an aged beast too! So, quick read in my service manual, and I realize, the plastic quadrant also has a self adjuster locking pawl, and some springs too- with a non adjustable cable. The whole assembly adjusts itself (until it breaks that is!), but, mine appears to have lasted a LONG time (possibly it is the original part..) Besides, I like stock- call me corny, but it's what I like! So, I ordered a NOS quadrant assembly- came with the quadrant, pawl, new springs, new shaft, and I also ordered new bushings.. These are actually around to buy, for about the same money as buying the aluminum aftermarket stuff. Besides, how hard could this be to assemble I ask myself?

Well..... After three days, it is done... I didn't break anything... I did it right... It works (clutch actually feels REALLY good and smooth!) However, on my personal scale of 1-10 difficulty I rate this job a 12. In other words, if a 1 is considered "gravy", this job I'd consider "The whore of all whores!" :D That bracket! Uhg!! If you've not done this before, and you don't want to pull the dashboard, you have to remove the Driver's seat and steering wheel, a lot of trim and things. Then, you have to essentially wedge yourself upside down under the dash. Opps! I forgot to mention, first you have to disconnect the clutch cable underneath the car! Hurray! After doing this, I think I could do it faster if I had to do it again (and God I hope I never have to do this again!!!) I figured out after removing the nuts on the brake booster inside the car with a wrench and going VERY carefully, that use of two swivels and two extensions allows for good speedy re-install with a ratchet. Really, the hardest part was getting the pedal bracket out and then back in. I digress. I replaced the clutch cable too for good measure- I figured, I have to essentially R&R it anyways, why not replace it while I'm there. The old one looked fine (although kinda gooey.. Someone must of lubed the clutch cable at some point- I've never lubed these cables personally, and am not planning on lubing the new one). Oh well, now I have a spare one if the new one breaks.

Here's the broken quadrant when I got it out- it was stripped:
StrippedGear.jpg


Here's the car, mid-repair: (Of special note, please see the cardboard "pad" that I tried to use to prevent me from jabbing myself with that seat stud. I poked the stud through one side of the cardboard, and folded the cardboard over the top of it. This worked great, until I put my weight on it, and it poked through the top of the cardboard! @#$%%^!!!! At least it didn't cut me! It would have been a shame to get blood all over that new carpet!)
clutchRepairMidJob.jpg


Here's my pile of old parts, and the pedal bracket- which the OCD side of me just had to clean before re-assembly! PS: Did I mention how hard it was to snake that big freakin bracket out and back into the car, while upside down, while wedged under the dash, with a seat bolt stud repeatedly poking you, and a heavy steering column is nestled on your chest?!? At least I had some good tunes on the radio!
clutchPedalParts.jpg


Oh- see the clutch interlock switch? A previous owner had disconnected it from the clutch lever, and zip tied it in the
clutch fully depressed" condition. I might keep a zip tie in my glove box if I ever need to circumvent this on the road again!

AND, here's the car all back together (and with the original seats, driver's seat just rebuilt and no longer leaning back on one side):
backTogetherOrigSeats.JPG


As I mentioned, so far so good with the clutch quadrant, new bushings, new clutch cable, etc. And, now the clutch interlock switch is working. Brake lights and horn work too (they worked before, but had to be disconnected during the repair- so I'm glad these work still!)

I gotta say, after doing this once, I think I'd be faster if I ever had to do this again. BUT, I cannot imagine a guy at a shop trying to do this with a customer's car, and planning on making any money on this job. It must have taken me perhaps 5 or 6 hours actual working time, spread across the three days- maybe a bit more... Granted, I'm not doing this stuff every day, and I was cleaning things as I was going, and being anal retentive, etc., which I imagine a pro mechanic would not waste time cleaning and primping. And, they have a lift, which would make the clutch cable part easier (and maybe would allow for work on the quadrant standing up and not wedged under the dash?) I can not even fathom what the "book time" would be for this job. Overall, despite my complaining, this was a pretty enjoyable repair- in that I'm happy I used the self adjuster (if it soon breaks though, I'm using the Steeda aluminum one for sure!) and I've got a warm and fuzzy now that it's done. Original matching seats in this bad boy now too- they match the back seat which of course was original. I'm pretty much done in the interior now.

Time to focus on body work and paint..
Jason
 
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Looked back through the thread and realized you have 200k+ on the original quadrant. That makes me feel better about the 99k on my original quadrant!! And I'm right with you on the OEM parts. I'm not into mods, I want mine to be as close to OEM as possible. Keep up the great work!
 
Update time!
Looks like I never updated this thread when I rebuilt my rear drums- but, I did that. No pics from this- as it was super dirty dirt & brake dust/leaky brake fluid mega-filth. I didn't even want to think of my camera. You guys have seen all that before anyways!

Let me just say: a) I LOVE RockAuto, and b) I knew I had to rebuild the back brakes when a drive around would result from smoke coming from the passenger side rear wheel!

Removal of drum showed badly leaking wheel cylinder. So, I rebuilt both sides with: wheel cylinders, brake shoes, all new brake hardware, and brake drums. Total reboot of the situation, and after much cleaning, careful re-assembly (I tried to use all recognizable brands; Ford, Bendix, Raybestos, motorcraft) the brakes are functional, and renewed. Brakes are good! Relying on teenage daughter to "help" bleed the brakes by operating the pedal (while doing her usual Tic-Tok brain feeding), uhm, not so helpful! Eventually bled them and adjusted them. They work evenly, and don't heat up. Hurray!

After a few months of saving pennies and collecting parts, on to the next project (and I DID take pics this time..) You may have seen a hint a few posts back, when I replaced the quad shocks. Many of you perhaps thinking "Hey man, you replaced the quad shocks, but the rest of your rear suspension looks like Ca-Ca!" And, you were right! I've been collecting the parts for months actually- for the front suspension too- but, gotta start somewhere. I like to only do jobs big enough to accomplish stuff, but not so big the car is down for a long period of time. I acknowledge, I have a short attention span- so, I cannot afford to loose steam fellas! I need that car drivable so I can get my fix of that awesome V8-sound and Man's man heavy clutch pedal feel.. Boo-ya!

Ok, sorry- too many words. Why did I do this? The suspension felt loose and tired, and the rear 'clunked' every time I hit a bump. Also, while the frame looks pretty good, the shocks & control arms, sway bar, and diff/axle were rusty and nasty. Ok, enough faffing about, it's picture time:

Starting with the sway bar, I cleaned it with wire brush and wire wheel drill attachment, then primer, then paint:
rearsuspension_swayprimer.jpg
rearsuspension_swaypainted.jpg


Next, on to the passenger side. Dis-assembly went fairly OK.. Only needed breaker bar a couple times. Here's the diff looking disgustingly rusty, but with a new axle bushing. (The maximum motor sport tool makes this easy. Also liberal prior soaking with PB Blaster, and also sanding the back of the old bearing prior to removal, then oiling it seemed to help). After the suspension was removed on the passenger side, I removed any surface rust on the frame rail/torque boxes, cleaned, primed, and painted.. Whoever bought this car had undercoated it. It looks terrible in some spots underneith the car, but after removing the old undercoating, the frame and underside actually looks pretty good. You can see, I have plenty more cleaning/de-rusting/painting to do. So far, the rusty stuff looks a lot worse than it actually is Gracious a Dios!!! Also- only benefit to NOT having a suped up engine = nice intact torque boxes?

rearsuspension_rusteddiffnewbushing.jpg
rearsuspension_torqueboxcleaned.jpg


Here's most of the new passenger side parts, lined up, ready to go in (stock Ford axle bushings, Maximum Motorsports "stock style" upper rear control arms [not pictured] & "Sport" series lower rear control arms, Moog springs, Motorcraft rear shocks, Prothane urethane spring seats. New bolts from Jegs (10.9 bolts just for this purpose [also not pictured]), and new Ford nyloc nuts used throughout- coated with anti-seize.. **Whoever wants to do this in the future- the Prothane lower spring seats fit tightly on the MM rear lower control arm, but soaking them first in hot water makes them go on nice and easy**

rearsuspension_pass_new_parts.jpg
rearsuspension_passsiderebuilt.jpg
 
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...and, then it was rinse, lather, and repeat for the driver's side. **Hint** even with a trans jack under the rear end, and floor jack under the axle on the driver's side, I couldn't get the rear most bolt hole (of the rear lower control arm) to line up, while spring was in place and attempting to put it all back together. I read other dudes remove the spring, bolt up the control arm, then raise the other side for max clearance to put the spring in. BUT, I tried the other suggestion I read online- which was to drink heavily, then summons crazy drunken fool strength! (Ok, I didn't drink, and I'm not THAT strong; I used a ratchet strap, which made it all line up nicely to put the final bolt in..) Finally, I re-installed the repainted sway bar, with new bolts and new replacement clip-on speed nuts.

Next, I used a wire brush on the axle, and cleaned it a bit. Yes, I should have done this with the axle removed! But, I figure at some point I'll pull the axle to better clean/repaint/rebuild it. For now, I think I made it 1000% better looking- you be the judge, comparing it to the axle bushing pic in the previous post.
rearsuspension_diffclean1.jpg
rearsuspension_overalldiff.PNG


Here's all the old parts:
rearsuspension_oldparts.JPG


And here the car sits after final torquing (all bolts were left with the nuts on, but loosely tightened, then the rear wheels were re-attached, and the car was lowered onto some ramps so I could have normal ride height, but get under the car to torque all 18 nuts that needed torquing)..

rearsuspension_jobcomplete.jpg


So, after this pic was taken, and some test driving was done (and a few nights sitting on it's wheels) the rear end has actually settled in a bit more, and I have to say, I'm quite pleased with the ride height- if you're rocking the stock rims, and you're not a "lowered" kinda guy, I believe it is exactly at stock ride height now- which is what I wanted. Also, test driving reveals- no more clunking over bumps, the rear end feels more "planted", and the car tracks straight and true. It really made a surprising difference! The suspension actually is much easier to actuate if you push on the back of the car- which I was not expecting.. I mean, it's damped properly and does not bounce; but it is clear to me now that the old suspension was actually bound up perhaps from hardened old bushings.

Now that it's no longer making noise in the rear when driving, I'm able to hear other things- like the rear end (the differential) which every now and then will clunk- never between up-shifts or when downshifting, but occasionally on a rolling start.. Oh great- more work to do! :) BUT, I am now inspired to rebuild the front suspension- so that's what I'm doing next. And more cleaning/de-rusting/painting projects, which are actually very satisfying to do.
 
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Oh man! I'd just discovered- I have also missed a couple of smaller, previous updates.
#1, I deleted the aftermarket, "hot air" intake, and put the factory airbox back into service. Yes, I know you can buy a new airbox and all related stuffs from LMR- and while I'm glad this is possible, I'm way too cheap for this. So, I did pony up for LMR's new repro airbox sticket for $10.00, but then pieced the factory airbox back together (including the original rubber mounted airbox bolts, and all necessary hoses which were previously replaced when the old air filter was implemented by a previous owner) from perhaps 3 seperate junkyard trips and findings.. These parts were all carefully cleaned and scrubbed with simple green, then reconditioned with Ballistol gun-cleaner.. (No- I'm not kidding!)

Ballistol if you've never heard of it is like an old-school German version of perhaps WD-40, only thicker with more lube? It's mineral oil based, smells like a mix between licorice and feet, and can be diluted in water to clean/lube/protect, or used full strength to lube/re-condition plastic and wood. It's great to clean firearms, because it will dissolve the powder/lead/filth, and then also lube and protect. It coats metal parts and prevents rust. Plus- totally non-toxic (it's claimed that German solders in WW I used it as salad dressing?) I like it because I already had some in stock, and it really does clean/recondition rubber and plastic- try it!

So, here's a pic of the return to the factory airbox system (after pic was taken, I then moved the upper radiator hose guard more to the left to prevent chaffing on alternator):
factory_airbox.jpg


So, on the slightly goofier side- my coworkers kept making fun of my multi-colored "clown car", when I drove the car to work. I'd get all these pics texted to me, "holy crap, look at this clunker in the parking lot. HAHAHA".. So, naturally I painted it the car. Only- I'm not a painter. And I have no booth, or large compressor, or even paint guns (or skill or sense, or....)

So, here's my rustoleum job on the front fender and driver's side door. Let's just say it's a "100 footer" lol. It is now all one color again. Also- dang, it makes the driver's side door LX trim really stand out on a GT! ;-) I still need to replace both door felts/window guides/bushings, and paint the door window frames.
all_one_color_rustoluem.jpg


So, short list of upcoming work:
  • More clean, de-rust, seal/prime/paint underside of car. Also de-rust of door window frames, paint with SEM trim paint, and door felts/window guides/bushings.
  • Front suspension rebuild (new lower control arms with new bushings and new ball joints, new LCA bolts & nuts, new struts, new springs)
  • New front rotors, soft break lines, caliper overhaul and repaint, wheel bearings and seals. Inspect remaining brake lines that have not been replaced. Flush and re-fill and bleed brake fluid. Replace rear e-brake cables. Re-adjust drums, and verify e-brake. Verify equal braking force and release on calipers, and between drums.
  • Rack cleaning and evaluation, at very least new inner/outer tie rods, and bellows, and rack bushings (possible reseal, new lines, new bolts)
  • Alignment
  • De-rust/clean/paint driveshaft, replace U-joints front and rear. Remove trans, clean, R&R rear main seal and pilot bearing, throwout bearing, re-assemble
  • Replace valve cover gaskets, replace upper intake manifold gasket if old gasket is damaged during removal to do valve cover gaskets. Replace intake manifold coolant hoses.
  • Remove axle, de-rust, repaint, inspect (possible gears replacement- plan to stay stock 308 ring/pinion gears, possible spider gears, possible clutches, bearings and seals). Re-shim, re-assemble, re-install.
Some longer term items I want to do:
  • BBK shorty headers, new catted H pipe, flowmaster 40's, and new tail pipes/hangers/exhaust rubber mounts. It's not leaking now, and actually sounds pretty good with the current glass-packs.. But, it's pieced together from a bunch of non-matching sizes, with large step-downs welded in, and one tail pipe hands lower than the other by about 1 inch.. A bit of surface rust, so it will be good to renew this eventually.
  • Engine pulled out, and rebuilt. It makes oil pressure still, and runs OK, but feels a bit tired. I strongly suspect it's never been rebuilt, and it's coming up on 250k miles. Plan is to re-build stock specs short block, possibly TrickFlow Twisted Wedge stage 1 heads and cam (still thinking about this).. Definately will retain stock intake and valve covers. I know that will sound silly to most, but, that's the look I remember seeing/drooling over back in the day, and I want to retain that.
  • While engine is out- seek out/vanquish any remaining rust. Shock towers look good/no rust- but, I remember when I had the floor pans done, there was some surface rust around the passenger side windshield base. Not sure if it was inside the cowling at all, and while the inside of the cowl did not show any rust when I had the cowl vent off, I want to be certain- when the engine out is when I'll do this- even if I have to R&R the windshield.
  • Clean engine bay. I don't think I'll re-spray it, but if it needs it I will. We'll see.
  • Last, the car will be professionally painted. I will do as much of the body work as I am comfortable with- blocking to anal retentive standards. Where needed, I'll use a stud welder and pull out dents and dings.. I'll remove rust if it remains. I'll use good filler. I'll block some more. I'll fill some more. Etc. I'll know when I've reached my limitations- and then I'll have the pros take over. Currently thinking of single-stage black, same as original. But, we shall see.
 
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So, the weather has been hot and humid- haven't done any work on the car- have been driving it a bunch though.

I'm collecting parts for some work this weekend on it, but, in the mean time- I have some questions on paint:

Specifically:
For the Turbine rims, anyone heard of or used something that was a really good match to stock color, that you'd recommend? I did score some new David Carpenter center caps (the original ones look like they're in one piece, but have cracks in them) from foxresto.com..

AND, the golden question: If I keep the stock intake for a while- what paint works well here? I don't remember this from back in the day- but, now mine looks decidedly like it's got a green tint? I've heard other guys say yellow. I've seen many paint theirs silver- and while it looked nice, it didn't look any where near the stock color. Do you all recall- were these green from the get-go? Or have they just done this over time?

AND, while I'm being anal retentive and overthinking to a fault! What color was the original driveshaft? Black? Grey? in-between?
 
Are you looking for completely stock rebuild?
You say you want BBK headers and off road pipe, but looking for stock paint colors? If not looking for stock, I’d just find a nice gray/silver you like and go with that. Aircraft stripper to take off what’s there, clean, prime
Easy for me to say though, as mine was nowhere near stock when I bought it.
Looking forward to see where you take this build!!
 
It's a daily struggle I have with myself. I want totally stock, but at the same time, those BBK headers and flowmaster 40s are so cool! I would go catted H pipe- want to keep the EGR system intact. I suspect I am very strange about these requirements!

I even waver- was doing the horsepower math just yesterday: "If I get some GT40 heads and Explorer intake, then 75mm throttle body, 24 lb injectors, and N44 cam, the 373 gears, then...." BUT, considering I won't be drag racing this car, and even with junkyard score of heads and intake, by the time you get good springs, and all the other parts (might need a fuel pump and fuel pressure reg too if bumping up to 24 lb injectors?) it's really starting to add up- over 3k by my count. Plus I need to rebuild the shortblock at some point. And, almost certainly cheaper to buy a crate motor.. Who knows. For now I'll fix stuff with the parts I've got, and see how long I can nurse the motor maybe.

I waver- but it's fun to waver! :) Yes, would like to go stock if possible on the colors. But, I'm sure TLAR (That looks about right) will probably come into play at some point.

Was just admiring the underbody work you've been doing on your car there Dub- that is amazing! In the end, did you pop off a bearing cap to look? or just reseal the motor back up? That would have been a hard one for me- woulda been tempted to look, but, that's another rabbit hole too. Looks like you had 10-holes before, but now have switched to 5 lug- what rims you gonna run?
 
It's a daily struggle I have with myself. I want totally stock, but at the same time, those BBK headers and flowmaster 40s are so cool! I would go catted H pipe- want to keep the EGR system intact. I suspect I am very strange about these requirements!

I even waver- was doing the horsepower math just yesterday: "If I get some GT40 heads and Explorer intake, then 75mm throttle body, 24 lb injectors, and N44 cam, the 373 gears, then...." BUT, considering I won't be drag racing this car, and even with junkyard score of heads and intake, by the time you get good springs, and all the other parts (might need a fuel pump and fuel pressure reg too if bumping up to 24 lb injectors?) it's really starting to add up- over 3k by my count. Plus I need to rebuild the shortblock at some point. And, almost certainly cheaper to buy a crate motor.. Who knows. For now I'll fix stuff with the parts I've got, and see how long I can nurse the motor maybe.

I waver- but it's fun to waver! :) Yes, would like to go stock if possible on the colors. But, I'm sure TLAR (That looks about right) will probably come into play at some point.

Was just admiring the underbody work you've been doing on your car there Dub- that is amazing! In the end, did you pop off a bearing cap to look? or just reseal the motor back up? That would have been a hard one for me- woulda been tempted to look, but, that's another rabbit hole too. Looks like you had 10-holes before, but now have switched to 5 lug- what rims you gonna run?
I like that “TLAR”. Lol
I’d love a stock, 100% original ‘86, but it’s not happening right now, so I continue on playing with what I’ve got.
When I had the pan off I did not touch anything in the lower end. The rabbit hole I was in was deep enough, and I did not need it to go deeper.
My plan is to get this brake/suspension upgrade done, put some 17x9 FR 500 wheels on it, and enjoy it for what’s left of this fall/ winter when I get it done, and the following spring/summer/fall.
Then I’m going to pull the motor and dive into that hole. (Unless somebody makes me an offer I can’t refuse)
 
I like that “TLAR”. Lol
I’d love a stock, 100% original ‘86, but it’s not happening right now, so I continue on playing with what I’ve got.
When I had the pan off I did not touch anything in the lower end. The rabbit hole I was in was deep enough, and I did not need it to go deeper.
My plan is to get this brake/suspension upgrade done, put some 17x9 FR 500 wheels on it, and enjoy it for what’s left of this fall/ winter when I get it done, and the following spring/summer/fall.
Then I’m going to pull the motor and dive into that hole. (Unless somebody makes me an offer I can’t refuse)
Curious- what gearset is in yours? I'm also tempted by the lure of the 373 (cannot do higher than that- want to do some highway driving), as I know that would add a big kick in the butt to it, but, it has the 308 gears which I think (I could be wrong) was an option, and kinda neat.. 1-4 seem to all be sensible for driveability.. 5th is like a ridiculous overdrive jump- highway speed at under 2k RPM! (I have to remember, after driving so many 4-cylinders where I try not to go below 2k, these V8s seem to laugh at low RPM chug type behavior. Again, on the fence.
 
Curious- what gearset is in yours? I'm also tempted by the lure of the 373 (cannot do higher than that- want to do some highway driving), as I know that would add a big kick in the butt to it, but, it has the 308 gears which I think (I could be wrong) was an option, and kinda neat.. 1-4 seem to all be sensible for driveability.. 5th is like a ridiculous overdrive jump- highway speed at under 2k RPM! (I have to remember, after driving so many 4-cylinders where I try not to go below 2k, these V8s seem to laugh at low RPM chug type behavior. Again, on the fence.
I bought this car from my cousin. He bought it from the guy that converted it from 4eye to aero, as well as adding the 90’s interior seating to it. My guess is that it was in a light front end accident at some point, prompting the nose swap with another car. My cousin was given a brand new set of 3:73 gears when he bought the car in ‘08 from that guy. Fast forward to now, and I got those same gears when I bought the car in ‘17, so that’s what went in it. Had I been buying them on my own, I would have gone 3:55. But I am looking forward to the fun I will have with these..... provided my work on the gear swap was done properly!
 
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First off, nice build and great to bring it back to its former glory.

For the Turbine rims, anyone heard of or used something that was a really good match to stock color, that you'd recommend?
Polish the lip and fins and paint the rest...
IMG_0074.JPG IMG_0075.JPG

I did this to mine when rebuilding my '90 GT. I ended up going with some 4-lug 16" CSA Mullins instead.

What color was the original driveshaft?
Original driveshaft was unpainted, bare steel. That's why most end up with surface rust on them.

I have 3.73s and still get 22 mpg on the highway.

My car is a factory black on black GT, so I like seeing other similar cars progress. Where my car has progressed since I got in 2015...

20150307_104601.jpg 20190623_183059_HDR.jpg 20210704_203058.jpg

I have no formal auto training and did everything myself except set up rear end gears (my brother a certified auto tech did). Painting is not as hard as many think. The prep is the biggest and hardest part. Nice thing with paint is if you screw it up bad enough, you can just repaint it again.

Keep up the progress and keep us in the loop.
 
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I have 3.73s and still get 22 mpg on the highway.
KRUISR- you're car looks REALLY good man! Like those black rims. I'm curious- what are your RPMs at say 65mph? I'm strongly tempted for 3.73s!

I just got under the car again yesterday, to clean up some more surface rust and prime/paint, and also to replace the rusted fuel filter holder. I used the 5.0resto mount from LMR. The bracket was a direct/100% fit and appears to be made well. It is yellow zinc coated, so hopefully will hold up nice. The wood-screw looking bolts that come with it are junk/not m6 1.0 like what was in there, so I re-used my original bolts after cleaning up the threads. Also, the hose clamp was the right size, but a different (smaller) adjustment screw (original is 8mm). While looking at the original, I noticed it was a Ford part. Probably overkill, but wire wheel and then metal polish had it looking brand new- I re-used that too. Overall, for the 41.99 that LMR wants for the 5.0 resto kit, while I am glad they offer it for folks that need it, it's kinda a rip considering wrong bolts and cheapo hose clamp.

So, now my frame rails are 100% clean, no rust, no rust-through, and primed/painted. That's good. I did discover a small area of rust through where the passenger side rear wheel well welds to the unibody at the bottom- about the size of a 50-cent piece. It's right by that box that I guess some people try to jack the car up by? The box I'm talking about is just outside where the lower control arm mounts, and this rust area is on the other side of that box at the inner wheel well. DANGIT! I cleaned up some loose stuff, and coated it in rustoleum for now. I do want to adress this properly in the future. Anyone got any experience with this? Is this a difficult fix? This is almost certainly out of my wheelhouse and I may need to take this to a body shop for that.

**EDIT** I just realized, post #90 above, the pic with the red rag on the jackstand, shows this rust very clearly. I was going back to clean up that area a bit when I found it, the rust through is only at the bottom part. Maybe from incorrect jacking in the past?

Oh, and while the car was up on jack stands, I did verify- the rear end has at least 1/8 inch rotational play if I spin the driveshaft (this done with the car in gear no less).. That cannot be good? Seems excessive. So, looks like I'm gonna wait to take the cover off and change the fluid- as I may be rebuilding the whole thing, may as well save the oil for the rebuild.

Anyways, here's how she sits as of yesterday:

overall_20210710.PNG
 
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