1992 LX Build thread!

Bansheeman6100 · Mar 30, 2011

I'm also going to put a new water pump on, and was hoping to under drive the accessories with new pulleys at the same time. So if anyone has a 87-90 2.3 Mustang or 87-88 T-Coupe water pulley, 3.8 V6 Mustang Power steering or alternator, or a dual belt ranger crank pulley please let me know. I've been having trouble finding these

Bansheeman6100 · Mar 30, 2011

and i think i've decided to drop in a cam and work on the exhaust a little. also going to fab up a custom CAI. probably shave the heads a little and drop some forged pistons in as well, may wait on the pistons until i decide to go turbo. but im having trouble finding an a237 cam, and not looking to spend as much as Racer Walsh wants. is there a Comp cam or comparable in that price range?

Delray Dude · Mar 31, 2011

Bansheeman6100 said:
I'm also going to put a new water pump on, and was hoping to under drive the accessories with new pulleys at the same time. So if anyone has a 87-90 2.3 Mustang or 87-88 T-Coupe water pulley, 3.8 V6 Mustang Power steering or alternator, or a dual belt ranger crank pulley please let me know. I've been having trouble finding these

I acquired a 3G alternator off a 97 Thunderbird with the 3.8 motor. Will be removing the pulley to put a v-groove pulley on for another project. What is the pulley diameter you are looking for - I can measure the one I have and see if it's what you are needing.

Delray Dude · Mar 31, 2011

Bansheeman6100 said:
Also had a very strange problem on the drive home. The temperature was all over the gauge. Ranging from right below half way to almost in the red. I had the fan hard wired so it stayed on the whole time. Reason being is it doesn't seem to want to kick on, need to figure that out too

The stock fan sucks at best. minimal cooling and i have seen issues witht he controller frying because the amp load going to the relay.

Ditch the stock fan and acquire one off a either a mid 90's lincoln Mark VIII or the late 90's 3.8 Thunderbird or Cougar. These fans kick major ass and flow more CFM than what you can get from Jegs or Summit for a fraction of the price. they completely cover the entire radiator too. I mounted mine with 4 zip ties through the radiator and never looked back

Bansheeman6100 · Mar 31, 2011

Delray Dude said:
The stock fan sucks at best. minimal cooling and i have seen issues witht he controller frying because the amp load going to the relay.

Ditch the stock fan and acquire one off a either a mid 90's lincoln Mark VIII or the late 90's 3.8 Thunderbird or Cougar. These fans kick major ass and flow more CFM than what you can get from Jegs or Summit for a fraction of the price. they completely cover the entire radiator too. I mounted mine with 4 zip ties through the radiator and never looked back

i know the Mark VIII fan kicks ass, im running one on my 5.4 F150

i just wasnt sure if it would be "too" strong for this little 2.3. also, will it bolt right up? after the PITA i had wiring the controller and fan on the F150, im really not looking to get into that again. im assuming since the car has a controller i could just splice it in, assuming the controller is still good. when i pull the trans out im goi g to replace the fan sensor on the block and see if that helps.

and heres a link to the underdrive swap. i may have a friend with a 3G he;s going to give me off a Thunderbird, so that one may work

91-93 2.3 Underdrive Pullies - Junkyard Style! - MustangForums.com

Delray Dude · Mar 31, 2011

Bansheeman6100 said:
i know the Mark VIII fan kicks ass, im running one on my 5.4 F150

i just wasnt sure if it would be "too" strong for this little 2.3. also, will it bolt right up? after the PITA i had wiring the controller and fan on the F150, im really not looking to get into that again. im assuming since the car has a controller i could just splice it in, assuming the controller is still good. when i pull the trans out im goi g to replace the fan sensor on the block and see if that helps.

I drilled 3 holes in the very corners of the fan (4th corner already has a hole). Then (since I had the radiator out) just set it in the middle and snaked some long zip ties through the radiator and through the hole and back. snugged them all up and the fan fit great.

As for wiring. I acquired a 40 amp relay from a junkyard donor - in the ford section look at the fuse blocks of the 90's style cars. a bright yellow one is a 40 amp relay. acquire it. I then tapped into the original fan wires (do not use them to power the fan - the fan draws too much amps for the wiring to handle - I used the positive lead to the original fan to the relay switch terminal marked 30, terminal 87 to ground, terminals 85 and 86 should be one to battery (fused atleast 40 amp) and the other I ran to the high speed line on the fan. Then obvious ground on the fan too.

Works great - especially in the heat. kicks in via the normal controlled deal and cools real quick.

Bansheeman6100 · Mar 31, 2011

Hmm, fan project may wait a little bit. I've got a ton already planned. But if I run across a fan for a good deal I'll be sure to grab it. Most of them on eBay at the moment are a bit high compared to what I paid for mine. Going to drop off the flywheel to get it re-surfaced tomorrow and pick up supplies to put together a CAI of sorts. Going to use exhaust tubing and silicone turbo elbows. Just not sure If I'll run it to the factory airbox or just to a cone filter. i may run it into the fender

Bansheeman6100 · Mar 31, 2011

and i think im going to freshen up the ignition system a bit, new wires a plugs, unless otherwise advised. does this help out these little engines? these are the wires i was going to order, anybody have any suggestions for plugs and wires? i was figuring Bosch or Motorcraft Platinum for plugs, but i have no clue for wires. i can get Autolite profesional locally, but are the Bosch, NGK, etc. better?

79'293stang · Apr 1, 2011

If you havent done the transmission swap yet you may as well do the turbo engine swap at the same time. I have learned from my SVO that its easier to pull the engine and transmission out together than it is to try and fight the trans and bellhousing out individually. You will not regret the turbo swap, I got around 29mpg with my SVO when it was stock and having the extra power is well worth it. As for building your current block up, the turbo block is much stronger than the standard 2.3, there are guys running 400+hp on factory short blocks no issue. The more money you spend on the standard 2.3 is less money you can spend modifying the turbo engine! Good Luck, I look forward to seeing your progress on this project, not many guys have been hanging around the 2.3 board lately.

79'293stang · Apr 1, 2011

Heres a good link on how to perform the swap Turbo Swap How To--Step by Step Instructions
and heres another link to help with wiring 91-93 Mustang Turbo Swap Wiring Info

Bansheeman6100 · Apr 1, 2011

i just dont have the cash to buy a turbo engine at the moment. and i need to drop this trans in now, i need the car running for the summer. if i do the turbo swap, or any wok on this engine it will be late summer/fall. and from what i understood the bottom end on the T and NA cars are the same. my plan was to swap cam/lifters, forged pistons and shave the head a little bit. then when i decide i want to go turbo salvage a kit from an SVO, or possibly buy a new kit and the EEC

Bansheeman6100 · Apr 2, 2011

Also, pertaining to AC. I just dis one of the little 134a conversions, and my AC isn't working. It shows full pressure, but no cold. I r never worked on AC before and really don't want to get raped at a shop

Bansheeman6100 · Apr 2, 2011

And I know AC is a broad thing, just meant are there any specific things to these 2.3 foxes I should look for. The AC clutch was engaging

Delray Dude · Apr 5, 2011

Bansheeman6100 said:
Also, pertaining to AC. I just dis one of the little 134a conversions, and my AC isn't working. It shows full pressure, but no cold. I r never worked on AC before and really don't want to get raped at a shop

Biggest issue overlooked of the the 134a conversion is the cooling fan. The stock one will not work. you will get warm air all day long out the vents. 134a is more sensitive than good ol 12, and will only drop temps when done properly. As mentioned in previous posts about the fan - get the one for the lincoln mark viii or also found in taraus, cougar, etc. it does draw some amps on start up, but i consistently get 40 degree air out the vents on my 93 down here in south florida.

Bansheeman6100 · Apr 5, 2011

Wow, so the AC will not work without fan upgrade? I just ordered a new relay for my current fan and hopefully that will fix that issue. Then I will worry about upgrading the fan. That just doesn't seem to make sense. Also going to need to replace shocks, my fronts are pretty well frozen. And will end up doing new springs while I'm under there, so that takes precedence. And will need to put a 3G anternator before i upgrade the fan as well. Also got the old bubbling tint removed and started the tear down for transmission swap

Bansheeman6100 · Apr 5, 2011

so im bidding on an early 90's Taurus fan and a 3G alternator, so hopefully both will come through. not excited about playing with more wiring after going through it with the F150, but it seems to be a must. and seeing as i just ordered a new relay im going to try to use it opposed to buying another. next up will be shocks, and while im at it a set of springs. from what ive read/been told the V8 springs will work, this is the set im looking at 1979-04 Mustang Specific Rate Red Lowering Springs by SVE at LRS - Same Day Shipping!

Delray Dude · Apr 6, 2011

You are heading in the right direction. You definitely need the upgraded fan and alternator. 134A will build up way too much pressure (like 600 on the high side - i know i made that mistake - and blow out the pressure on the relief valve - or lock up the compressor) if you don't have enough air flow accross the condenser. The stock fan just can't do it. After you get the fan installed, when running the A/C, I'd suggest using the max or recirc option most of the time - 134a will only drop the ambient air temp about 20 to 25 degrees - so on the hot day when it's over 130 in the car at 1st - pull the air from the outside to cool it down decent temps and then switch over to re-circ to continue cooling the air

Delray Dude · Apr 6, 2011

The wiring of the 3-g alternator is very simple for the mustang. The hardest part of the conversion is the clearancing of the aluminum bracket which isn't too bad - just some grinding in a few spots.

As for the wiring. The d shape (3 wires) connector is plug and play from old alt to 3G. there is a small white single connector right by the d connector you need to take that wire and splice it into the white wire coming off the d shape connector. The main two charge wires you just unplug from the old alternator and tape up securely in the harness - they should not be used but are needed because they do connect some wiring. just tape them up where the contacts won't ground and leave them alone.

Then you need minimum of 8-9 gauge wire to go from the charge terminal to a recommended 150 amp fuse and then to battery.

I used this fuse and holder for mine:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e...0503968857&viewitem=&sspagename=STRK:MEWAX:IT

Basically I bought this and two battery cables with the ring terminals connected the back of the alternator to the fuse on one side and the other side fuse to the battery positive. seen some hook it to the relay where the battery positive goes too. I mounted the fuse on the drivers side shock tower.

Nice thing is that I tapped my stereo feed from this fuse termial.

Bansheeman6100 · Apr 6, 2011

Delray Dude said:
The wiring of the 3-g alternator is very simple for the mustang. The hardest part of the conversion is the clearancing of the aluminum bracket which isn't too bad - just some grinding in a few spots.

As for the wiring. The d shape (3 wires) connector is plug and play from old alt to 3G. there is a small white single connector right by the d connector you need to take that wire and splice it into the white wire coming off the d shape connector. The main two charge wires you just unplug from the old alternator and tape up securely in the harness - they should not be used but are needed because they do connect some wiring. just tape them up where the contacts won't ground and leave them alone.

Then you need minimum of 8-9 gauge wire to go from the charge terminal to a recommended 150 amp fuse and then to battery.

I used this fuse and holder for mine:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e...0503968857&viewitem=&sspagename=STRK:MEWAX:IT

Basically I bought this and two battery cables with the ring terminals connected the back of the alternator to the fuse on one side and the other side fuse to the battery positive. seen some hook it to the relay where the battery positive goes too. I mounted the fuse on the drivers side shock tower.

Nice thing is that I tapped my stereo feed from this fuse termial.

yeah, i did get the fan. now i just need alternator and assorted parts for that swap. so some people hook the fuse up to the relay? im not too worried about the alternator, more so about the fan.

and yeah, if i use that fuse i'll power the alternator and amp off of it

Delray Dude · Apr 6, 2011

Bansheeman6100 said:
yeah, i did get the fan. now i just need alternator and assorted parts for that swap. so some people hook the fuse up to the relay? im not too worried about the alternator, more so about the fan.

and yeah, if i use that fuse i'll power the alternator and amp off of it

Cool (no pun intended) on the fan. You can probably get away with running it on the short term with the stock alternator - just wouldn't recommend it as it pulls 40 amp on spin up and a significant amount while runniing - but if you don't have all your accessories going at the same time you might not explore the limits of the stock alt.

As for the power to the starter relay - basically the same thing as the positive from battery goes directly to the post - I ran mine to the battery because the battery connection post I have at the battery is the terminal style with a wing nut - so I attach the battery to starter wire, the alternator charge wire, & the 40 amp fused lead to the fan relay at that point. nice thing about it is that it's wasy to disconnect the positive stuff withouth having to unclamp the battery post which wears out quicker. just attach the wires to the post, put a washer on top and wing the nut down....done.

1992 LX Build thread!

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