5.0 LX... what to look for when buying?

[exc911ence]

I've been a closet Mustang fan for years and am finally thinking of picking up an 80's 5.0L LX 5-speed coupe to play with. I'm not terribly familiar with the cars so I'd appreciate hearing what I should be looking out for when inspecting a car for sale and what years are preferred and why.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated!!!

 

[84blkstang]

check the torque boxes, if they are bad then the car has been beat on pretty bad, that is all i can think of right now

 

[Gt1995]

how do you find torque boxes

 

[mikeflys1]

Where the lower control arms connect to on the body.....Also look for creasing in the sheet metal right behind the quarter windows. Thats another way to tell if its been really beat on.

 

[FrdMustangCpe]

I've been a closet Mustang fan for years and am finally thinking of picking up an 80's 5.0L LX 5-speed coupe to play with. I'm not terribly familiar with the cars so I'd appreciate hearing what I should be looking out for when inspecting a car for sale and what years are preferred and why.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated!!!

the competition is on! Im lookin for a 90+ stang notch project , no not really a competion . Are you looking and the style up to 86 or the 87-93 style?

 

[exc911ence]

Looking for 87-up... preferrably the later ones with the body colour side mouldings. Red, if possible. No, I'm not picky!

I was wondering about rust-issues, mechanical failures, etc. I figure that the cars are probably built fairly rugged considering the muscular drivetrain but all cars seem to have an achilles heal.

 

[monkeboy85]

body color side moldings would be 92 or 93 only.....or an older one with a paint job. Personally i like the black molding...so dont let it deter you

 

[jwzg]

Uhhhhh, let me think:

1) Look for a lot of mods. If it has them, you'd be better off finding a different car unless you know the owner and his/her driving or maintenance habits. (I may catch a lot of flack for this one, but most of the modified cars I know of are beat like borrowed mules.)

2) Look out for non-working A/C. It costs a bundle to pull the dash to fix evaporator and heater cores unless you are a also a closet masochist and like to do it yourself.

3) Lots of broken interior pieces such as console lids, ashtray springs, door handle bezels and a peapot full of rattles.

4) Worn shocks, struts and bushings (spring isolators are often overlooked as well).

The engines are typically very strong and will last for 150-200,000 miles before needing a rebuild. Lots of oil leaks from the valve covers and perhaps a rear main are normal. I would stay away from high-mileage AOD's from personal experience.

 

[Michael Yount]

Depending on what you want to do with it - the 86-88 cars had the Speed Density efi system; 89-95 (88 in CA) had what's called a mass air system. The later system is more tolerant of more significant modifications to the car. The 86's had a poorer flowing head, and flat top pistons with no valve reliefs that often limit cam/head choices due to piston to valve clearance shortcomings.

It would be a good idea to put any prospective car up in the air on a rack and have someone with a trained eye go over it with you. Most of the time, accident damage repair can be spotted from underneath. And you can check out all the front end suspension components, as well as whether or not fluids are staying inside the bits that they're supposed to stay inside of. And I'd check mounting points for all the suspension - front and rear; on the rear check areas where both the lower and upper control arms mount. Both areas are known for problems if the car's been abused.

Of course, no matter how attractive it appears cosmetically, if the underside reveals evidence corrosion, move on to the next candidate. There are simply too many clean Stangs for sale to settle for one with the big C.

 

[Michael Yount]

Oh - they switched to hypereutectic pistons late in the 92 model run, so if you want forged pistons (more durable if you intend to add boost or juice) stick with the 87-91 models. I believe 92's built before July of 91 had the forged units as well, but it's harder to find reliable build date data.

 

[bln92cpe]

Your probably looking for a coupe like mine..I got it for $5500 and dropped $15,000 into it over the last 2.5 years...Its so much fun..I can't wait to finally drive it.

 

[exc911ence]

Great advice! Given the choice between forged pistons or a body-coloured side moulding, I'd have to lean towards the earlier cars.

 

[RsStanG1987]

Check for rot on the floor pans alot of mustangs i looked at had holes in the floor under the seats. Check for oil leaks check the tires, shocks , mufflers, every little thing check, quarter pannels too. And modded cars are more beat then a sweedish whore in a chinese whore house.

 

[Michael Yount]

"more beat then a sweedish whore in a chinese whore house."

Chuckle....

 

[Venom4.6]

Check for rust on the underside of the doors. Check for rust inside the trunk and decklid.

 

[exc911ence]

Keep the advice coming! I'm looking into a 92 notchie LX 5-speed car right now. It's been lowered 2" (I've heard that lowering Fox Mustangs isn't the best idea... thoughts?), has 2 chamber Flowmasters and has 190,000 kms (about 114K miles) on it. The car is white on black with the pony wheels. Quite a looker! Need to crawl around under it now....

Wish me luck!

 

[BaXTeR3221]

They added an airbag in 90, which can be a pain to work with, but it also safer. Many people, including myself, like the 89 year the best because you get the mass air without the airbag.

 

[Matts89LX5.0]

check to make sure all panels and what not line up. if not you can usually tell if a fender/door/front nose were replaced at one point or another....possibly from an accident.

 

[notchman90]

check to see if one side of the rear is higher than another. simply measure top of tire to lip. if one side is significantly higher this shows twisted frame. most stangs have this to some degree but watch out for extremes.