88' 4 Cylinder With 302 Swapped

[j0rd4n]

I bought this 88' Notchback over a month ago and havent done anything to it yet. The car originally had the 2.3l 4 cylinder and from what i gathered from the guy who sold it to me all he has done is swap the engine and trans and change it to fuel injection and add headers and exhaust. From what i've read online, he must have swapped in the v8 front springs because the front doesnt seem to sag at all.

What are the first things i should do ? im not sure if it has the 8.8 rear end yet if so i imagine that will be one of the first things i'd have to do. the first things i was going to do was tighten up the suspension and make it actually handle. I found shocks, lowering springs, camber plates, and a bushing kit that seem to be a match.

shocks/lowering kit
http://www.latemodelrestoration.com...g-Springs-With-Kyb-Gas-A-Just-Shock-Strut-Kit

camber plates
http://www.latemodelrestoration.com/item/SVE-7989CC/1979-89-SVE-Nickel-Plated-Caster-Camber-Plates

bushing kit
http://www.streetsideauto.com/p/energy-suspension-hyper-flex-system-418110r/


Im really on a tight budget and dont have money to waste so im wondering, will this stuff bolt right on? if not then how should i go about it?

 

[84Ttop]

Like you stated, the first thing to look at is the rear. If you still are rocking the 7.5" rear you will want to upgrade that first. If you are thinking about lowering the car, the parts you have picked out should work nicely and keep you on a reasonable budget!

 

[txstang84]

Other fairly inexpensive things to do, especially if you plan on ever taking it to the track, or just plenty of sprited driving would be chassis stiffening. Foxes are known for flexing...a lot. Get some f/l subs and have all the torque boxes welded and reinforced. F/l subs are usually about $120 for some bare ones, and torque box reinforcements, I think, can be had as a full kit for upper and lower for about $80 or so. Any reputable chassis shop, and many times even a good exhaust shop can weld everything up for you...just depends on who you talk to.

EDIT: I wish I could take a few pictures of the cracks in my floor pan, firewall, and elsewhere across the unibody to illustrate that point, but my car is in storage back in Texas, and I'm in Hawaii now...