Progress Thread Getting In Over My Head: '89 Gt Hatch: End Of The Road

[Davedacarpainter]

New tank installed. Got a complete tank with sending unit and fuel pump for $50, in much better shape rust-wise that my old one. When I was cleaning the old one, I saw suspicious bubbles around the lock rings when I had a fan running for ventilation, so I'm pretty sure even replacing the vapor valve stuff wouldn't have quite solved the leak/fumes problem.

As of now, it's got only the third complete fill-up I've ever done, and the only one that's stayed in the car for any length of time. No leaks, no fumes. And when I was refilling the tank a dribble at a time, the gas gauge gave totally plausible readings.

The guy who sold me the tank also sold me a driver's side fender liner. Most of the rust problems in this car, I think, are due to this being missing. It's a little late, but at least it will help slow down the decay, and protect what fixes I do make. Like the horn fix:

I think one of the horns fell out of the car during previous work, and I didn't even recognize what it was. With new high and low horns, everything is properly loud again.

The list of serious annoyances is getting shorter:

• transmission rebuild and squeak diagnosis
  
• rear shocks and springs, to match the front
• smog system fixes (codes 44/94, disconnected hose)
• re-adjust or otherwise deal with the rear brakes
• figure out what to do with the battery hold-down

That brings me closer to stage 2 of this rebuild: figuring out what to do about the structural rust. I've had some people make suggestions, but no one who knows what they're doing has actually seen the problems yet. It seems like the worst-case scenario will be to cut off the whole front clip and weld in a new one from a donor. Someone knows a guy who can do the job for around $800 labor; that's to pull everything out of the engine bay, do the cut-n-weld, and put everything back. Cost for the donor clip looks to be about $150 or so. Welding in patches to the current clip may not be all that less expensive, so I'm considering it anyway. But I've got some more talking to do, and at some point I need to show some people what the rust looks like to get some non-speculative answers.

Wow, that labor cost seems cheap considering what would need to be done. Post pictures of your front end around the shock tower area. I would be curious to see it.

 

[LiquidStangs]

Passenger side:



Driver side:



It was difficult to get good pics of the passenger side, even with the intake tube off. Let me know if you want more angles. I might try again tomorrow after the sun is higher. But the passenger side is definitely in better shape.

Wow, that labor cost seems cheap considering what would need to be done.

Supposedly, the guy is retired, and does this just to keep himself busy. He seems to have a good reputation with a few of the people I was talking to at the time.

 

[Davedacarpainter]

Passenger side:



Driver side:



It was difficult to get good pics of the passenger side, even with the intake tube off. Let me know if you want more angles. I might try again tomorrow after the sun is higher. But the passenger side is definitely in better shape.



Supposedly, the guy is retired, and does this just to keep himself busy. He seems to have a good reputation with a few of the people I was talking to at the time.

Wow! Yeah, new frame rails and shock towers are definitely in order.

Maybe a new front section wouldn't be such a bad idea. I will assume he has the equipment and ability to make sure it's square. If he's got that, then cool for you brother. What a deal.

 

[A5literMan]

Wow! Yeah, new frame rails and shock towers are definitely in order.

Maybe a new front section wouldn't be such a bad idea. I will assume he has the equipment and ability to make sure it's square. If he's got that, then cool for you brother. What a deal.

Agreed

 

[90sickfox]

It looks like major work man. A full front clip may be an easier option....but go into this knowing that you could find a clean 4 cylinder body cheaper than repairing this one. Pull the carpet and check your floor pans. Take a look at the frame rails above the axles in the rear. Will the integrity be the same after the cut and paste ?

I could've fixed the rust in my towers....and replaced the floors, but after weighing my options I decided on another body. I had to remove everything for repair so why not put everything into a good body.

A 4 cylinder body, the same year as yours, seems like a better option. Everything can be swapped over easier than properly replacing the front clip. A clean body with minimal rust will always be worth more than a chopped up v8 body. If it looks like that in the towers there's going to be more rust other places.

If there is sentimental value in this body I completely understand. Anything can be restored with time and money..... I didn't have enough of either of those. Lol

 

[LiquidStangs]

Well, I knew the news wouldn't be good.

No nostalgia attached to this body, beyond the fact that this is a really fun car to drive around, and I'm a few thousand into it so far and am nostalgic for all that money.

But there is one factor that tends to push me towards fixing this one up. It's hard to see with the pics I posted, but the passenger shock towers and frame rails are really much better than the driver side. When I replaced the control arms, I had both wheel wells exposed, and the difference between the two seemed pretty clear to me. I attribute this to the missing driver fender liner. I'll see if I can get better pics of the passenger side, which should either confirm that there's a significant difference between the two, or that I'm blind and stupid.

There is a bad spot of rust on the floor pan... but it's on the driver side in the corner, right where the dead pedal attaches. I haven't gone over the rest of the floor pans thoroughly, but the rest of the floors that I've checked look pretty good. The torque boxes aren't all bent or rusty. There's rusty spots and dents on the quarter panels and doors, and the brackets for the gas tank straps and the rear bumper are pretty crusty, but the rest of the car doesn't seem too bad to me.

Of course, this could all be wishful thinking and uninformed speculation. Feel free to call me a naive noob. You'd be right! (Though, is it as much fun to diss someone who agrees with you?)

But, in all seriousness, I do appreciate the honest advice. And, most certainly, I'm going to get some quotes from people who can see the car as it sits.

 

[90sickfox]

Well, I knew the news wouldn't be good.

No nostalgia attached to this body, beyond the fact that this is a really fun car to drive around, and I'm a few thousand into it so far and am nostalgic for all that money.

But there is one factor that tends to push me towards fixing this one up. It's hard to see with the pics I posted, but the passenger shock towers and frame rails are really much better than the driver side. When I replaced the control arms, I had both wheel wells exposed, and the difference between the two seemed pretty clear to me. I attribute this to the missing driver fender liner. I'll see if I can get better pics of the passenger side, which should either confirm that there's a significant difference between the two, or that I'm blind and stupid.

There is a bad spot of rust on the floor pan... but it's on the driver side in the corner, right where the dead pedal attaches. I haven't gone over the rest of the floor pans thoroughly, but the rest of the floors that I've checked look pretty good. The torque boxes aren't all bent or rusty. There's rusty spots and dents on the quarter panels and doors, and the brackets for the gas tank straps and the rear bumper are pretty crusty, but the rest of the car doesn't seem too bad to me.

Of course, this could all be wishful thinking and uninformed speculation. Feel free to call me a naive noob. You'd be right! (Though, is it as much fun to diss someone who agrees with you?)

But, in all seriousness, I do appreciate the honest advice. And, most certainly, I'm going to get some quotes from people who can see the car as it sits.

The route I took was because my car was too gone. I had stress cracks, too. They were in the passenger side of the cowl and the front of the passenger door frame. I guess my 10 point cage and the fact mine was a convertible didn't help.....neither did years of hard launches.

There are people here the have brought rusted bodies back with huge success.

I don't want to discourage you..... I just want to make sure your looking at it realistically.

You know just like I do that all the restoration parts ate readily available for decent prices.

That means that people are doing exactly what you want to achieve. @Davedacarpainter is one guy that conquered rust issues in his beautiful car.

If I had the money my car would've been restored. I still miss it. I wouldn't have cared if it cost 30 grand...., but reality and the fact that I had no where to store it, no skills to fix it, and no money in the bank played a huge part.

Everyone would love to see that car of yours repaired. Pictures always make rust look worse than it is. [emoji106]

 

[Davedacarpainter]

All it takes is work and money

 

[LiquidStangs]

If I had the money my car would've been restored. I still miss it. I wouldn't have cared if it cost 30 grand...., but reality and the fact that I had no where to store it, no skills to fix it, and no money in the bank played a huge part.

Ouch. Sorry to hear that.

I can relate, though. Up until last year, the fastest car I had ever driven was a V6 Mustang rental in 2001. Now I've got this beast and my wife's '05 GT. And honestly, though her car is beautiful, in much better shape, and a lot more powerful, I'm not sure I'd pick the newer car over the Fox. For all its warts, driving it seems to hit the spot for me. It rattles and makes all kinds of noise, has "240 air conditioning" (2 open windows, 40 MPH), and smells funny driving by. But it also doesn't just pull; it leaps and romps over the roads like a full-grown German Shepherd that still thinks it's a puppy. I know this crowd doesn't need to be told what it's like, but for me it's a revelation.

Everyone would love to see that car of yours repaired. Pictures always make rust look worse than it is.

All it takes is work and money

Thanks. I'm definitely not giving up on it yet. I'm going to get the body looked at, and will check for the things everyone's mentioned. And in the meantime, it looks like the transmission rebuild kit is next on the list.

 

[LiquidStangs]

No repair news, at least. And I'm scheduled for a very important meeting with an umbrella toothpick and associated foo-foo drink on a boat off the Hawaiian coast. I tried to explain that I have this car that needs attention, but no, the umbrella toothpick couldn't wait. So, it'll likely be a while before picking back up with the transmission and other stuff.

But here's the latest chapter in the "giggle while LiquidStangs the Noob has amazing discoveries that the rest of y'all have been doing for umpty-squat years" series.

A few days ago, I had a doctor's appointment to go to (just a check-up), and I decided to be daring and take the beast. The difference? It was raining.

So there I am at the entrance to my neighborhood, and the traffic clears, and I perform what I think to be just a slightly aggressive pull-out onto the main road. Three seconds later, two things have become true: my heart rate and blood pressure are threatening to make this routine check-up a bit less routine, and I can no longer say I've never drifted before.

(Well, "drifted". I think I was somewhat sideways for at least a few feet. That counts, right?)

Fortunately, the doctor's office had moved since the last appointment, so I got lost on the way trying to find the new place, which gave my miniature cardio jolt time to smooth out.

 

[Davedacarpainter]

No repair news, at least. And I'm scheduled for a very important meeting with an umbrella toothpick and associated foo-foo drink on a boat off the Hawaiian coast. I tried to explain that I have this car that needs attention, but no, the umbrella toothpick couldn't wait. So, it'll likely be a while before picking back up with the transmission and other stuff.

But here's the latest chapter in the "giggle while LiquidStangs the Noob has amazing discoveries that the rest of y'all have been doing for umpty-squat years" series.

A few days ago, I had a doctor's appointment to go to (just a check-up), and I decided to be daring and take the beast. The difference? It was raining.

So there I am at the entrance to my neighborhood, and the traffic clears, and I perform what I think to be just a slightly aggressive pull-out onto the main road. Three seconds later, two things have become true: my heart rate and blood pressure are threatening to make this routine check-up a bit less routine, and I can no longer say I've never drifted before.

(Well, "drifted". I think I was somewhat sideways for at least a few feet. That counts, right?)

Fortunately, the doctor's office had moved since the last appointment, so I got lost on the way trying to find the new place, which gave my miniature cardio jolt time to smooth out.

That was pretty funny!

I refuse to feel sorry for you since you're going to Hawaii to drink umbrella drinks.

 

[LiquidStangs]

Well, I'm back. Great trip, terrible ride home, got sick right after, moved my kids back to college.

Drove a Chrysler 200 on the big island. (The Mustangs were all booked up.) Not too bad of a car, I suppose. But yesterday I got back into the beast. With all the four-bangers I've been driving around for the last week and a half, I had a bit of a nice surprise waiting for me.



Unfortunately, I broke the driver's side door handle today. It's always been difficult to open, and today I felt it give while trying to convince it to unlatch. Now it just flops on the side of the door. I have to reach in from the passenger's side to open the door from the inside. My family thinks it's hilarious; when we bought it, you couldn't get out from the passenger's side, and now you can't get in from the driver's side.

It still has its quirks, though. I think my next upgrade (besides the new door handle, and new window guide bushings while I have the door apart) might be plugs and wires. Probably should have done that long ago, but it's not like the thing didn't keep me busy before now. It still is a little rough sometimes at idle, and fish-bites a bit when slowing down in low gears. I think I read somewhere that a tune-up can sometimes fix those things, so that sounds like the first thing to do.

 

[Mstng93SSP]

Hey @Davedacarpainter, I have those little umbrellas I can put in drinks. You should come have a drink with me, and while your here..............(I'm just kidding man, my daughter is actually digging the black primer)

 

[Bigsky]

Ya know...my car is gonna be a project until I get rid of it or die...it is fun tinkering with it and the more I do...the nicer it gets...we are a long way from any where I want my car to be, but dreaming about it brightens my day...
If you fix it or junk it is up to you...but quite often taking the easy path does not yield as many fond memories.

 

[mikestang63]

All it takes is work and money

You stole my sig, Dave...lol

 

[Davedacarpainter]

I just sort-of borrowed it for the benefit of others....

 

[89oem]

If and when you replace the front clip, this will help

The drivers shock tower and frame rail look a little concerning, Is its solid where the k-member bolts up?
A jab with a screw driver will tell you soon enough,

Great work on it! And unplanned fishtailing in a fox, one of the great fun things in life

 

[LiquidStangs]

Thanks, @89oem, for the encouragement, and the chart.

The drivers shock tower and frame rail look a little concerning, Is its solid where the k-member bolts up?
A jab with a screw driver will tell you soon enough,

It is, and it isn't. Here's a clearer picture of the area:

And here's a picture from the wheel well side:

Obviously, the metal on the engine bay side is pretty much trashed, but the metal on this side is solid.

I also got pictures of the area where the K member bolts by the control arm:

This part is solid, too.

 

[89oem]

Oh, that looks better than the bay angle for sure,

It looks like someone let allot of brake fluid run and stay on the inside starting the whole mess....

 

[LiquidStangs]

It wouldn't surprise me. There are tons of hints that the PO was just handy enough to start doing things, but not quite handy or motivated enough to finish them, or do them right.

I'm planning on getting a hands-on evaluation on the body work needed from a few people, but am very appreciative of the "blurry pic feedback" expert advice.

New door handle and window guide bushings are on their way from LMR.