So I just bought a 1988 Mustang LX 2.3L. Thing is in bad bad shape, but it was 200 bucks and runs. Good gas mileage and all that. My first question is, I need more than 90 HP. What's the first thigns i should do? Besides an engine swap. Which I will go to 2.3L Turbo by next year. ANy ideas? I'll take some pictures if people wanna see it.
MOds Begin?
- Thread starter JohnnyMustang88
- Start date
.ya there's two on ebay right now for ~800. Was just thinking in the meantime. My car is real rough. I guess I'll make it look good while i save the money up for the turbo and engine. 
Right now Im making the power locks work again, The actuators were froze and the wire that carries power from the battery to the locks was shorted to ground, adapting my 91 explorer actuators to work in the mustangs doors. so far i got one done just need to mount it then the other one will be easy too.
Right now Im making the power locks work again, The actuators were froze and the wire that carries power from the battery to the locks was shorted to ground, adapting my 91 explorer actuators to work in the mustangs doors. so far i got one done just need to mount it then the other one will be easy too.
Shawneebear93
20+ Year Stangneter 
2.3T's came in Thunderbird Turbocoupes, Mercury XR4TI's, and a few more I'm not sure of.
Don't take the turbo engine out of an SVO or and 83/84 GT Turbo or 84 Anniv. model because they're very rare.
Don't take the turbo engine out of an SVO or and 83/84 GT Turbo or 84 Anniv. model because they're very rare.
TurboFlush
Founding Member
Only thing I will say is be carefull as the parts are getting hard to come by. as you can see by this forum there is alot of suport for these motors. and this is only a small part of what is out there. Originall swaps are becoming harder to find. Either the Turbo cars have been striped of their parts and crushed. or been restored and garaged for the rest of time.
Not to scare yah away, but good things dont always last so long. you might have to end up using a N/a block and building the setup from scratch. (not impossible, I am doing it on a 2.0). good thing is the market for aftermarket goodies has grown aot in the last many years.
have fun, be safe.
Not to scare yah away, but good things dont always last so long. you might have to end up using a N/a block and building the setup from scratch. (not impossible, I am doing it on a 2.0). good thing is the market for aftermarket goodies has grown aot in the last many years.
have fun, be safe.
JamesBaumann
Member
If you search through the tech articles you will find a how to on building a CAI. It is always a good first performance mod. You can also look at advancing your timing a few degress, it should give you a little more power. If you plan to swap to a 2.3T then in my opinion you should be more concerned about working out all the cosmetics of the car and working out all the mechanical bugs first. Maybe do some exterior work or something. I wouldn't spend too much on adding power to this motor you have now. However, a CAI can easily be swapped onto a turbo motor, so you could go ahead with that. Timing advance is easy and free. The best power is free power. I would recommend doing your exhaust after the turbo swap because you are going to want full 3" exhaust and that is way too big to have on a naturally aspirated car. Search through the tech articles, there are many little tricks you can do in the meantime. By the way, is it an automatic transmission or a 5 speed manual?
Thankfully it's a manual. I like the car and am going to be happy with it. Unfortunatly i'll have to do cheap exhaust for now. the cat are plugged and the pipes have holes in them. Otherwise You're probably right. I just don't know much about exterior stuff. I'm working on the interior now. It's a big job because half the power wires to things are shorted. Just fixed my power locks, adapted my old explorers lock actuators into the mustang and ran a new power wire. Now i have to figure out my hatch and why it won't pop. Then i need a new center console. and new seats and new carpets and new dash. heh pretty much a whole new inside...
JamesBaumann
Member
JohnnyMustang88 said:
Sounds like a lot of work. That should keep your time occupied and your wallet empty for a while.
TurboFlush
Founding Member
nah, just fix that one.
that is part of the fun.
you get a special bond when you know how to take everything in and on the car apart.
Just do what you can with what you can.
You will find deals as time goes. I did. My car wasnt in the best of shape when I first bought it. The motor was not runnign and the interior needed some love. The paint still needs love, but I dont know what I want to do with it still.
Today it sits on blocks in a garage awaiting my return.
that is part of the fun.
you get a special bond when you know how to take everything in and on the car apart.
Just do what you can with what you can.
You will find deals as time goes. I did. My car wasnt in the best of shape when I first bought it. The motor was not runnign and the interior needed some love. The paint still needs love, but I dont know what I want to do with it still.
Today it sits on blocks in a garage awaiting my return.
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