My Baby's Evolution

Vettn71

Advanced Member
Jan 3, 2014
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ive looked at several build threads on this and other sites and they've motivated me to share mine. The first picture is of Baby when I first brought her home. Don't be jealous. Not everyone can afford a custom paint job. What I really like are the bucket seats. Everyone has leather sport seats. How boring!! Check out these beauties in the second photo. Those, my friends are genuine low mile 84 L seats. Not GL, just L, as if there was a competition to see what the lowest cost car could possibly be, and this one won.

Here's a couple more of the exterior.

So, I bought this with genuine US dollars, no engine, no trans, virtually no interior. The last photo is the "interior" as purchased. Sorry some of the photos are sideways. Not sure how to fix. Maybe when I get on a computer, instead of an iPad.
 
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Looks like my photos had puppies! Not sure how that happened. Tried to delete the duplicates, but can't on this Apple wonder.



I couldn't let Baby languish, so my plan is to do a Mod Fox using my 1996 GT as a donor vehicle. The first photo is my 96. Looks pretty good, right? This is when I first bought it. The PO said he couldn't get to the rear header bolts, so they were left out. This was true. It was noisy as all get out. What he didn't tell me is that all three of the midpipe to header bolts were also out. REALLY LOUD!!! Supposedly, it had a 4.6 stroker, fully forged PI motor. Not quite. No stroker. Plus, whoever did the machine work on the engine must have used a hatchet to bore the cylinders. They had 0.008" clearance, minimum!

After I got the exhaust bolted up, I found it had quite a bit of noise going on. I took it to two shops and they both said they thought it was piston slap. The noise kept getting worse, so I made the decision to pull the engine and send it to my Father-in-law, who owns an engine machine shop in GA. I bought a Cobra Teksid block and sent it to him, also. He found a scored cam journal, and a stock Cobra crank. He balanced the rotating assembly, installed all new parts, except for the Manley connecting rods (which were still good), new Wiseco forged pistons, Comp Cams 278 spec cams, ported the heads, three-angle valve job and sent it on to me. On top it has a C&L plenum, PI intake and BBK 75mm throttle body. Had it tuned and it's at 298 hp and 320 lb/ft torque. Not bad for a mod motor.

Where is this thread going? Well, that engine, the T-5 tranny, Team Z K-member, the 3:73,rear, etc, etc are all going into Baby. I'll also use the 96 wiring harness, computer, dash, gauges, seats and whatever to finish it out. I think it should make a pretty sharp-running package in that 84 notch.
 
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Been working on Baby's bottom, or is that body? Can't tell, yet. Trunk was so far out of whacky I had to grab the hinges at the curve (per suggestion from a member here) and bend them to try to get some semblance of alignment. The trunk lid was pushed over to the left side so far it overlapped. Here's how it looks now. Not too bad

I took the windshield out. Actually, that's being charitable. I got inside with a putty knife and a no-bounce soft mallet and at the very first micro-inch of penetration, the windshield busted. Not a loss, as I managed to crack it putting on the new hood first. Since I could not get the putty knife any further around the windshield (cracking it as I went), I decided to fold the windshield so I could get a better angle. The windshield virtually exploded! I spent the next hour vacuuming teeny tiny slivers of glass from EVERYWHERE! Add that to things not to do again.

The second photo is about how it sits at the moment. I've bought a transmission tunnel and steering column bearing plate from a 96 Mustang, both of which I will need to complete the project. The body work is tedious, but there's no real rust in the car, except surface rust. I am thinking a need to sandblast some of the body panels to clean them up for paint. Not sure what color to go with. I'm leaning towards a dark grey, but my son would like to see Calypso Green. idk

Jim
 
I knew baby was a turd-biscuit when I bought her. If I had bought a real car I would have to do the same things to it that has been done to Baby. I'm actually ahead going this route, since a ModFox was my intent from the beginning. I've seen more of my youngest son since I bought this than I had the previous year. He's as excited about it as I am. I truly passed on my sickness to him. Of course, being single he doesn't have the entanglements that my oldest son does. No. 2 has really been a big help.

I had some tin-canning of the roof going on. The PO owner had stored gallon buckets of paint on the roog and dented it in around the edge. I got most of it out, but need to buy that Eastwood dent puller.

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Here's a shot of my 96 with the 10.5 rears

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@madmike1157

Maximum Motorsports, among others say they will work with an aftermarket k-member, which I have (Team Z). I think I need to use Taurus tie rod ends, also, but I need to double check that.

I know the car looks good ......... from 50 ft. away. The paint is cracking and chipping and on the right quarter panel there's been some Bondo repair that's been painted over with rattle can red, then its peeling. That's what motivated me to do this. The amount of work to do a full-on color change is not that much more than doing the ModFox. I appreciate the link, though. Good stuff there

Regards
Jim
 
It's going to be a while before I can post again. I'm having shoulder replacement surgery next Wednesday. I'm thinking it might be 6 to 8 weeks before I can even think about getting to it again. My youngest son has been helping. He's doing some work on it this weekend while I'm out of state. Maybe I can post up a couple pictures if he makes any progress.

Jim
 
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Good luck with you surgery. I hope it goes well.

I like the idea of your plans and look forward to seeing the progress once your not gimped up from your surgery.
 
I'm okay with the 96, but it's body isn't as good as the 84, and the paint really is a single-stage Earl Scheib special. Where it was hit on the right quarter the PO just rattle bombed it. So, the 96 could be made whole; I just don't hunk the ModFox thing is more fun and more of a challenge.

And yes, it will be my DD. The 96 has been pulling that duty the last two years

Jim