My New 1987 Gt Vert...

[techforlife]

So,,i`ve been reading \long a bunch of times here since I bought my NEW to me 1987 Mustang GT Convertible..asked a question to a member here and received good advise and posted in the welcome thread..i was then asked to post up my story with some pictures,,so here we go..

I first saw these cars when I was an apprentice mechanic in 1986 or 1987..loved the body style and the sound of the v8 engine..fast forward a pile of years andi was shopping for a KTM690R street/trail motorcycle..

I already have a Honda XR650L that is highly modified..so much so that about the only thing stock or not performance is the seat..lol.. but it is my toy and mechanics aren`t known for leaving stuff alone,,and I was always a diagnostic tech and engine builder so the bike engine was gone through at least 4 times in 10 years in search of power and performance..

So I was about to pull the trigger on a newer bike when I decided to go in a complete different direction,,i have been looking at fox body Mustangs for years,,never finding one close or in the condition I wanted..the wife wanted a convertible although she can`t drive and has health issues where she never will without being a risk on the road..

So I was looking on Autotrader and found the car I wanted,,couldn`t believe it actually..price was high but you never pay asking price..lol

Told my wife years ago my next car would be a "fly and drive" ... meaning I fly out somewhere and drive it back..she thought it could be risky..but it`s not that bad if you know cars,,ask the right questions and see lots of pictures..

So,,in a 2 week period I found the car,verified the condition with pictures and a Carfax and we flew out of town to drive an unknown car 17 hours to get back home..

The seller said everything was perfect,,well it was,,mostly lol

The A/C wasn`t working and the horn wasn`t either... so they scrambled to fix it..turns out one horn was shorted out and the refrigerant was low..so a new horn and a retrofit kit and recharge and 5 painfull hours waiting and it was ready to go.lol

I`ll get to pictures soon,,honest I will..you can go get beer and I`ll wait because I know this is getting long..lol


I better split this story up or I`ll lose all this post..always happens and I like to swear,,wife doesn`t like it neither.

B

 

[techforlife]

So I was about to leave when I looked at the tires,,and should have known better since I know work for Goodyear and help manage a 10 bay shop that does a lot of mechanical and of course tons of tires..

The tires on it were the wrong size and looked like chit..really wide and too big around in the rear..and the date code on them dated them to the 16th week of 2000 they were almost like new,but cracking and 17 years old..

I saidscrew it I was not buying tires in a rush as I was not sure if the wheels on it were whati wanted to keep on it..

The car was packed full of stuff,,and as we know there is very little room in these cars trunks..lol

The previous own had given the dealer some interesting stuff I wanted too..

In the trunk was the OE headers.(BBK shortie headers and full Flowmasters on the car ).the original air filter,,OE shifter (Hurst short shifter on car)...the original antenna (shorty on car ) box full of NOS parts including power lock actuators and tons of plastic retainer clips..the original window sticker showing price/options was lamented and in the car..

The coolest part...the OE alloys were there with the OE VR60 Eagles still on it with at least 70% tread remaining and the rims were mint with caps and all the OE nuts and locks in a nice box..lol

So the wife thought the car was a piece of chit...road like hell compared to the Accord we have,,but I told her it`d grow on here when the top came down and the engine started ...lol


So..the car had just under 14,500 miles on it..not a spot of rust anywhere..pedals show no wear,interior doesn`t have a scratch anywhere except a broken seatbelt bezel...under the car it was undercoated when new...and proof was it was on the inside of the OE wheels which was a pain to get off..

This color combo sees to be not very common..the Pony 16 inch wheels are off and the OE wheels back on now,,don`t have tons of pictures..yet.

So I hope I haven`t put you to sleep..and my long story doesn`t get me banned for life.

pictures up next..

Brian

 

[Davedacarpainter]

Sounds nice man, can't wait for the pictures.

 

[FoxMustangLvr]

I've always liked books with words and pictures, keeps me interested

 

[techforlife]

I know,,don`t ya hate that,i`d freekin ban him,,only way they learn..


Here`s my other toy......years in the making,,lol

 

[techforlife]

And here`s a few pics of the parts that came with it and the car..

 

[techforlife]

What do you guys use to post pics here,,i used to use photobucket till they pissed me off wanting tons of money..lol


B

 

[Davedacarpainter]

And here`s a few pics of the parts that came with it and the car..

That is a beautiful GT.

What a great ride.

 

[techforlife]

Thanks boss..love the car,it`s blast to ride except beating my head on the roof getting in and out,,i`m thinking a hockey helmet may be required

B

 

[RaggedGT]

And here`s a few pics of the parts that came with it and the car..

I dig your story lol Good looking car,and nice score on the extra parts

What do you guys use to post pics here,,i used to use photobucket till they pissed me off wanting tons of money..lol


B

I honestly just upload photos directly to the site

 

[Mustang5L5]

Nice looking ride

 

[DSB88GT]

Great looking Fox! So let's hear about the 17 hour drive home.....

 

[90sickfox]

I post pics from my phone. In the lower right corner there's a box that says " upload a file ". I go in there....choose photo gallery and touch the picture. Once it uploads it'll ask " thumb nail " or " full size "... Easy least...

Cool car man. I always liked two tone gt convertibles.

 

[General karthief]

for the car for the color for the score
on the hocky

 

[FoxMustangLvr]

Nice vert bro! Bike looks fun too.

I'll play the Fox and bike game

 

[techforlife]

Great looking Fox! So let's hear about the 17 hour drive home.....

Well,,the car was in Watford Ontario..i was supposed to leave there by 10:am..well the trouble shooting of the blown fuse and A/C took them about 4 hours (should have diagnosed it myself since electrical is my thing,apparantly not theres) ...

We loaded the car to the hilt with our stuff and the OE wheels and spares and hit the highway..wife was nervous about it..i was thinking it sat for 30 years,,should be good to go

On the way to my buds house in Montreal we went...we stopped at every gas station on the route which were spaced about 2 hours or so apart,,i stretched and filled the car a few times even if not needed..the longer it ran the better it ran,,sitting around with old gas probably...it was dark and the headlights and driving lights worked great,,aimed properly...fog lights I never had the pleasure of having before,,they work really well lighting up the road to the side..

Got to within an hour of Montreal and I heard an exhaust leak,,imagine that huh,,header gaskets leaking ..who would have thought..lol

In Montreal the roads are freekin ,,i mean horrible..the car almost went sideways down the street after hitting some holes..finally got to his house after 7 hours drivin g time..

We sat outside shooting the and I remember the exhaust leak,,,yup header bolts slightly loose,,sounded better on the gas the next day..

We stay a couple days drinking and servicing his bikes ,,it`s my pastime now that I`m in management and not turning wrenches anymore,,i still diagnose hard jobs at work though as I have the most experience..

So we hit the road again..and of course it`s 11 hours to home..AND it rained like hell almost trhe whole time...the seals at the roof were collapsed from 30 years use so we had a slight leak at one window..

The car when you hit a bridge crossing would dart across traffic if you weren`t on the ball..but putting the OE rims back on with fresh rubber that is not v rated and hard as a rock made a huge difference...it was like night and day..those old NEXEN cheap arsed Walmart tires that were on it were absolute crap

About an hour from home it decided to stop raining..........oh JOY...


So a rather uneventfull run in an old car......it was tons of fun...

Man are these cars ever gutless in 5th gear at 60mph..they must be overdriven a lot in that gear..


So...any suggestions making this car ride a little better would be appreciated..the front struts barely move pushing on the bumper..lol

B

 

[techforlife]

Nice very bro! Bike looks fun too.

I'll play the Fox and bike game

Gotta have an off road bike when you have a sporty car,,everyone knows that...nice rides boss..


B

 

[techforlife]

I post pics from my phone. In the lower right corner there's a box that says " upload a file ". I go in there....choose photo gallery and touch the picture. Once it uploads it'll ask " thumb nail " or " full size "... Easy least...

Cool car man. I always liked two tone gt convertibles.

How come my pictures are thumbnail and everyone elses are full size..

I hate having to click photos to see them full size,it`s a reall pain in the arse..lol

B

 

[FoxMustangLvr]

Sounds like a fun ride home. You'll want to go through your suspension and replace bushings, shocks, struts, etc. I went with Maximum motorsports coil overs and my ride quality improved greatly. The roads are total crap out where I live so comfort was key.

 

[FoxMustangLvr]

How come my pictures are thumbnail and everyone elses are full size..

I hate having to click photos to see them full size,it`s a reall pain in the arse..lol

B

After you upload your photos look next to the thumbnails and you'll see "full size". Click that