Newbe 85GT owner needs info. already searched site!

[85GTlover]

I have read you do not want higher than 650 cfm for carbs on a 5.0 and the other guys are right those demons are supposed to be one of the best and even edelbrock has both good carbs and intakes. I am planning on a weiland? is it dual plane high rise or edelbrock intake I am trying to buy used where I can.

As for the castor cambor plates they are more of a priority if you lower your ride height and I would not consider that a priority purchase right away. Along with a bump steer kit.

You wanna get full subframe connectors as one of your first steps
it will help your car alot.....not much you can see but it will tighten your car up and will rattle less, will close better it is just a good idea and one of the most common cheap mods for stangs.

You also want to get rid of your weak 7.5" rearend and upgrade to 87+ 8.8 and get higher gears 3.73's at least....4.10's for me.

True about the brakes....but be careful and you can do that when you can afford it or find a donor car.

You are going to find you need traction I figure......so you wanna get new upper and lower control arms to help plant the tires not a necessity but they sure help.

Another cheap mod is underdrive pullies that free up some horsepower and even an electric fan is a good idea. You can get these out of other cars and make them work.

Another thing you would like is an aftermarket shifter I have a B&M Ripper but there are other ones like Pro 5.0, Steeda, etc some people like better this makes driving funner.

There are a few but it all cost money, and there are many more.

As for the 85.5 I never heard of that , late 84 cars have drag shocks and some other 85 items that most 84 do not have so some would call those later cars .5 years......maybe it is that kind of thinking otherwise???????

Great post I love talking about 85's.

 

[SmockDoiley]

That 7.5 will do you just fine. Its not as weak as everyone thinks. I was running that rear with my current setup for sometime with no problems.

 

[MumftsGT]

The Weiand Stealths are supposed to work very well and are rated from idle to 6000Rpm as opposed to the Performer302 to 5500RPM. It's been a long time since I have seen a Dyno comparison of the two. Subframe connectors along with other braces are very important too. I just put in a Pro 5.0 shifter and it is really nice. As far as the 7.5, mine broke one night after work and I was just backing out of a parking space at work and a spider gear snapped. It did last a few years after I had the engine rebuilt. I would check out http://www.maximummotorsports.com/ for suspension info.

 

[maverick0716]

That 7.5 will do you just fine. Its not as weak as everyone thinks. I was running that rear with my current setup for sometime with no problems.

It's their unpredictability thats the problem. I've heard of them lasting a long time (like yours) but then again I've heard of them blowing up with a stock powerplant under normal driving.

 

[joelliott]

HI guys. Sorry for not responding the last day or 2. My little sister is graduating for HS and our house has been nuts. About ready to go back to my place asap!

Anyways, to explain the 85.5 thing. My father and his friends have always said that. I guess the car was made just before the factory overhauling to the 86 model year cars. It was made at the end of the 85 model year so thats why we say 85.5. Might not be "techinically" right but thats what I have heard for years. Sorry if Im off base. Like I said, Im new to this.

About the carb setup. Ill look at the deamon 650. And the edelbrock intake. I want to do a few things like this first beofre I get into any real internal mods. Im just trying to be as good a "sponge" as I can with stang info. For years Ive been doing mud trucks and big tires. street cars and good handling are new to me! haha.

I am thinking about having a set of steeda drop springs (1 in) installed on my stang when I have the shocks replaced. figured do It all at once to be cheeper. would I need the caster plates for this minimal drop? I am trying to come up with a total price for the drop. $185 springs, $160 camber plates, between $200 and 400 for shocks depending if I need above plates or not, and installiation $?, and alignment$70. Any suggestions on this? Thanks

Gotta run. Party for the sister. Later. and thanks again.
Joe E.

 

[v8only]

a one inch drop isn't bad, you may not need them. my bro's 86 gt has a one/2 inch drop, with no caster camber plates, and it aligns just fine. they are always a good idea, but if you are on a budget, drop the car first, then take it to a repitable shop for an alignment. they'll tell right away if you'll need them. Many times you'll be ok, but then often you won't, it's a crap shoot.

 

[maverick0716]

I dropped my car 1.5 inches with the Eibach Pro Kit and I didn't need caster/camber plates.

 

[MumftsGT]

I didn't put c/c plates on mine until recently. I did install some energy suspension polyeurethane shock tower and swaybar bushings. I didn't need them for alignment purposes. I got them to tighten up my suspension and so I can get coil-overs in the future. My car has been dropped 2 inches for 12-13 years and I never had any probs with getting it aligned. I found the Tokico Premiums for $299 at Tommy Vaughn Motorsports, in case your still interested in them. Sounds like they fit into your budget.

 

[joelliott]

thanks guys. I am thinking about a set on 1 in drop or 1.25in drop springs and new shocks. I like the $299 thing. Sounds good. That is if I think I can get away without the CC plates. I guess the only way is to try and see huh.? Can shops that do struts and shocks install new springs? Or should I try to find a more specialized shop?
Also Im going to have my windows retinted this week. On your cars, how did they tint the rear window? The thing is huge! Im just curious cuz I dont think tint comes that big...

also looking at installing a Edelbrock rpm intake and a demon 625 carb. Hear it was a good combo on a stock 5.0L. Any suggestions? Thanks
Joe E.

 

[85GTlover]

The rear window would have a couple rows of tint not one big piece. The intake and carb combo is a good choice but the stock one is good for a while too. There are other mods besides lowering it and the carb combo that you would get more gains from but it is your car so do what you wish. Those would not be my first choices but that is just me.

 

[SmockDoiley]

Remember if you do the edelbrock rpm intake or similar intake its a bit taller than stock and makes things tight if you go with a larger air filter setup. Also, when I bought my car I ran it for 2 years with lowering springs and no plates. I just recently added them but the tires did show some signs of wear. Your rearend will be just fine for now especially since it sounds like the car hasnt seen any abuse really. As for the struts, I strongly suggest going to 87-93 gt spindles since you are going to be getting new struts and an alignment anyways. You can get them at any junkyard for like 20 bucks. It'll allow the use of better brakes and they have slightly better steering geometry. The brakes on the 85-86's suck!!

 

[joelliott]

hi guys. Thanks for the comments. I guess Im gonna get a set of steeda lower springs and get them put on. And my wheels tires should be in this next week. yeah!. About the carb/rpm intake. I see 85GTlover has better ideas. Please share them. Like I said in the first post, Im new to stangs. If you know them and have better ideas for me than what I have said, by all means please speak up. However, I am pretty sure Im gonna get the drop kit cuz I have to do susp. work now! The rear is saggin like crazy and it handles like hell cuz of it. For a stang that is! But Im throwing out ideas about then engine. I need a new carb or rebuild mine now. One or the other is gonna be done. Which would you suggest? Other bolt on adders? Im thinking about putting an electric fan for traffic cuz I do a bit of it daily. That way the stock fan can run on the HW, and I can start the other in traffic.

Thanks for the help and time. Please hook me up with comments! Im all ears.
Joe E.

 

[MumftsGT]

Joe,
I doubt that you will need C/C plates. Yes, the shop you have replace your shocks/struts will be able to install the springs for you. It shouldn't add much to your bill. I agree with smock 100%, you should upgrade your brakes. The stock ones are inadequate for a 5.0L Mustang. As for the fan, you will need to upgrade your alternator to a 3G Model like the newer Fords with electric fans. There are several posts on here about low cost alternatives and installation/rewiring of the alternator. http://www.mustangcentral.net/tech/alternator.html You wont need your stock fan afterwards. The RPM manifold is made for higher engine speeds than stock heads flow, so it can wait. A good rebuild should work since you aren't getting into the engine too much. Have you been to http://www.carbdford.com/ ? Here is another link you may find beneficial http://www.jason.fletcher.net/ Another mod you may consider would be underdrive pulleys.

 

[maverick0716]

You shouldn't need an electric fan to keep the car cool at idle. I just replaced clutch fan and put in a 180* thermostat and it runs very cool.

 

[joelliott]

Ok. Thanks for the help. To get to Mavs reply about the 180 t stat, you live in Canada right? I live in south florida. Very hot and humid here. I can run the car in traffic but it runs warm. And Im getting the ac fixed too, and that caused it to really get warm last summer. But only in traffic. Everything cool on the HW! My idea was to run the stock fan like usual. And add a smaller electric fan to push air into the rad. when Im sitting in traffic. Another guy who lives 30 min from me said he used a fan out of a tarus and turned it on only in traffic, says it works great. Thats what I have in mind. Not trash the crank fan. Just add to it.
I am going to order the steed springs and get new rear shocks in the next week. Also having the windows tinted. Bought replacement lights for the front, sylvania silverstars (x4). And Im gonna start looking into brake ideas that are posted here. See what happening.

Thanks guys for the help!
Joe E.

 

[maverick0716]

Not everywhere in Canada is cold you know. In the summer it can get above 100*F. And my car still cools just fine. I also run a bottle of Water Wetter in my rad. And I run water with no antifreeze in the summer as well.

 

[joelliott]

I know Mav. Ive been to canada many times. And Michigan every summer since I can remember. And it does get HOT! Ive been looking around and it seems that Ill need a 3G alt, new 6gauge wire to and from the alt, and a fan. Lokks like a $300 project. WOW alot cash for cooler water and comfort. But I also wanna run a small system with a small amp and a 12 in sub. Would the 3G alt be able to take the cars functions, an electric fan, and a small stereo? Thanks
Joe E.

 

[MumftsGT]

Joe,
I've seen some people on the boards that have used SN95 Mustang alternators from the salvage yards for around $30. I am not sure of their amperage, it may not be quite the 130amps of the 3G. You can also use the SN95 fans and I have seen people who use Mark VIII fans because of their high flow rate, but that may be overkill. A lot of guys use controllers from http://www.dccontrol.com/ to wire up their fans. After I give my car a good tune-up and a I get a 625cfm Road Demon in the next couple of weeks, I may get the 3G and an electric fan myself. I'll let you know how the Demon works out. I have been putting it off because I just put in a new clutch and T-5 and I am breaking them in. So I need to take it easy.

 

[85GTlover]

If I were you, I would get underdrive pullies a new alt and an electic fan, and get rid of the stock fan....the idea is to free up accessory drag and free up hp in your engine a good fan like a Cavalier or Mark 8 should be lots but you do need a new alt for sure. I am pretty sure the 95 stangs are 3g but I do not know about 130 amp I have 95 in my head for some reason.....check out the post Micheal Yount put about his fan controller he says that is what you want to control the fan the best most efficient way. He knows his stuff. Just because your car is sagging does not mean you need lowering springs, unless you figure you are changing them so get lower ones anyway, but the CC plates ???.....I say get some traction (LCA's UCA's)......brakes find a donor 87+ Stang or a 87-88 turbo coupe.....good rearend,gears and disc brakes that are easy to convert (with a little work)

 

[MumftsGT]

check out the post Micheal Yount put about his fan controller he says that is what you want to control the fan the best most efficient way. He knows his stuff.

That is probably where I got the above link to DCControls. Yes, 95 AMP seems right to me. It's still much better than we have and much less than $200. Underdrive pulleys are a good low buck choice. Good LCA's aren't cheap, but they work. I have MegaBite Jrs and they dig hard and correct some of the Mustangs bad suspension geometry. As do the rest I would suppose. I am going to do a little research and see if I need to switch to Standard MM or Steeda LCAs. Unless the MegaBite Jrs don't cause rear suspension binding, which are what the MM and Steeda claim theirs fix that the others don't fix or even make things worse.