Fox Opinions Wanted- at a crossroad with my '88 GT

[pindude80]

This post has been a long time coming for me. I bought an '88 GT a little over a year ago and I am at a crossroad with it. The engine was blown up, the transmission ground going into 2nd, the cowl was smashed and a lot of other little stuff like it had one piece headlights, the hatch didn't latch, the driver's interior door handle didn't work correctly, the power door locks didn't work etc A friend and I put a GT40 motor in it, fixed the transmission, a different friend fixed the cowl and addressed some other paint issues to make it look presentable and a lot of the little stuff has been fixed.

The reason I say I'm at a crossroad with it is because it's turning into a decent car but still needs a lot of stuff to get it where I want it. The biggest drawbacks for me is that it doesn't have A/C or cruise. It was carb converted, which I'm ok with but all of the original EFI wiring under the hood is gone. I'm not sure how difficult it would be to put the cruise and A/C back on it.

I like working on the car for the most part but it does eat up what spare time I have when I feel like working on something. I have several other cars that could use some work and time.

I've been trying to decide if I should just keep plugging away on this one since it is starting to turn into a decent car but it still needs a lot to become a nice car or if I'm better off selling it and buyoing something "nicer" that would require less work. I'm hoping to learn from your guys advice and experience. Please feel free to share any insight, experiences, ask questions about my current car, etc.

Thanks in advance

 

[nickyb]

In my years of doing this car dance the best advice I can offer is
Better to deal with the devil you know then the devil you don't know.
Your stang is going well just stick with it,heck enjoy it .

 

[91AOD5.0LX]

I think that’s a great looking car you have and that you already got past some of the bigger hurdles. Whats left to do will be the case with any other car you find [give or take a few projects].
I’m with @nickyb and feel sticking with it wouldnt be a bad idea.

 

[bird_dog0347]

I kinda agree on the devil you know comments. As for cruise control I think you'd have to go all the way back to EFI to make that happen and that would be a ton of work. For AC I think you could just buy the kit from LMR and put it on there.

 

[General karthief]

I recently sold a toyota Corolla, I'll spare the story for my thread (shameless plug) and started looking for a pickup, a guy needs a truck right? I lost my marbles within a few days and grabbed a 79 ranchero, barely a driver at the time, like I needed another 'project'.
On the plus side the 'brat' won't be asking to borrow it

 

[pindude80]

In my years of doing this car dance the best advice I can offer is
Better to deal with the devil you know then the devil you don't know.
Your stang is going well just stick with it,heck enjoy it .

I like your saying of better to deal with the devil you know than the devil you don't know. I feel like I know this car pretty well versus starting over and getting to know another car, what all it needs, what has been rigged, etc

 

[pindude80]

I think that’s a great looking car you have and that you already got past some of the bigger hurdles. Whats left to do will be the case with any other car you find [give or take a few projects].
I’m with @nickyb and feel sticking with it wouldnt be a bad idea.

Thanks, I think it looks cool. One of it's "unofficial" names is "the ten foot fox" It looks good from ten feet away or more but not great up close. I'm ok with that for the time being though because I don't currently have garage space for it and I don't want a super nice car right now because it would have to sit outside. Later on down the road, when I get more inside storage, maybe she can get the mirror finish I would like on it.

Good point about what is left would more than likely need to be done on most all fox Mustangs, if not the same things, another car would have other issues that need addressed and then that goes back to better to deal with the devil I know than the devil I don't.

 

[pindude80]

I kinda agree on the devil you know comments. As for cruise control I think you'd have to go all the way back to EFI to make that happen and that would be a ton of work. For AC I think you could just buy the kit from LMR and put it on there.

I do really like the mind frame of the devil that I know comment. That sucks about probably having to go back to EFI to have cruise again I would rather have A/C than cruise. I didn't know there was a kit from LMR, I'll have to look into that; thanks for mentioning it.

 

[pindude80]

I recently sold a toyota Corolla, I'll spare the story for my thread (shameless plug) and started looking for a pickup, a guy needs a truck right? I lost my marbles within a few days and grabbed a 79 ranchero, barely a driver at the time, like I needed another 'project'.
On the plus side the 'brat' won't be asking to borrow it

But we never think of them as projects when we buy them. It's once we get them home, dig in, see all the sh*t they need then we think "oh boy, what did I get myself into" lol That's how this project started out, it needed a lot

 

[General karthief]

Shop around for ac kits, I get a fair amount of stuff from rockauto,
You can also do aftermarket cruise with a carb or see what the factory did to carb'd models.

 

[pindude80]

Shop around for ac kits, I get a fair amount of stuff from rockauto,
You can also do aftermarket cruise with a carb or see what the factory did to carb'd models.

I will look around before buying an a/c kit. I've bought from Rock Auto before; they have some killer pricing but shipping is a little slow. If I plan ahead the slower shipping isn't a big deal.

I remember back in the 80s my G'pa had an aftermarket cruise control system installed on his '78 T-bird. I was wondering if something like that was made any more, I'll have to look around. I also had the same thought about looking into how cruise was on the '85 and back Mustangs since they were carb'd.

 

[limp]

is Cruise Control that big of a deal?? I would have to say most of my cars have it and I rarely used it... With all of the crowded roads today ( I turn 70 this saturday so I remember when the roads were SO MUCH BETTER) its almost useless to me.....
I understand the AC, I live in Florida......

 

[pindude80]

is Cruise Control that big of a deal?? I would have to say most of my cars have it and I rarely used it... With all of the crowded roads today ( I turn 70 this saturday so I remember when the roads were SO MUCH BETTER) its almost useless to me.....
I understand the AC, I live in Florida......

Yes, A/C is a much higher priority.

Something is messed up with my right leg. When I drive a vehicle for more than 15 or 20 minutes straight my right leg starts to hurt, getting older sucks! lol

I don't plan on driving the car on a regular basis on longer trips but there are plenty of times I would like to drive it to the other side of the city and having / using cruise would make it much more enjoyable to drive

 

[Noobz347]

Yes, A/C is a much higher priority.

Something is messed up with my right leg. When I drive a vehicle for more than 15 or 20 minutes straight my right leg starts to hurt, getting older sucks! lol I don't plan on driving the car on a regular basis on longer trips but there are plenty of times I would like to drive it to the other side of the city and having / using cruise would make it much more enjoyable to drive

Is your seat all the way back but find that a couple more notches to the rear would be useful?

 

[bird_dog0347]

AC for sure, cruise??? I have to be over 250-300 miles into a trip before I even think about turning on the cruise in my truck. I enjoy driving, and being present in the experience.

 

[Noobz347]

I'm with you guys on the cruise thing. I don't even use the cruise in the Cadillac. I'm too much of a "throttle jockey".

 

[pindude80]

Is your seat all the way back but find that a couple more notches to the rear would be useful?

It's not just the Mustang that bothers my leg, it's any vehicle. I've tried many different seat positions, nothing helps. The best thing I've found is to roll up a towel and place it between the bottom of my thigh and seat. I guess I could go the doctor and get it looked at but I'm too stubborn for that.

 

[limp]

Ok, I get you, I can relate to the age thing...
I tried to use my cruise as much as I could on my recent trip to Seguin Texas.. Highway 75 north then west on Hi 10...... Way too many people on the road to even enjoy a road trip anymore....I was turning it off more than using it it seems.....

 

[Noobz347]

It's not just the Mustang that bothers my leg, it's any vehicle. I've tried many different seat positions, nothing helps. The best thing I've found is to roll up a towel and place it between the bottom of my thigh and seat. I guess I could go the doctor and get it looked at but I'm too stubborn for that.

One day when you have nothing else to do...

Go to the junk yard and look for wrecked, high end luxury cars with bucket seats:

If you can open the door and the seat is not all wrecked, sit in it. Particularly, if it has power lumbar and front/side bolsters. The Ricaro's in my Caddy allow for a [lot] of movement on long rides.

With a little ingenuity, you could wire it up with any combination of 4-way switch. Some of the manual ones (even the stock seat in my 86 GT) has an adjustable front bolster (where you put your towel). I always forget about it until I'm running the vacuum.

 

[gkomo]

“Desert Does It” makes a product called a “seat jacker” which are spacers that go either under your front seat track bolts or rear, or both. I know they make them for Toyota products but maybe they make them for other brands. Basically changes your seating position to help with leg pain… very well known in the Toyota community. I had them in my Tacoma (front only) to help with back/leg pain while driving because the stock Tacoma seating position is garbage.