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

[manicmechanic007]

Should be easy to get cruise and AC on the car
The old Carb'd cruise controls worked the same as the early fuelies, just a different ball chain setup to pull on the carb throttle plate
Same as the AC, easy peasy
Post a picture of the current HVAC case

 

[Willybill32]

Paul’s Automotive Engineering is in Cincinnati

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

Paul’s Automotive Engineering is in Cincinnati. I haven’t had any experience with them, but may be a source of professional help for your car.

Bill

 

[pindude80]

Paul’s Automotive Engineering is in Cincinnati

Paul’s Automotive Engineering is in Cincinnati. I haven’t had any experience with them, but may be a source of professional help for your car.

Bill

I'm familiar with Paul's. I can do the work the car needs but having the time is the issue. I wouldn't pay a shop to do the work because it wouldn't be worth what a shop would charge. I appreciate the thought and suggestion though!

 

[pindude80]

Should be easy to get cruise and AC on the car
The old Carb'd cruise controls worked the same as the early fuelies, just a different ball chain setup to pull on the carb throttle plate
Same as the AC, easy peasy
Post a picture of the current HVAC case

I'm not sure if the steering controls work for the cruise, if the other needed components (under dash, vacuum, etc) are there or not, etc. I have thought along the same lines of what you mention of cruise off of a carb car.

I don't have a picture of the HVAC box currently but everything appears to be there, although all of the A/C components under the hood are gone.

 

[Willybill32]

I'm familiar with Paul's. I can do the work the car needs but having the time is the issue. I wouldn't pay a shop to do the work because it wouldn't be worth what a shop would charge. I appreciate the thought and suggestion though!

My comment was more along the lines of using them as a resource, not necessarily to do the work. I don’t know much about them, but have been aware of them for a long time, and considered them for help with a couple of issues I had with my ‘86. I later found a resource closer to me. I’m in the Lexington area, KY area.

Bill

 

[Noobz347]

I'm not sure if the steering controls work for the cruise, if the other needed components (under dash, vacuum, etc) are there or not, etc. I have thought along the same lines of what you mention of cruise off of a carb car.

I don't have a picture of the HVAC box currently but everything appears to be there, although all of the A/C components under the hood are gone.

Aftermarket cruise is pretty easy. Check em out the next time you're at a parts store for some reason.

 

[pindude80]

Aftermarket cruise is pretty easy. Check em out the next time you're at a parts store for some reason.

I wasn't sure if there were aftermarket cruise systems still available or not, sounds like there is. I'll have to look into them.

 

[Noobz347]

Cruise Control

www.rostra.com

 

[pindude80]

Cruise Control

www.rostra.com

Thanks for the link! I bookmarked it and will look into it.

 

[limp]

In 1990 I pulled this 67 Dodge convertible out of a field in Oregon somebody had told me was there while I was looking for a Muscle car project.... It went through my divorce, lived in a 10 X 20 rental for two years while I was trying to find a home for me and it... It was totally disassembled, on a rotisserie for a decade... The only thing I did not do was the final body and paint and the rebuild on the Torqueflite Automatic transmission ( Automatics are black magic voo doo to me) 2008 was the first time I drove the car... When I moved to Florida from Oregon I had it moved here in an enclosed trailer......
After 31 years I just got tired of the car, it was getting to where it was going to need a " mini resto" to look its best, of which I had NO interest in doing, and I sold it....
Was afraid I would miss this car ( it was with me almost 1/2 my life) .... Some friends were quite shocked I had sold it...
Havent missed it one bit and I am having

fun with my new projects...... Just saying...

 

[pindude80]

In 1990 I pulled this 67 Dodge convertible out of a field in Oregon somebody had told me was there while I was looking for a Muscle car project.... It went through my divorce, lived in a 10 X 20 rental for two years while I was trying to find a home for me and it... It was totally disassembled, on a rotisserie for a decade... The only thing I did not do was the final body and paint and the rebuild on the Torqueflite Automatic transmission ( Automatics are black magic voo doo to me) 2008 was the first time I drove the car... When I moved to Florida from Oregon I had it moved here in an enclosed trailer......
After 31 years I just got tired of the car, it was getting to where it was going to need a " mini resto" to look its best, of which I had NO interest in doing, and I sold it....
Was afraid I would miss this car ( it was with me almost 1/2 my life) .... Some friends were quite shocked I had sold it...
Havent missed it one bit and I am having

fun with my new projects...... Just saying...

That's a cool car. Another hobby I'm into is pinball machines. There were some games that I thought I would never sell, but when I got bored with them I would put them up for sale or trade. There were some titles I thought I might regret selling but once they were out of the house I didn't really think about or miss them. When I sold a game I typically bought another game and enjoyed it instead of having a game sitting there collecting dust.

I appreciate you sharing your experience. I'm still at a crossroad with this car and don't think it's a bad idea to keep or to sell it. It's been really tempting to post up on some of the Foxbody Mustang pages on Facebook to see what's out there and see if something catches my attention.

 

[limp]

NEVER sell " High Speed Pursuit" ........... LOL

 

[pindude80]

NEVER sell " High Speed Pursuit" ........... LOL

I don't have, nor have I ever owned a High Speed. There are actually two High Speed games. One made in the 80s called High Speed and High Speed II: The Getaway. Both are pretty awesome games!