Progress pics and going to the track tonight.

90mustangGT

I felt sorry for girls because
Founding Member
Jan 15, 2002
2,773
16
89
Dallas, GA
Well the progress has been way too slow to do a progress thread. FINALLY heading to the track tonight I hope. I bought my car a about a year and a half ago and well, haven't done near as much as I though I would. Other priorities so sometimes I just poke around at it but don't do much. I have a lot of parts to put in, just no time. When I bought it, it was a stock one owner 88GT. Custom ordered by the original owner as a GT automatic with manual windows, mirrors, and locks, no map pockets to sag! It's well kept. When I first got it, it couldn't get out of its own way. Literally, a high 15, low 16 second quarter mile car I wouldn't be surprised.

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See how the back end sags? The first thing I did when I got it home was a massive cleanout of the subwoofer box and amps, iron spare tire, jack, $25 in change and a woopie cushion. Now at least the car sat level and didn't look like a buick on the way to Florida. That 2.73 is horrible, and combined with an AOD it's even worse. Talk about a slug. I swapped out the rear end with the HPM control arms upper and lower, lakewood shocks, and Moroso drag springs from my old 90GT which has 3.73 FMS gears and the traction loc rebuilt with the alternative clutch pack order so it's much tighter. Sure made a huge difference over that crappy 2.73. Made the car driveable. I also removed the back seats. Nobody is going to sit there anyways. Front end weight is the enemy, so I moved the battery to the back.

Then for the front. I put on my fiberglass hood. Took the front clip off and I deleted the A/C system, the power steering system, front bumper with supports, and all hood latch components. Front sway bar too. Put on my electric fan (black magic) and took out the snorkel to the stock air box which has a K&N in it. Put on the 3G alternator and underdrive pullies. Took off the smog pump and it's components. Took some other things out too, and when I was done the car's front end sat up a few inches, looked horrible. Drove funny too but the difference when I hit the gas was night and day. So I put my front coil over's in with the 90/10's and that settled it down. Put on my Weld Draglites and that replaced the turbines. The skinnies made it much easier to turn the steering wheel as well.

The rear bumper was in bad shape as the owner ran LX tails out from under it and they messed up the rear bumper. Looked horrible. So I put the LX rear bumper on it, as well as removed the rear bumper support. I really like the LX back with the GT wing, so along with the LX tails I really, really like it. However, it lookes hiked up in the back. I was thinking of just getting a cobra rear bumper, I like that look as well. I heard about rust under the side skirts, and decided to take them off to see what's under them. I put on an O/R H-pipe with 2ch flowmasters dumped.

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Sure enough, there was surface rust around the body kit brackets. I always wanted a LX anyways, so it's going to happen.

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After a little clean up.

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Now that's the look I want. Since then I have taken off the sticky crap on the sides. I have all the LX pieces to make it a real LX. Trying to decide on putting the door moulding on.

I didn't use the heat last winter, and it's not my daily driver. The fans just blow hot air in the summer and I didn't want the A/C either as it was deleted anyways. Well, so I decided to remove the HVAC system. Pulled the dash and got to work Removed about everything under there I could, all togeather about 50lbs worth. I put the HVAC controls back just to fill the space for now and not look all rednecked out. So it looks complete, but really isn't.

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I have other parts to the car, like a Eddy Performer intake and a TKO500/SpecIII/alum driveshaft and lots of other stuff but I just haven't done it yet. I'm having fun seeing how fast I can make this stock engine and aod trans mustang run. The difference is night and day. No, probably not fast to a lot of you guys, and it's not as fast as my 90 was, but it's surprising to say the least. I've taken a few people for rides and they can't believe it's a stock motored automatic mustang until I show them. I'm really happy with it.

I am going about this car in a different approach than I did my 90, and I've learned a lot over the years. My prespective changed a lot when I met some NMRA pros and saw how fast they could make cars with rather restricted mods and short mod lists. How often do you go to the track and see really built cars, like a H/C/I supercharged combo in the 13's? Then they want to add more power to go faster. The power your engine makes is only part of the equasion to make a car fast. Also, what good is lots of power if you can't use it?

Well, I'm going to keep working on it. Being a homeowner with two jobs doesn't help. Money is tight, but eventually, by the time I'm old and grey I might have something.
 

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Some pics right before the LX conversion started happening.

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Interior

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Junk in da trunk :notnice:

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LX bumper cover with LX tails on it as a GT

I have the LX front nose, that's next. Then some body work and new paint. :)
 

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Yes definatly on that rear tire issue. I have some 26x10.50R15 ET Streets for the rear, but those aren't street tires. I think I need some subframes and torque box reinforcement, then some fatter tires. I'd like to go with a 28" tall tire, probably those 275/60R15 MT Drag Radials after that. Might have to replace my rear gear with a 4.10 or 4.30. I'd like to do a solid spool too and some good axles. Probably at that point do a 5 lug conversion in the back, might stay drum, and just do the Aerospace front brakes.

Oh, and the front skinnies aren't all that great for driving in traffic. Not much rubber to stick to the road.
 
I had a 90LX AOD back in the day. Start in 1st, up then back to 1 for 2nd was something interesting (1-2 Shuffle) at the track. I didn't swap my AOD out for 5-speed like you did. At the time I wasn't interested in doing the swap so I installed an Art Carr AOD. That swap knocked .6 tenths at the track and netted me my first 12.99 time slip. Plus the car became really consistent. Bracket racers were in fear of that car. Put it in "D" and let the tranny do it all on its own.

I bet those skinnies are scary. Mine are 205's up front and it's not really enough. Although we have the stock suspension underneath right now. We just installed the Vortech. Next up is a full TeamZ suspension then we will hit the track in hopes of getting kicked out for no cage.

Good luck and post your results.
 
Looks good! I gutted my Dodge like you did your 88GT, and I vowed never to do that again. I have since discovered I prefer complete cars. Course I'm not going to put it back...
 
Vibrant: I doubt those tires will hold you back much. ;) Sounds wicked! Hope it works out for you.

Looks good! I gutted my Dodge like you did your 88GT, and I vowed never to do that again. I have since discovered I prefer complete cars. Course I'm not going to put it back...

Don't Dodges come gutted? :D No really, well my goal with this car was basically to be a street legal drag car but I won't go as far as to make it look too gutted. For instance I put the HVAC controls back in. My buddy thinks we should make a gauge panel for it and I'll probably eventually put a switch panel where the radio is, however I love listening to music, just not as much as the previous owner.

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Stock engine bay.

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Kind of messy, but getting more bare every day. These are older pics, I've cleaned it up a little since then.

There are a few things I need to complete before I move on. For one, the reversed tensioner doesn't give much tension what so ever, so I need to do a standard rotation water pump along with a better althernator bracket so I can eleminate the tensioner all together. I want to do something in the rear of the car where the seats were. I left the lower pad in just to look complete, but I want to use a light material just to smooth it out and put some carpet on it, but without adding any real weight. I need to fill the holes and some touchup painting until I can get some real paint on the car from the LX conversion as well as finishing the LX conversion with the nose piece. I need to put the GMS tubular K-memeber on there along with the Flaming River manual rack. Doing the manual trans swap won't be as easy. I have already put the manual pedals in it (so yeah I have a clutch pedal in an auto) and I have the speedo re-routed. However, due to it being a TKO500, I will have to have the driveshaft shortened. Last time I had it in my old car the yoke was too far in. With the K-member, it will move the engine back an inch and a half. A place that does work for the company I work for will do it for $75. I think when I do the intake, I will need to just go the extra step and do some heads. Probably some GT40's to start out with. I think I will build a new shortblock when it comes to putting some nice aluminum heads.

There is a song by Trace Adkins, called "You're going to miss this" and although it's not about cars, it applies to our hobby. Remember when you first got your car? When it was stock or almost stock? Different stages? Doing different things? Well, every step of the way enjoy it, because the buildup is so much fun. Don't worry about what the guy next to you is running or what your ultimate goal is, just enjoy your car as it is now. One day you'll look back and do anything to re live this moment.

‪Trace Adkins - You're Gonna Miss This‬‏ - YouTube
 

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Well the track is just an 1/8th mile but it's a lot closer than the 1/4 mile tracks. I decided not to mount the slicks, because I don't even have subframe connectors let a lone torque box reinforcements and I don't want to risk tearing them out or twisting the chassis. This is just a test run, to see how it runs and get the feel for the track again. It's been a about six years. I remember I loved it.

Along with me is my friend from many years ago. He used to have a 95 Z28 that was pretty wicked. He blew the motor and lived in an apartment so he just sold it about a year after I tore down my 90GT. Well now he has a 85 Coupe with a 5 speed he got a good deal on. It is an 85 but the exterior is updated to a 87+ style. It still has the 85 interior which I think has a nice appeal to it. When he got it, the car was typical of what you find out there, old cars that barely run, missing parts, and lots of stuff that just wasn't right. It's amazing how little odds and ends makes the car. It has a carbed 5.0HO with a cam of some type, runs pretty good. He said he would never go back to the Camaro unless it was a first generation.... and I would too. A little sideview mirror action:

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Definatly different from my old 90GT, but at the same time, I am getting to liking this car more. I'm doing this one more knowing what I really want to do. Not trying to do what others are doing.

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Hard to believe that was original paint, but knowing how to use a high speed buffer really helps. My car, can't do that because the aftermarket paint is chipping off in places, and just not a good quality paint job at all, so I'm going to have to really sand it down and start over.

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I miss this car so much.
 

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Back from the track. Had a hell of a good time. :D Went to Paradise in Calhoun, GA. Sure felt good to go to a track. I'm happy with the times I got, but I can see where I need some improvement. I should do some bracket racing because this car is really, really consistent.

60FT: 2.094 = really sucks, but I'm on some all weather radials in 225/60R15 so I guess thats not too bad. Also with a stock converter, I have to pretty much leave off a high idle and roll into the throttle. I stayed out of the water and just did a cleanoff spin over to get the gravel off and maybe pick up some of the sticky left behind of the other cars running real tires. Did a little bit of a burnout but didn't seem to help any. Kept the tires at 26psi. I was running a 2.1 or 2.2 60FT with the first couple runs. So my 60ft is definatly a place to work on. I didn't run the ET Streets because I don't have the reinforcements in place. Can't climb a mountain if you can't get out of the hole.

ET & MPH: 8.818 at 83.41 and quite consistent. I could bracket race this car. The track was an uphill one. When a car broke, they just let it roll back off the track. This converts to 13.8's at 103mph in the 1/4mi!

Not too shabby for a stock AOD 5.0 I think. It was a lot of fun and gives me a lot of encouragement.