what to look for when buying another fox

Lawbreaker5.0

Member
Feb 20, 2009
543
2
18
Texas
iIts been awhile since i shopped for a car so i'm a little rusty, i hope the car isn't. lol. I'm going to look at a 1984 mustang lx hatchback tomorrow. The ad doesn't say if its a 4cly turbo, v8 or 6 cyl. I'm gonna look at the obivous like frame damage, rust underneath, check for head gasket leaks or any type of leaks.

the price is 1400 and the body looks like its in perfect shape. it has 151k, ac still works and its an automatic. the paint might be fading from the pics but i can't say for sure.


what else should i look for/ask?

How much do these things weigh? i wanna put a 347 in a mustang so this will be the first one i look at. if its not worth it then i'll walk.

thanks
 
  • Sponsors (?)


yup, sounds like you got the basis. check torque boxes, frame rails...especially under the brake booster/master cylinder, and under the car for rust. look for any ghetto wiring under hood and dash if you can, and make sure there's no bad leaks.
 
so i saw it today, everthing looked pretty straight. There were a few dings here and there, but the body is 99% straight.

the flaws were the dash was cracked (like most 4 eyed), the right inside blinker didn't work (outside did), the rpm's didn't work and the hatch doesn't latch unless you slam it.

the interior was clean for a 84 with a little scuff here and there in the hatch area. It did look like there was rtv on the both top left and right part of the body where the hatch connects. he said it was becuase it leaked or something but i'm wondering if it was hiding any rust. the water side rails had no rust where i figured they would be. It's def doesn't compare to my 92 in looks and performance so i don't really know if i should get it or not.

And as for any rust, i'll i noticed was surface rust or what i think is surface rust. i didn't see and rot or major damage from the rust. the car has spent its whole life in TX.


oh one other thing, was the chrome trim around the door had dings in it, i was curious if those can be banged out or replaced w/o having to replace the door.

i'm having a buddy of mine take a look at it for me in the next couple of days and if he thinks its worth 1400 i might just buy it.

How much and how hard will it be to convert this thing to a 5.0 efi down the road. i already have the top end, with injectors, and such. i also have a computer too for it. also how hard will it be to put power locks and windows?i'm guessing a rear-end, trans, double sump, bellhousing, and a bottom end, misc stuff, plus the wiring harness is gonna cost me around 1500 bucks used maybe? what do you guys think? sorry i don't have pics.
 
so i saw it today, everthing looked pretty straight. There were a few dings here and there, but the body is 99% straight.

the flaws were the dash was cracked (like most 4 eyed), the right inside blinker didn't work (outside did), the rpm's didn't work and the hatch doesn't latch unless you slam it.

the interior was clean for a 84 with a little scuff here and there in the hatch area. It did look like there was rtv on the both top left and right part of the body where the hatch connects. he said it was becuase it leaked or something but i'm wondering if it was hiding any rust. the water side rails had no rust where i figured they would be. It's def doesn't compare to my 92 in looks and performance so i don't really know if i should get it or not.

And as for any rust, i'll i noticed was surface rust or what i think is surface rust. i didn't see and rot or major damage from the rust. the car has spent its whole life in TX.


oh one other thing, was the chrome trim around the door had dings in it, i was curious if those can be banged out or replaced w/o having to replace the door.

i'm having a buddy of mine take a look at it for me in the next couple of days and if he thinks its worth 1400 i might just buy it.

How much and how hard will it be to convert this thing to a 5.0 efi down the road. i already have the top end, with injectors, and such. i also have a computer too for it. also how hard will it be to put power locks and windows?i'm guessing a rear-end, trans, double sump, bellhousing, and a bottom end, misc stuff, plus the wiring harness is gonna cost me around 1500 bucks used maybe? what do you guys think? sorry i don't have pics.

if you want all the ammenities of an 87-93 car get an 89 thats already MAF and convert it to a 4 eye, i think that would be much less work than converting the car to efi then doing MAF then wiring in power windows, door locks etc
 
if you want all the ammenities of an 87-93 car get an 89 thats already MAF and convert it to a 4 eye, i think that would be much less work than converting the car to efi then doing MAF then wiring in power windows, door locks etc

yeah, that kinda what i was already thinking of.


I guess no one gets mad when you convert to 4 eyed its when you convert 4 eyed to aero
 
Rust at the shock towers is common lately from I've been seeing on a lot of them. Rust on the front floor pans...holes really, and all GT's you gotta looks behind the ground effects. They hold water and salt dirt etc....