Wha? That's my JAM!! (Gastropod '19)

Welcome to my most recent fit of automotive ADHD. I am supposed to be building a wicked straight six engine for the Bluebird but machine shop jail is apparently more torture than I can handle while sitting next to a small stack of cash, oh and FB marketplace algorithms just get me. Maybe I am too easy....allow me to introduce you to JAM(Just Another Mustang)

Hold up, that pic doesn't match the listing title! And an auto?? Yeah, not so much. What we have going on is the traditional build thread before taking delivery, so we will start with the high points of the actual ad description:
'97 GT, T45 car, 4v swapped from a MKVIII(aluminum block), Cobra brakes, stainless lines, Cobra rack, BBK long tubes and Xpipe, upgraded brake pads and clutch, etc. Runs and drives, but RUSTY!!!
This is sounding like a really nice pile of parts; all bolted together. I could use alot of this on the Bluebird, part the rest out....hell, I could take it to GRM Challenge first..... Wait, what did I say?!!?? That, right there, is exactly where this spiral started. I was off the rails with no hope of recovery unless the car was a complete hack, or the seller wasn't ready to deal, except that it was just far enough away to be a hassle. Thankfully(or maybe not) I have plenty of enablers, and one who lives between the car and myself was willing to do the deed.

Some pics from the ad and the ensuing conversation with the seller:

I will spare you the ugly pics of rust, but you can see some in the ad pics, and it has the typical strut tower/front frame rail rot. It's bad enough that the original part out plan will be in full effect post-Challenge. I made plans for my MI buddy to go put eyes and ears on the car today. He reported that it is everything the seller claims it to be. Everyone was very up front about what it is and isn't, and what we expected. Overall a very good interaction, and an offer of $1600 was accepted.

Here is JAM all loaded up and headed from Bay City to Ann Arbor.

Hanging around this forum, and meeting some forum members in real life, has made the Challenge into a bucket list item for me. I couldn't make it happen last year while I had an eligible x1/9 due to spending all my vacation time on HRPT. I had no plans of attending this year until two weeks ago. This car has many potential outcomes but before anything else, it will get me to my first Challenge! The purchase price doesn't give me tons of room to get silly, and Gastropods looks like a perfect place to dip my toes. Any and all purchases beyond optimizing what is already on the car will be done with post-Challenge goals in mind.

I go to retrieve JAM from Ann Arbor on the 10th. Looks like Challenge will be flush with sn95's this year!

In reply to gumby :

AWESOME! It's on!

Let me know when you need a hand on anything for this.  

Guess I’ll be seeing you sooner than PRI this year 

Yes! Loud noises and burnouts! Bring it!

In reply to gumby :

I sure hope this is what you're build title is referring to:

Yeah! You can also JAM in CAM!

Awesome! Those 4v live up in the high rpm range. If you need any advice let.me know, ive had a lot of them. Good find!

A used set of 4.10s is probably your best bang for buck cheap mod on those

In reply to Opti :

thats the truth. i personally hated 4.10 the one time i used the because of high way driving and high rpm in 5th but have always thought 3.73 was a great all around gear. and if you go to any junkyard you can pull a set out of almost any early 2000s explorer and pay 30 bucks or less for the ring and pinion. 

It just so happens that I am flush with 8.8 ring and pinion sets, as any Ford guy should be. I grab them whenever I find decent ratios on jy sale days....should be able to self-trade a set of 4.10’s without an issue, no?

I ran the gearing and it looks like 2600rpm at 72mph. As a guy used to wringing the necks of 2.3t motors, 2600 is down right respectable for highway cruising.

The x1/9 was at 4k for 90% of HRPT last year 

Hey-o!

gumby said:

It just so happens that I am flush with 8.8 ring and pinion sets, as any Ford guy should be. I grab them whenever I find decent ratios on jy sale days....should be able to self-trade a set of 4.10’s without an issue, no?

I ran the gearing and it looks like 2600rpm at 72mph. As a guy used to wringing the necks of 2.3t motors, 2600 is down right respectable for highway cruising.

The x1/9 was at 4k for 90% of HRPT last year 

You will not be below 3k at 70+ Maybeeeeee if you have a 28" tall tire but most tires will run between 26 and 27. id be willing to bet you are at around 3200. but its a trade off you will have tons of torque off the line and instant power through the corner exits. 

IT'S HAPPENING !

That A-hold needs to learn about safe following distances. 

Sumbitch tailgated us all the way to Indy!

JAM is home and went straight from the trailer to the rack for a quick inspection/parts verification. Overall, not a pretty car, but someone did a nice job on the wheels. From the potato pics in the ad, I assumed these were rattle bombed flat black. They are actually a dark anthracite color, possibly powder coated, and the red pinstripe is painted on.

I received a stack of receipts along with my bill of sale and the title. It appears that all the parts in the receipt stack are on the car, and a few extras that I didn't know about

McLeod clutch

Prothane engine mounts

BONUS aluminum d/s

I found an aftermarket shifter in the rear floorboard, and seller tossed in a pair of near new, 10yo 275/40's

Goals include getting a temp tag so I can start putting some miles on it, and pilfering my stash for a couple trades to optimize whatever is possible within the Gastropod budget. There is something wonky/unsafe going on with the rear springs, and that needs addressed in short order. Aside from that, it appears to be a typical beater stang; abused, neglected, and just the right amount of short term fun till all the little E36 M3 gets on the nerves bad enough to push it off a cliff.

Took my first real test drive in JAM today, and subsequently dove into a deeper inspection. Overall, the car feels as ok as one could expect from a '97 Mustang. It does burnouts. It is LOUD. Long tube headers, catless x-pipe, and glasspacks = not sneaking about anyplace.

It had a constant metal to metal rubbing noise. I found one front dust shield pushed against the rotor; all better now.

The front springs looked too clean compared to the rest of the underbody so I checked the tags. Front springs are labeled SAD, but I am not because blue SAD tags mean FRPP C-kit springs

The rears are a different story

I don't think those coils should be touching each other in the middle! The right side spring is about halfway unseated, and bowed inboard enough to touch the chassis. Gotta get these pulled out and inspect them unloaded. Replacement likely.

Next up was some cleaning. I hate working on dirty cars, labor is free, and a new used car is like a treasure hunt! This car doesn't stink so surface cleaning is as deep as I am going. Vacuumed everything; pretty sure one of the previous owners lived on a gravel road. Wiped the interior down, and cleaned the windows.

I recovered $3.99 of change from various locations, and none of it was sticky!

Also of note, various bits of hardware and plastic push pin panel retainers, a handful of fuses, and a couple relays. Oh, and the cupholder isn't broken!

In the back seat and trunk I found a partial roll of medical tape, a scissor jack, scratched up safety glasses, old ear buds, 20ft of MegaFlex amplifier cable(14' red, 6' clear), two 7mm wrenches, one 8mm wrench, and a brand new 5" cut-off disc

Thankfully, the majority of the trash was clean, and those ear buds were as close as I got to any form of biological waste.

At this very moment, the previous owner is cursing and wondering what happened to all his 7mm wrenches. 

Couple of old registrations in the glove box along with this:

Neither of the names on the trade agreement is who I bought the car from.... Oh the stories this car could tell!

Call from an acquaintance this afternoon, "I heard you are parting out a Mustang."
"Not exactly, yet, but what do you have in mind?"

Guy shows up with 2 pairs of 17x9's and $150 for the wheels and tires off of JAM. Done deal!

I celebrated my recoupe cash by ordering Gastropod legal tires

Put 2 on one side and 2 on the other instead of front/rear

Get outta my head! There's too many voices in here already

That is a great clutch to have in that car! good finds all around!