Sally Frankenstein - Little bit of every Fox-Mustang

Hey all I'm new to GRM, been here sifting through countless articles and builds for awhile now. Figured it was about time I'd share my own build. (Hopefully my linking images works, we shall see)

It all started when about three or four years back I came across a 1989 Mustang LX with not motor, engine harness was gutted. Hell I even originally thought it was green from the moss and forest growth that had started to take its new home. I being even more young and dumb as I am now fell instantly in love, reading a few articles gave it a close look over checking the strut towers and torque boxes and floor boards before handing the man over some cash.

First got it home about a week later and gave it a much needed bath, quickly located a engine and harness and started piecing the car back to its former self

First was get the motor in, and with that I needed a clutch and flywheel and what I didnt realize was missing off the transmission.... a damn bellhousing. sourcing that was a bit of a task but I found it, paid way too much for it and continued on my way. Within about a month id say, working every moment I had I got the car put back together, frying a computer in the process  and using a jumbled mess of ford truck parts I had left over from other builds and junkyard parts raids.

Insurance went on and the car got to take its maiden voyage escorting my friends project a 1992 Ford Probe back to his parents house about 45 minutes away. 

The Probe never made it, highway pull after highway pull we soon learned that maybe having a dash cluster hooked up could be useful... His car threw a belt, never had a check engine light, never had a gauge to say it was overheating. lets just say a rod ventilated the side of the block and that car became his parts car for a build that he is still working on today.

I soon found a set of 17x9 rims and 245's off a guy locally, and removed the chrome fender trim that made it look oh too reminiscent of something my grandfather would drive and I had a car I really enjoyed for the remainder of the summer

That winter I started fixing a few things I now knew needed to be fixed. Heater core was number one, I had saved up a few extra dollars to buy a set of longtube headers and taylor plug wires to ditch the truck manifolds and 460k+km plug wires I had on the car.

and this was also about the time I installed some eibach pro-springs

Now comes the fun part.

I was doing a delivery for work and had noticed a mid-70's Ford Capri for sale, looked in fairly nice shape and I pondered the idea of asking the guy if he was willing to trade. after work I drove over there and the car was gone, I knocked on the door to the house to as the guy if he maybe had moved it or if it was sold. I missed out but he then looked over at my car and said "Hey Ive got a motor for you" and he pointed to his backyard where several late 90's explorers sat rusting away next to his shop. I at the time had only just really started realizing what those motors had. GT40 heads and an intake. I quickly worked out a deal that I'd come over and pull them in exchange for helping clean his shop and a bit of cash as well and I walked away with a set of 1996 GT40 heads and intake

Hand porting and polishing them, followed a few DiY walk throughs got the heads and intake matched to each other before sending the heads away to have the valve seats machined and drilled for rocker studs to replace the pedestal mount

also picked up a set of window louvers for next to nothing that had been chopped apart

so I learned how to work aluminum a bit, replacing the bottom two fins

now I just drove the car, I actually managed to find my way into the import car clubs local here... got involved in some real fast n furious kinda stuff I dont do anymore.

Now the rebuild. Motor got pulled that winter to have the head cam intake setup installed, as well as upgrading to 24lb injectors

About this time I had finally started setting sort of a goal for the car. I wanted a narly daily drive able, canyon carving, autocross killing and drag strip warrior. I wanted to be able to do it all decently well but understanding the limitations of each.

subframe connectors

and racing stripes make a car faster right?!?!?!

That summer I had started my first real introduction to autocross. Man I went from dominating the streets to being absolutely schooled by everything from a miata, to an MGB to a damn datsun 510. It was a real eye opener for me to really start growing up at the time and actually challenge myself. I basically started really learning as much as I could from the people at these meets and started getting a much more dialed in game plan

the go fast parts started piling up

275/40R17 on all four corners

making them fit was quite easy. rolled fender lips front and rear, and on the front I just pushed the fender out using turnbuckles 

I had also started the cars transformation at some point during that summer. the 1979 rear taillights.

probably my favorite pre-paint photo taken of the car

needed new taller valve covers because a stack of 3 gaskets to clear the damn rockers just wasnt going to cut it anymore

and I ended up getting featured by one of vancouver islands largest import club/magazine

Body mods 

chin spoiler

GT spoiler

and I entered several large mustang shows. 

Now I had decided with my girlfriend that we were going to move some 1100km's away to prince george BC. the car was loaded up with the essentials and we traded driving the car and the uhaul hauling all our stuff and my truck. Surprisingly the car actually managed to get 30mpg during the trip and not ONE issue! in fact the damn uhaul had more problems.

Tried drag racing for the first time on a real 1/4 mile. managed a 13.9 @ 102 on street tires

got a nail in the radials on the way to the track....never got to see what it could do :(

New exhaust

Back before buying Sally I desperately wanted a 85-86 four eyed car. after several cars slipped through my fingers I really settled for the 87+ aeronose car in a sense. after about a year of owning it I found a 1985 that was in rough shape and I bought it on a whim hoping that maybe now I'll have my four eye cruiser and my aeronose racer. first time I jacked the car up I found out clearly why that wasnt going to happen. the car literally didnt have any front subframe or floor from about the driver seat to the rad support. it was all rotted away.

I basically started trying to sell the car, no grabbers so I then parted it out keeping the nose, bumpers hood and fenders for myself. thinking maybe someday I'll have an opportunity to use the stuff.

fast forward to this july I did finally have an opportunity. but to swap the parts onto Sally.

And now I had my beloved four eyed fox

and the drive to my uncles across town, hand signals and no actual headlights

epoxy primer

highbuild

Kona Blue

then started the underhood wire clean up and repaint

air intake duct salvaged from an early 90's ford truck

More to come... in the process of a battery relocation, and SN95 brake upgrade and 5 bolt swap as well as a panhard bar

LOL, looking at the pics, I thought I saw Qualicum beach.

Then I saw the B.C. plates.

I've ridden that highway more than a few times, well over impound speed.

Nicely done build..

Awesome build. Interesting back dating done on the car. Great photos. 

How are you controlling the engine now with the mods that you have done? 

Part number on the hood vents please.  The ideal fox for me is the front end of your car with the interior of my 92.

Glad to see another fox on here.  I don't care how much faster and better some other cars are foxes are still fun.

I love the color, and also really like the backdating the nose/etc. I like that you made the car you wanted using what you could find available.

Trans_Maro said:

LOL, looking at the pics, I thought I saw Qualicum beach.

Then I saw the B.C. plates.

I've ridden that highway more than a few times, well over impound speed.

Nicely done build..

Thanks man, Qualicum is actually my home town. done a lot of very highspeed runs down the old island and inland highways.

How are you controlling the engine now with the mods that you have done? 

Stock A9L computer, Calibrated the MAF sensor for the 24lb injectors. and dialed the timing up to 16 degrees and an adjustable fuel pressure regulator

Part number on the hood vents please.  The ideal fox for me is the front end of your car with the interior of my 92.

Glad to see another fox on here.  I don't care how much faster and better some other cars are foxes are still fun.

I dont know any part number. Although i got them off a guy who was trying to make his 2012 into a "Track pack" option. I like that setup as well, early years interiors were just terrible. squeaks and cracks everywhere. I left the 1989 interior, have swapped to track bucket seats and lots of gauges. Ill post a pic soon

First I see the engine hoist in the dirt and I think "I like this guy". 

Then the louvers and I'm going all cool-aid man "oh yea!"

And THEN you paint the whole car outside in the dirt, again. 

Fantastic job. 

Awesome work on the car.   I was also looking for a 4-eye but ended up with a later car.   The earlier ones are getting thin on the ground.   

Have you looked into swapping the the half-louvered rear 1/4 windows from the earlier car?    I wonder if it is even possible or if the sheet metal changed?    

mazdeuce - Seth said:

First I see the engine hoist in the dirt and I think "I like this guy". 

Then the louvers and I'm going all cool-aid man "oh yea!"

And THEN you paint the whole car outside in the dirt, again. 

Fantastic job. 

Hahahaha thanks man. Gotta get er done!

SEADave said:

Awesome work on the car.   I was also looking for a 4-eye but ended up with a later car.   The earlier ones are getting thin on the ground.   

Have you looked into swapping the the half-louvered rear 1/4 windows from the earlier car?    I wonder if it is even possible or if the sheet metal changed?    

The quarter window louvers are swappable. they require swapping the large glass window for the Louvered section as well as a smaller glass. which due to the glass being more open with the louvered window it also requires you to swap out the rear sides of the interior panels or youll be able to see the backside of the interior panel. Ends up being a bit of a pain in the ass. I like the clean look of the later glass panel anyways.

This winters plan has been improve the braking power of the car. I ran to the local junkyard and picked up a set of spindles off a 95 Mustang V6 

they dont look like much but it didnt take long to tear them down and swap on a set of 99-04 calipers

paint

Took the car for one last 4 bolt spin around the block before the tear down began

stripped it clean down to the K-member as i planned to change the bushings to poly urethane at the same time... "getting two birds stoned at once"

How to remove old bushings when you dont have a press

finally new bushings

now finally I went with the dual piston PBR calipers used on the 99-04 mustang GT's, simple modification for the spindle and the much larger caliper slide on. Also have them matched to a set of Hawk HP-Plus pads front and rear and some cheap slotted and drilled rotors. tossed it together in a very chilly -16 degree celcius night

rears went on the following morning

Finally Ive got 4 wheel disks on the car like it shouldve had from factory!

Now this left me a bit lost I scoured local ads and finally came to the conclusion I wasnt going to find a 17x9 +35mm offset rim anywhere local. I called up KX Wheels in vancouver and had them ship me up a set of XXR 531 chrominum black. I initially was dreadfully worried about the "european" look the rims had but that all left once I first tore open the box

I quickly had them wrapped in the rubber off my 4 bolt rims and test fit them again.... just check out that rear fitment

its going to be a bit tight with the .75" longer axles and the slightly wider front spindles as well but it has a seriously close to flush look to it. Soon hopefully the panhard bar will get to locate it perfectly

That's a good looking Mustang; keep the updates coming!  Makes me want a fox Mustang of my own.

Who am I kidding, I've wanted one since I was old enough to know what a Mustang was.

Now has been time for the under hood repaint and battery relocation.

pulled the harness off the firewall, to start re-looming it. also got a good few coats of paint layed down on the engine bay

going back together now. Ive also opted to swap to a early 90's ford truck washer/coolent reservoir so I can pull the washer bottle out of harms way in the fender well. car hasnt had inner fenders since I rolled the fenders back several years back now

Battery is now in the hatch loosely mounted, will take some pics once its getting back together again. Heres my kill switch location, been a bit of a trick trying to figure out how to actually wire the damn thing

Im also in the christmas spirit... cant beat $10 for a 25 foot string of LED's for lighting up a car tent to work at night since these days are so damn short and usually spent working....

To Do List:

-Differential cover,and fill diff oil

-pull seats, re-upholster them myself if I can fabric I like

-Swap brake booster for one out of a 94-95 along with the master cylinder

-replumb brake lines

-proportioning valve

-Make front brake backing plates with provision for cooling ducts

-build press mold to make vents to fill in the unused foglight holes

-press vents out of plastic

-run alternator kill wire to switch

-armor battery cable, install a breaker

-battery box vent tube

-Panhard bar... if funds allow

Im sure Im missing stuff but thats the game plan

finally got some videos

Drag racing a 2017 WRX STI, had an exhaust and a tune done. we ran several times that night he seemed to get a bit ahead of me off the line but by the stripe I'd even up with him or have him by a fender

This was my first attempt at autocross. Im hooked

If you ever wondered what a race between a 1989 Camaro 5.0TPI and 1989 Mustang 5.0HO, both 5 speeds and longtubes-full exhaust but otherwise stock would look like. here it is...apples to apples

and some tire killing since the new exhaust

Ive gotta say shes intimidating standing still. Ive rolled into several meets and shows and autocross events where I was most defidently NOT the fastest sometimes one of the slower lol! but I never seem to not turn heads.

Black widow race venoms, longtube headers with an xpipe. turn downs ahead of the axle just behind the mufflers. oh and a comp XE270HR Cam to spice things up

To Do List:

-Differential cover,and fill diff oil DONE

-pull seats, re-upholster them myself if I can fabric I like ONE SEAT PULLED

-Swap brake booster for one out of a 94-95 along with the master cylinder BOOSTER PULLED

-replumb brake lines

-proportioning valve

-Make front brake backing plates with provision for cooling ducts

-build press mold to make vents to fill in the unused foglight holes

-press vents out of plastic

-run alternator kill wire to switch

-armor battery cable, install a breaker

-battery box vent tube

-Panhard bar... if funds allow

Got a fair amount done tonight, gotta love how on the brake booster bolts it takes 10 minutes to get 2 of 4 bolts out, another 30 mins to take the third, and 2.5 hours to get the last damn piece of ****. I've gotta pull the strut tower brace now and am still waiting for the wreckers to get me the new booster and master. hopefully sometime next week. Then we will see how much work to get the 3 times larger booster to fit.

engine is all clean now too

Small Update

So due to financial reasons I chose to run the smaller 99-04 GT brakes over their Cobra counterparts. did this basically cause I spoke to a few local racers who have run both and they told me that the biggest difference is the brake fade. The cobra equipment is much more fade resistant, larger rotors dissipate heat much more effectively. however the first few hard uses of the brakes they are nearly the same. So ive opted to run cooling ducts on the GT rotors at least for this year while funds catch up. This also was highly recommended even for the cobra brakes because apparently the SN95 wheel bearings really dont like heat so Ill be directing the duct at the bearing, which in turn will also feed the cooling fins on the rotors as well.

Im planning on making my own backing plates, with a cooling duct. I needed new backing plates anyways as the junkyard take-offs were.... junk.

I'll also be making a intake vent for the un-used foglight holes in my GT bumper  which are about a 4.5" x 7" hole, the passenger side will share the vent with the air intake duct Ive already got installed.

The vents which Im waiting on material at this time Im planning on using foam core PVC which is moldable using heat. Most people either use it freehand with a heat gun or on a vacuum table but Im planning on building a mold out of wood, with basically a negative of that mold to press the plastic tightly over the shape. If needed afterwards I can use a heat gun and correct any problems.

Hopefully with the mold I'll be able to do a few incase I can sell a few extras around depending how nice they turn out.

Love the ongoing development effort.

Nice work so far! I love the 1985-86 "four eyes" Mustangs. 

In reply to NOHOME :

Thanks man!