How nice is that Mustang that we just bought? Our first impressions.

I just got into a 20-year-old Mustang that we bought on the internet practically sight unseen and I am about to drive it 3-plus hours home so we can take it to the track the next day. What is the worst that can happen?

Well, other than the seller saying, “Oh, by the way, it might need a new wheel …

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More concerning was the clunk coming from the suspension when going over expansion joints.

Yep, I had that. As you'd expect, the bushings were pretty trashed. I went with GT500 arms all the way around in my car.

Chris Tropea said:

First impressions: Wow, this thing makes good noises.

 

Welp, that's all I need to know. 

Our Mustang does photograph well. 

I am very excited to spend more time in this car on the autocross course. 

Nice!  It will be interesting to see just how this Mustang races and drives.

These are such ok cars that respond well to upgrades.  Mustangs are so fun because you don't just spend money on them you also get results from money spent.

In reply to Chris Tropea :

Same. Once it gets tires and suspension, should be fun. 

That car is absurdly clean for something approaching 20 years old and very well bought.  Watching with interest.

In reply to 11GTCS :

Thanks. Detail and clean-up photos to come soon. 

Chris Tropea said:

I am very excited to spend more time in this car on the autocross course. 

I laugh every time . . . but I like oversteer, and don't really chase times.

My 2008 was such a fantastic car in so many ways.  Often people suggest the newer S197s with the Coyote, but part of the fun in the earlier car is that you don't have enough power to get in over your head.  You can be hammer down around many courses without the fear of the rear end coming around, yet the car has decent acceleration for straightaways. 

I spent over 2 years with mine and it was a pleasure to own.  I look forward to reading more about this one!

You should try it with an SN95. Our 01 Bullitt took top honors in our local club this year with a lot of MM parts underneath.

This looks like a fun project, and a great "grassroots motorsports" choice. Sporty, popular, sturdy, low-buck car, even its own spec class in SCCA Solo Events!

I miss my '85 GT...   

I've been dailying a 2006 Mustang GT with an automatic since 2008. Don't bother just replacing the wheel bearings. Rebuild the entire rearend and put a set of 4.10s in it. I bought a spare axle off Marketplace that needed repair and was happy to find it had 4.10s in it. I believe the autos came with 3.37s and the sticks came with 3.55s. I rebuilt it at my leisure and swapped in it, and the gears make a night and day difference in acceleration.

For the door seal, there are youtube videos out there for dash removal. You can have the entire dash out in under an hour and get it back in without having extra pieces left over. Just be aware that the dash plastic is now really brittle. Shoot it with some flat black vinyl paint while it's out to protect it.

Thanks for the tip on the dashboard. We’re still assembling our to-do list. Sadly, though, class regs require the 3.55:1 final drive. 

Yeah, but it's no used BMW being driven 16ish hours from Cincinnati...

Anything that old I'd pretty much plan on doing bushing all around. Ball joints too most likely.

theruleslawyer said:

Anything that old I'd pretty much plan on doing bushing all around. Ball joints too most likely.

Agreed. The easy button is the Ford M-3075-E kit, which gives you new GT500 control arms with bushings and ball joints. That's what I did.

In reply to Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) :

Yeah, bushings will definitely help. Need to see what the class rules allow. I thought I saw some online chatter that the rule might change, too, but don’t quote me. 

David S. Wallens said:

In reply to Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) :

Yeah, bushings will definitely help. Need to see what the class rules allow. I thought I saw some online chatter that the rule might change, too, but don’t quote me. 

I haven't looked at that rule set in a while, but I would think those arms would be OK. They are Ford OEM parts with rubber bushings, albeit a bit stiffer than what came on the GT from the factory. For me, they were a perfect way to replace the worn out factory ones, improve responsiveness a little, and no noticeable increase in NVH.

Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) said:

theruleslawyer said:

Anything that old I'd pretty much plan on doing bushing all around. Ball joints too most likely.

Agreed. The easy button is the Ford M-3075-E kit, which gives you new GT500 control arms with bushings and ball joints. That's what I did.

Looks like you can run those arms in Club Spec Mustang.

From the official SCCA Club Spec Mustang rules:

I haven't spent any time with these but they seem better than SN95's in that there's less "it's designed wrong, on purpose" in the S197 platform vs. the SN95.   Still curious what the magazine ends up doing with this car.

pres589 (djronnebaum) said:

I haven't spent any time with these but they seem better than SN95's in that there's less "it's designed wrong, on purpose" in the S197 platform vs. the SN95.   Still curious what the magazine ends up doing with this car.

This chassis is light years ahead of the SN95/Fox. It borrows a fair bit from the DEW98, which was a clean sheet of paper design done in the late 90s for luxury cars (Lincoln LS, Jag S-type), so there's a lot fewer compromises in it.

Some fresh reading material over at SCCA’s site about Club Spec: Club Spec Brought Great Fun for These Club Spec Drivers, with More Adventures on the Way.