Well here it is.... (56k warning)

StangNut86

Club Member
So after lurking here for a few years and posting every once in a while, i guess now i'll start showing off my project as it's being completed.

I bought this '86 Mustang LX in the fall of '03 i think. Paid $300 for the whole thing, non-running 4-banger and non-shifting 4-speed and all. That motor and tranny left very quickly. I left it alone for a couple years due to lack of time and trying to fix my other mustang, which a few of you have seen or raced. Finally at the end of last summer i started tearing into it. i started by gutting the interior, most of which was being replaced anyway, and disassembling the front clip for a new core support, bumper, and fenders. Here are a few pics over the years.

Here's the day after i got it and parked it at school till they kicked it out
100-0073_IMG.JPG


Interior i had to start with
101-0136_IMG.JPG


Motor all rebuilt, ready to drop in
P7060120.JPG


Day i brought it home from the first stage of paint, from behind because the front isn't much to look at
P9160141.JPG


Interior's still gutted and dirty, not for long
P9160146.JPG


Cleanest engine bay shot i may ever have
P9240148.JPG


Motor's in the car
P9240152.JPG


Definitely have a long way to go here, but the last pic was taken before the first big snowfall and i've got a lot accomplished since then. I'll have pics of the current state of the car as soon as i feel like taking them.

as far as details...

motor, trans, and running gear are from my '89 5.0 LX hatch that i parted out due to the horrible shape of the body. So is most of the interior, basically everything but the headliner and 1/4 panel covers and rear seats. Entire wiring harness transfered from that car to this. Motor is fresh, never even started, basically just a re-ring, bearings, stock heads, exploder intake, and a cam. rear suspension is HPM lowers and Southside uppers, front suspension is factory for now. tranny is stock till i can afford a gear kit (t-5), king cobra clutch with steeda quadrant, adjuster, and cable. rear axle is stock with a DTS diff cover and 3.73 gears and 5 lug ranger axles. possible lincoln rear brake conversion, definite lincolns in the front. A/c is deleted, but possibly going back on (it's a street cruiser, not a race car). Biggest cosmetic change besides the interior is the '79 Pace Car front bumper and hood conversion, which is the 2nd half of the bodywork end of things.

Future plans after this year are to go to a tubular front suspension with QA1 shocks all around plus front coilovers, SN95 front spindles for steering clearance, SN95 or Lincoln rear axle to fix rear offset to match, big brakes, and of course a stroked 351W.

that's it for now, i'll add a bunch more pics as things get done. hopefully it'll run in the next couple weeks!
 
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Good stuff. I didn't know you went to WCC. I went there for awhile too.


Look forward to seeing it complete.
 
Updated

here's a bunch more pics, these were taken today after a few hours of work.


Woot! pace car.
bumperdoor.jpg


Dash is in, gonna test everything then wrap the wiring
dash.jpg


Woot! marchals.
marchals.jpg


Motor's almost ready to testfire, just gotta rig this mess a little, when it runs i'll wrap it.
motor1.jpg


3 pedals > 2 pedals
pedals.jpg


rear quarter view. rear bumper and fender are mocked into place, need adjusting and paint.
rear quarter.jpg


shot from the back. again most of this is just mocked up.
rearshot.jpg


almost ready to put the front suspension back together. waiting on spindles.
suspension.jpg


new gas tank, old one was crap.
tank.jpg


one of the wheels i'm using. it looks wrong cause it's not at ride height.
wheel.jpg


Woot! more pace car. gay sparkly paint and all.
pacehood1.jpg


still need to run the fuel lines and install that tank, then rig battery cables and test fire the motor, and test all the accesories. then the wiring gets finalized and body work can begin in earnest.
 
can't wait to see the Pace Car front end on there

neither can i. i spent about an hour tonight beating on the support bracket for the air dam with a hammer. the last guy who had it must have hit a curb cause it was all bent in. the original marchals were gone, replaced by cheap ass meijer fog lights. i beat the hell out of them too!

the bumper seems to have been restored very poorly at some point years ago. now i'm trying to restore it right.

apologize for the massive pictures. gotta turn my camera's rez down when i do this. mods may change the size if you are able.
 
Looks good... I'm sure about 90% of us have been and are in your shoes.

Keep up the good work.
 
Very nice! Did you ever find the filler panels for the nose?

i did actually. got a smokin deal on ebay for them, i think about 30 bucks each. i have most of the body side moldings too, just gotta fix them up. and gotta make 2 little struts that support the lower air dam that were missing, must have been ruined when it was hit. the whole brace for the dam was bent inward like somebody hit a curb with it. fixable tho.

just got it running today, see my thread in the pub!
 
i did actually. got a smokin deal on ebay for them, i think about 30 bucks each. i have most of the body side moldings too, just gotta fix them up. and gotta make 2 little struts that support the lower air dam that were missing, must have been ruined when it was hit. the whole brace for the dam was bent inward like somebody hit a curb with it. fixable tho.

just got it running today, see my thread in the pub!


Cool! Wish I coulda used that nose, I always likes the pacecars. Glad to see someone getting some use outta it. Post pics once it's on the car. Looks good!
 
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