1988 Mustang convertible LX 5.0

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95busa

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My buddy is kicking around selling me his 5.0 mustang. AOD car, white /red leather, red with white top. Completely stock, 72k on the car. Needs a new heater core, probably a tune up. Extremely stock.... did I mention stock radio, stock air cleaner with silencer, stock mufflers....STOCK. Looking like $5500 for the car. Nice new weatherstrip, 15" tires. I am thinking subframe connectors, pony's flowmasters and some 3.73s and it would be a heck of a nice cruiser /commuter. Thoughts?
 
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If it is clean $5,500 isn't a bad offer. Off road h-pips, a nice cold air intake, advance the timing. If it is going to be a cruiser i'd go with a 3.27. It probably has a 2.73. A 3.73 can be a bit much in a car that isn't going to the drag strip in a 4 speed automatic car. I'm sure some people have a different opinion. Fun little car.
 
Originally Posted By: 95busa
My buddy is kicking around selling me his 5.0 mustang. AOD car, white /red leather, red with white top. Completely stock, 72k on the car. Needs a new heater core, probably a tune up. Extremely stock.... did I mention stock radio, stock air cleaner with silencer, stock mufflers....STOCK. Looking like $5500 for the car. Nice new weatherstrip, 15" tires. I am thinking subframe connectors, pony's flowmasters and some 3.73s and it would be a heck of a nice cruiser /commuter. Thoughts?


It's much more attractive to a discerning buyer because it is original. Few aftermarket mfgrs can even come close to OEM quality and longevity.

As long as you have the OD trans use the 3.73's with confidence. That smaller displacement motor will thank you, and you are then ready for the inevitable mods!
 
Originally Posted By: MuzzleFlash40
If it is clean $5,500 isn't a bad offer. Off road h-pips, a nice cold air intake, advance the timing. If it is going to be a cruiser i'd go with a 3.27. It probably has a 2.73. A 3.73 can be a bit much in a car that isn't going to the drag strip in a 4 speed automatic car. I'm sure some people have a different opinion. Fun little car.


It's got an h-pipe stock and factory shorties. 3.55s will definitely wake it up and I've found that more gear actually improves mileage(within reason) because it requires less fuel to accelerate and maintain speed,even though the revs are slightly higher.
I've got the same car with a 5 speed. I love the foxes. Its easy to get 300hp and they handle fantastic.
88 has speed density fuel injection unless its a Cali car,they got mass air in 88,the rest of the country got it in 89.

If its clean and straight that's a decent price. They are getting tough to find in good shape.
 
Def speed density car. Super clean....I am digging it. If he decides to sell it I am on it.
 
Sounds like a great car!

- Pull the silencer (no need for an aftermarket CAI on the Fox cars, they do absolutely nothing)

- 3.73's with the auto

- Baumann shift kit in the AOD to firm up the shifts a bit. I'd recommend using the "stage 2" setting that it comes with, as that's what the guy I gave my Town Car to used and it really woke it up.

You could also upgrade to a 3G alternator (the stock one is awful) and an electric fan, but that's your call. Makes the car a bit more responsive and the upgrade to the charging system is necessary with the E-fan or if you plan on running an aftermarket stereo.

I did underdrive pulleys plus the small 2G alt pulley on the 3G alternator so it charged at idle. Gave me a solid 1Mph increase through the traps.

- Base timing is 10BTDC and you gain a couple HP by bumping it up to 14 or 15, but this also usually requires you run 91 octane.

- Subframe connectors are a great idea. The Steeda ones are excellent.

If you are going to do aftermarket wheels you might want to consider upgrading the brakes to 03/04 Cobra brakes and running 5-lug. Makes a HUGE difference as the stock brakes suck.

This is what the Cobra brakes look like (this was my buddy Nate's car):
nate_stance01.jpg
 
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Sounds like a great car!

- Pull the silencer (no need for an aftermarket CAI on the Fox cars, they do absolutely nothing)

- 3.73's with the auto

- Baumann shift kit in the AOD to firm up the shifts a bit. I'd recommend using the "stage 2" setting that it comes with, as that's what the guy I gave my Town Car to used and it really woke it up.

You could also upgrade to a 3G alternator (the stock one is awful) and an electric fan, but that's your call. Makes the car a bit more responsive and the upgrade to the charging system is necessary with the E-fan or if you plan on running an aftermarket stereo.

I did underdrive pulleys plus the small 2G alt pulley on the 3G alternator so it charged at idle. Gave me a solid 1Mph increase through the traps.

- Base timing is 10BTDC and you gain a couple HP by bumping it up to 14 or 15, but this also usually requires you run 91 octane.

- Subframe connectors are a great idea. The Steeda ones are excellent.

If you are going to do aftermarket wheels you might want to consider upgrading the brakes to 03/04 Cobra brakes and running 5-lug. Makes a HUGE difference as the stock brakes suck.

This is what the Cobra brakes look like (this was my buddy Nate's car):
nate_stance01.jpg



5 bolts were the first thing I noticed.
Good call on the alternator. Iirc the Taurus from the early 90s was a bolt on. I've got cobra r 4 bolts on mine. Brakes aren't great but the extra tire helps.
A cai doesn't do anything on a speed density engine,just like overkill has said.
Don't play with the idle screw. A nightmare will ensue including checking voltage to the throttle body motor and a ton of time.
I had timing at 15 degrees. Mine would rev right to 5000rpm sounding fine but above that it sounded like it was breaking apart. I figured I wasn't pegging it past that rpm anyways. 91 octane. I'm sure you can get another degree or 2 with 93 octane.
Advancing the timing really helps the off idle take off and low rpm. Remember to pull out the plug before adjusting. Lots of articles and pics about advancing timing on those engines.
 
Gotta have two chamber flowmasters...after silencer, tune and subframe connectors. A mustang don't sound right without the flows...
 
I had an '89 convertible ( for my wife ).

It was pretty flexible as I recall, not one of Ford's better chassis efforts.

It was the first new Ford I had bought since my '83 Turbo T Bird and I thought they had gone backwards in quality.
 
The heater core change on that car is a real bear, the whole dash and console needs to come apart, so it's an all day job (had to do one on my old 87 GT). Quite a difference from the 86 and earlier models where you can remove the heater core through the glove box area and have it done in under an hour. Just keep this in mind, if you're gonna do it yourself it's not going to be easy, and if you're going to pay someone, the labor charge will be high.
 
Originally Posted By: Patman
The heater core change on that car is a real bear, the whole dash and console needs to come apart, so it's an all day job (had to do one on my old 87 GT). Quite a difference from the 86 and earlier models where you can remove the heater core through the glove box area and have it done in under an hour. Just keep this in mind, if you're gonna do it yourself it's not going to be easy, and if you're going to pay someone, the labor charge will be high.


Not if you can contort your hands like a, well, use your imagination
wink.gif


I did mine is about 2.5 hours. Only removed the top bolt on that side of the dash and the two bolts on the side. Pulled the glove box out, got a 1/4" ratchet in there to get the top of the heater box and managed to swap it out without pulling the whole dash, which apparently shaved like 12 hours off the job according to book time
crazy2.gif
 
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Originally Posted By: Patman
The heater core change on that car is a real bear, the whole dash and console needs to come apart, so it's an all day job (had to do one on my old 87 GT). Quite a difference from the 86 and earlier models where you can remove the heater core through the glove box area and have it done in under an hour. Just keep this in mind, if you're gonna do it yourself it's not going to be easy, and if you're going to pay someone, the labor charge will be high.


Not if you can contort your hands like a, well, use your imagination
wink.gif


I did mine is about 2.5 hours. Only removed the top bolt on that side of the dash and the two bolts on the side. Pulled the glove box out, got a 1/4" ratchet in there to get the top of the heater box and managed to swap it out without pulling the whole dash, which apparently shaved like 12 hours off the job according to book time
crazy2.gif



We used to do a lot of these in the shop I moonlighted at, generally we were after the evap core but a similar challenge. A couple of simple tweaks and a Taurus could be gone in an hour or two, but it ain't easy.

Man, you gotta love the older Fox bodies as they are a cheap and fun way to go fast. I can't imagine a strong running one on the stock brakes, though....
 
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Originally Posted By: 95busa
I got a local high school shop lined up to do it for free!


That's a win-win for both parties! They'll get to tackle a challenging repair, and you get to avoid the hassle and cost of doing it!
smile.gif
 
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