89 5.0 LX Sport, Before and After

[ctrlraven]

So I bought this Mustang about 2.5 yrs ago and it sat for a while during the time I did a little bit of work on it to get it running better though it ran just fine when I bought it.

Picked it up for $1k from a customer of mine when I worked a Ford dealership, Vehicle was bought brand new and regularly serviced at the same dealer I worked out so I know it was taken care of. He owner had let the car sit for about a year before I bought it because of an accident he had in it, though the damage was costly (insurance would total it) he didn't report it in hopes of getting it fixed but he and his family ran into health and money problems. The car had gone sideways and t-boned into a concrete barrier, road he was on was wet and he had to swerve to avoid hitting something. Lucky the car has 3" sub-frame connectors welded in. When I test drove it was like any other car, drove straight even without touching the wheel at cruising speeds. Several body shops wanted $3500-4000 for the body work and some wouldn't even touch it because it would take up too much of their time. One of my clients owns a body shop took a look at it one day while I was storing it at my shop and said he would do it for $2000 and a little over 2wks later it was finished, only delay was finding a door that would hang just right, frame was straighten out by 1/4", custom rocker panel, front quarter panel repaired and lower radiator support repaired.

Before:
Rear 5-spoke pony wheels were damaged and would hold air so I put the blandness stockers on.
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a164/ctrlraven/89%20LX%20Mustang/PHOT0018Large.jpg

The damage
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a164/ctrlraven/89%20LX%20Mustang/PHOT0020Large.jpg
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a164/ctrlraven/89%20LX%20Mustang/PHOT0021Large.jpg
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a164/ctrlraven/89%20LX%20Mustang/PHOT0022Large.jpg


After:
Had to put all the stock wheels on to pass inspection since the car has the Eibach 1.2" lowering kit.
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a164/ctrlraven/89%20LX%20Mustang/DSCF1403Medium.jpg
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a164/ctrlraven/89%20LX%20Mustang/DSCF1405Medium.jpg
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a164/ctrlraven/89%20LX%20Mustang/DSCF1406Medium.jpg
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a164/ctrlraven/89%20LX%20Mustang/DSCF1408Medium.jpg
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a164/ctrlraven/89%20LX%20Mustang/DSCF1410Medium.jpg
Needs a good cleaning
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a164/ctrlraven/89%20LX%20Mustang/DSCF1413Medium.jpg

Current info on the car
1989 Ford Mustang LX Sport 5.0 25th Anniversary Model (191k miles on body)
Custom 1996 Dodge Viper GTS Blue
Mobil 1 15w-50 oil
180 degree t-stat
1993 Cobra T-5 Transmission (91K miles on it)
GT-40 Heads (131K miles on it)
Ford Racing high temp coolant hoses
Ford Motorsport 160mph speedo cluster swap (91K miles on it)
1993 Cobra MAFS swap
1993 Cobra F/I wiring harness and computer
Ford Racing 30lb fuel injectors
K&N drop in filter
Koni adjustable shocks/struts
Eibach 1.2" lower springs
3" subframe connectors
Flowmaster 50 series mufflers
Short throw sport shifter
Stock 15" wheels with Continental ContiExtremeContact tires
Hawk brake pads
Slotted rotors
R-12 A/C conversion

Need to have the steering wheel corrected since my mechanic forgot to do it and have him check out the left rear axle that he replaced which is making a whining sound, other than that car starts up every time, has perfect idle and is smooth as can be expect for when I hit a bump. Future plans are just basic for now, upgrade the ignition system, full exhaust, 10-point cage (not for racing, more safety and strength), Recaro seats and new control arms/suspension stuff.

[martyo]

Looks sweet!

I love the Fox body cars!!

[RoyLPita]

I had a few of them myself.

[Raudermaster]

Looks good, I'm still wanting to pick up a Fox sometime down the line.

[BLACKMARAUDER04]

Nice, However Mustangs Are Too Small For Some Of Us To Sit In.

[Illss]

Nice, However Mustangs Are Too Small For Some Of Us To Sit In.
Agreed and because i had a few myself i had no choice but to make myself fit .

[offroadkarter]

Looks 100% better, but i dont think a cage is needed for street driving.

Put the chrome 5 spokes on, i think they look better than the normal 5 spokes, or cobra ones would look cool to.

Also, get rid of that air box! lol

[ctrlraven]

Nice, However Mustangs Are Too Small For Some Of Us To Sit In.


Agreed but i squeeze in to make myself fit cause they are nice cars an i had 3 myself . ;)
Trust me I know what you mean. I'm 6'2 255lbs and have a big frame plus the car sits a lot lower than the MM so it takes some grunting to get in and out of the car. That's why I was going to upgrade the seats since Recaro makes large frame designed seats.



Looks 100% better, but i dont think a cage is needed for street driving.

Put the chrome 5 spokes on, i think they look better than the normal 5 spokes, or cobra ones would look cool to.

Also, get rid of that air box! lol

Yeah I know the cage would be overkill for street driving but I am thinking more strength for the body and safety since I will be putting in racing seats with a 5-point quick release harness. I have quite a few friends that do auto-x and I am thinking about going that route with the car. Had a 89 GT hatchback about 5 yrs ago and got my fill of mid 12's on the 1/4 mile with it , time to try something new.

[offroadkarter]

Autocross would definately be fun in that, but still, i'd make it hella fast just to whip it around out there.

[ctrlraven]

Oh I plan on making it fast just going to spread out the time frame for it. With my old foxbody I did a lot of research and trail and error testing to find the best combo of heads, intake manifolds and cams. I'll probably do the same type of setup again with Ford Racing GT-40X 64cc heads, Ford Racing E303 cam and Trickflow lower/upper intake manifold.