sub

I'm looking at buying a fairly modded 90 mustang. I was hoping someone could give me some insight to what type of maintenance I'll be looking at, and if there's any obvious problems with the build. Thanks in advance. Following is the posting:


"I AM SELLING A '90 MUSTANG PROJECT CAR. THE CAR RUNS AND DRIVES AND IS A DAILY DRIVER......BUT DOES NEED SOME MINOR BODY WORK. THERE IS SOME MINOR RUST AND HAIL DAMAGE ON THE VEHICLE....BUT OVERALL........................THE CAR IS IN GREAT SHAPE.THE CAR HAS A 302 ENGINE,BBK SSI INTAKE, 70MM BBK THROTTLEBODY, BBK COLDAIR INTAKE WITH A K/N FILTER, GRANATELLI MOTORSPORTS 75MM MASS AIRFLOW, FORD MOTORSPORTS X303 CAM SPEC'S 286/542, 24 LB INJECTORS, BILLET FUEL RAILS, ADJ. FUEL PRESSURE REG., PORTED E7 HEADS MILLED .020 AND STUD CONVERSION WITH 1.6 ROLLER ROCKER ARMS, GRIFFIN 4 CORE ALUM. RADIATOR, DUAL ELECTRIC FANS WITH THERMOSTAT, AODE TRANNY WITH A FORD MOTORSPORTS LOWER GEAR PACKAGE, TCL HARDENED INPUT SHAFT, TCI 3500 STALL CONVERTER, 8.8 REAREND WITH 4:10 GEARS, LAKEWOOD JACKING LOWER CONTROL ARMS, DOUBLE ADJ. UPPER CONTROL ARMS, A/C DELETE, AIR PUMP DELETE, BBK 1 5/8 SHORT TUBE HEADERS, OFF ROAD X-PIPE, EDELBROCK MUFFLERS, MSD WIRES, MSD DIGITAL 6 BOX, BLASTER COIL, AND A 220 LB HOLLEY FUEL PUMP. THE CAR IS VERY FAST! "

socalwrench

It's tough to say what might need repair or maintenance. I would say that the 3500 stall is fairly high for the street, if that's your purpose, and it's going to create some extra heat. From the description, it seems that rust will be your biggest concern.

sub

Thanks for the feedback.

After talking to the owner twice today, he has been very forthcoming with info on the build. Fairly minimal rust, mostly on the hatchback where the spoiler was removed and around the keyhole. Floor pans are good.

When asked about a 3500 stall, he said it matches the cam and the rest of the build, the purchase also comes with the lower stall converter that was on prior to the most recent one, and it does have a tranny cooler. The engine does need to be tuned, which I anticipated. I was/am mainly worried about the durability of the motor components overall. The owner has another mustang built for the strip, and from what I can tell, is selling this to fund more components for that.

The car is adult owned and built, and the new motor has approx 30k miles etc...but it is a 20 y.o. car, so I expect a certain amount of problems from any car this old. The interior does need some work, mainly pieces on the door panels, carpet stains, and the driver seat has a slight gangster lean going on. I did a generic carfax, and it is a v8 lx, not a 4 cyl. swap.

I'm not looking for a DD, and I live close to where I work, I'm looking for something to bang around town in and have fun with. To the point now... would this car be worth the $3k asking price?
Thanks again

socalwrench

It's tough for me to say what the value is without looking at it. Heck, I don't even have pictures of it. I can tell you that a FOX with a rebuilt engine with normal wear is worth $2500 to me. If you add in a few good fast bits, the price could go to $3000.

Redline5.0

As far as durability is concerned, it should be fine. The little windsor can deal with a tonne of abuse.

The trans would be a bit of an issue in my mind, I know the 3000 stall in my old AOD was annoying around town, and eventually over heated my tranny. (1/2 my fault for not having a gauge)

The headers may leak, but you simply retighten them, more annoying than anything.

The cam may also be a little much for around town, but, its all about the way you drive and what you're willing to put up with. I had one in my 93 fox, and it wasnt too horrible.

It comes down to what you're willing to give up in terms of driveability in exchange for power.