Bill78

Hey guys, nice site, Im sure you will be seeing more of me in the coming months.

I had an 88 LX 5.0 when I was 17 and sold it, wanted another one ever since.

So last week when an 86 came up for sale locally I grabbed it for the ripe old price of $400 (got him down from 1500 if you can believe it ....pics to come)

Now, its as the title suggests, a basketcase.

Turns out it was originally a 4 banger LX that someone had started the V8 conversion on. The guy I bought the stang from couldn't get to first base on the project because he couldn't figure out what the engine was out of (hes a hillbilly) so my offer was low enough that if it was a junk 302 out of a van or something I could just junk it and move on.

Thanks to Google and valve cover ID stickers I was able to determine that the engine and 4spd tranny were out of a 82 5.0 Mustang (woohoo)

Now, the engine is completely disconnected from the car, and I need to determine if the wiring harness is the stock 4 banger or if it was already swapped to match the 302. I have no clue if the thing will run or not, or how well, but it is not seized and is relatively clean.

The body is in actually pretty good shape, someone went a little nuts with a grey spray bomb but under that it appears to be solid which was my concern (canada loves salt in the winter)

Ive decided on sticking with the carbed setup that is currently on the motor basically to save $ and headaches with electronics.

Anyone tackled such a project before? have any tips or pointers? or any info/links regarding the 1982 Mustang 5.0 engine?
Like I said, I just got it home yesterday and haven't had much time to get into it. A nice winter (maybe two) project for me I think.

Thanks in advance! looking forward to going sideways again!

AdderMk2

get rid of it ASAP.... your in for a world of headaches.... never buy the old clunkers... because thats what you get... an old clunker

Bill78

The body is in fine shape, why would I get rid of it?


Did I mention I want a challenge? Plus I would like to keep this car for a number of years and the wife would kill me if I dropped 5K on a fox body at the moment.

iceman89gt

thats ok adder oneday you too will be the ripe age of folks like myself and pro, then your era mustang will be an old clunker and you too will have a cocky adder type saying the same thing.

lookin4astang

You should be able to find wiring diagrams online for it. If you're going carbed, you don't have to actually wire up a whole lot. Alternator, coil, fan, lights, radio (if you have one), electric fuel pump if you go that route, and a few other odds and ends. My 87 is carbed, and 90% of my wires are unhooked and unused.

TwotoneVert

Carbed setups are so much easier. Do a search on google and find the diagrams, or invest in the shop manual for that year. While you have the engine out, go ahead and pull it apart and make sure everything is ok. It wont cost much to install fresh rings and hone the cylinders, valve guides and seats, etc. Good luck, and post up some pics when you can.

mattdel

if i was in this scenario, i would rip every single wire out, and start fresh with brand new harnesses from Painless Wiring.

PJB

I thought '82 GT's didnt have a 5.0 and they had the 255 or whatever that POS was.
Even if its a 5.0 it only had 140 hp stock.