Diamond in the Rough. 5.0 mistaken for 2.3
01-26-2009, 02:50 AM
#1
1st Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Texas
Posts: 134
Diamond in the Rough. 5.0 mistaken for 2.3
I know it's long but it is an amazing story!
I originally had a '98 4.6. I let my little brother borrow it while in the Navy figuring it would help him pick up chicks in high school or whatever and that he would baby it. Three months before I finished my contract, he flipped it. (He lived and suffered no severe injury, so I am allowed to be pi$$3d). So I got out of the Navy in May. I had no car, so my parents were kind enough to pawn there 2001 Mazda protege off on me as a gift. I didn't mind too much really because it ran and it was free. Then it turned into a money pit from hell, and I didn't even enjoy working on it. I tried selling it and no one wanted it. Just last week I blew a head gasket in it. I took it to a junk yard 2 days ago to see what I could get for it since I decided I had taken enough of the Jap Crap.
I only had $2000 i could spend on a car and a guy from work was selling a 1990 GT 5.0 for $1800. I checked it out and the body was in horrible condtion, the interrior was even worse, and it was an automatic. But me being such a sucker for F-Body 5.0s I figured why not. So I was at the junk yard trying to get what little I could for the busted up Mazda and figured I'd ask if they had any Fox's in the yard to replace stuff on the GT. 9.9 Times out of 10 junk yards don't have fox's because people pick them up as soon as they come in. I got lucky. I checked out the car and instantly realized that the car in the junk yard was in better condition than the one i was going to buy. They said they couldnt get the hood open but that the owner told them it was a 2.3L and it was missing the power steering pump, alternator, clutch cable, and the intake manifold. I ended up trading them my mazda for the entire mustang in hopes that I could drop the motor from 5.0 into it. Towed it home and ripped it open yesterday only to find out they were MORONS. The person who owned it before ripped out the 2.3 and conv. to a 5.0. They were just going by the VIN. And all it was missing was alternator and clutch cable. It took me about 20 minutes this after noon to get it running. And now I can take that $2000 I was going to use to by the other mustang and put it into this one. All it really needs is a paint job, and a tiny bit of body work on the bumper extensions. I'm at work right now but I'll post pictures of it when I get off. I'm getting it painted in about 2 weeks and I;m restoring the interrior using www.50resto.com . Sorry that this post is so long, I'm honestly just really excited right now that I traded my busted@$$ mazda for a '90 5.0 LX Hatchback the paid $95 for an alternator and $30 for a clutch cable and it runs. And it runs smooth and sounds beautiful. It has no mufflers so its kinda loud, but that's a good thing. So now comes the story of basicly restoring this thing ASAP. Atleast interrior wise. I'm waiting for my tax refund to do any serious motor mods. And the main reason I want to talk about my car is because I got it running, took it around the block and then had to drive it to work.
Oh well, when I get off work I'l get to drive it again!
I originally had a '98 4.6. I let my little brother borrow it while in the Navy figuring it would help him pick up chicks in high school or whatever and that he would baby it. Three months before I finished my contract, he flipped it. (He lived and suffered no severe injury, so I am allowed to be pi$$3d). So I got out of the Navy in May. I had no car, so my parents were kind enough to pawn there 2001 Mazda protege off on me as a gift. I didn't mind too much really because it ran and it was free. Then it turned into a money pit from hell, and I didn't even enjoy working on it. I tried selling it and no one wanted it. Just last week I blew a head gasket in it. I took it to a junk yard 2 days ago to see what I could get for it since I decided I had taken enough of the Jap Crap.
I only had $2000 i could spend on a car and a guy from work was selling a 1990 GT 5.0 for $1800. I checked it out and the body was in horrible condtion, the interrior was even worse, and it was an automatic. But me being such a sucker for F-Body 5.0s I figured why not. So I was at the junk yard trying to get what little I could for the busted up Mazda and figured I'd ask if they had any Fox's in the yard to replace stuff on the GT. 9.9 Times out of 10 junk yards don't have fox's because people pick them up as soon as they come in. I got lucky. I checked out the car and instantly realized that the car in the junk yard was in better condition than the one i was going to buy. They said they couldnt get the hood open but that the owner told them it was a 2.3L and it was missing the power steering pump, alternator, clutch cable, and the intake manifold. I ended up trading them my mazda for the entire mustang in hopes that I could drop the motor from 5.0 into it. Towed it home and ripped it open yesterday only to find out they were MORONS. The person who owned it before ripped out the 2.3 and conv. to a 5.0. They were just going by the VIN. And all it was missing was alternator and clutch cable. It took me about 20 minutes this after noon to get it running. And now I can take that $2000 I was going to use to by the other mustang and put it into this one. All it really needs is a paint job, and a tiny bit of body work on the bumper extensions. I'm at work right now but I'll post pictures of it when I get off. I'm getting it painted in about 2 weeks and I;m restoring the interrior using www.50resto.com . Sorry that this post is so long, I'm honestly just really excited right now that I traded my busted@$$ mazda for a '90 5.0 LX Hatchback the paid $95 for an alternator and $30 for a clutch cable and it runs. And it runs smooth and sounds beautiful. It has no mufflers so its kinda loud, but that's a good thing. So now comes the story of basicly restoring this thing ASAP. Atleast interrior wise. I'm waiting for my tax refund to do any serious motor mods. And the main reason I want to talk about my car is because I got it running, took it around the block and then had to drive it to work.
Oh well, when I get off work I'l get to drive it again!
01-26-2009, 03:08 AM
#3
1st Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Texas
Posts: 134
Right after i posted it the first time I felt like i had posted on the wrong board. I looked to see if I could move it but didn't see an option so I resposted it on the "non tech specific" board.
