Cobrajr

Hi!

a good 12 years ago my dad had to park his 86 mustang after the rear axel went on it and he could not afford to fix it.

It has been sitting out behind the barn ever since and now that I have a good job and a good chunk of time on my hands after work and on weekends, I want to get it running again.

The problem is, I dont even know where to start!
Other than general drivers maintenance I know very little about cars. I am very technically inclined though, I grasp concepts rather quickly and I am eager to learn.

I have started to source out some junk yards to find a working rear axel and I know I'll have to flush and replace all the fluids before I even try to turn the key but other then that I dont have a clue what I am doing :P

I am going to call the local auto hobby club and see what they can do for me, but I decided to come on here so I could talk to some people who work with mustangs a lot

Tom V

Welcome to MF! You have come to the right place.

mustangGT86_05

There are tons of options for you, but what I suggest first is inspecting your structure points to make sure they are secure. That is your rocker panels and frame rails, make sure they aren't rusting out and also check the front strut towers. After that, make sure you get frame ties if they haven't been installed already. Also inspect your torque boxes, they are where your rear control arms mount to the body. If they aren't ripping out, get some torque box reinforcements and secure them suckers, if they are ripping out any may consider having someone weld them back in place and reinforcements are still a good thing to do. Keep in mind that job is no simple task and if you do it yourself make sure you have a nice set of drill bits, I just did mine and it took longer due to worn out bits. Anyway that's a good start, good luck!

pegasus89

check your starting system, charging system, and battery, cap, rotor, and plugs and wires, Must be sum old gas in that tank to i would suggest draining it if possible.

Tom V

If it has been sitting for that long I would say make sure the engine isn't seized. I don't know if there would be any prep needed to be done first. Maybe one of the other guys can chime in.

van-swink85

Dump that fuel and get new fuel filter an replace all the rubber lines and change all fluids would be my first few steps after the axle

mustangGT86_05

Even after sitting a while its unlikely for the engine to just be seized, there really isn't much prep to starting an engine that's been sitting although I try to spash in some fresh oil and as said put in fresh fuel.

9redfox3

Welcome and good luck with it !

Old Mustanger

It can be challenging when an car has been dormant that long, especially when outdoors.
Was there grass growing under & around the car? If so, you can expect to see a lot of rust on the underside. Grass gives off oxygen, oxygen + steel = rust. Check this out good before you start spending money.

Try turning the engine over by hand to make sure it isn't seized.

What has worked very well for me in the past is:

1) Take the top plate off the carburetor & clean it up good with gummout carb cleaner (evaporates fast). Clean the valve that the float controls, these always stick.
Fill the carb bowl with fresh gas.

2) Remove all the spark plugs out and give the cylinders a quick squirt of marvel mystery oil (not too much). Then crank the engine over a couple times, then let it set a day or two. This will help loosen and stuck rings and also prevent engine damage due to lack of cylinder wall lube.
When you do start the engine, it will smoke like a banshee for a minute, but it will burn away clean and will not leave residue in the engine.
3) Don't try to drive it until you gave gone through the brakes. Clean them up good & verify all the lines are good.
4) Change the oil before you try to start it.
5) Check the coolant, if the antifreeze went bad the engine may have serious issues due to freezing.
6) When you do start it, keep the RPMs real low! Do not rev the engine up! It will take a couple minutes to get everything flowing properly.
Warm the engine & watch the temp carefully! It is common for old thermostats to stick.

If you do everything carefully and do not hurry, your engine may be OK even after it's long nap. Rush it and you may have a boat anchor.....