dreamr

So this story really starts about a decade ago. I was 16 and fell in love with a 88 Mustang LX 5.0 Police Interceptor. It was a 2nd cousins car and in excellent condition. I had to have it and was able to buy it off him for a bit under 5'000 dollars. She was my Baby and fast as he**. Sadly I was young and built her into a car running 12's and one 11.8. WAY TOO MUCH car for a teenager. Too make a long story short there came a time when my insurance had been cancelled and I was paying 230 a month for SR22 coverage, not to mention I only had 1 point left on my license...................I sold it and bought a 95 VW Golf. Slow as molasses next to the Mustang but it served me well.

Ever since the fateful day that I sold "Brenda" I have been fantasizing about going back to Idaho Falls, tracking her down, and buying her back... Well an x girlfriend came to visit my "wife" and I and mentioned that she had found my car for me . I sent my Brother to check it out and he informed me that it had been thrashed beyond rebuild in his opinion. He sent me pictures and it was a very very depressing sight.

So......... I have been looking to obtain a second car as my truck is coming into a period in it's build up where it will be undriveable for an extended period. I had hoped to bring my girl (Mustang) home but it is not happening. Meaning I had to start looking for another car. I finally convinced myself that it was pointless to look for anything other than what I wanted, and something that could become the next project as my truck nears completion of major upgrades. What I wanted was either a 68 fastback, 72 mach I, or another 5 liter. (Love my mustangs) Problem is I am on a tight budget for initial purchase being under 3K. Next issue being that it needs to be in good enoiugh condition to drive with no more than a few hundred in repairs untill I can focus on it's build up or restoration. Over the last month and a half I have looked at close to 30 different cars. All the older models are out as they either needed way too much work right now, or had already been built/restored and cost way too damn much. Of the 5.0's I found several in fair condition, but the price for fair around here seems to hover in the neighborhood of 5K. Then I bumped into this little '90 convertible.

She is a close color match to my truck and in close to the same condition as others I have seen in the 5k range, but I talked the guy (private owner) down to 2400. My concerns are simply the amount of work neccessary to make it a dependable DD for the winter then it will hit my garage for some serious R&R.

The problems I have discovered are.
-Body, it has a few minor scratches and 1 little dent (palm sized)
-Paint, Pretty good shape with the exception of the hood which is severely oxidized and rough to the touch (don't think I can buff it out)
-Suspension, Pretty tight but maybe a bit sloppy (likely shocks and possibly Ball joint's)
-Steering, There is a bit of play that is likely tied into the tieerods and may be the cause of the above suspension concerns
-Engine, there is a slight surge in the idle that is likely related to a filthy sensor. And there is a good amount of oil leaking. I am pretty sure that the driver side head gasket is leaking, but I also noticed that the valve cover had a couple loose bolts so that may be it. I also suspect that the rear main seal may be leaking but I am not positive untill I can clean all the gunk off..

The pro's
-New radiator, Alternator, Tires, Brakes, Starter, Fairly new Water Pump,
Top(convertible), Cat-Back exhaust, and also all the misc tune-up parts are new.
-Bone Stock which means for the most part I start from scratch instead of dealing with some kids mess of poor mechanical know how.
-Tranny felt very strong and it ran excellent with no engine noises.
-Perfect Interior
-Affordable with new tabs and just passed emissions

Other cons
It's an Automatic , though with a shift kit and the B&M ratchet style shifter it will run with the 5-speeds.......

In the end I am pretty familiar with the 5.0's and have spent hundreds of hours working on them including most of the work nedded here, but I need others feed back.
You see I am obsessed and can't neccesarily trust my own judgement in this matter due to my obsession. It Needs work, but I want to rebuild one anyway whether it is in better shape or not, but.............................

Help my self talking argument and give me your opinions.......
There's also a pic of my truck to put it's mention in perspective. If you are interested you can read more here. http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/...ad.php?t=98244

03GTType

i would buy it, the cons are just typical because of it being a 90. 2,400. dollars seems like a good deal and it looks like a sweet ride.. there you have my .02 cent opinion.. and also welcome to the site.

dreamr

Thanks for the welcome and the comments.

I am thinking I will likely go ahead and make the purchase. Afterall how can I not and keep from braining myself

Doomtroop

I don't have a very good knowledge of mecanics but I would myself buy it. Since you already have another car, you can take as much time as you want fixing your mustang and buying it for 2,400K seems like a good price to me. This is just my opinion however, I'd wait for someone with more knowledge on the matter to give his opinion first on the subject.

Welcome to the site!

oneshot

welcome, i would by it and not think twice about it.

dreamr

Thanks everyone for the responses.

And the convincing

We'll see about liquidizing a few minor assets and making a purchase.

anybody interested in a BW-4405 auto 4x4 t-case or a Manual bw-1354 t-case? Oops wrong site

v8stang05

welcome to the forums

blueangelfightr

Welcome to the forums. The car looks good to me. I say go for it. Have fun!

dreamr

Thanks every one! I picked her up last night, and she is presently sitting in my garage. Think I might drive her to work this morning for fun.

I will be tearing into all the neglected maintenance and general repair needs over the next 2 weeks, then leaving it alone till winter likely. Afterall first I have to get the solid front axle swapped under the Explorer.

So y'all should prepare yourselves for a million questions.... Hehe actually I'll stick to the search feature as much as possible, and should be able to deal with most out of my head.

I'll find a dark corner on here to start a build-up thread. Starting with a picture of it's current condition......but that's later. Right now I am late for work.

jowen

Welcome to the forum!!!!!!!