Black92LX
05-30-2010, 11:45 PM
The Journey began in the fall some 11 years ago. I was getting ready to turn 16 and got a 1992 Ford Mustang LX (4 cylinder) Had 65 or 75K miles can't quite remember. It was in great shape except the hood was fading and the dash pony had been ripped off.
So I saved up $400 got a Maaco Paintjob and new dash emblem and here is what I was crusing to school and work in
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/Black92LX/Cars/img002.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/Black92LX/Cars/LX-Beauty.gif
When gas was 84 cents a gallon. I would fill up on friday pay with a $10 bill get change and the gas would last me all week. Got about 30+ miles to the gallon.
This car took me all over the place, on my first real date with a young lady I am still good friends with to TGI Fridays and a movie, plus many other random dates after that. Took me back and forth to West Lafayette Indian to visit my brother at Purdue University. I drove the piss out of the this car and the only problem I ever had was a blown transmission at 120,000 miles with at least 6 people learning to drive a stick on it. Got in a wreck messing up the front bumper and hood. So I thought it would be a good idea to put a new hood and GT bumper on it (which was a terrible idea, as I really missed the simple look of the LX body style)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/Black92LX/Cars/hood.gif
I drove it until the end of my Junior year of college the brakes were going, needed new shocks, and struts, amongst other little things here and there and could not stand the look with the hood and GT bumper. It had 154,765 miles.
So I was working and had money to spare so I bought a 1996 GT Convertible. And the 92 was retired to my mom's extra garage. One day to get a 5.0 motor swap and some other goodies or so I thought.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/Black92LX/Cars/DSCN1849.jpg
Great car for college as in the nice weather girls would always call to go for a ride.
Then college ended and the convertible lost it's glory, I did some work to the GT and then it sat, in the last two years I only drove it about 1,200 miles.
I figured it was time to sell it, pay off all my debt except the house, and buy some toys and start collecting parts to bring back my 92 Mustang that I did miss very much.
Well the time has come for her to rise again.
We are going back to the simple LX body style with factory Pony wheels. (Not my car but this is what it will look like just slightly lower.
http://www.orlandomustang.com/images/cars/92lx/92lx03.jpg
I have acquired almost all the parts I need to get her up and running again though she will be getting a new power plant. I have been really wanting a turbo car so in doing a little research I have found that the late 80s Ford Turbo motor swap quite easily into a fox body mustang.
So I have acquired a 2.3L Turbo Motor from a 1988 Thunderbird Turbocoupe. This motor was found in the SVO Mustang, Turbocoupes, Cougar XR7s, and Merkur XR4ti in the late 80s.
This motor in particular is rated at about 190hp.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/Black92LX/Cars/Project%20Black/DSCN1341.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/Black92LX/Cars/Project%20Black/DSCN1344.jpg
The 88 model utilizes a relatively small turbo (IHI) only capable of about 18 pounds of boost Max.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/Black92LX/Cars/Project%20Black/DSCN1343.jpg
I am going to take it in stages but to start off I am going to keep it in stock form, adding a larger front mount intercooler from a Volvo. Thanks to a member here for the intercooler and picture.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/Black92LX/Cars/Project%20Black/VolvoIntercooler.jpg
After I get it up and running and money comes in I will be upgrading the Turbo to a Garrett T3 (which came on the earlier 2.3T motors) or possibly stepping up even more to a T3/T4 hybrid, which should allow a healthy 25-30 pounds of boost. I will also be adding a more agressive cam, gutted upper and lower intakes, 3" downpipe and full exhaust, as well as a piggy back ECU system allowing for pretty much all the tuning one could ever want compared to the archaic Ford LA3 that I will be using.
In the end I am hoping to be about 300hp to the wheels when all is said and done.
I am just wanting a fun street car to take the twisties in so it will be getting a lot of suspension upgrades over time as well.
The car has been sitting in my moms garage for about 5 years so it needs a little love but is in pretty good shape, just some minor things here and there on the inside and a new hatch as it is the only rust on the car.
Here are a couple shots I took today getting her ready to be hauled here.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/Black92LX/Cars/Project%20Black/DSCN1352.jpg
So I saved up $400 got a Maaco Paintjob and new dash emblem and here is what I was crusing to school and work in
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/Black92LX/Cars/img002.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/Black92LX/Cars/LX-Beauty.gif
When gas was 84 cents a gallon. I would fill up on friday pay with a $10 bill get change and the gas would last me all week. Got about 30+ miles to the gallon.
This car took me all over the place, on my first real date with a young lady I am still good friends with to TGI Fridays and a movie, plus many other random dates after that. Took me back and forth to West Lafayette Indian to visit my brother at Purdue University. I drove the piss out of the this car and the only problem I ever had was a blown transmission at 120,000 miles with at least 6 people learning to drive a stick on it. Got in a wreck messing up the front bumper and hood. So I thought it would be a good idea to put a new hood and GT bumper on it (which was a terrible idea, as I really missed the simple look of the LX body style)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/Black92LX/Cars/hood.gif
I drove it until the end of my Junior year of college the brakes were going, needed new shocks, and struts, amongst other little things here and there and could not stand the look with the hood and GT bumper. It had 154,765 miles.
So I was working and had money to spare so I bought a 1996 GT Convertible. And the 92 was retired to my mom's extra garage. One day to get a 5.0 motor swap and some other goodies or so I thought.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/Black92LX/Cars/DSCN1849.jpg
Great car for college as in the nice weather girls would always call to go for a ride.
Then college ended and the convertible lost it's glory, I did some work to the GT and then it sat, in the last two years I only drove it about 1,200 miles.
I figured it was time to sell it, pay off all my debt except the house, and buy some toys and start collecting parts to bring back my 92 Mustang that I did miss very much.
Well the time has come for her to rise again.
We are going back to the simple LX body style with factory Pony wheels. (Not my car but this is what it will look like just slightly lower.
http://www.orlandomustang.com/images/cars/92lx/92lx03.jpg
I have acquired almost all the parts I need to get her up and running again though she will be getting a new power plant. I have been really wanting a turbo car so in doing a little research I have found that the late 80s Ford Turbo motor swap quite easily into a fox body mustang.
So I have acquired a 2.3L Turbo Motor from a 1988 Thunderbird Turbocoupe. This motor was found in the SVO Mustang, Turbocoupes, Cougar XR7s, and Merkur XR4ti in the late 80s.
This motor in particular is rated at about 190hp.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/Black92LX/Cars/Project%20Black/DSCN1341.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/Black92LX/Cars/Project%20Black/DSCN1344.jpg
The 88 model utilizes a relatively small turbo (IHI) only capable of about 18 pounds of boost Max.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/Black92LX/Cars/Project%20Black/DSCN1343.jpg
I am going to take it in stages but to start off I am going to keep it in stock form, adding a larger front mount intercooler from a Volvo. Thanks to a member here for the intercooler and picture.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/Black92LX/Cars/Project%20Black/VolvoIntercooler.jpg
After I get it up and running and money comes in I will be upgrading the Turbo to a Garrett T3 (which came on the earlier 2.3T motors) or possibly stepping up even more to a T3/T4 hybrid, which should allow a healthy 25-30 pounds of boost. I will also be adding a more agressive cam, gutted upper and lower intakes, 3" downpipe and full exhaust, as well as a piggy back ECU system allowing for pretty much all the tuning one could ever want compared to the archaic Ford LA3 that I will be using.
In the end I am hoping to be about 300hp to the wheels when all is said and done.
I am just wanting a fun street car to take the twisties in so it will be getting a lot of suspension upgrades over time as well.
The car has been sitting in my moms garage for about 5 years so it needs a little love but is in pretty good shape, just some minor things here and there on the inside and a new hatch as it is the only rust on the car.
Here are a couple shots I took today getting her ready to be hauled here.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/Black92LX/Cars/Project%20Black/DSCN1352.jpg