kmp
03-06-2014, 12:10 PM
Talk about a diamond in the rough.... Here is the story.
One day our owner's wife decided she wanted to jump on the Mustang bandwagon, so she hopped on the ole inter-web and started her search. After looking for a while, her heart found a little white Fox Body Convertible. Nestled in a small town car lot, just outside of Indianapolis, Indiana she found her prize. As most people would, Kevin started looking the car over while trying to contain his excitement. Looking high & low, trying to find something wrong, this was just your typical 4-Cylinder Mustang. As you would expect, it had the faded headlights, the rubber coated 4-Lug wheels, the top was worse for wear due to age, and to much surprise, a really good condition but faded interior. The performance white paint on the car, considering the year was also in really good condition, so a paint job would not be necessary right away, but could use a good wash & wax. Checking through the engine bay was the ever popular 2.3 Liter 4-cylinder that was mated to an automatic transmission. As Kevin looked at the under side of the vehicle he noticed something that most folks would be alarmed at, which was a leaking transmission... just pick a spot, it had a leak. The best part of the fluid leak overall was that it completely coated the underside of the car... AWESOME!!! No rust!
Once the visual inspection of the car was complete, it was time for the test drive. With the unsightly top put down we were off. Impressed at how solid the car felt despite its age, we drove a few miles around the little neighborhood surrounding the car lot. Seemingly everything worked, except for the power mirrors, and there was an oddly placed rocker switch to the right of the steering wheel, which operated the wiper blades. Aside from the oddities, we were sold. Now on for the negotiation process, and after a short time of haggling, and $850.00 we were homeward bound with our new ride.
Upon arriving back at home, the mental gears were turning, with ideas on how to improve the little 4-cylinder, and the ideas started to flow.
One of the first and easiest upgrades we performed was to the wheels & suspension. The factory rubber coated 14" wheels just had to go. Since Kevin has accumulated a bunch of Mustang parts over the years, he had a stock set of the 17" 5-Spoke GT Premium Wheels that were acquired from a 2001 Mustang GT (Prior to the Bullitt Wheel). Wrapped in a new set of rubber, they were going on the car. Wait, it's a 4-Lug car.. Not for long.
So now starts the fun. Pulled from a shelf in the garage, is a pair of SN95 spindles and brakes, a set of the Ford Racing lower control arms and Steeda X2 Ball Joints (Part #: 555-8101). Once the factory 4-lug spindles, lower control arms and springs we removed, we started the installation of the barely used components. Cleaned the area free of dirt and dressed up the contact area with a coat of black paint, we started installing the lower control arms with a new in box set of Eibach Sport Springs and the SN95 Spindles. We also installed a new set of Monroe Monro-Matic Plus front struts, since they are offered in blue, we thought it would be kind of cool to match the blue in the interior and on the convertible top of car. Now that the front was bolted together, we also decided to upgrade to the larger diameter Eibach Sway Bar.
Now on to the back, changing over the rear of the car is probably just as easy as the front. We wanted to keep it simple to start, so we decided to do an axle swap using the Ranger axles and 5-lug Ranger 8" drums. To do this it requires removal of the rear diff cover, and removal of the c-clips to be able to slide the rear 4-lug axles out. Next we installed new axle bearings, and seals, then slid the new 5-lug axles into the tubes and re-installed the c-clips, and lastly topped off the gear oil. Since the rear brake shoes were in good shape we cleaned them up, and installed new hardware, prior to installing the drums. Once the drums were installed that last thing on the list was to install the rear Monroe Monro-Matic Plus shocks with rear Eibach Sport Springs, finished off with the Eibach Rear Sway Bar.
Once all of the 5-Lug Conversion was installed with the minor suspension upgrades, we wanted to address the rotting exhaust system. The muffler had more holes in it than it was originally designed with, and the support band was not doing it's job. The factory cat-convertor seemed to be in good shape so we decided to reuse it. Our plan was to give our little 4-cylinder a little more style and flare while giving it the look of a GT, so we did so by updating the factory exhaust. Kevin made his own version of a cat-back system consisting of an aftermarket factory style intermediate pipe, and stock style muffler. We didn't see the need to go to a performance muffler since it was just a 4 banger, and from the muffler over the axle he installed a left side V8 polished stainless over-the-axle pipe. Talk about style, now our ride was starting to come together.
Now that the little car is able to breath better we decide to do a tune up. We wanted to freshen things up, doing typical stuff like plugs, wires and coils (this is intake and exhaust motor - has 8 plugs & 8 wires with dual coil packs). Upon removal of the plugs we found something that solidifies our love of Fords especially the Mustang. It still had the original spark plugs from 1992, we could tell by paint markings on the plugs, and the wires all had the year marked on them "1992"... So cool.
Now, time for a dramatic improvement to the exterior of the car, a new convertible top. The original blue top had holes in it in places you would typically expect, and it also leaked. It had to go. Also the car was not originally equipped with a head liner, so that was one thing on our list that we wanted to add in an effort to dress up the look of the car. After searching around, we acquired a new blue top, headliner, all of the top pads and new cables. We were able to sublet the install to a local interior shop, which did a great job we might add. With the convertible top installed and working, we were able to say the look and appeal of our car was starting to come together, but we still needed to address one last thing... the interior.
With most of the updates complete, the wife could not take her attention from the interior. The slightly faded cloth was adequate, but she insisted on upgrading to leather or vinyl. So after a few months and a birthday present or two, new seat foam and a vinyl interior upholstery kit from our friends at TMI Products was purchased. With unbolting the front seats and the rear bench, we started the removal process of the cloth interior which was not only painstaking but slightly nerve racking because we were mostly worried about stabbing our self with one of the rusty hog rings. Luckily he got a tetanus shots a few months ago. Once the interior was removed, we took off the old seat foam and inspected the front seat frames for the typical damage. Luckily we did not see any cracks or damage. Next we installed the front seat foam, and then the vinyl upholstery. The upholstery is a pretty straight forward installation, but if you are not used to it, it may take a little finesse, but of course you do have the option of having an upholstery shop perform the install.
In the picture to the left you will notice 2 seats. The seat on the right is the cloth seat from the passenger side awaiting the new vinyl upholstery. The seat on the left is the driver side seat with the new blue vinyl upholstery, (sorry the head rest was having the material installed at the time the picture was taken). We have to say if we were to compare the removal to the installation process, the installation is probably easier thanks to TMI Products, they have sure made it easy for us doing the interior in our spare time in the comfort of our own garage.
Now that the driver seat was complete, we are move onto the the passenger side, and then the rear bench. The foam for the rear bench was in good condition, and since it rarely ever gets sat in, you also will probably not have to worry about changing it out, but if you do need to change the rear bench seat foam, you may have to source that from another Mustang. With the seat upholstery complete and still having the seats out of the car, we removed the center console and made the car ready for the new carpet. It it truly amazing how changing to a new carpet will make a difference to look and feel of an interior. You don't realize how faded your carpet can get till you re-install the console and see the different shades of color. Still cool though.
Now the assembly begins! With the carpet installed, and the seat belts in, the seats are ready for their final install. What a difference a new interior makes in the entire appearance of a vehicle. So now with the interior complete, we have reached a stopping point since the paint is in fair but good condition, we will keep it clean and waxed, keep the little 4-cylinder purring, and enjoy the upgrades to the wheels & suspension. Kevin & his wife can now enjoy their little weekend cruiser for some really nice road trips through the Utah Mountains....
Keep checking back with us, for in the future, Kevin's Mustang Parts will be doing a V8 Engine Swap, and sub frame installation. Thank you again for reading...
Check out the full write-up of this on our other page at: http://www.kevinsmustangparts.com/19mu2co.html
One day our owner's wife decided she wanted to jump on the Mustang bandwagon, so she hopped on the ole inter-web and started her search. After looking for a while, her heart found a little white Fox Body Convertible. Nestled in a small town car lot, just outside of Indianapolis, Indiana she found her prize. As most people would, Kevin started looking the car over while trying to contain his excitement. Looking high & low, trying to find something wrong, this was just your typical 4-Cylinder Mustang. As you would expect, it had the faded headlights, the rubber coated 4-Lug wheels, the top was worse for wear due to age, and to much surprise, a really good condition but faded interior. The performance white paint on the car, considering the year was also in really good condition, so a paint job would not be necessary right away, but could use a good wash & wax. Checking through the engine bay was the ever popular 2.3 Liter 4-cylinder that was mated to an automatic transmission. As Kevin looked at the under side of the vehicle he noticed something that most folks would be alarmed at, which was a leaking transmission... just pick a spot, it had a leak. The best part of the fluid leak overall was that it completely coated the underside of the car... AWESOME!!! No rust!
Once the visual inspection of the car was complete, it was time for the test drive. With the unsightly top put down we were off. Impressed at how solid the car felt despite its age, we drove a few miles around the little neighborhood surrounding the car lot. Seemingly everything worked, except for the power mirrors, and there was an oddly placed rocker switch to the right of the steering wheel, which operated the wiper blades. Aside from the oddities, we were sold. Now on for the negotiation process, and after a short time of haggling, and $850.00 we were homeward bound with our new ride.
Upon arriving back at home, the mental gears were turning, with ideas on how to improve the little 4-cylinder, and the ideas started to flow.
One of the first and easiest upgrades we performed was to the wheels & suspension. The factory rubber coated 14" wheels just had to go. Since Kevin has accumulated a bunch of Mustang parts over the years, he had a stock set of the 17" 5-Spoke GT Premium Wheels that were acquired from a 2001 Mustang GT (Prior to the Bullitt Wheel). Wrapped in a new set of rubber, they were going on the car. Wait, it's a 4-Lug car.. Not for long.
So now starts the fun. Pulled from a shelf in the garage, is a pair of SN95 spindles and brakes, a set of the Ford Racing lower control arms and Steeda X2 Ball Joints (Part #: 555-8101). Once the factory 4-lug spindles, lower control arms and springs we removed, we started the installation of the barely used components. Cleaned the area free of dirt and dressed up the contact area with a coat of black paint, we started installing the lower control arms with a new in box set of Eibach Sport Springs and the SN95 Spindles. We also installed a new set of Monroe Monro-Matic Plus front struts, since they are offered in blue, we thought it would be kind of cool to match the blue in the interior and on the convertible top of car. Now that the front was bolted together, we also decided to upgrade to the larger diameter Eibach Sway Bar.
Now on to the back, changing over the rear of the car is probably just as easy as the front. We wanted to keep it simple to start, so we decided to do an axle swap using the Ranger axles and 5-lug Ranger 8" drums. To do this it requires removal of the rear diff cover, and removal of the c-clips to be able to slide the rear 4-lug axles out. Next we installed new axle bearings, and seals, then slid the new 5-lug axles into the tubes and re-installed the c-clips, and lastly topped off the gear oil. Since the rear brake shoes were in good shape we cleaned them up, and installed new hardware, prior to installing the drums. Once the drums were installed that last thing on the list was to install the rear Monroe Monro-Matic Plus shocks with rear Eibach Sport Springs, finished off with the Eibach Rear Sway Bar.
Once all of the 5-Lug Conversion was installed with the minor suspension upgrades, we wanted to address the rotting exhaust system. The muffler had more holes in it than it was originally designed with, and the support band was not doing it's job. The factory cat-convertor seemed to be in good shape so we decided to reuse it. Our plan was to give our little 4-cylinder a little more style and flare while giving it the look of a GT, so we did so by updating the factory exhaust. Kevin made his own version of a cat-back system consisting of an aftermarket factory style intermediate pipe, and stock style muffler. We didn't see the need to go to a performance muffler since it was just a 4 banger, and from the muffler over the axle he installed a left side V8 polished stainless over-the-axle pipe. Talk about style, now our ride was starting to come together.
Now that the little car is able to breath better we decide to do a tune up. We wanted to freshen things up, doing typical stuff like plugs, wires and coils (this is intake and exhaust motor - has 8 plugs & 8 wires with dual coil packs). Upon removal of the plugs we found something that solidifies our love of Fords especially the Mustang. It still had the original spark plugs from 1992, we could tell by paint markings on the plugs, and the wires all had the year marked on them "1992"... So cool.
Now, time for a dramatic improvement to the exterior of the car, a new convertible top. The original blue top had holes in it in places you would typically expect, and it also leaked. It had to go. Also the car was not originally equipped with a head liner, so that was one thing on our list that we wanted to add in an effort to dress up the look of the car. After searching around, we acquired a new blue top, headliner, all of the top pads and new cables. We were able to sublet the install to a local interior shop, which did a great job we might add. With the convertible top installed and working, we were able to say the look and appeal of our car was starting to come together, but we still needed to address one last thing... the interior.
With most of the updates complete, the wife could not take her attention from the interior. The slightly faded cloth was adequate, but she insisted on upgrading to leather or vinyl. So after a few months and a birthday present or two, new seat foam and a vinyl interior upholstery kit from our friends at TMI Products was purchased. With unbolting the front seats and the rear bench, we started the removal process of the cloth interior which was not only painstaking but slightly nerve racking because we were mostly worried about stabbing our self with one of the rusty hog rings. Luckily he got a tetanus shots a few months ago. Once the interior was removed, we took off the old seat foam and inspected the front seat frames for the typical damage. Luckily we did not see any cracks or damage. Next we installed the front seat foam, and then the vinyl upholstery. The upholstery is a pretty straight forward installation, but if you are not used to it, it may take a little finesse, but of course you do have the option of having an upholstery shop perform the install.
In the picture to the left you will notice 2 seats. The seat on the right is the cloth seat from the passenger side awaiting the new vinyl upholstery. The seat on the left is the driver side seat with the new blue vinyl upholstery, (sorry the head rest was having the material installed at the time the picture was taken). We have to say if we were to compare the removal to the installation process, the installation is probably easier thanks to TMI Products, they have sure made it easy for us doing the interior in our spare time in the comfort of our own garage.
Now that the driver seat was complete, we are move onto the the passenger side, and then the rear bench. The foam for the rear bench was in good condition, and since it rarely ever gets sat in, you also will probably not have to worry about changing it out, but if you do need to change the rear bench seat foam, you may have to source that from another Mustang. With the seat upholstery complete and still having the seats out of the car, we removed the center console and made the car ready for the new carpet. It it truly amazing how changing to a new carpet will make a difference to look and feel of an interior. You don't realize how faded your carpet can get till you re-install the console and see the different shades of color. Still cool though.
Now the assembly begins! With the carpet installed, and the seat belts in, the seats are ready for their final install. What a difference a new interior makes in the entire appearance of a vehicle. So now with the interior complete, we have reached a stopping point since the paint is in fair but good condition, we will keep it clean and waxed, keep the little 4-cylinder purring, and enjoy the upgrades to the wheels & suspension. Kevin & his wife can now enjoy their little weekend cruiser for some really nice road trips through the Utah Mountains....
Keep checking back with us, for in the future, Kevin's Mustang Parts will be doing a V8 Engine Swap, and sub frame installation. Thank you again for reading...
Check out the full write-up of this on our other page at: http://www.kevinsmustangparts.com/19mu2co.html