Greetings to all. This all started several months back, I had bought yet another Ford pick up to restomod and my wife told me that when this one is done she get's a Mustang or my new home is the couch. Fair enough... I guess. Well the truck is done, or as done as any project truck will ever be. 1960 F-100 short wide. Looks fairly stock on the outside. Has all the original badges, turqoise and white paint, even the wheels look original. Except the one out back is 10 inches wide for the 295/50/15's. Bruce Horkey show deck in the bed, tan leather interior, great stereo. Best part is the 390FE under the hood punched and stroked to 456 cubes, backed by a toploader 4 speed, and a 9 inch. Yep, took a lot of time and $$$ but it's so worth it. Got the truck completed, running, tagged, insured, and all that and my wife reminds me of the Mustang. I tell her to go find one she wants and I'll buy it. I figured she'd go to the Ford house and get a new one. We didn't talk about it for a week or so then I hear her Excursion pull up to my shop. I knew something was up because she brought me lunch. That's a sure fire indicator she wants something. She say's "Remember how you said I could have that Mustang?". I said sure do, we'll go to the dealership tonight and I'll sign the papers. She told me she bought an older one for cash for me to fix up. My first thought was that she bought a 60's car that was rusted beyond repair and that she's paid thousands too much for it because it's rare. Not that lucky. A roll back pulls up (always a sign of a quality car purchase) and on the back is a 1991 Mustang LX convertible. Know that sinking feeling in your gut right before you puke? I had that as I saw how much work this thing was going to require. I figure I'd buy her a new Mustang, get her off my back, and then build this 1948 F-1 I have my eye on. No such luck. This car has no motor, trans, interior, rear axle, front suspension, and the top is shot to hell and back. Yee haaw. It was sitting on dolly's. Got it unloaded and in my bay (rest are for customer cars but I have one where I wrench on my toys) to take a closer look. Good news is if this car was ever wrecked the shop that put it back together did a perfect job. Personally I don't think it's ever been wrecked. I asked her how much she paid for it and with pride she said she picked up this classic convertible for a mere $2500. Oh yeah, she got screwed but I didn't have the heart to tell her that. Ran the VIN and this was originally a 5.0 car. For whatever it's worth. I asked her what she wanted to do with it and she already knew. I guess she did a little research and some of my knowledge and ideas rubbed off in the last 28 years together. She wants a fuel injected, supercharged, 347 stroker, a six speed stick, a posi rear end for the powertrain. The car is to look like a 1993 Cobra (did they even make convertible Cobra's?) silver with black racing stripes. Black interior, which should be easy enough since it doesn't even have a dashboard, guess I can just get all the stuff I need out of a catalog. All we've ever owned has been trucks and SUV's. Period. Never owned a car before, she said she wanted a change. My guy's and I repair cars, I own a very successful shop. However building a performance car is a different animal from say changing a water pump or replacing a engine. What are some things I need to look for? Good catalogs? Any common pitfalls? Assuming a budget of $20K or so (I don't build anything half assed, plus it's my wifes car gotta be done perfect) what can I do with it? She wants it done sometime in July so she can still get some summer cruising in. As of yet we haven't ordered anything, although she is reading 5.0 magazine and looking through my go fast catalogs. Basically I want this thing done so I can start playing with my F-1. My 4 sons are somewhat enthused about working on the car. More than I am anyway, what can I say other than we're into trucks. My 3 daughters are all about helping mom spend money. I also own a body shop (inherited from my dad) so getting the paint and body work (doesn't need much body work) will be no problem. Any advice will be much appreciated. Thanks for reading, oh and sympathy for how I got into this mess would be appreciated too. My guy's are giving me crap for being so whipped. Give me some do's and don'ts to go with this project.
there many more and any partd you need they should have.. Keep us post on the project..good luck...:thumbsup
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" The Gorilla fisted carburetor King "
Car 1: 1988 Ford Bronco Full Size.... All Stock
Car 3: 1988 Mustang LX - Drag Car
Car 3: 1988 Mustang GT - Mod's
Front Mod's strangs 10way adj., New ushing,Springs
Rear Mod's Built 8.8" 31 splines, c-clips, 50/50 shocks, 3.90 gears, eaton posi, Engine Mods' Cold air intake..
Bets Time: 14.62
Even though she payed too much, it might be in your best interest to get one that someone has already done up mostly like she wants. I often see cars that owners have sunk way more in than they will ever get out . Your 20K budget may go further that way. No they never made a 93 Cobra convert. I must say I wish I had your talent, budget, and skill.
I hear you on buying a complete car... already fought and lost that battle. This is the car she wants and by God it's the car she'll get. Or so I've been told. So far we haven't had much luck finding a complete Cobra body kit. She wants the snake on the fenders, the pony in the grille, bumper cover that says Cobra on it, and the side skirts. We'll use a GT wing on the decklid since there are no Cobra convertibles. Good info to have, thanks. Looks like that will be the hard part. I'm keeping an eye on E-Bay. Bought a lot of good stuff on E-Bay over the years. Honestly, I can hardly remember what I did before E-Bay. Oh yeah, I'd drive hundreds (sometimes a thousand or more) of miles to a swap meet and not find what I need. As far as talent, budget, and skill go. Well I just own a lot of tools and know how to use them. That and growing up in a family where everybody worked on cars and trucks I picked up a lot at a young age. My dad had a body shop and I got it when he passed, I opened my own car shop when I was 18. Invested a lot back in the business. Moved 3 times now I have a 30 bay shop, 20 full time mechanics, and a 3 week waiting list to get a car in my shop. The body shop is doing well too. My oldest runs it. 3 paint booths, 3 full time painters, 12 body men, and 2 week wait to get a car in there. It's nice to have two operations that run smoothly on their own where I don't have to stress and micromanage. Guess there's something to be said for fair dealing, good business sense, and having good employees. My second and third sons opened a salvage yard a few years back. 200 acres of cars, 5 full time dismantlers, 6 light duty wreckers, 4 mediums, and a heavy duty rotator. Bank owns most of it for now but give it a few years and they'll own it. My youngest will soon be taking over the day to day operations of the car shop. Part of it is luck too, being in the right place at the right time with the capital to invest and grow. Anybody can do it, you just have to be willing to put the time into it. Most people go under because they won't tough it out when things get lean. If you do though your business will grow, folks will see you're established and if you treat everyone right (even if it costs you a little) you'll get a good reputation. That's when things take off. Now my girls are a different story. They're going to college. Period, long break. They're into cars and I support and encourage that. However they can do more with their lives. My oldest daughter is going to start college this fall. She hasn't really decided what she wants to do yet. One week it's pre med, then it's pre law, then this weekend she announced she wants to be a art history major. To be young again. Sorry, I know this is a car forum but I can't help bragging on my kids. Or my wife for that matter. She's a great gal and I love her as much today as I did 28 years ago. She stood by me through a lot, gave me 7 great kids, and let's me pursue my passion for Ford trucks. She even let me tweak her Excursion.
Suspension: She wants something that will corner well, give a comfortable ride, and no wheel hop under full power. I'm guessing a super charged 347 stroker will give roughly 420 horses. that sound about right? I had a carbed n/a 347 in a Ranchero that dynoed out to 391 with a mild cam. So what's a good way to put that power to the ground?
Interior: Was black interior fairly common? My boy's have a few fox's but none with a black interior that we can pull out. If need be they have 2 convertibles and we could recolor the plastic. What are some good aftermarket seats? Keep in mind we're not 20 anymore and we'd like to be comfy. So nothing with real radical side bolsters or super firm foam. Something supportive and plush would be nice.
Tail lights: We've been looking for the GT tail lights with the grille on em that we can paint body color. No such luck so far. They're either broken, faded, or non existent.We're not doing euro tails.
Drivetrain: There's a lot of options here. Stock block bored over, Ford racing 347 short block, aftermarket forged block, etc. Then there's fitting a six speed in a car that came with an automatic or a 5 speed. Plus the rear end. Got the rear end sorted out. Currie makes a bolt in 9 inch with either 4 or 5 lug. Brakes are going to be Cobra R discs on all 4 corners. If anybody can give me a list of what would make a great fuel injected, super charged, 347 stroker that would be great. Never built one and there are a lot of ways to make it happen. Here's the requirements. Has to make good power but not so much it'll hurt the trans. Has to be reliable, ie. we want a motor that'll go 150,000 miles with careful maintenance. So an all out replace it every 10,000 miles race motor is out of the question. Has to make decent power throughout the whole rpm range. Basically it can't be a motor that comes alive at 6500 rpm and is a dog just off idle. Not too useful for the street. Torque is more important than horsepower. Any ideas?
That's about it so far. Thanks for the great links. Progress... well I unbolted the rest of the sheet metal and am going to send the car out to be media blasted Wednesday. Unfortunately we don't have one. After that it's going to the body shop to be sealed then it's coming back here. Once I figure out what parts to get we'll mock up the drivetrain and suspension, tear the car down again for body work and paint, then put it together for final assembly. Thanks again for the links guys!
Hello all,
This is the wife. Just a little background on the car. Back in 1991 I had my heart set on this gorgeous new convertible sitting at the Ford dealership. It was a V-8 car with a 5 speed, it was silver and I thought it would look great with black racing stripes. I told my dear husband about it and he bought me a big high top van to haul the children around in instead. Needless to say I was a lot disappointed! Yes, yes, I know I paid too much for the car. But it was the only 1991 Mustang convertible I could find. The owner was really reluctant to sell it because it was so straight, that and he wanted to fix it up someday. So it took a lot of green to persuade him to sell. Ever since 1991 I've wanted a silver Mustang convertible. Now is my chance to do that and have the car exactly the way I want it. Having ridden in my husbands muscle trucks for years I now have the hot rodding bug! Thanks to all for being so nice!
Well... that was certainly A LOT to read, but, I'm here to reply!
There should be plenty of links to GT's "cheese-grater" style tail-lights on those restoration websites that were given to you. Buy new, don't buy old!
My GT has black carpeting, but not an entirely black interior. I'd like to say that a black interior was not common, so you're best bet would be to buy the Seats you want and paint them and decide on what color you want your bottom half to be. You're color can, realistically, go anywhere. But, you have to love the leather...
A supercharged 347 Stroker might push out more than 420 horses, though, and setting her down onto some great suspension is very important. My current configuration is off of stock Springs, Struts, etc... but, I've heard good things about Eibach's Adjustable System. You probably know your s*** well enough to use that. But, I'm not much help in that department
Have you thought about just purchasing a Crate Engine? It might be your best bet considering your budget and her desire for power. Slap a supercharger on a crate engine and "Go, Baby, Go!" It wouldn't be one of those "10,000 mile race engines", it would last you, and that would be less to worry about.
Anything else we can help with, be sure to let us know. We're all about helping each other. Check out the "Tech" section on top of the website's links if you need any further assistance.
Oh, and keep us posted! Welcome to the Club. :thumbsup
Made a big parts order today. One of the good points about this car is that it's a clean slate.
From Summit Racing:
Aeromotive Competition Fuel Kit
AEM Engine Management System
Tremec T-56 trans w/ aluminum flywheel, bell housing, clutch and all that jazz
BBK full length headers and H-pipe (no cats)
Flowmaster cat back exhaust
Cobra 5 lug disc brakes
BBK strut tower brace
Hurst shifter
From Jegs:
Currie 9 inch rear end w/ posi and 4.11 gears
Last night my boys and I gutted 2 convertible interiors and took the best interior pieces. Dropped em off this morning at the body shop to get repainted black. It seemed to be the quickest solution.
Still need to get a suspension, lots of options on that one. What crate engine is the best? I'm willing to spend money on a solid motor. The trans is rated to 440 ft. lbs of torque, with a supercharger what would fit that limit the best?
That's about it so far. Still need to call Painless Performance about getting a complete headlights to taillights harness for this car. Plus all the sensors for the engine. I have a lot of parts left to procure. Right now I'm concentrating on at least getting the car to roll. It's sitting on a big cart right now. PITA to load on a trailer. We looked at a lot of seats on-line the last few days. It's hard to buy a pair without trying them out first.
My wife fell in love with these in black leather. http://www.recaro-nao.com/produkte/i...Line&prodID=71
However spending $14,000 on a pair of seats is a bit excessive. If we're going Recaro I was looking at a pair of these. http://www.recaro-nao.com/produkte/I...PORT&prodID=10
Thing is they look like they're made for skinny people. Also we're using regular 3 point belts, no harnesses. It'd look kind of silly to have a 5 point harness seat with no harnesses. Any ideas? Other good brands?
Thanks for the welcome to the club. Happy to be here, lots of good posts on this site.
Sounds like you're figuring everything out pretty well. It should be an awesome car when you're done. You might want to rethink the flowmasters though. They sound great when on the throttle, but for a daily driver the drone is pretty bad.
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1995 GT 5.0
CAI, American Thunder Cat-back, Mac O/R H-pipe, 180* thermostat, Steeda Tri-Ax shifter, Steeda rear swaybar, Urethane bushings, MSD coil, King Cobra clutch & flywheel, GT40 Intake Manifold, ~1800 watt sound system
For the suspension go with MAXIMUM MOTORSORTS they have quality suspension parts for fox body mustangs. That sounds like a dream car. I would sure like to see a picture of that stang when its all done. Much props to your wife for choosing a fox body stang. :thumbsup You should try cervini's for the Cobra body kit.
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92 LX All the bolt on's, and some.
2004 COBRA Pully,exhuast,Predator tune,upgraded heat exchanger, Tri Ax. For now.
I hope this helps. It sounds like you have a really cool wife! My wife just nags me about selling my stang all the time. Oh well, I love her anyway! You should post pics of your progress, and definately post pics when you are done. What type of supercharger are you going to get?
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1988 Supercharged 'Vert - SOLD!!!
1970 F100 - 10 bolt posi Rear end, Fuel Injected 302, Traction Bars, EQ shorties, Bed Cover, Custom Interior with power leather seats- custom dash/console, AOD w/ B&M shifter, Tubbed w/ 15x10s rear and 15x7s up front, no emissions junk and it's LEGAL!!!
"Only two defining forces have ever offerred to die for you: Je$us Christ and the American G.I." - Author Unknown
Not sure on the supercharger yet. I've seen a few that are sealed but it seems to me like it'd last longer if it was lubed by the engine oil. I guess we'll just ask the engine assembler what is recommended. Thanks for the links!
Wow this is pretty cool. The wifey laying down the law. Black interior is the most cherished and rare of all factory interiors. It is now being reproduced by 5.0 resto I think. Might I reccomend both hub and wifey subscribe to Muscle Mustangs and Fast Fords as well as 5.0 Mustang. These are the Bibles when it comes to info of all kinds. In fact 5.0 is building up a rare t-top notch right now. Also...a 347 stroker WITH a blower is a race motor. Man, your wife is some kinda woman. I'm not sure she will enjoy such an over the top combo for running around reliably. This is more show car or race car motor. If she really plans on driving this daily, I would think a milder yet nasty combo would be more reliable and less of a headache to keep properly tuned. While a blown 347 sounds friggin awesome, it will be a lot like keeping a circa 1969 Boss 429 reliable as a daily. Just my 2 cents, it your errrr her call.
Some misunderstanding here, this car will not be a daily driver. She has her turbo Excursion for that. This is her "dream car" and it will get driven. Probably quite a bit. But for going to the grocery store, the mall, driving to San Antonio to visit her parents, etc. the Excursion will handle those chores. The Mustang is going to be her toy to play with. She does plan on putting some miles on it, like driving to and from car shows instead of doing the trailer queen thing. Which is why were pushing for reliability.
I'm with you snake, my 347 was carbed and n/a and it was a handful. To give her what she wants I was thinking like 8.5:1 compression and 6 psi boost. That way it is a blown 347 but it will still run on pump gas and not be over the top. I just wonder if a 347 can be built with such low compression... Usually you put as much squeeze as you can get on a motor. Honestly if it pulls as hard as her Excursion she'll be way happy. Her Excursion is a 04 with a 6.0 Powerstroke. Did the usual by throwing a Garrett twin turbo set up, Banks reprogramming and engine management, 5 inch exhaust, bigger injectors, tranny cooler the size of a Caribbean island, etc. etc. Haven't strapped it to the dyno yet but she'll really haul the mail. I think my wife wants that kind of seat of the pants power in a package that's fun and can corner.
5.0 Mustang and my wife..... 
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