Fox Mustang Magazine | Issue 7 by Fox Mustang Magazine

NEW FEATURE: RARE DEALER INFO REPRINTED

ISSUE 7 5.95

FABULOUS 8,000-MILE GT CONVERT’ ‘84 CAPRI TURBO | ‘91 GT FOX FINDS

DIY

POWER: INSTALL SUBFRAME CONNECTORS • COOLING SYSTEM UPGRADES RESTO: REPAINT FADED TRIM • NEW CARPET INSTALL

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Issue 7 FOX Mustang Magazine 3

ISSUE 7 TABLE OF CONTENTS

DEALER NEW FEATURE: RARE

INFO REPRINTED

ISSUE 7 5.95

-MILE GT CONV FABULOUS 8,000 ‘84 CAPRI TURBO | ‘91 GT FOX FINDS

ERT’

DEPARTMENTS 6 EDITORIAL

20 EVENTS

8 YOU GOTTA SEE THIS #1

26 MUSTANG NATION DIY

10 YOU GOTTA SEE THIS #2

32 NEW PARTS

14 ORIGINALITY

90 FROM THE ARCHIVES

16 FOX NEWS

94 FIX MY FOX

G SYSTEM CONNECTORS • COOLIN

POWER: INSTALL SUBFRAME • NEW CARPET INSTALL RESTO: REPAINT FADED TRIM

ON THE COVER Ron D’Agostino’s minty ’85 GT convertible was pampered when new, then carefully stored away, then brought to the Carlisle Ford Nationals where it looked so-fine for our cameras. Photography by Tom Shaw

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UPGRADES

COVER STORY 44 KEEPER CONVERT’ Ron D’Agostino’s low-mile ’85 GT

50 POSTER ’85 Mustang GT Convertible

BIO

64 ‘84 MERCURY CAPRI RS Mercury’s nearly extinct performance flagship

FEATURES 20 GOLDEN GATE MUSTANG NATIONAL Searching for gold at the MCA National show in Concord, California 78 BLACK, AYE Don and Sue Nunes like their Mustangs, including this ’91 GT hatchback, on the dark side

PERFORMANCE 84 STRONG TIES Fox convertibles are notoriously twisty. Here’s how to firm them up

RESTORATION 34 KEEPING YOUR COOL Basic cooling-system maintenance is often overlooked, but it should be a top priority for your Fox 52 CUTTING A RUG Re-carpet your Fox’s floors with a socket set and a sharp knife 70 TRIM RESTORATION Fresh paint for the Fox Mustang’s edges, frames, and other things you’re not supposed to notice Issue 7 FOX Mustang Magazine 5

FROM THE

EDITOR

IN THIS ISSUE

by Tom Shaw

he excitement begins to build while you’re still miles away. On the interstate you see the enclosed trailers being pulled by big Ford dualie trucks, and you know where they’re going. You just don’t know what’s in the trailer. They’re all heading for the National Mustang Club of America show at the Crowne Plaza Hotel and Resort in Concord, California. You know you’re in the right place because the parking lot is full of choice Mustangs and Shelbys. The event has booked a great host hotel, with plenty of parking space, rooms, banquet facilities, and hospitality in one of the most picturesque regions of the country. There are multiple car displays prior to the big show, and plenty of socializing opportunities to get reacquainted with old friends and make new ones. Stick with the crowd or strike out on your own to explore Northern California’s scenic jackpot at your own pace. If you missed the event, Nelson Cardadeiro has coverage beginning on page 20. We’re very big on restoration at FOX Mustang Magazine, and we’ve got plenty this issue. Barry Kluczyk is a Fox Mustang fan from Motor City, with many years of automotive writing under his belt. This month Barry tackles installing carpet, something we’ll all do sooner or later. Elsewhere, your humble editor has the story of repainting the black exterior trim that loves to fade and make your Mustang look old before its time. The crew at Orlando Mustang walks us through the steps and

shows you how to turn the old and faded into nice and semi-glossy. Since we dealt with record heat last summer, Huw Evans takes you on a guided tour through the Fox Mustang cooling system to illustrate how to maintain it in proper working order. While he’s under the hood, he touches on how to make some key upgrades to keep the leaks and boilovers away.

You’ve probably noticed the ’85 GT convertible on the cover. We found it at Carlisle, recommended by the writer of our Originality column, Terry McCoy. The nearly mint ’85, owned by Ron D’Agostino, is a time capsule. I doubt you’ll find a more original example. Nelson Cardadeiro, a key contributor from Northern California, weighs in with a ’91 GT. We like the action shots of it running hard down the California highway in the late afternoon sun. Sure beats taking the bus across town to work digging ditches. We’ve also got a new department for you, too. From The Archives reprints insider literature that was not intended for consumers. Dealers had a steady flow of material from Ford, pointing out all sorts of information about the cars, how they were built, and how to sell them. We’re taking two pages per issue and sharing these seldom-seen pages with you, starting with the “Mustang” section of the 1985 Ford Car Facts Book, a thick binder full of information from Ford to the dealer about what’s new and exciting in the upcoming model year. We’re going to give you every page of it, and not just cherry pick the best few, so you can research the cars yourself. You’ll have the facts at your fingertips when discussions arise about what was available from the factory. As always, I’m here to serve you, to make a magazine that you find irresistible. Help me do that. If there’s something you want to see, or an idea you have for a story, please email me at tom@themustangmagazine.com.

You’ll have the facts at your fingertips when discussions arise about what was available from the factory

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A couple of issues back we posed a question to you about Mercury Capris and whether you wanted to see them in a Mustang magazine. Turns out you did. Your answers were overwhelmingly in favor of including the Capri. So this issue, we’ve got one of the best, as recommended by the good folks on the www.foureyedpride.com website. Anwar Karim’s ’84 Charcoal Turbo RS is one of the nicest known to exist. Because it’s bound to raise a lot of questions, we present it as a Bio, our feature with a strong historical, factual focus, and a full spec chart. The RS Turbo was not exactly Mercury’s answer to the SVO, but, well, you can read about it beginning on page 64. By the way, if you haven’t checked out the www.foureyedpride.com website, it’s worth spending some time on. Lots of valuable content there, much more than just a few pictures and some forums.

Issue 7 FOX Mustang Magazine 7

YOU GOTTA SEE THIS ALL IN THE FAMILY James Lubbert rockets out of a tight righthander on Hallett’s 1.8-mile road course during the 2012 Mid America Ford and Team Shelby Meet. Event founder Jim Wicks recalls that James — the son in a father/ son racing team — attended his first meet in a stroller. That’s part of the Tulsa Meet’s unique emphasis on Fords, families, and fun. Dodging the heat wave helped Tulsa to have a very strong turnout, and there was plenty of hot stuff on the track. — photography by Bryce Langley

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YOU GOTTA SEE THIS MERCURY’S BLACK MAGIC Besides the ’84 Capri RS Turbo feature in this issue — the first Capri feature in FOX Mustang Magazine — we opened up the ’82 Mercury dealer album for a look at another Capri rarity, the Black Magic. Dramatically blacked out and highlighted with gold TRX wheels, trim, and graphics, the Black Magic was an exterior option, so any of the Capri’s four engines were available: 2.3 turbo and non-turbo, 3.3 inline six-cylinder (200 cid), or the 255 V-8 with automatic. The 5.0 H.O. was not an option. When the ’82 Mustang GT came out, it grabbed a lot of headlines, and rightfully so. But you could make a case that while Mustang had the advantage in power, Capri held the edge in step-up style.

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PUBLISHER CURT PATTERSON curt@pattersonpublishing.com EDITOR TOM SHAW tom@themustangmagazine.com MANAGING EDITOR BRANDON PATTERSON brandon@pattersonpublishing.com COPY EDITOR LAURA BURKE ART DIRECTOR PHILIP PIETRI CIRCULATION DIRECTOR JASON JACOBS jason@pattersonpublishing.com MUSTANG NATION / EVENTS DIRECTOR JASON JACOBS jason@pattersonpublishing.com WEB MARKETING BRANDON PATTERSON brandon@pattersonpublishing.com ADVERTISING SALES TEAM CURT PATTERSON JASON JACOBS BRANDON PATTERSON OFFICE MANAGER DEB PATTERSON COLUMNISTS MATT HIGHLEY KEVIN MARTI TERRY McCOY

YEAH, WE READ YOUR MIND! SUBSCRIBE 6 ISSUES

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CONTRIBUTORS NELSON CARDADEIRO HUW EVANS BARRY KLUCZYK DANIELLE PANDELINE FOX Mustang Magazine is published bimonthly by Patterson Publishing, P.O. Box 41, Lakeland, FL 33802. Subscription Rates (bimonthly frequency): U.S. 6 issues $20.00; Canada add $15 per year for postage. All other countries add $25 per year for postage. U.S. Funds only. Allow 6-8 weeks for new subscriptions. Send address change to FOX Mustang Magazine, Customer Service, P.O. Box 41, Lakeland, Florida 33802. Customer Service (877) 279-3010. Patterson Publishing, Lakeland, Florida Phone (863) 701-2707 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths.” -Proverbs 3:5-6

|| Satisfaction Guaranteed! || Exciting variety of interior & exterior styling upgrades! || Over 30 years of automotive manufacturing excellence. || Unrivalled quality, engineering & fit for 1979-1993 Fox Body Mustangs.

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Issue 7 FOX Mustang Magazine 13

ORIGINALITY

’90 LIMITED EDITION — PART 1

ack in the ’90s I had the privilege of interviewing Joe Laura, planner on the Mustang team, about the ’90 Limited Edition Mustang and the ’92-’93 Feature Cars. This information is based on that interview. The year 1990 was the twelfth year of production for the Fox-body Mustang. In 1989 the LX 5.0 Sport became a series. Because it was such a popular option, it was decided that a ’90 Limited Edition LX 5.0 convertible series would be the first Limited Edition Mustang. In the design center, the sketches began and the clay model was built. Once the clay model was approved, the design center would then build a prototype. Donald Peterson, chief executive officer at Ford Motor Company, wanted a special, unique Mustang built for himself, so the design center built him the first ’90 Limited Edition prototype. The exterior was Emerald Green, and the interior was all leather, including the seats, dash, door panels, and console. The seats were used, from an ’89 Mustang, and had the large headrests. Peterson liked the car so much that he passed it around to Ford executives to drive. Joe Laura was one of them. As Laura drove the prototype, people stopped him in the road and asked where could they get this Mustang, was it going to come out, and when. At one point, he was almost run off the road by someone trying to get a look at the car. Soon after that, Laura and the Mustang team decided the car needed to be put into production. As that time neared, some of the interior leather components were removed, with the exception of the seats, because the cost had to be affordable.

by Terry McCoy

The design center chose Emerald Green Clearcoat Metallic for the exterior. How did they pick the color? They went to shows, looked at trends and futuristic colors, met with paint companies, looked at samples, etc. The design center has a color section. Emerald Green Clearcoat Metallic was an approved color. It was added to the Mustang line for two additional years. The ’90 Limited Edition was not called a “Feature Car” during its development and production. Later, it was referred to as a “7-Up Car,” a “25th Anniversary,” and a “Feature Car.” The design center and Laura’s team were responsible for the development of the black-and-white dash, the painted side mouldings and mirrors, and using the GT turbine wheels for more of a performance look. To help ease the heat of the summer months, white was picked for the interior and convertible top. There were several discussions within Ford about calling the ’90 Limited Edition LX 5.0 a “25th Anniversary Edition.” All Mustangs produced between April 1989 and May 1990, including the Limited Edition, had the 25-year pony emblem. Next month, we’ll focus on Part 2 of the ’90 Limited Edition, including production figures, manual-versus-auto breakdown, production dates, 7-Up Bottling Company involvement along with the NCAA College Championship Playoff Contest, as well as photos of 7-Up memorabilia that pertained to the car, detailed pictures of the dealer planning and promotional guide, how the car could be ordered, and available options that could be added or deleted. Stay tuned.

Here’s an 80-mile example of a ’90 Limited Edition LX 5.0 convertible equipped with a five-speed manual transmission.

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Turbine wheels were used for that performance look.

The color-contrasting, black-and-white dash was another 7-Up–only feature.

Terry McCoy is a collector and researcher of Fox Mustangs, having owned and studied original low-mile and no-mile cars. He shares his knowledge exclusively in

Painted mirrors also contributed to the car’s unique look.

Notice the painted mouldings.

NEXT MONTH - ’90 LIMITED EDITION - PART 2

FOX Mustang Magazine.

Issue 7 FOX Mustang Magazine 15

FOX NEWS

MEET PHILIP PIETRI, NEW ART DIRECTOR

WEB WATCH There are websites you know well — vendor websites from which you order parts, enthusiast sites like www.foureyedpride.com, etc. Another excellent site that we don’t hear much discussion about is www.mustanggt.org. It hosts lots of solid source material like showroom brochures, codes, specs, production figures, as well as a GT registry. The site doesn’t cover other models — SVO, 5.0 LX, Capri, SSP — preferring instead to focus on the Fox-era GT only. Over 5,300 GTs were registered at their last update. There’s plenty of interesting stuff to keep the enthusiast busy for quite a while.

If you noticed that FOX Mustang Magazine has a bit of a different look this issue, here’s why. Philip Pietri is our new full-time art director, or A-D in magazine staff-speak. He’s a Florida native, and he’s old enough to have some experience but young enough to have contemporary ideas about design. “I bring 10 years of experience in illustration, design, and photography, and plan on using this experience to slightly modify FOX Mustang in a way that benefits you, the reader,” Philip says. “Expect cleaner layouts and visually staggering spreads that will surely increase the value of your FOX Mustang Magazine collection.” Sounds pretty good so far. He’s already taken the fluorescent bulbs out of his office and brought in a new iMac. That’s pretty good art-director credentials, isn’t it? So welcome, Philip. If you’ve got some specific feedback, he’s looking forward to hearing from you: “If there’s anything you do or do not like, feel free to let me know at philip@pattersonpublishing.com.”

EASTWOOD HOT STAPLER, ELECTRONIC PLASTIC REPAIR SYSTEM From the people who brought you the Vibratory Tumblers, Hot Coat powdercoating, and home/ shop soda blasting comes their newest system for the restorer, the Eastwood Hot Stapler. It’s a hand-held wand that operates on 110-volt household current. It has two metal bars, like a soldering wand in stereo. Staples — big sturdy ones with wavy patterns in the middle — are inserted into the tips of the metal bar. Then the wand is heated to one of three temperature

16 FOXMustangMagazine.com

settings. When the staple is hot, it starts to smoke. Holding the two parts to be joined together firmly, the hot staple is pressed into plastic, where it melts into the material. Then it cools and the sturdy staple is held in place. More than one staple may be needed. When done, the ends of the staples are clipped flush, and the repair can be sanded smooth and painted, if needed. The Hot Stapler works on plastic, urethane, vinyl, or other soft parts, and retails for $199. More info: www.eastwood.com

FOX NEWS 2.3 ’82 GT? John Canfield informs us of a little-known wrinkle in the production of ’82 GT Mustangs. According to his research, which he backs up with Ford literature, the standard engine in the ’82 GT Mustang, at least in early production, was the 2.3. The 5.0 H.O. was an available option. At some point during the ’82 production, the 5.0 H.O. replaced the 2.3 as the standard engine in the GT. From John:

In regard to the ’82 Mustang GT (and I bought one new, so I know of what I speak), there is some misinformation out there, and I hate revisionist history more than anything, so I’m offering proof of the following: The ’82 GT did not come standard with the 5.0 2V H.O. engine when production began. It did become standard later in the year, but I believe this was partially due to lack of availability of the H.O. engine. The standard engine was the 2.3-liter four-cylinder, and although I’ve never put my eyes on one [a 2.3 GT], I have seen ’82 GTs equipped with the 200-cid six as well as the 255 V-8. By the same token, I’ve also seen more than a handful of ’82 GLXs equipped with the 5.0, but never a G or a GL, although according to the scans I’ve included from the two brochures (early and late ’82), they could be purchased as such. I hope you’ll find this of interest and pass it along to those enthusiasts who find such information of value. I’ve not been able to dig up the issue of from back then which shows a GT with the SS decklid logos, but I haven’t given up on finding it either. John D. Canfield Mach 1 Registry Mustang enthusiast since age 4

So how about it, FOX Mustang Magazine readers. We’ve got the factory documentation. We’ve got eyewitness sightings. Now who has a non-5.0 ’82 GT with a factory-installed 2.3, inline six, or 255 V-8?

FOX 5.0 AS ART We all know our Fox Mustangs are works of art. Now the art world is catching on, too. Jim Gerdom at the Design Factory has expanded his portfolio to include this potent pair of 5.0 Foxes. The ’93 SVT Cobra (#DF-3518) is designer/ artist Gerdom’s latest Limited Edition art print and is now available in the 9x18-inch size, in a signed and numbered Limited Edition of 250 prints for $40 each. This image will also be available soon in Gerdom’s traditional 12x24-inch print size. The ’92 LX 5.0 coupe in Wild Strawberry (#DF1019) is another signed and numbered limited edition Fox-body print, available in 12x24-inch for $40 each. One thousand of these prints were produced. Shipping is a flat $5 for any order. More information: DesignFactoryArt.com

Issue 7 FOX Mustang Magazine 17

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Issue 7 FOX Mustang Magazine 19

SHOW COVERAGE & EVENTS

GOLDEN GATE MUSTANG NATIONAL story and photography by Nelson Cardadeiro

EVENTS

ustangers headed west to Concord, California, in search of gold and found it by way of an awesome Mustang Club of America National show. On the weekend of June 21-24, the Diablo Valley Mustang Association (DVMA) and the Concord Lions Club held the Golden Gate Mustang Nationals at the Buchanan Field Airport. The 203 Mustangs from all generations converged on the airport grounds located right behind the host hotel, the Crowne Plaza Hotel and Resort. For early arrivers, Thursday featured a car display and Farmers Market at Todos Santos Plaza in downtown Concord. Fine restaurants surround the plaza, and music by the 80’z All Stars sent you back to the Fox-body era. Later that evening in the hotel ballroom, DVMA arranged a screening of the ultimate Mustang chase movie, Bullitt.

4.13 POLK CITY, FL MUSTANGS AND MUSTANGS Terry Blakely; 863.875.1961 www.imperialmustangclub.org

4.21 FRONT ROYAL, VA ALL-FORD CAR & TRUCK SHOW Tommy Dyke; 540.533.6665 (after 5 p.m.)

5.4 ANTIOCH, CA SHOW ‘N’ SHINE CAR SHOW Trudy; 925.383.9579 www.dvma.org

5.18 SUISUN CITY, CA BIGGEST LITTLE CAR SHOW Tim Leathers; 530.867.4925 www.goldenhillsmustangclub.com

4.19-4.21 BEAUMONT, TX MCA NATIONAL SHOW www.poniesinthepark.com

4.28 BUTLER, NJ BLUE OVAL OVER BUTLER Mike; 201.933.6915 www.gsrmc.org

5.4 EVANS, GA PONIES IN THE PARK II Don Blackstock; 706.825.1674 www.csramc.org

5.18 SAINT AUGUSTINE, FL MUSTANG & FORD SHOW Jim Rutz; 904.940.5704 www.jmcmustang.net

5.4 Woodland Hills, CA Mustang and Ford Show David Ptashne; 818.340.5659 mustangownersofca.org

5.11 HUNTSVILLE, AL MUSTANG AND ALL-FORD POWERED CAR SHOW Ralph Bischof; 256.417.1116 www.rocketcitymustang.com

5.19 CUDAHY, WI ALL-FORD SHOW & SWAP Tom Miller; 414.764.6726 www.wemustangers.com5

4.20 BESSEMER, AL “BIG SHOW 13” MUSTANG & FORD SHOW www.magiccitymustangs.com

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∆ We never found the owner of this detailed-to-the-max ’86-SVO-turned-’93-Cobra, but the info card states it has a 302 Dart Block stroked to 363 ci putting out over 450 hp.

On Friday, the show field began to fill with beautiful Mustangs. The DVMA had a well-attended Pony Trail drive across the iconic Golden Gate Bridge and on the streets of San Francisco, past Fisherman’s Wharf and Chinatown. For Friday evening’s Meet ‘n’ Greet, DVMA brought a taste of the Napa Valley. Two wineries came to pour wines for a true wine-tasting experience. One was the Andretti Winery (yes, Mario Andretti’s own winery), while the other was the Toolbox Wine Company. Napa Valley Ford gave out complimentary wine glasses. It was a wonderful experience, and the courtyard of the Crowne Plaza is remarkable with its lush foliage and running brook stocked with Koi. Saturday was show day. Picturesque California mountains created a beautiful backdrop, but the cars stole the show. A third of the Mustangs were represented with Indy Pace Cars, SVOs, Cobras, GTs, and even a McLaren. Everything from bone-stock, low-mileage originals to the fully modified were on hand for the Fox-body nation. Back at the hotel ballroom that evening was a buffet dinner and dancing with a live band. After a long day on the show field and hours of detailing, a relaxing evening with good food and friends is exactly what the doctor ordered. With judging completed, Sunday was more relaxed. Many of the participants took their cars to the Auto Focus Graphics tent to be photographed. With a black canvas background, the results were stunning and many purchased the poster-size print on-site. By early afternoon the awards were presented in the hotel ballroom. “You hit a homerun,” MCA President Steve Prewitt told the DVMA club. MCA is trying to have more shows out west, but clubs must apply first. Here’s hoping that DVMA has another show soon.

∆ This 22,000-mile, one-owner ’89 GT convertible is owned by Nelson and Sheri Cardadeiro [Ever heard of them?-Ed.] and still wears its original set of Goodyear Gatorbacks. It was also displayed with its original battery and Ed Chovanes Ford dealer plates.

∆ Olivia and Kevin Kymer purchased this early ’88 ASC McLaren just four weeks prior to the show. It has early-style mirrors and just 20,000 miles. It won a Gold in the Unrestored class.

Issue 7 FOX Mustang Magazine 21

SHOW COVERAGE & EVENTS

∆ Mountlake Terrace, Washington, resident Alan Warberg made the trip in his ’92 feature car. Alan purchased it new from Bill Pierre Ford in Lake City, Washington, and it currently has 29,000 miles. It has been in print before as its spoiler and convertible top are used in the National Parts Depot catalog.

∆ If this car looks familiar, you would be correct, as this is Clint Garrity’s ’86 GT that graced our Issue #4 cover. The Laser Red hatchback was making its MCA debut and took home a First Place in the Modified Excluding Undercarriage class.

∆ Only 420 Electric Red ’93 GT convertibles were built. With just 66,000 miles, Robert Ogden drove off with a Gold in Concours Driven.

∆ Dianna Sanford’s ’87 GT hatchback is her daily driver. She makes good use of the 5.0’s power going up San Francisco’s steep grades.

∆ We came across Tellec Porfirio’s ’89 GT convertible a couple of months back at a local show in Antioch. Its Candy Orange paint, replica 17-inch Saleen rims, Saleen rear wing, and Cervini’s 4-inch cowl hood leave a vivid impression.

∆ Jane Crowden fell in love with the ’79 Indy Pace Cars when she first saw one in Nashville at the Mustang 40th Anniversary celebration. After nearly two years of searching, she came up with this 1,095-mile example. It’s a seven-time Gold winner in the Unrestored division.

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∆ Mustangs Plus brought “Project Reclaim” to the show for the spectators to enjoy. This once six-cylinder ’66 fastback was purchased by Mustangs Plus back in 1986 for $50 and sat in their wrecking yard for over 20 years before being turned into this show stopper.

∆ The Mustang Club of America booth was strategically placed in the center of the show, selling apparel and signing up new members.

∆ Jon Schultz’s Stang Stuff booth was busy all weekend with a huge selection of Mustang apparel.

∆ This was the only ’93 Cobra at the show, but it was an excellent example with just less than 12,000 miles. The red hatchback is owned by Mark and Pam Vasquez, and captured a Gold in the Unrestored class.

∆ This is the type of golf cart that should be mandatory on all the courses in the United States.

Issue 7 FOX Mustang Magazine 23

SHOW COVERAGE & EVENTS

∆ This Calypso Green ’93 notch owned by Lee Martinez pumps 490 hp to the wheels with the addition of a B&G custom turbo kit.

∆ Now for a little self promotion. Danielle Smith held down the fort at the Mustang Magazine/Fox Mustang Magazine booth.

∆ Our Issue #2 cover car owned by Keith Suzuki was on display. It jetted off with a Silver award in Concours Driven.

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∆ Recarbco Carburetors of Pittsburgh, California, brought out some of their Ford carburetors for the Mustang enthusiasts to check out. They claim to be the largest OEM-type remanufacturer of their kind west of the Mississippi.

∆ Security head Dean Cofer cruised around the show field in his Mustang Jr. He even has his MCA decal in the proper location.

Issue 7 FOX Mustang Magazine 25

TRAVEL

MUSTANG

NATION

GREAT PLAINS EDITION

Welcome to FOX Mustang Magazine’s regional directory of the Mustang world, which includes parts vendors, restoration and mechanical shops, shows and events, great diners and restaurants, roadside attractions, races, drive-ins, and just plain old neat things.

ANNUAL EVENTS 1

ALL FORD AND MUSTANG SHOW

MID AMERICA SHELBY NATIONALS

Wichita, KS June

STURGIS MUSTANG RALLY

ANNUAL ROUND-UP

COOL AUTUMN NIGHTS CAR SHOW

Tulsa, OK June

MUSTANG AND FORD SHOW Olathe, KS June

MUSTANG, COBRA AND FORD POWERED CAR SHOW AND SWAP Kansas City, KS June

OKLAHOMA CHISHOLM TRAIL MUSTANG

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MUSTANG & ALL FORD SHOW

Columbus, NE AugusT

Jenks, OK October

Norman, OK October

AGATE FOSSIL BEDS NATIONAL MONUMENT Harrison, NE (308) 668-2211

Lincoln, NE July

ALL FORD AND MUSTANG SHOW

Sturgis, SD September

ATTRACTIONS

Mustang, OK June

MUSTANG CAR SHOW Omaha, NE September

BEAR COUNTRY USA Rapid City, SD (605) 343-2290

BIG ROUND BARN Arcadia, OK (405) 396-0824

NORTH DAKOTA

41 51

SOUTH DAKOTA 9 15

BLACK HILLS WILD HORSE SANCTUARY

Hot Springs, SD (800) 252-6652

12 16

CARHENGE Alliance, NE www.carhenge.com

CHEROKEE HERITAGE CENTER

NEBRASKA

Park Hill, OK (888) 999-6007

46 6

CRAZY HORSE MEMORIAL

Crazy Horse, SD (605) 673-4681

ENCHANTED HIGHWAY Regent, ND (701) 563-6400

43 48 29 30 37 8 39

45 4 27 3 50 31

KANSAS 1

FORT ABRAHAM LINCOLN STATE PARK

Mandan, ND (701) 667-6340

FRONTIER VILLAGE Jamestown, ND (800) 222-4766

38 33 26

47 40 25 24 14

OKLAHOMA

5 11 36

49 2 10

<<< FROM TOP TO BOTTOM BIG ROUND BARN, Arcadia, OK CARHENGE, Alliance, NE FRONTIER VILLAGE, Jamestown, ND WORLD’S LARGEST BALL OF TWINE, Cawker City, KS

GOLDEN SPIKE TOWER AND UNION PACIFIC’S BAILEY RAILROAD YARD North Platte, NE (308) 532-9920

MOUNT RUSHMORE NATIONAL MEMORIAL Keystone, SD (605) 574-2523

NATIONAL COWBOY AND WESTERN HERITAGE MUSEUM Oklahoma City, OK (405) 478-2250

BIG MAMA’S

BBQ SHACK

CAFÉ ON THE ROUTE

Omaha, NE (402) 558-5010

Omaha, NE (402) 455-6262

Paola, KS (913) 294-5908

Baxter Springs, KS (620) 856-5646

CATTLEMEN’S STEAKHOUSE Oklahoma City, OK (405) 236-0416

CLANTON’S CAFÉ Vinita, OK (918) 256-9053

SADLERS INDOOR RACING Olathe, KS (913) 768-7700

WORLD’S LARGEST BALL OF TWINE Cawker City, KS (785) 781-4713

28 FOXMustangMagazine.com

AMATO’S

OKLAHOMA ROUTE 66 MUSEUM Clinton, OK (580) 323-7866‎

OKLAHOMA CITY NATIONAL MEMORIAL Oklahoma City, OK (888) 542-4673

RESTAURANTS

COZY INN HAMBURGERS Salina, KS (785) 825-2699

MUSTANG

NATION

GREAT PLAINS EDITION

THE DINER

DIXIE QUICKS

Norman, OK (405) 329-6642

Omaha, NE (402) 346-3549

CLASSIC RECREATIONS

MIKE’S CLASSIC CARS

MUSTANG ONE

MUSTANGS & MORE

ALL CLASSIC MUSTANGS Velva, ND (701) 338-3673

MUSTANG PARTS STORE

NODAK KLASSICS

PROCHARGER

Omaha, NE (402) 734-2342

Minot, ND (701) 852-1614

NZ CUSTOMS Fargo, ND (701) 364-3881

MUSTANG PARTS 42

Sapulpa, OK (918) 227-0678

Merriam, KS (913) 384-0202

RANDY’S UNIVERSITY DINER Fargo, ND (701) 280-0414

Yukon, OK (877) 235-3266

Blair, NE (402) 533-4667

JOHNNIE’S GRILL El Reno, OK (405) 262-4721

Licoln, NE (800) 979-0122

JOE TESS’ PLACE Omaha, NE (402) 733-4638

SPEEDWAY MOTORS

MUSTANG RESTORATION SHOPS

EARL’S RIB PALACE Oklahoma City, OK (405) 843-9922

PETERSON BODY AND PAINT West Point, NE (402) 372-3390

TELSTAR MUSTANG-SHELBY-COBRA RESTORATIONS & MUSEUM Mitchell, SD (605) 996-6550

Lenexa, KS (919) 338-2886

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Issue 7 FOX Mustang Magazine 31

NEW PARTS

PRODUCT SHOWCASE EXTERIOR RESTO KIT Latemodel Restoration introduces this new 50Resto exterior resto kit for ’87-’93 Mustangs. The kit offers outer body and light components, outer door belt mouldings, headlight kit, antenna, and more. Latemodel Restoration www.latemodelrestoration.com (866) 507-3786

BILLET-ALUMINUM CROSSMEMBER

HYDRAULIC ROLLER LIFTERS

This new racing billet-aluminum crossmember from Summit Racing is for ’79-’93 Mustangs. It has a double hump design to accommodate most aftermarket dual-exhaust kits, and it bolts to the factory mounts for easy installation.

These hydraulic roller lifters from Lunati are available for retro-fit and factory-equipped Ford V-8 engines. Equipped with integral link bars that allow drop-in installation, they are designed for a maximum of 6200-6500 rpm.

Summit Racing www.summitracing.com (800) 230-3030

Lunati www.lunatipower.com (662) 892-1500

OPTIMA BATTERY BOX O’Brien Truckers has just acquired tooling for the Optima aluminum battery box, formerly produced by Bitchin Products. It features a finned top and smooth, soft lines, and is designed for use with the Optima side-post battery. O’Brien Truckers www.obrientruckers.com (508) 248-1555

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KEEPING

YOUR COOL Basic cooling-system maintenance is often overlooked, but it should be a top priority for your Fox story and photography by Huw Evans

lder cars need a bit more TLC, and Fox Mustangs are no exception. Regular maintenance can keep them looking and running in top form. In older cooling systems, lime scale, rust, and dirt build up and deposit in the engine’s coolant passages. This, along with deteriorating belts and hoses, can result in the engine running too hot and losing power, or even leaving you stranded on the side of the road with a seized motor. The youngest Fox Mustangs are now 20 years old, and many have been modified, which means they’re often ripe for a good cooling-

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system service. By performing regular maintenance such as periodic flushes and replacing hoses and belts, you’ll keep your cooling system in good working order and enjoy many years and miles of happy motoring. Even better, it’s a job that doesn’t cost much, and with the right set of tools can easily be accomplished over the course of a weekend. Follow along with us as we perform a regular coolant flush and service that’s typically required on the average, street-driven Fox. Special thanks to Joe DaSilva and Geoﬀ Vassell for their assistance.

1 Our subject vehicle is a stock and largely original ’86 GT with less than 100,000 miles. It’s been a while since the cooling system was inspected and serviced. Considering the age of this car and that 5.0s tend to run hot, it’s the perfect opportunity to tackle this project. With the help of technician Geoff Vassell at DaSilva Racing, we got to work.

3 As rubber ages it becomes less flexible, breaking down and eventually cracking. Look for signs of swelling at the ends of each hose. If you see this and the hose feels soft when you squeeze it, it has likely collapsed internally and needs to be replaced. Even if the hoses are still in reasonably good shape, it’s cheap insurance to replace them.

2 Before you start, it’s a good idea to take stock of what needs to be replaced. Inspect the upper and lower radiator hoses, as well as the thermostat bypass hose and the heater hoses that run from the back of the block to the heater core. It’s not uncommon to find the heater core has been bypassed, almost always because of internal corrosion circulating in the coolant. This is an indicator that other aspects of the car have been neglected, too.

4 V-8 and V-6 engines have a single serpentine belt. Small cracks running parallel to the ribs on the inside are normal wear. If there’s anything more, or if there’s damage to the outside, the belt needs to be replaced. If you’ve owned the car for 10 years and haven’t changed the belt, it’s due, even if the Mustang hasn’t been driven much. Four-cylinder cars, including turbos, use conventional fan belts, though the same rules of thumb for inspection apply.

Our cooling system appeared to be in good working order, though the antifreeze was several years old. Over time, antifreeze loses its boiling properties and corrosion inhibitors. For the typical 50/50 water/ethylene glycol mix, it’s a good idea to flush and refill at least every three to four years to prevent internal corrosion and lime-scale buildup. Some owners in hotter climates, or drag racers, run a 70/30 mix or even pure water topped with an additive like Redline’s Water Wetter. If you run water and live in a cold climate, remember that frozen coolant can crack the block or heads.

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Antifreeze can be messy and fatal to pets who like the smell and taste, so catch the old coolant in a pan, and clean up spills quickly. On Fox Mustangs, once you’ve pulled out the drain plug on the radiator support (lower right side), the coolant tends to spray out — just so you know.

We’re replacing the upper and lower radiator hoses along with the bypass hose on the water pump. The heater core and heater hoses were replaced recently, so they won’t be part of this job.

If you’re removing the old hoses from an ’86-and-up 5.0, loosen the radiator overflow tank for better access to the lower hose’s radiator connection.

Judging by the original part numbers, our old hoses appear to be 26-year-old originals, well overdue for replacement. Concours restorers, here are the markings to re-create.

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Always use new clamps. Heat in the engine bay can cause metal to fatigue, and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve witnessed more than a few cases where clamps have actually snapped when we tried to remove them.

Since the car will remain stock, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re using OEM hoses. The blue silicone hoses, originally installed on Special Service Package Mustangs, are an option. They last much longer than OEM rubber and are available through Ford Racing Performance Parts and other specialty vendors, such as Latemodel Restoration and Performance Parts Inc.

Watch for corrosion on aluminum parts, where the hoses attach, such as the thermostat housing and the ends of the water pump. Oxidation can eventually cause them to become porous and fail, so freshen the surface with sandpaper or abrasive cloth. Cover the openings to keep out debris. This is a great time to replace the thermostat. A stock 192-degree unit (see Thermostats sidebar) is generally the best choice unless you live in a really hot climate.

Before refilling the cooling system, make sure all of the bolts and brackets are nice and tight to prevent leaks. Then you can use a garden hose to force water through the system, flushing out the remaining debris and old antifreeze. Run the engine up to operating temperature and continue the flush until the liquid coming out through the bottom of the radiator is clear, with no more old coolant or solids.

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Once you’ve flushed the cooling system, shut off the engine and fill the radiator with fresh antifreeze. To prevent spills, use a cap with provision for a funnel.

A 50/50 mix of the antifreeze and distilled water (minimizes buildup of minerals and solids) is generally the recommended ratio for just about all climates. An ’86-’93 5.0-liter V-8 holds a total of 14.1 quarts in the cooling system, so you’ll need to measure 7.05 quarts each for water and antifreeze. Alternatively, you can use ready-mixed 50/50 coolant, like this from NAPA. Always use an antifreeze that’s designed to meet the original OE vehicle standard.

Start the car. Run the engine for 20 minutes or until it reaches operating temperature and the thermostat is fully open. Turn on the heater to allow the antifreeze to circulate through the entire cooling system, including the heater core.

Using an air tube, install one end into the funnel at the top of the radiator and the other into a catch can or drum beneath the car. As the engine warms up, the coolant will start to flow out of the top of the radiator and through the tube, indicating that it’s circulating through the system. Keep doing this until no more air bubbles are visible. Once the bubbles are gone, you can shut off the engine. When the engine is cold, top up the radiator to the top and the overflow tank to the “full cold” level.

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COMMON FOX COOLING ISSUES AND UPGRADES FANS Fox Mustangs came with either mechanically operated clutch fans or electric units on fourcylinder and turbo cars. Mechanical fans are fairly reliable, but they’re driven off the water pump which costs some horsepower. They also use a declutching mechanism that allows the fan to freewheel when the heat load is light. At lower temperatures, the fan has a higher slippage rate and turns slower. At higher temperatures the fan slips less and turns faster. Over time, the clutch drive tends to wear out, allowing the fan to freewheel all the time. This can lead to overheating, particularly at idle. To test if it’s worn: • With the engine off, grab a blade by the tip and wiggle fore and aft, checking for play at the center shaft. There should be none. • With the engine cool, idle the engine and push a rolled up newspaper against the hub — not the blades. You should be able to stop the fan when the engine is cool but not once it’s fully warmed up. • Listen for the fan to engage and make more noise as the heat load increases past the threshold. It should also disengage and get quieter as the engine cools past that same threshold. If the fan clutch fails any of these tests, replace it. Fox Mustangs used three different types of clutch fans: • flex blade, ’79-’81 • seven steel blades, ’82-’85 • nine-blade plastic fan phased in during ’85 model year. The plastic fan is generally very reliable, but check at the base of the blades where they attach to the hub, where they can develop fatigue cracks. Replacement fans are widely available through vendors like Latemodel Restoration and even when combined with a replacement clutch assembly, shouldn’t run you more than $120. Note: The ’79-’93 Mustang water pump spins in reverse rotation, so the fan/clutch must be directional, too. The ’78-and-older Mustang V-8s and engines use conventional belts that rotate in the normal direction. Electric fans are popular for the sake of efficiency and space, and were used on ’94-and-later Mustangs. They’re a good retrofit on Fox cars, especially high-powered street-strip or road race cars which require maximum cooling for short bursts and minimal parasitic loss of power. If you’re planning on installing an electric fan, it’s a good idea to incorporate an override manual on/off switch. Also, use a relay rated for the circuit, to deliver the required current. On most mild street Fox Mustangs, unless the car originally came with one, electric fans are probably overkill.

UNDERDRIVE PULLEYS Many 5.0-liter Fox cars were fitted with underdrive pulleys as an inexpensive way to reduce parasitic loss, freeing up horsepower and thus increasing horsepower to the rear wheels. The downside is that the pulleys turn the water pump more slowly, reducing the coolant flow through the engine. Some owners have reported cooling problems as a result. Was this because their cooling systems had other problems? Installing an electric fan (or two small fans) may help.

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WATER PUMPS On V-8 cars with the serpentine belt, an aluminum reverse-rotation water pump was installed at the factory. In 1985, a revised water pump with a larger impeller was phased in to improve coolant circulation. A year later, a redesigned pump with a smaller, more efficient impeller and new housing, replaced it. This design lasted through the end of production in 1993. Four-cylinder and V-6 Fox Mustangs each have a different design of water pump and are not interchangeable with each other or V-8 cars. Water pumps aren’t usually problematic on Foxes, though if the Mustang has been sitting for extended periods or the coolant not regularly flushed, they can start to weep, from corrosion or seals drying up. Studs can also break off when trying to replace the pump, so it’s a good idea to use some WD40 and a bit of finesse when removing the old pump. A number of aftermarket vendors offer replacement water pumps for all Fox Mustang engines, though the 5.0 cars have by far the widest selection. Popular vendors include Ford Racing Performance Parts, Edelbrock, FlowKooler, and Tuff Stuff Performance. Many are high-flow designs, boosting circulation especially at lower rpm. They’re great for modified engines and a key part of an upgraded cooling system, though a stock replacement pump is more than adequate for most street cars.

RADIATORS AND CAPS Over time, the radiator, a copper/brass two-core unit, can become clogged, and the cooling fins can become damaged from road debris or corrosion, eventually breaking off. Particularly on Rust Belt cars, the bottom of the radiator cradle can rot severely, and in extreme cases the lower part of the radiator can actually corrode away. Replacing the radiator is straightforward and replacement copper/brass units are cheap. If you’re running a powerful modified engine, particularly one with a supercharger or a turbo, consider upgrading the radiator. Three-core copper/ brass units are available, but a lighter aluminum radiator is a better choice. Their larger cooling tubes promote better heat transfer, and aluminum radiators are welded, not soldered. A narrower two-core aluminum unit is a better heat exchanger than a thicker three-core copper/brass unit. The downside is that aluminum radiators are significantly more expensive. Popular vendors for aluminum replacement radiators include, BeCool, Fluidyne, and Mishimoto. The Fox Mustang uses a pressurized cooling system. Coolant expands as it’s heated, with the excess expanding through the spring-loaded radiator cap into a coolant recovery tank. This “burps” the system, removing air bubbles (which make hot spots) and helps keep the coolant’s boiling point high. As the engine cools, excess coolant is drawn back into the radiator. If the radiator cap can no longer maintain pressure, the boiling point is lowered, making the engine more prone to overheating. A working radiator cap is essential to a healthy cooling system. Pressure-tester tools are widely available through most auto parts stores and usually feature a variety of different adapters for most radiator caps. Attach the cap to the tester and adapter. Pressurize it, and if the pressure holds just below the cap’s relief pressure setting, the cap is working and maintaining pressure. If it drops off, the cap should be replaced.

FLOW RESTRICTIONS Other potential issues on the Fox Mustang’s cooling system concern the location of the upper radiator hose, which, due to its high mounted location, can cause vapor pockets to form which in turn affect coolant circulation. And especially on the likes of ’87-’93 GTs equipped with air conditioning, a smaller frontal grille area and the mounting of a condenser in front of the radiator impedes flow to the latter. If you have one of these cars or are thinking of buying one, pay particular attention to the condition of the cooling system components. Although this might seem like a lot of things to go wrong, Fox Mustangs in general are very reliable cars, and as long as its related components are properly inspected, maintained, and replaced as required, you shouldn’t likely have any issues with the cooling system.

“FREEZE” PLUGS These discs fill the holes left through which the casting sand was removed when the block was cast. For what it’s worth, they are actually sand core plugs. Because they are usually the first thing to give when the coolant freezes, they’ve become know as “freeze” plugs, and people mistakenly think they’re a safety valve for frozen coolant. These steel plugs are usually hard to access and can become an aggravating problem if they rust out and begin leaking. When replacing core plugs, the easiest way to remove the old ones is by using a punch and a hammer. Place the punch on the outside edge of the plug and tap it. Usually, one side of the plug will turn inward to the block; you can then pull it out using pliers. Even if it falls into the block it won’t go far, so retrieving it won’t be an issue. When installing new core plugs, it’s a good idea to use replacements made from nonferrous metals such as brass (often used on marine engines), which won’t corrode, or at least paint the exposed surface with rustproof paint. Clean the sealing surface on the block with sandpaper and lacquer thinner — any dirt or debris can prevent a proper seal. Use a nondrying gasket sealer on the sealing surfaces. Brass is softer than steel, so drive them straight in with a wooden dowel — don’t hammer on them directly.

THERMOSTATS A common hop-up used to be running a 160- or 180-degree thermostat, cooler than the factory 192-degree thermostat, to fool the EEC-IV computer into thinking the engine was still cold. This would signal the injectors to add more fuel, enrichening the air/fuel mixture. The downside of this is that there are more accurate ways to map fuel curves, and too much fuel can wash down the cylinder walls, accelerating wear, fouling the plugs, increasing fuel consumption, and creating poor throttle response and other driveability problems. Besides, for maximum efficiency, you want the intake charge cool, but the block hot. While a cooler thermostat can work on highly modified cars that generate lots of heat, on your average street car, they cause more problems than they solve, so sticking with a stock 192-degree unit is best to ensure adequate antifreeze circulation through the radiator and jacket passages, as well as an optimal air/fuel ratio.

SOURCES 42 FOXMustangMagazine.com

DaSILVA RACING 960 Brock Rd. Pickering, ON L1W 2A1 Canada (905) 837-7700 www.mustangtoystore.com

LATEMODEL RESTORATION 400 Jan Dr. Hewitt, TX 76643 (866) 507-3786 www.latemodelrestoration.com

PERFORMANCE PARTS INC. 13120 Lazy Glen Ct. Oak Hill, VA 20171 (703) 742-6207 www.performancepartsinc.com

Issue 7 FOX Mustang Magazine 43

KEEPER

CONVERT’ Ron D’Agostino’s low-mile ’85 GT story and photography by Tom Shaw

o true Mustang enthusiasts, it looked like a dark cloud was approaching as the ’85 model year turned the corner and headed down the home stretch. It was widely known that the ’85 would be Mustang’s last carbureted V-8. Beginning with the ’86s, all 5.0 GTs and LXs would have fuel injection, for better or worse. Many feared that performance henceforth would be held captive behind a veil of impenetrable technology. Fortunately, that low ceiling of high performance never arrived, but the concern — or was it that year’s 35hp bump for the 5.0 H.O. that year? — caused a bump in sales of around 15,000 units. Either way, 1985 was a good year for Mustang. Styling was strong; its reputation was growing; and horsepower was up sharply. With the future uncertain and a good thing at hand, many interested lookers decided to go ahead and make 1985 the year to do the deal.

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Ron D’Agostino, better known as Vic, decided the time was right to buy a new Mustang. It was January, and what better way to ring in the new year than with a new Mustang GT convertible? Vic popped into Bob Bell Ford in Glen Burnie, Maryland (Baltimore area), sat down with a salesman, and special ordered a Medium Canyon Red Metallic GT convertible and a few choice extras: • seats, leather articulated Sport • air conditioning, manual • AM/FM stereo/cassette • windows, power side • premium sound system • Light/Convenience Group

$ 415 $ 762 $ 300 $ 282 $ 138 $ 55

He decided against cruise control because he didn’t like that big, two-spoke steering wheel that it required. The weeks came and went with no Mustang. March, April, still no Mustang. Finally in May, Vic got a call to come and pick up his car. Turns out there had been a hold on five-speeds due to some production problem. But spring in the nation’s capital from the

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seat of a new Mustang was surely a blast. While Vic’s young son Ron was deep into hot-rodding his ’84, Vic was treating the new ’85 with the utmost of care. It wasn’t driven in bad weather. It stayed in a garage and only came out occasionally for a few recreational miles. In the back of his mind, Vic remembered a very nice Jade Green ’69 Mach 1 351W that his wife, Vicky, drove. It was her daily driver, but she didn’t like that it didn’t have air conditioning, so in 1976 it was sold and replaced with a new, air-conditioned Cougar. But Vic missed that Mach 1. He kept his eyes open for a replacement but never found just the right car. So the ’85 became that replacement and received the benefit of the generous TLC Vic could no longer lavish on the ’69. The car was relocated to their vacation home in Florida, but after a couple of close calls with tourists, he brought it back to Maryland where it enjoyed the best of care. Ron, Vic’s son, became the owner of the still-pristine Mustang 13 years ago. “My dad passed away in 1999,” Ron says. “I’ve been storing the car, and it has not been tagged since then.”

The Mustang spent the last 15 years tucked away indoors, safe from UV rays, fleeing felons, gravel haulers, texting teenagers, tipsy barflies, and the like. In 2006 Ron decided it was time to reintroduce the Mustang to the world. “I dug it out of the garage and took it to Maple Grove Raceway to show it at the Ford Nationals,” he says. “The car ended up winning Best in Class. However, there didn’t seem to be a big interest in stock Fox-bodies at the time.” That was changing, too. Momentum for that generation of Mustang was on the increase.

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Ron learned of the upcoming FOX Mustang Magazine, and soon after, he found another Fox Mustang lifeline. “Sometime over last winter,” Ron recalls, “I found the website www.foureyepride.com and was delighted to see there was a following of old Fox-bodies.” Terry McCoy, prominent Fox researcher, historian, and all-around cheerleader, contacted Ron through the website and got him revved up about his car all over again. The fuel pump had expired, and the battery, of course, needed replacement, but other than a few common service items, Ron’s Mustang

remains in amazing, time-capsule condition. Kevin Marti tells us that while the everpopular red convertibles with manual transmissions were built in fairly low volume on early Mustangs, we learned that we liked that option package and ordered red convertibles with standard transmissions in higher numbers on Fox Mustangs. So they may not be quite as much of a rarity as on the ’60s Mustangs. But a low-mile cream puff like this one with only 8,748 on the dial at our photo shoot, loaded with a file full of paperwork? That’s something special any day of the week.

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1985 Mustang GT Convertible Owner: Ron Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Agostino Forest Hill, Maryland photography by Tom Shaw

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Re-carpet your Fox’s floors with a socket set and a sharp knife story and photography by Barry Kluczyk

orn-out, stained carpeting is one of the most unsightly details of most used Fox-body Mustangs. This is especially true of the gray interiors that comprise the seeming majority of these cars. A combination of grungy seats, worn pedal covers, and even those confounding ashtray doors on ’87-’93 Mustangs all contribute to an interior environment that cries “yuck,” no matter how often you vacuum the carpet. Such is the case with our ’86 GT convertible. With more than a quarter-century of service under its 10-hole wheels, the car’s interior was as scruffy as a three-day beard. Luckily, beneath the stains there were no other problems. The dashpad wasn’t cracked, the original radio still was in place, and the general condition of the interior was sound. It was just dirty looking. With this hands-on story, we’ll outline the basics in carpet 52 FOXMustangMagazine.com

replacement. It’s a project that even relatively inexperienced enthusiasts can perform and expect excellent results. For our ’86’s gray carpet, we went to Year One. Their Next Generation late-model Mustang catalog is crammed full of restoration supplies for Fox cars. The carpet we chose is manufactured by Auto Custom Carpet. We also selected a set of matching floor mats from Year One’s catalog, as well as some custom pedals to give the interior a little flash. We are very pleased with the results (the photos simply don’t convey how bad the stained, ratty, original carpet looked in the car). Believe us, this is a project you can do in your garage or driveway that will create a dramatic, visual improvement to your Mustang. Although the carpet swap is time-consuming, it requires little more than a socket set to remove the seats and console, and a knife to trim the carpeting.

Our well-traveled ’86 GT convertible is a real driver, with more than 120,000 miles on the clock. Its original upholstery and carpet looked as bad as you’d expect from a 26-year-old car.

Though not ripped or inordinately frayed, an up-close look at the GT’s carpet nevertheless shows the ground-in discoloration of almost two decades of use. We suspect a previous driver was a heavy smoker, too, which caused some discoloration.

Overcautious? Not a bit. Since both of the car’s doors will be open for an entire day during the carpet swap, disconnecting the battery will save it from running down due to the interior courtesy light.

We start by unbolting the front seats, which is easier said than done in this old Rust-Belt car. The rear bolts are more than stubborn, requiring several liberal shots of penetrating oil and a few choice curse words before all of \the bolts are finally broken free.

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After a couple of hours of “persuasion” — we’re not kidding — the seats finally come out of the car. The job was made easier with the extra flexibility afforded by lowering the convertible top.

With the seats out, remove the two seat-belt anchors with a star-head socket.

Here’s the stained, discolored, and generally disgusting carpeting after the seats were removed.

Removal of the center console comes next. Unbolting it is pretty straightforward, but it’s important to remember to unplug the connections hidden under it before yanking the console out of place (this goes for both early- and latermodel Fox Mustangs).

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The ’79-’86 Mustang center console is a somewhat fragile, creaky collection of plastic parts. Care must be taken when removing it to prevent cracking.

Bonus! The spare change we found under the console helped lower our project cost by 31 cents. Check out the factory inspection label we found under there, too.

Remove the rear-seat armrests. Ours were pretty grungy. Check out the sidebar on how we cleaned them.

As stubborn as the front seat bolts were, removing our car’s rear seats proved even more frustrating. On pre’91 convertibles and notchbacks, removing the rear seat requires simultaneously pushing down and rearward on the seat cushion to release it from a pair of catches. If you’ve never done it before, it can be an exasperating chore. Years of gunk buildup kept our seat extraordinarily stuck, too.

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Once the rear seat is finally removed, the old carpet peels pretty easily off the floor. We use a shop vac to suck up two-and-a-half decades’ worth of dirt, stones, leaves, spilled drinks (which had turned to gel), and other junk from beneath the carpet.

Another find is this factory buildsheet. It was located under the carpet at the front of the passenger-side footwell. It was in bad shape, so we didn’t try too hard to unfold it, and we put it back where we found it before laying the new carpet.

We got our carpet, matching floor mats, and seat upholstery from Year One’s Next Generation Mustang catalog. The carpet is manufactured by Auto Custom Carpet and is molded to the Mustang’s floorpan design, which minimizes the need for trimming or gluing.

The detail of the new carpet is impressive, down to the correct-style heel pad integrated into the driver-side footwell section.

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DANIEL CARPENTER MUSTANG REPRODUCTIONS

Issue 7 FOX Mustang Magazine 59

The Year One–supplied Auto Custom Carpet set includes a factory-style backing, but we pulled off the backing from the original carpet (shown here) and laid it down, too, to provide an extra layer of insulation. It’s a little thicker than the repro carpet’s backing.

Before the carpet is laid in the car, it’s necessary to cut a couple of slits to clear the shifter and parking-brake handle. We’ll use the original carpet as a guide.

The carpet drops in easily and is pretty manageable for one person, although an extra set of hands reduces the effort considerably.

Although molded to the Mustang floor’s contours, it’s not a perfect drop-in fit. It takes some time to snug all of the corners down and smooth out the wrinkles that occur when the carpet is rolled up for shipping.

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With the carpet generally fitted, the slits for the shifter and parking brake must be enlarged to mirror the cut-outs in the factory carpet.

The adage “Measure twice, cut once,” applies when trimming the carpet. It’s easy to cut too far down around the parking-brake handle and shifter — unfortunately, the console doesn’t cover that much. Trimming around the top edges to expose the necessary console bolt holes is all that’s necessary.

With the carpet installed and the center console back in place, the interior looks tons better than when we started.

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CARPET-CLEANING TIP When we removed the rear-seat armrests, we were appalled by their soiled condition. The carpeted sections of them were filthy. To clean them, we compared carpet cleaners and chose a $5 can of foam cleaner from Bissell. The attached scrub brush turned out to be just the ticket for the armrests. After applying the cleaner and scrubbing it with the brush, we blotted and wiped the carpeted sections with a clean rag. We were amazed at how well, and how easily, the dirt lifted off. It took just a couple minutes with each armrest. This was $5 well spent.

The carpet sections on the door panels need some attention, too.

The attached brush moves the pile around and helps get the cleaner down deep into the carpet. This made all the difference when attacking the ground-in grime.

Here is the result after only a few minutes of scrubbing and blotting with a rag. Not too shabby, huh?

SOURCES

AUTO CUSTOM CARPET

1429 Noble St. | Anniston, AL 36202 (800) 352-8216

YEAR ONE

P.O. Box 521 | Braselton, GA 30517 (800) 932-7663 Issue 7 FOX Mustang Magazine 63

FOX BIO

’84 MERCURY CAPRI RS Mercury’s nearly extinct performance flagship by Tom Shaw | photography by Jack Moellendick

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n the beginning, Mustang’s parallel model on the Mercury side was Cougar, a step-up model built on the same basic platform, using the same (for the most part) engines and drivelines, but with a bit more content, upscale appointments, and its own exterior look. In 1970, Lincoln-Mercury began importing a German-built compact, introducing the Capri name to a new generation that probably wouldn’t remember it was used on Lincolns of the ’50s. In 1974, the Mustang got radically smaller as a redesigned subcompact, while Cougar expanded into a pony-car–styled intermediate, now matching the Torino. The Mustang/Cougar partnership was over. Through the ’70s, the auto industry struggled with changing markets, increasing government regulations, more competitive imports, and uncertain gasoline supplies. Designs were shifted in search of their core identity. By 1979, the Pinto-based Mustang was thought to have run its course, and a completely new Mustang hit the showrooms. Importing the German Capri ceased in 1977, and the name went dormant briefly. For 1979, Mustang was all-new in Ford showrooms and, as a bonus, Lincoln-Mercury dealers also had a new spinoff to sell, too. Built on the same line as the new Fox Mustang was a Mercury pony car. Cougar was having success as a larger car, so its name wasn’t available. But “Capri” was. So the new Mustang-Merc was called Capri. Though clearly a Mustang at heart, the Capri had enough of its own styling elements to establish its own identity. The vertical grille contrasted with the Mustang’s sloping grid, and the squared-off hoodscoop had its own strong look. Fenders had bulges at the wheelwells, and an arched hatch window gave Capri a distinctive shape. Beginning in 1981, Capri buyers had some very nice limited editions joining the lineup, like the striking Back Magic (black exterior with gold trim, wheels, and badging), the counterpoint White Magic of ’81-’83, and the ’83 Crimson Cat. The ’84 special edition was the Charcoal Turbo RS. It was available only as a code P79 three-door (hatchback), though sunroof and T-tops were available options. Its signature style was the Charcoal body color with silver rockers, separated by a bright orange stripe. Not as flashy as a brilliant red or orange, the Charcoal color was a

little more subdued than what product planners might have come up with for a similarly hotted-up Mustang — all in keeping with slightly older and more sophisticated Lincoln-Mercury customers’ tastes. It also made a great base color from which the red/orange graphics could “pop” off. At the heart of it all was the turbocharged 2.3-liter inline four, a tough little four-banger, highly reengineered for this job. Just like the great factory hot rods of the ’60s, the turbo 2.3 used forged pistons and rods, and an upgraded crank. At the rear of the crank, a lighter flywheel was specified to give the engine a responsive feel — something that some turbo engines had developed a bad reputation for. Valves were also upgraded with higher-grade steel to handle the extra heat of a turbocharged engine. Also to cope with the heat, an oil cooler was included, as on the Drag Pack cars from the late ’60s. An electric fan cycled on and off to cool the engine with reduced drag compared to a traditional belt-driven fan. Gaskets and seals were upgraded throughout. A Garrett AiResearch turbocharger pumped air through a manifold rising to the top of the engine, through a throttle body, then into an intake that split into four runners. While the 5.0 H.O. V-8 was still using a carburetor, the turbo 2.3 was running EEC-IV electronic fuel injection. Compression was low at 8.0:1, but on-boost, that would act higher. Up top was a handsome diecast rocker cover. A heavy-duty, 54-amp battery made sure there was extra of cranking power on hand. Rated at 145 hp, the feisty 2.3 exceeded the revered 1 hp per cubic inch rating that only the most elite engines produced, and this was in a fully warranted, production street car, not an exotic batch-built racer. Likewise, steering and suspension got a thorough rework, too. Handling Package Suspension, option code 663, was included with the Turbo RS. Inside, the Turbo RS got the best interior Merc offered, and an 8000-rpm tach was included in the deal. It was quite a talented car, though few were sold. It made Lincoln-Mercury’s list of recommended display cars for dealers to keep on hand. Sticker price was a lofty $9,812, just a few bucks shy of five figures. Sales were low, making it a scarce sight on the streets back then and even rarer today.

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FOX BIO

SPECIFICATIONS PRODUCTION ’84 Capri Turbo RS (sources vary)

320-340

DIMENSIONS Wheelbase (inches) Overall length (inches) Overall width (inches) Height, hardtop and hatchback (inches) Front track (inches) Rear track (inches) Curb weight (pounds) Base price

100.4 179.1 69.1 51.4 56.6 57.0 2,623 $9,812

Capri’s four-eye flat front was easily distinguished from Mustang’s slanted horizontal-blade grille. Marchal fog lamps, inboard of the Mustang GT’s mounting position, were part of the top-option RS Turbo package.

ENGINE Type Bore and stroke (inches) Displacement (CID/liters) Compression ratio Horsepower Torque Induction Camshaft Exhaust

inline OHV 4-cylinder 3.78 x 3.12 140/2.3 8.0:1 145 @ 4600 rpm 180 @ 3600 rpm turbocharger, electronic fuel injection single, in head single w/catalytic converters

SUSPENSION

Where the Mustang had bright 5.0 badges, the RS Turbo had its name in a bright vinyl logo.

Handling Package Front suspension Rear suspension

(code 663) modified MacPherson strut w/specific spring rate, larger stabilizer bar, plastic- lined ball joints, gas-charged shocks, specific insulators, bushings, dampeners four-link and coil spring system, stabilizer bar, gas-charged Quadra shocks Steering quicker-ratio power rack-and-pinion included w/Handling Package Brakes, front 10-inch power-assisted front discs rear 9.0-inch drums Wheels 15.3 x 14 aluminum TRX Tires P205/70VR14 Michelin BSW TRX

DRIVETRAIN Transmission manual (standard) T-5 five-speed Axle 8.8-inch Traction-Lok Ratio five-speed (standard) 3.08:1

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Aluminum TRX wheels and Michelin TRX tires with their distinctive tread pattern, were standard on the RS Turbo, along with 10-inch power front disc brakes and 9-inch rear drums.

ABOUT OUR FEATURE CAR Anwar Karim, a regular on the foureyepride.com website, bought this ’84 Capri Turbo RS new from Smithtown Motors in Smithtown, New York, in August 1984, just days after the model year began. “I looked at a 5.0 T-top Capri, but after driving my 300-pound salesman around, the turbo was faster and unique,” he says. So the deal was made for the Turbo RS. Anwar enjoyed it for several years, but after proposing in the Capri, it was sold to a friend to help pay for the wedding. It hurt to sell it, but he did it anyway. He always remembered the car fondly. In 2001, Anwar was talking about it to a friend at work who told him that it was a rarity. He still had all the paperwork, so he decided to see if it could be located. CarFax

showed that it still existed, but it didn’t say where. Anwar wrote to the state of New York DMV but never received an answer. Anwar says, “I called an officer friend of mine, and he traced it and found it. He gave me a name and the rest was up to me.” He eventually found it in Long Island, his old home turf. “I went on a road trip to New York with a trailer and brought my baby back home.” The Capri was actually in good shape. The paint was old and faded, and the rearend was blown, but it wasn’t rusty and it wasn’t crashed. “It even ran pretty good, too,” Anwar says. A full rotisserie restoration followed, and now Anwar’s Turbo RS is recognized as one of the nicest in existence.

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FOX BIO

Capriâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hood had a more prominently raised centersection, with faux vents just forward of the hoodscoop.

Twin tailpipes exiting on the driverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s side gave the appearance of dual exhaust, though all turbocharged cars have single exhaust since the turbo has a single outlet.

Dual orange stripes separated the Charcoal body from the silver lower. Visual impact was strong.

All Capri front fenders and rear quarters had the widebody bulge.

Decklid and front fenders got the RS Turbo badge. Taillights got the five-blade treatment, another Capri exclusive.

Sunroof and T-tops were available options, but all Capris were three-doors (McLaren conversions excepted).

Capri used a convex rear window, giving it its own profile, and probably slightly better wind-tunnel performance compared to its Mustang cousins.

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TRIM RESTORATION Fresh paint for the Fox Mustang’s edges, frames, and other things you’re not supposed to notice by Tom Shaw | photography by Tom Shaw and Danielle Pandeline

ven with new or reconditioned paint, faded trim can make your car look really bad, like worn-out shoes with a tuxedo. So we’re going over the trim on our Project ’93 GT convertible and bringing it up to snuff with a deep cleaning, some sanding and spot priming, and a fresh coat of paint. As with any job there are tricks of the trade and tips that come only with experience. To provide that guidance takes a job from good to great, we turn again to Orlando Mustang, where Peter Geisler takes us step-by-step through removal and reconditioning. Peter walks us around the typical “freshman

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foul-ups” that confound many inexperienced do-ityourselfers. Because the trim is rather delicate in the first place, and 20 years old to boot, some of it is better left on the car. We’ll redo the windshield frame, cowl vent, windshield-wiper arms, mirror housings, door handles, top well and trunk hinge trim, and the rear-window frames. The basics of the job are removal or masking, cleaning, scuffing, and repainting. But that’s a greatly simplified description. Here’s the nitty-gritty.

The door trim is comprised of two pieces â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a long piece and a short section at the front. To remove the long piece, remove the Philips screw. Have a container for all takeoff parts.

With the retaining screw removed, slide the piece rearward an inch or so, aligning the slots in the trim with the nylon retainers riveted to the door. Now the piece can be slid away from the door.

The short piece is held on by two threaded studs and a molded-on plastic clip at the front. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll have to remove the door panel for access to the studs and nuts.

To remove the windshield wipers, slide the pin out at the base of the wiper arm. It may move with finger effort, or it may take a tool to persuade it.

With the tab moved, the wiper arm can be pulled off. You may need to rock it back and forth.

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Next, remove the cowl. Six screws hold it in place. When you’ve removed all six, do not give it a big heave-ho. Lift it gently and you’ll see why.

There’s a nozzle for the windshield-washer fluid on top of the cowl. It’s made of plastic, which is probably getting brittle by now. Carefully, remove the hose, and then set the cowl aside. Some critter was using the cowl for his home base. Ooo, nasty.

Our wipers were auto-parts store replacements. They’ll be replaced with Trico units, OEM supplier for Ford.

The windshield frame was scratched from a previous owner’s attempt at, uh, something. Most of the trim can do with a clean, scuff, and respray. Deep gouges like this will have to be sanded and spot-primed to prevent the scratch from showing through the new paint.

That’s it for removing parts. The rest will stay on the car. Orlando Mustang’s Peter Geisler uses yellow masking tape because it’s very good — the tack is right, it doesn’t leave residue, and the price is about half that of the blue stuff. That adds up when you go through as much tape as they do.

Take your time and work the tape in under the trim if possible. If not, get it as close as you can. Do your best at masking — it’ll make a big difference in your results.

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Peter (right) and Tim Clingler mask the windshield with paper and yellow tape.

Now they “bag” the car, covering it in plastic to guard against overspray. We’re using a thin plastic specifically for this job, but do-it-yourselfers can use Visqueen or similar inexpensive barrier plastic. Peter carefully cuts openings to expose parts to be painted. The plastic is cut around the entire windshield frame, with extra care taken to mask a sharp, straight parting line.

Edges are masked with yellow tape.

MATMY #8 Fox p.indd 1

2/22/2013 1:55:57 PM

Same drill on trunk hinges…

…and top well trim.

Take your time in masking. This is a critical step, and getting it right is a must.

The goal is to get everything covered that you don’t want to be black. Once everything’s taped up, we’re ready for the next phase: cleaning and sanding/ scuffing.

Start with a good wash using dish soap. This cuts most of the general dirt and crud. Follow up with wax and grease remover. Peter uses this PPG Wax and Grease Remover, but if you can’t get the pro stuff, he also recommends the tried-and-true Bleche-Wite, formerly Westley’s, now Black Magic. A little cleaner on a lint-free cloth cuts the wax, dirt, bug guts, bird poop, silicone, etc. Clean every bit of every part to be painted. Be thorough — a missed spot can cause big problems with your new paint. Peter writes the date on the bottles. When it’s expired, it’s not used.

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Once clean, we use 3M 400-grit wet/dry paper and a gray 3M scuff pad, which is the equivalent of 400-grit paper. Start with a fresh sheet; don’t reuse paper that may just be spreading contaminants all over your clean parts.

The paint we’re using is Matthews Satin Black. The black topper is a mixer/pour spout — very handy. The paint is mixed with catalyst to begin the drying and hardening process. Again, this is aimed at professional shops.

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“It’s all in the prep,” Peter says. Each piece is sanded until smooth. You don’t need to strip it to the metal; just get it smooth so the paint can flow out and dry. Smaller surfaces are hand sanded.

Larger surfaces are sanded with an orbital sander. Use compressed air to blow everything off to be painted. Then hit it with a tack rag. Mix your paint; adjust your spray pattern. The moment of truth has arrived.

Working across the prepped trim, Peter sprays the new paint, which will make a huge improvement in appearance. We’re painting the door and boot trim, door mirrors, rear glass edges, trunk hinges, cowl, and windshield-wiper arms.

24 Peter sprays on the new coat, applying it thick enough to cover and flow out, but not so thick that it runs. This is a key judgment for a painter. New painters should practice a bit. A couple of lighter coats are better then one big coat that runs.

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26 Parts removed earlier were painted in the clean room.

27 The difference between the new trim and the old faded parts is dramatic. We used new door trim, the long rear piece, and the short front piece, provided by NPD.

SOURCES NPD FLORIDA 900 SW 38th Ave. Ocala, FL 34474 (800) 874-7595

ORLANDO MUSTANG 2475 Reed Ellis Rd. Osteen, FL 32764 (407) 688-1966

Out of the paint booth and showing off its new makeover is our Project ’93. Looking better…

COMING SOON

Wheel repaint and convertible top restoration

Issue 7 FOX Mustang Magazine 77

BLACK, AYE DON AND SUE NUNES LIKE THEIR MUSTANGS, INCLUDING THIS ’91 GT HATCHBACK, ON THE DARK SIDE story and photography by Nelson Cardadeiro

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enry Ford wrote in his 1922 autobiography My Life and Work that, “Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants so long as it is black.” He was likely joking when he made the remark. Fact is, Model Ts were offered in a choice of colors from 1908 to 1914. However, the statement was true when Ford’s book was published and until 1926 when additional colors were added once again. Don and Sue Nunes of Tracy, California, wouldn’t mind if Ford was still painting all of its cars black. They currently have three Mustangs in their stable and all are, of course, black. In the past, they owned Mustangs in various hues, but that all changed in January 1991. Back then, Sue was driving an ’89 Camaro RS. With four teenagers around the house, she was the cool mom driving the sleek Camaro. And with just 7,800 miles on the odometer, the Bow Tie pony car had plenty of life in it. But there was one little problem — Sue hated it. “You had to roll to get out of it,” she says.

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What the Nunes really yearned for was a Mustang GT, a black-on-black Stang. And in 1991, Ford finally offered black guts on the GT after years of just gray, red, or white. Don recalls a day in 1970, trying to purchase a black/black Mach 1, but being recently married and in the Air Force, he just couldn’t swing the $3,400 price tag. On January 12, 1991, he and Sue paid a visit to Winner Ford in Alameda, and before the day was over they brought home this double-black ’91 GT hatchback. The price, including tax and license, was $18,014.86. Their Mustang was equipped with a five-speed manual transmission, 3.08 Traction-Lok rearend, power everything, speed control, air conditioning, AM/FM cassette with Premium Sound, and a flipopen roof. The mileage on the GT was kept relatively low, even with the four teenagers, because Sue operated a daycare service out of her home. She would be home all day with the children, and by the time they left with their parents, Don would be home from work with his truck in the driveway, blocking

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the Mustang in the garage. If there was any driving to do, Sue would do so in Don’s truck. Don kept the teenagers away from the 225hp 5.0 by having a car of their own ready when they obtained their driver’s licenses. In fact, probably the most excitement for the GT came in 1994. “My daughter saw reflections of the headlights in her window at 3:30 a.m.,” Don says. “She yelled out that someone was stealing the car.” Don ran outside and saw the car being pushed down the street by two thieves. “They tried cranking the engine, but it wouldn’t start,” he says. The would-be bandits finally bailed, leaving the car in the street. After the police came and did their investigation, Don went to move the Mustang and it fired right up. The only damage was a busted steering column, and the ignition switch was pulled out. He took it to the local Ford dealer at 7:00 a.m. and by that afternoon it was fixed, with a new alarm added to it. By 2002 a Ford Explorer became Sue’s primary mode of transportation, and the GT was retired as a “daily driver” with approximately 30,000 miles on the clock. Don says, “It was never intended or planned to keep the miles low. It just happened.” The original muﬄers had rotted back in 1995, and the original tires were replaced at 17,000 miles. Otherwise, just normal maintenance items were the only other pieces that were changed. Don didn’t realize the significance of owning a low-mileage Fox-body until he and his wife joined the Bay Area Mustang Association in 2006. There they met ThirdGeneration Mustang Club of America National Assistant Head Judge Chuck Wiltens.

Don had never shown the 5.0 in any shows. He didn’t even think it would be accepted at a show. Chuck encouraged them to display it at the upcoming MCA National in Concord, California, in June 2007. Don attended the various judging seminars to learn the ins and outs of competing in an MCA event. The studying and hours of detailing paid off with a Gold Award in the Unrestored Class. But the best was yet to come. They prepared their pony for the 1,800-mile round trip to the MCA Grand National in Park City, Utah, in September 2008. Don had the tires replaced again with current versions of the Goodyear Eagle GTs and drove the Mustang to Salt Lake country. By the time the weekend concluded, not only did they grab another Gold honor, but they had a Platinum Award, too. The Platinum Award is to recognize Mustang owners who have conserved their original cars to the highest degree possible and is bestowed only at MCA Grand National shows. Don and Sue were shocked and honored to receive this distinction. It’s definitely the highlight of their car-showing experience. Since then they’ve accumulated three more Gold Awards with the most recent at last April’s MCA National in St. George, Utah. Again it was driven, not trailered, to the event. Today the GT has registered just over 39,000 miles. Don and Sue’s obsession with black Mustangs has resurfaced with the purchase of a black ’04 GT convertible in 2007 and a black ’65 hardtop project in 2008. They have no intention of putting the black 5.0 out to pasture. It’s their original back in black, with a touch of platinum.

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877.279.3010 www.FOXMustangMagazine.com Issue 7 FOX Mustang Magazine 83

STRONG TIES

Fox convertibles are notoriously twisty. Here’s how to firm them up

story and photography by Barry Kluczyk

here’s hardly a more enjoyable experience than a top-down drive in your favorite Fox convertible — that is, until the potholes or railroad tracks appear. These cars were literally made by slicing off the roofs of coupe models, which affected their structural rigidity. Sure, Ford added some token reinforcements to the underbody — a quartet of pinch-welded reinforcing plates tacked to the torque boxes — but nothing that truly quelled the body flex. And the problem worsens with age and mileage. Tired of rattling over each bump in our ’86 GT convertible, we decided to alter its originality slightly by having a set of subframe connectors welded in, as well as installing a sturdy strut tower brace. We went with full-length connectors from Maximum Motorsports, which stretch all the way to the top of each torque box for a firmer hold. They list for

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about $115. The strut tower brace was about $140. A friend with a shop, lift, and welder installed the subframes, but the strut-tower brace was a driveway installation. Anyone with a drill and a couple of wrenches can perform this simple but effective improvement. With the connectors installed, the difference in ride quality was beyond night and day. “Feels like a new set of springs were installed, right?” said our shopowner buddy. That’s exactly how it felt: tighter and more responsive. The addition of the strut tower brace greatly reduced (but didn’t eliminate) the vibrations felt through the steering wheel. Simply put, it was money and time well spent on our GT convertible.

There are many types of Mustang subframe connectors available, and all are relatively inexpensive. We chose Maximum Motorsportsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; full-length connectors because they tie onto the Mustangâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rear torque boxes and firewall, adding strength and rigidity to these notoriously weak areas. These full-length connectors are made from 1.25 x 2 x 0.083-inch rectangular steel tubing and feature several reinforcements, including a crossbrace for the seat mounts.

The first step is to grind the chassis to bare metal in the areas where the connectors will be welded.

For cleaner, stronger welds, remove the paint on the connectors to reveal bare metal, too.

Next, the kitâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s crossbraces for the seats are bolted in to place.

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The connectors are trial-fitted to gauge the accuracy of their contours to the Mustangâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s chassis.

Inevitably, thanks to years of body flex, a little tweaking on the connectors is necessary to more closely match the carâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s chassis contours. Slight pressure from a press is all it takes.

The connectors are tack-welded into place to hold them in the correct position.

Full stitch welding completes the connectorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; basic installation. Note that the car is raised on a drive-on lift, which keeps the chassis loaded. Raising the car on a chassis lift can affect the load and could interfere with the placement of the connectors.

Gussets, included with the kit, are welded to connect the seat crossbraces to the connectors.

Once the metal cools, a shot of black spray paint covers up the welds and any other bare metal. This completes the connectorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; installation.

For underhood stiffening, we selected the HPM strut tower brace from Texas Mustang Parts, which triangulates the engine compartment and clears most aftermarket intake manifolds.

One of the reasons we liked this brace is that it came with a backing plate for the firewall. Some braces donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t offer it, which means the heavy-duty brace attaches to the not-so-heavy-duty firewall metal, reducing the braceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s overall effectiveness.

Issue 7 FOX Mustang Magazine 87

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We start the install by simply laying the brace in place to judge the basic fit and to check for any interference with underhood components.

With the brace as a guide, drill the necessary mounting holes in the firewall and strut towers. It was necessary to drill through a couple layers of steel to get through the strut towers.

With the mounting holes drilled, finger-tighten each bolt to ensure the braceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s basic fit. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s much easier to jack up the front of the car to access the bottom of the strut towers when securing these bolts.

Secure all bolts tightly. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll need to remove the cowl vent cover to secure the firewall reinforcement.

All done. The job took about an hour, and the results could be felt as soon as we pulled onto the pot hole–strewn streets of metro Detroit. In all, it was a satisfying improvement to our less-flexible Fox.

Undetectable to the eye, the strength we added to our ’86 GT convertible made a world of difference in daily driving. The car feels tighter and produces less shake through the steering wheel. The firmer chassis also makes the car more responsive — a benefit that thrills us.

N.O.S. Motorsports Parts Recently, a friend who’s a former Fox owner — and yes, he’s still a friend — called to say he was getting rid of some stuff in his garage and we were welcome to the Mustang parts he had. When we inquired what they were, he said: “Ford Motorsports subframe connectors that I bought new in 1987 and never installed. They’ve been sitting here ever since. Come and get them.” We rushed over and sure enough, they were brand-new frame ties in the original Ford Motorsports box. We don’t know if there’s a market for vintage, unused Motorsports parts and, frankly, we don’t care at the moment. They’re cool, and we’re keeping them in the box for now.

Sources MAXIMUM MOTORSPORTS 3430 Sacramento Dr., Unit D San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 (888) 378-8830 www.maximummotorsports.com

TEXAS MUSTANG PARTS 5774 S. University Parks Dr. Waco, TX 76706 (254) 662-2893 www.texasmustang.com Issue 7 FOX Mustang Magazine 89

HISTORY

FROM THE ARCHIVES REPRINTING MUSTANG’S HISTORY

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his issue we begin a new feature. From the Archives will bring you original Ford literature, reprinted without modification. You’ll get behindthe-scenes information for your own reference and collection. We start with the first four pages of the Mustang section of the 1985 Ford Car Facts, a dealer-only manual that was never distributed to the public and which shows all the facts, features, and figures for Mustangs. A number of these pages will have some red ink. This is information that was revised during the model year. Corrected pages were issued with changes in red. We’ll keep at it, a few pages at a time, until you’ve got the complete section. Got a particular section you’d like to see? Drop us a line at tom@themustangmagazine.com with From the Archives in the subject line.

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HISTORY

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Issue 7 FOX Mustang Magazine 93

FIX MY FOX

by Matt Highley, Fox Mustang Restoration

Have a question about your Fox Mustang? Ask our expert, Matt Highley, of Fox Mustang Restoration. Send your question, and a pic if possible, to brandon@pattersonpublishing.com. Put “Fix My Fox” in the subject line.

MAKE IT GLOW Let me start off by saying I am not a mechanic. I installed a brandnew A/C system in my Mustang. Since then, I’ve had to refill it four times in two months. I replaced everything, including the evaporator under the dash and all of the hoses. What would you suggest I do next? Zane Gregor Minneapolis, MN

You don’t have to be a mechanic to repair an A/C system, but you do need to know the proper methods. The first things to suspect are the O-rings. When you install new A/C O-rings, they need to be lubed. If they’re not, they will leak. All of the manuals say to used some A/C oil. I never used that method because the oil is very thin. My suggestion is Dielectric grease. I’ve been using it for years and never had a leak. Next, check for a defective part. When you install a new system, make sure you get the A/C oil with the dye already in it. When the dye leaks out, it will glow a greenish yellow color in a black light.

SHAKE, RATTLE, AND ROLL My car’s hatch drives me crazy. It makes all kinds of rattling noise going down the road. The hatch is almost impossible to shut, and I can’t find a new latch part anywhere. I’m thinking of selling it and buying a coupe. Brian Little Vancleave, MS

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Well, you can never go wrong with a coupe, but I think we can fix your problem. There are three possibilities. The first, and easiest, is the latch striker bushing. Check to make sure the bushing around the striker bolt is not missing. Wrapping it in tape or cutting a piece of PVC pipe doesn’t work. It needs to be the right diameter to not rattle. Next, check the hinges up by the roof. The pivot pin wears out and causes them to be sloppy. The last option is that the welds holding the hatch together are starting to break, either from an accident, rust, or too much flex in the body.

800-343-4261

941-639-0437

www.hydroe.com

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BOGGED DOWN I bought a ’91 Fox 2.3 about a month ago. It’s my first Mustang, all stock, five-speed, and the only mod is a dual exhaust. The problem is that when I’m driving and the rpm gets to 3000, it bogs down like it’s about to die. When I get off the gas, it’s fine. Kyle Parker Via email

The 2.3’s management system is the same basic system as the 5.0’s. The first thing to do is see if your “check engine” light is on. If so, take your car to a shop and have it scanned. Next, check the fuel system. Make sure the fuel filter is not clogged and that you have the correct fuel pressure, which should be about 45 psi while running. If the fuel pressure is low, you could need a new fuel pump, or the fuel pressure regulator could be stuck wide open.

ALL THE TRIMMINGS What color do you suggest I paint my windshield and hatch glass moldings? Clint Toulsey Hampden, MA

ALL BUTTONED UP I own an ’87 GT hatch with 17,000 miles. The previous owners let this car sit for almost 10 years, in the weather apparently. It definitely needs some TLC. One of the most difficult parts to find is a doorjamb button; not the one down by the kick panel but by the striker and latch. I’m not even sure of this part’s purpose, but mine is broken, and I can’t seem to locate one. Do you know the functionality of the button and where I might be able to find one? Also, what would cause the seats to come forward to access the back seat without using the release button? William McKenzie Crossett, AR

The best product I have found is Trim Black by the SEM Corporation (part number 39143). It’s available in aerosol cans) and can be found at almost any auto body and paint supply store.

Your car is a great find even if it needs a little TLC. The button near the door striker bolt is connected directly to the seatbelt. Yours isn’t broken; it’s just missing the retaining bezel. These parts are not being reproduced, and they’re obsolete from Ford. Your best bet is to find one in a salvage yard or a New Old Stock piece. As far as your seats are concerned, the driver seat usually does not lock in the back position. However, the passenger seat should lock because there won’t always be someone sitting there when you’re driving. If it didn’t lock, the seat would lean forward every time you hit the brakes. If the passenger seat does not lock, you’ll need a good seat latch assembly. Again, these are not reproduced and are obsolete from Ford, so you’ll have to find a good used one.

Matt Highley, owner of Fox Mustang Restoration, brings years of experience, a passion for Fox-bodies, and a deep knowledge of these cars to Fix My Fox. In 2004, Matt opened Fox Mustang Restoration (www.foxresto.com; 704/888-1278) to help keep these cars on the road.

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Restoration Parts available for

79-93 MUSTANG

NPD Exclusive! INSTRUMENT CLUSTER PRINTED CIRCUITBOARDS

Obsolete NOS

These new 1981-86 printed circuit boards are tooled off the factory style pattern and are designed to be a direct replacement for your old and brittle units. With these units exclusive to NPD we are dedicated to working on more years and more parts to fit your Fox Mustang needs. 79-80 Primary ......................M-10K843-1A $99.95 79 Secondary .................M-10K843-2A $79.95 80 Secondary .................M-10K843-2B $79.95 81-86 ..................................M-10K843-3A $119.95

HEAD LIGHT SWITCH KNOB AND Inventory SHAFT ASSEMBLY

Everyone wants NOS parts and NPD has you covered. These are some of the last remaining “NOS” head light knobs available. They feature the correct bright finish with logo and includes the shaft. Quantities are limited so get yours before they are gone. 79-84 Knob ........................... M-11661-1 $19.95 79-83 Bezel .......................... M-10852-2A $19.95

TUBULAR CONTROL ARM KIT $

129.95

Looking for a great way to not only improve the looks but handling of your Mustang? This quality Upper and Lower control arm kit is constructed from heavy wall tubular steel and includes polyurethane bushings and all attaching hardware. It is designed to improve traction and handling and give your Mustang the performance it needs. They are available in a black or red powder coated finish. 79-93 Black .............................. M-5A651-2BK $129.95 79-93 Red ................................ M-5A561-2RK $129.95

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