New to Stangs...Questions..??

[raindance]

Hey guys, lemme introduce myself, my name is Frank and i work at a corperate AT&T/Cingular store and i love cars. I'm 27 and had some 4.6's... I currently have some money saved and i will be buying a 96-98 model 5 speed GT soon. I'm looking for low miles and stock, lots around..gooooood. If you can answer a couple questions it is seriously appreciated.

The 96-98 GT 5 speed i believe is 215/225hp etc. What are common trouple spots for these models..?? I'm into cars and do most of the tune up work myself, but major stuff i need to bring to shops..lol i live at an APT so i don't have access to lots of stuff.

Currently i own a 99 ZX2 5 speed Escort, and a 93 Lincoln Mark 8. The 5 speed ZX2 is so fun, but is slow as dog****. The Mark 8 i can make a high 13 second car for under $1500. That beast is a sleeper and has 280HP, from what i read from a 30MPH roll the Mark 8 will kill the 96-98 Stang GT....but i don't care, cause the stang will get some decent mods and will be the daily driver and only car i keep.

I owned a MN12 1995 4.6 Thunderbird in the past which i loved, but it was AUTO just like the Mark 8-i hate AUTO you are not in control at all. I love rev-matching and downshifting....

Currently, my Mark 8 needs and Oil Pan cause it is dripping 4 table spoons per night and it will be expensive in the future to fix. I want to know from your experiance what can i expect from a 96-98 5 speed 4.6 in terms of speed and reliability..?? I like the 96-98 bodystyle i do not like the newer models even though the HP is 260+...

Do all 96-98's have the issue with the plastic intake crossover (whatever it's called) cracking..? How are the oil pans do they rust like mad like my Mark 8..?? How fast will a 96-98 5 speed 4.6 be with 4.10 gears/intake and partial exhaust (high flow cats/high flow mufflers) plus a decent driver..? Not to brag but i drive manual really well when racing, yet suck at "easy driving" lol.

Should i be concerned with mileage..? There 2 cars i;m looking at for around $7K that have 80K miles..?? That to high..?

Thanks guys i look forward to learning alot from your experiance...off to reading the forums.... Thanks.

 

[myponyrocks]

Funny, a friend just asked this... as I advised him, I'd look for a 99-04 car. So much more power and many more mods available.

However, maybe you are like him, and are dead set on the body style... I'll copy and paste the info from my local site.

 

[myponyrocks]

http://www.musclemustangfastfords.c...96_ford_mustang_project_car_part_1/index.html

"the 96s had a cooling issue. 97-98 have different size radiators, some 96s were equipped from ford after taking it back for over heating"

"I had a 96 GT. The cooling sucked, the heads sucked, and the intake sucked. Other than that, it was great. If I remember right, the 96 was the worst, but you can get them the cheapest. With a set of 99 or newer heads and intake (PI) and an upgraded cooling system you could have a great car. On mine I just added a P1SC Procharger and took care of the cooling problem and it ran great. You do have to watch the intake if it hasn't been warrantied as they did crack."

it's still ongoing, but derailing so I'll post any good info if it appears, though I'm sure the people here will have good input before I do.

 

[raindance]

Thanks. I am partial to the 96-98 body, and you are right about spending the extra $$ on a newer Stang. Maybe i just need to get used to the newer models styling.

PS all my friends say to put the money into the Lincoln, after all it is a 280HP engine but it weighs 3800lbs. Plus the auto, yuk lol. Sure i can put 4.10's and a 75 shot in the lincoln and it would run 13.9 but i'd rather have the fun factor of a 5 speed stang that's a mid 14 car with tons of aftermarket toys.

 

[MichaelsLilGray]

Thanks. I am partial to the 96-98 body, and you are right about spending the extra $$ on a newer Stang. Maybe i just need to get used to the newer models styling.

PS all my friends say to put the money into the Lincoln, after all it is a 280HP engine but it weighs 3800lbs. Plus the auto, yuk lol. Sure i can put 4.10's and a 75 shot in the lincoln and it would run 13.9 but i'd rather have the fun factor of a 5 speed stang that's a mid 14 car with tons of aftermarket toys.

You all are right.. the 95-96 had a head gasket recall that nobody at all knew about... They went after the "life expentency" of the vehicle... Anyways.. I learned to like my 04... they arnt bad after you find one that you grow partial to... Just make sure to get the color you like, style you like.. and options you like... I had a 95... loved it.. but i like my 04 just as much

 

[raindance]

Thanks guys. Hmm..getting a newer model will delay my purchase about 2 months, but i guess it will be worth it. Lets say i find a 99/2000 model with around 70-90K on the ticker, how long before the clutch needs to be replaced..? Generally how "well built" are these drivetrains. In my area 99/2000 5spd GT's go for around $7-9K.

 

[Twista]

96-98 are slow in stock form.. very freaking mind blowing piss you off call me sally SLOW.


i own one =]

 

[MichaelsLilGray]

In those years you had the windsor engine.. with a T45 tranny... its a horrible tranny to have xD If you want one you wont have to mess with much get a 01* to 04

*01 Mid year+ They still had the T45 in the lower end of the year. The best way is to check the engine. If it has a convex water pulley dont get it.. if its concave its the new Romeo Engine.. The only mod id Highly recommend is a pro 5.0 short throw. Just so you can have extra stops on it. the T3650 trannys in the 01-04's are great trannys.. just have a syncros here and there going out.. the short throw will fix that problem no sweat...

As for your Clutch question... they usually last the life of the car. (120k)

 

[40oz]

In those years you had the windsor engine.. with a T45 tranny... its a horrible tranny to have xD If you want one you wont have to mess with much get a 01* to 04

*01 Mid year+ They still had the T45 in the lower end of the year. The best way is to check the engine. If it has a convex water pulley dont get it.. if its concave its the new Romeo Engine.. The only mod id Highly recommend is a pro 5.0 short throw. Just so you can have extra stops on it. the T3650 trannys in the 01-04's are great trannys.. just have a syncros here and there going out.. the short throw will fix that problem no sweat...

As for your Clutch question... they usually last the life of the car. (120k)

wow. Just wow.

OK, the T45 is fine. So are Windsor 4.6's. 80K is fine for mileage, but you will be looking at the car either needing a clutch, brakes, or both. Not necessarily a huge deal, just be aware of it. Chances are a car in that range either already had a clutch replaced, or it's for sale because it needs it.

The drivetrains are over-built in the sense that they can take a huge amount of hard driving as long as you maintain things like lubricants and don't abuse the mechanicals physically. There's a lot of room to mod for power before you need to worry about built blocks, etc.

I've had a 99 GT, and drove the living piss out of it for three years/45K+ miles with no issues at all. When I got rid of it the clutch needed replacement at ~65K due to a warped pressure plate (mostly from prior owner's drag launches), not slippage. Really only an issue when hot (on my own trips to a strip).

IMHO, getting a 99+ is worth your time and money. The starting point is just that much better than the pre-99 cars. But a clean low mileage 98 for a great price isn't behind at all after a head and intake swap (a couple grand or less if you can do it yourself). Don't buy a beat 99 over a nice 98, in other words. Get the cleanest, lowest mileage example you can get, and don't try to save money by buying the cheapest you find - it'll bite you in the ass when you pay to fix it up. If you have to, get a 98 and drive it while you save up for the swap. But generally you can expect to spend the same on a 98+heads/intake swap vs. a 99, so it's up to you.

 

[MichaelsLilGray]

wow. Just wow.

OK, the T45 is fine. So are Windsor 4.6's. 80K is fine for mileage, but you will be looking at the car either needing a clutch, brakes, or both. Not necessarily a huge deal, just be aware of it. Chances are a car in that range either already had a clutch replaced, or it's for sale because it needs it.

The drivetrains are over-built in the sense that they can take a huge amount of hard driving as long as you maintain things like lubricants and don't abuse the mechanicals physically. There's a lot of room to mod for power before you need to worry about built blocks, etc.

I've had a 99 GT, and drove the living piss out of it for three years/45K+ miles with no issues at all. When I got rid of it the clutch needed replacement at ~65K due to a warped pressure plate (mostly from prior owner's drag launches), not slippage. Really only an issue when hot (on my own trips to a strip).

IMHO, getting a 99+ is worth your time and money. The starting point is just that much better than the pre-99 cars. But a clean low mileage 98 for a great price isn't behind at all after a head and intake swap (a couple grand or less if you can do it yourself). Don't buy a beat 99 over a nice 98, in other words. Get the cleanest, lowest mileage example you can get, and don't try to save money by buying the cheapest you find - it'll bite you in the ass when you pay to fix it up. If you have to, get a 98 and drive it while you save up for the swap. But generally you can expect to spend the same on a 98+heads/intake swap vs. a 99, so it's up to you.

Only problem with the PI swap is you lose your Compression... if you plan on making this anything but N/a its worth keeping it non PI.. my friend is running 12lbs of boost on his 98 npi. if he went to a pi it would raise his compression to close to 11.1.1

 

[forum155pl]

i like the 97's.. they worked all of the quirks out of them by 97, and the 98's have a funky fuel system and exhaust is a little differant

i bought mine with 93k on it and i headswapped it, sprayed it and it still is holding strong..

 

[Mustang5L5]

I had a '93 Mark 8 and it also had the leaky oil pan. Weird i guess. I ran mine at the track and the best i managed was a 14.9 stone stock with 3.08's.

That could potentially beat a 96-98 Mustang, but i sold it and bought my 2003GT and clicked off a 14.1 with that stock. I did beat a few 94-98 Mustangs with it. It was pretty fun even though i felt bad

If i wasn't into Mustangs, i would modify my Mark 8. Some of the guys over on www.markviii.org have solid 13 second Mark 8's with very minimal mods. Just changing to 4.10's or higher wakes those cars right up. Plus i felt the Mark 8 always handled better than a Mustang stock. With the IRS and double wishbone front suspension, it was more level in a turn and felt more confident. Do a SN95 hub conversion and you could run some Cobra brake front and rear. There was a lot of potential with those cars, and i regret never exploring it. Plus the interior was cozy as hell! I didn't do a single mod to my 8

http://videos.streetfire.net/video/e7ff4d37-2ea1-4058-827f-99de00047236.htm



EDIT: If you want to see my Mark 8, click my avatar link

 

[justinschmidt1]

Thanks. I am partial to the 96-98 body, and you are right about spending the extra $$ on a newer Stang. Maybe i just need to get used to the newer models styling.

PS all my friends say to put the money into the Lincoln, after all it is a 280HP engine but it weighs 3800lbs. Plus the auto, yuk lol. Sure i can put 4.10's and a 75 shot in the lincoln and it would run 13.9 but i'd rather have the fun factor of a 5 speed stang that's a mid 14 car with tons of aftermarket toys.

Theres so many problems with all of this.

Dont try and make the Lincoln fast.

You could take the 4.10s and nitrous and run deep into the 13s with the mustang.

or you could take the money and do a full pi swap and be into the 13s with good driving.

I dont know where you got the idea that a mark 8 will walk a 96-98 gt 5 speed at all.

They are both slow and it realyl depends on what condition the lincolns in vs whos driving the mustang.

You should be mid to high 14s with the 5 speed GT and the lincoln most likely wouldnt break 14s.

Basically tell your friends theyre idiots and put the money in the mustang.

Pi swap 4.10s and a 100 shot with some good driving and your in the 12s

 

[Mustang5L5]

I dont know where you got the idea that a mark 8 will walk a 96-98 gt 5 speed at all.

I used to do it all the time in mine


When i owned mine, my friends owned mostly 94-98 GT's. They were pretty much stock and on the highway i used to easily pull away from them.

The Mark is a pig and with 3.08's and an open rear, it doesn't really get off the line. From a dead stop i would get carlenghts put on me by Mustangs. But from a roll, the DOHC really wakes up and the car has insane top end charge. Floor it at 60mph and you would be up around 120 before you even knew it.

It was a 14.9 car stock...but it made up most of the time towards the end of the track.

Common mods are 4.10 with a limited slip, a Cobra intake swap and exhaust mods and they were solid 13 second cars N/A. P;us they already have the Teksid block so they are good to go if you want some serious power. You just need to replace the cast internals however


Personally...to the original poster...sell your Mark 8 and pick up an '98 LSC in pearl white and modify that

 

[MichaelsLilGray]

your friend must not know how to drive the stang... mine runs mid 13's... all i have on it is underdrive pulleys, exhaust, cai and tune

 

[Mustang5L5]

That's nice to know. I'll pass it on to them.