New mustang questions

[swapdip]

Hey guys Im going to be looking at buying a 94 v6 m/t soon, my first mustang so I have a couple questions. First off it has 164,000 miles, the trunk is rusted thru and possibly much of the undercarriage, there is repaired crash damage which apparently busted the rad so the rad is new. The front quarterpanels were pushed back in the crash and crimped a little bit, anyways this car has been repaired and apparently is a good runner at the moment. All this I learned form the following youtube video that the owner made: YouTube - 1994 Mustang M/T v6

None of this really concerns me, Im young so all my previous vehicles have been crashed up rust buckets and until I land that sweet job this is what I have available to me. Also the price is right, (trading an unused motorcycle for it), so I am definitely considering it. My concern is the fact that the previous previous owner installed an aftermarket temp gauge in it, altho the current owner attests that it never overheats. Ive heard all kinds of nasty things about the unreliability of head gaskets in these things, and the presence of an aftermarket temp gauge leads me to believe that someone thinks the gasket is going to blow, or has recently blown before. That would be a deal breaker for me cause I never want to replace a head gasket again.

Normally I would just pop the rad cap off and check for oil in the coolant, however this guy is going to drive the car to me to show it, so it is going to arrive hot and I dont think I can just rip off the rad cap without it blowing all over the place. So in absence of clouds of steam coming out of the exhaust, how else can I check the condition of the head gasket?

Finally, anything else I should look for? Do you guys think this car is a good deal or is it gonna crap out?

Thanks experts

 

[Stangsonly]

I don't know how reliable this is but my cousin told me that if you get a white sheet of computer paper and hold it against the exhaust and it turns blue you have a blown head gasket. Other than that tell him you want to check out the car and let it cool down to check for oil in the system.

 

[ChingonStang]

how much?

 

[wmburns]

Also the price is right, (trading an unused motorcycle for it), so I am definitely considering it.

ChingonStang, see above

So in absence of clouds of steam coming out of the exhaust, how else can I check the condition of the head gasket?

Finally, anything else I should look for? Do you guys think this car is a good deal or is it gonna crap out?

Two ways that I know. One, there is a kit available to test for hydro-carbons in the coolant. Also, could do a coolant pressure holding test. The tester can be rented from most local autoparts stores.

Hopefully this does not offend, but I hope the motorcycle is not worth very much. The car sounds like it is rough and would not be worth fixing. So, if being acquired for DD use, it would seam to me that you could find a better condition later model year car.

If you were looking for a project car to restore/fix, this example sounds too far gone to make $$ sense.

 

[swapdip]

I would say the bike is worth about $1300 or so, and indeed I am looking for a daily driver to get myself around. I have way too many bikes and not enough cars. At the moment from what I saw in the video it seems like the car doesnt need very many repairs, the repairs from the accident have been addressed to my satisfaction, and the owner says that there is no overheating problems, so once I verify that and the absence of oil in coolant and coolant in oil, then I would guess that the head gasket is in alright condition for the time being. I havent met this car yet, that is scheduled for Wednesday, and I plan to conduct a thorough inspection before I make any committments.

No, im not looking to restore it, just something I can depend on and have fun with. I have heard great things about these cars with the exception of the hg so thats the reason I asked. You guys are the experts and Im willing to defer to your opinions on whether I should make this swap, but keep in mind that Im just kind of looking for a beat around car that will last me, nothing show winning or anything like that. Honestly if it develops hg problems under my ownership I would be more likely to cut and run than replace another head gasket.

BTW I paused the video on the odometer and it looks like it reads 162,000, kind of in the middle of a car's lifespan in my experience.

Thanks again.

 

[ChingonStang]

I'd go for it, after a good inspection though.

 

[mycaptainchris]

At the moment from what I saw in the video it seems like the car doesnt need very many repairs, the repairs from the accident have been addressed to my satisfaction

But so many things are missing, or don't work, plus it's been in an accident that has had half done repairs. I'd say it needs to be REALLY well priced, i.e. the cost of the new tires.