Looks like I got me my first Fox 5.0 Stang!!!!

I'm so excited!! Got myself a little project!! It's a 1990 LX with 88k. Has a new clutch, shocks/struts, mufflers, alternator, battery, water pump and brakes. Even has a factory sunroof!! Interior is dirty, but looks good, no rips. Straight body, no rust! Here are a few pics.

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Got it for $1500.00, what do you guys think???
 
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Welcome to Stangnet... :spot:

Not all of us know how to fix everything, but some of us know how to fix some things
with excellence!

If you want to do the fix up & power up thing, make sure that you have some other
form of reliable daily driver. That way the stang can sit while your wallet and hands
take a rest from the last project that didn't quite get finished on that 3 day weekend.
Things always cost more and take longer the first time you do them. Having some
other working vehicle makes life easier since it isn't the big crush to get it running
for the Monday morning drive to work or class.

Plan on spending some money on tools it you don't already have them. The stang
has both metric and American fasteners, so you really need two sets of wrenches.
A timing light, digital voltmeter, vacuum gauge, compression tester, fuel pressure
test gauge and fuel line coupler tools are some of the test & tuning tools you'll need.
Visit the pawn shops and sometimes you can find a deal on tools & test equipment
if you stick to well known name brands.

A sheltered work area is almost a must, someplace that you can leave the car in
pieces without upsetting anyone. Some guys here have changed a transmission in
the parking lot of their apartment in a rainstorm, but they will tell you it wasn't fun.
Depending on where you live, a warm dry garage is a nice place to do the winter
projects that stangs tend to become.

EFI (Electronic Fuel Injection) Computer - every stang after 85 has or had one:
don't let it intimidate you. The computer based EFI systems are not hard to fix
and most of the time they tell you what's wrong with the engine. Here's a book
that will get you started with how the Ford electronic engine control or "computer" works.

Ford Fuel Injection & Electronic Engine Control 1988-1993 by James Probst:
ISBN 0-8376-0301-3.

It's about $25-$35 from Borders.com see http://www.amazon.com/ . Select b...d.php?t=643651"]Useful Technical Thread Index” sticky at the top of the 5.0 Tech forum.

Things that break often:
T5 5 speed manual transmission (syncros go bad, mostly 3rd gear)
TFI Module (Thin Film Ignition module - mounts on the distributor)
Electric door locks (see the link in my sign for a cheap & easy fix)
O2 sensors(oxygen sensors) They are good for about 60,000 miles and start to go
down hill after that.
TPS Sensor (Throttle Position Sensor) causes flaky problems with idle & acceleration.
Fog lights They overheat the wiring and cause the headlights to flicker. The fix is
cheap and simple if you can do electrical stuff.
Harmonic Balancer – they separate between the hub and outer ring. A harmonic
balancer puller is a must have to change it. You can rent or borrow a puller from
most of the larger auto parts stores.

Things that are very durable:
Engine - as long as it hasn't been abused, it will run good for 150,000-200,000
miles without an overhaul
Rear axle other than an occasional case of worn clutches in the traction lock,
they almost never have problems.
Computer - believe it or not, the computers seldom have problems of their own.
Most of the problems are with the sensors and the wiring.
Suspension – the front and rear suspension has very few problems if the car hasn’t
been wrecked or seen a lot of drag strip runs. The drag strip runs tend to distort and
tear the mount points for the rear axle control arms. Revving the engine up to 4000
RPM and dumping the clutch with slicks or drag radials tends to break things.

Things that don’t break often but are hard to fix:
Water pump mount bolts – they corrode and shear off when you try to change the
water pump.
Rear oil seal on the engine – lots of parts to remove to get to a $20 seal.
Power steering pump – the pumps are noisy and the pulley requires some special
tools to remove and install. If you have the tools, they are easy to do. Again, the
larger auto parts stores will rent or loan the tools for the pulley.
Power Steering rack - it is hard to get the toe in set so that you can drive the car
to the shop to get it properly aligned.
Starter – the top bolt is hard to get a socket on if you don’t have the right combination
of socket, universal joint and extensions.

Everything considered, 5.0 Mustangs are not hard to work on. They just require
some patience and though before you get started.
 
Perfect project! I love an lx hatch.... A little tlc and a few calls to lrs and that thing will be fantastic. Good find!:nice:
 
Welcome to Stangnet... :spot:

Not all of us know how to fix everything, but some of us know how to fix some things
with excellence!

If you want to do the fix up & power up thing, make sure that you have some other
form of reliable daily driver. That way the stang can sit while your wallet and hands
take a rest from the last project that didn't quite get finished on that 3 day weekend.
Things always cost more and take longer the first time you do them. Having some
other working vehicle makes life easier since it isn't the big crush to get it running
for the Monday morning drive to work or class.

Plan on spending some money on tools it you don't already have them. The stang
has both metric and American fasteners, so you really need two sets of wrenches.
A timing light, digital voltmeter, vacuum gauge, compression tester, fuel pressure
test gauge and fuel line coupler tools are some of the test & tuning tools you'll need.
Visit the pawn shops and sometimes you can find a deal on tools & test equipment
if you stick to well known name brands.

A sheltered work area is almost a must, someplace that you can leave the car in
pieces without upsetting anyone. Some guys here have changed a transmission in
the parking lot of their apartment in a rainstorm, but they will tell you it wasn't fun.
Depending on where you live, a warm dry garage is a nice place to do the winter
projects that stangs tend to become.

EFI (Electronic Fuel Injection) Computer - every stang after 85 has or had one:
don't let it intimidate you. The computer based EFI systems are not hard to fix
and most of the time they tell you what's wrong with the engine. Here's a book
that will get you started with how the Ford electronic engine control or "computer" works.

Ford Fuel Injection & Electronic Engine Control 1988-1993 by James Probst:
ISBN 0-8376-0301-3.

It's about $25-$35 from Borders.com see http://www.amazon.com/ . Select b...d.php?t=643651"]Useful Technical Thread Index” sticky at the top of the 5.0 Tech forum.

Things that break often:
T5 5 speed manual transmission (syncros go bad, mostly 3rd gear)
TFI Module (Thin Film Ignition module - mounts on the distributor)
Electric door locks (see the link in my sign for a cheap & easy fix)
O2 sensors(oxygen sensors) They are good for about 60,000 miles and start to go
down hill after that.
TPS Sensor (Throttle Position Sensor) causes flaky problems with idle & acceleration.
Fog lights They overheat the wiring and cause the headlights to flicker. The fix is
cheap and simple if you can do electrical stuff.
Harmonic Balancer – they separate between the hub and outer ring. A harmonic
balancer puller is a must have to change it. You can rent or borrow a puller from
most of the larger auto parts stores.

Things that are very durable:
Engine - as long as it hasn't been abused, it will run good for 150,000-200,000
miles without an overhaul
Rear axle other than an occasional case of worn clutches in the traction lock,
they almost never have problems.
Computer - believe it or not, the computers seldom have problems of their own.
Most of the problems are with the sensors and the wiring.
Suspension – the front and rear suspension has very few problems if the car hasn’t
been wrecked or seen a lot of drag strip runs. The drag strip runs tend to distort and
tear the mount points for the rear axle control arms. Revving the engine up to 4000
RPM and dumping the clutch with slicks or drag radials tends to break things.

Things that don’t break often but are hard to fix:
Water pump mount bolts – they corrode and shear off when you try to change the
water pump.
Rear oil seal on the engine – lots of parts to remove to get to a $20 seal.
Power steering pump – the pumps are noisy and the pulley requires some special
tools to remove and install. If you have the tools, they are easy to do. Again, the
larger auto parts stores will rent or loan the tools for the pulley.
Power Steering rack - it is hard to get the toe in set so that you can drive the car
to the shop to get it properly aligned.
Starter – the top bolt is hard to get a socket on if you don’t have the right combination
of socket, universal joint and extensions.

Everything considered, 5.0 Mustangs are not hard to work on. They just require
some patience and though before you get started.


WOW:jaw: Thanks for all that info. Should make life easier to know those things ahead of time. Will also save time from posting questions on here, since you already let me know.
 
ROFLMFAO.... jrichker! You kill me! I, and 2 of my coworkers are in tears at what you posted. I died when the first thing you told him was to buy something else. Next was the get a covered place so you can leave the car in pieces. Then all the common problems.

Might as well have just told him to go ahead and slit his wrists now! I'm surprised he didn't come back and tell us that he's given the car away, already :)

Oh man, that was a great read, thanks!
 
ROFLMFAO.... jrichker! You kill me! I, and 2 of my coworkers are in tears at what you posted. I died when the first thing you told him was to buy something else. Next was the get a covered place so you can leave the car in pieces. Then all the common problems.

:rlaugh:

I laughed too. Funny thing is he's right. I kinda agree 100% :shrug:
 
Nice clean looking project you got there. welcome aboard and post up any questions you may have, many of us have done restorations and other projects and have parts sources and advice that may help.
 
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Check the manual, but I'm pretty sure the dash doesn't go there. :D

Lol.

Yeah, when I got there, the dash was out. The car was at a little shop where the guy has his own fox body business. He just deals with fox bodies only. I forgot to ask why the dash was out of the car, but then again for $1500 oh well. The guy was putting in a newer carpet for me as the old one was trashed because the prior owner was a real slob. The car had a pony wheel on the rear passenger and the center caps were missing on the other wheels. The seller found a matching wheel and all the center caps, hence the way you see the car in the pics I posted.

What happen was, the original 90' motor in the car had a bad knock in it. So, the seller made me a deal for a few hundred bucks more he would pull a very nice running 80k mile motor out of a wrecked GT he has and put it in my 90'. I will also be taking the bad engine with me (which will be my main engine build project). Driving the car around while I am having my engine built will be fun. So, the car is still at the seller's shop and I will be picking up the car in running condition this Saturday.

I left a $200 deposit and the rest will be paid upon picking up the car this weekend. We made a written contract on all that will be done as well as the documentation of the deposit I left with him.
 

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Do yourself a favour....replace the heater core now while the dash is out (whether it needs it, or not). They've got a tendency to go bad with age and they're a real bitch to get to when they do.

Who needs heaters? I live in southern California lmao!!!

Seriously though, I know what you mean. I have replaced one in a buddy's fox body before. It was a real pain in the ass. Not worried about it right now, when the time comes I'll deal with it. Plus, when I pick up the car, it will be complete.