Looking At Buying An 89 5.0l Lx, Just A Few Questions...

[epp_b]

So, it's time to buy a toy. Tired of my buzzy 4-banger.

I found a 5.0L 89 LX that I'm seriously considering putting in an offer for. It's got nice low mileage, it's in impressive shape cosmetically, really clean body (a very little bit of hail damage never claimed on insurance, little bit of bubbling on the quarter panels, but should be able to keep it at bay if I take care of it early, but otherwise, in very nice shape), tidy interior and very clean engine bay. I wouldn't expect any reliability problems with it's mileage under 100kms.

It's pretty close to stock, just a cold air intake, BBK headers and a 411 rear. He's asking $5k (Canadian) for safetied and ready-to-go.

The only caveats: the A/C doesn't work (seller says it's just old/low freon, but, if that's BS, I'm prepared to dump a couple grand to fix or just live without it for a while), the dash vents don't blow (not a fan problem, the defrost and footwell vents still blow) and the seatbelt recoil springs are shot, but that's it. Power locks / cruise, etc, all works (speedometer reads "optimistically" because of the diff swap, but I can just use GPS)

Just a few things I wanted to figure out:

1. I know I'd be an idiot to buy a Mustang and worry about fuel economy, but I won't want to end up getting 12mpg or something and living paycheque-to-paycheque just so I can afford gas With the 411 rear, could I expect maybe... 20mpg (1 US gallon = 1.135 Canadian gallons) on the highway? I live in the prairies; arrow-straight roads for miles and miles, virtually no weaving around traffic.

2. I'm used to driving imports most of the time, so the handling characteristics are certainly different. Can I expect a reasonable improvement with some good aftermarket suspension and lower profile tires? Again, it's not a chief concern, most the driving around here is on long, straight roads.

3. How big of a job is it to do a rear brake conversion to discs?

 

[dgollem]

Couldn't say for sure about highway mileage with 411s but they are not bad with 373s I can get 20mpg or a little better on the highway. A complete R 134 AC system can be had from LRS for about $800, there are several post here on how to convert for cheaper, same with posts about brake upgrades. These cars can be made to handle well with suspension mods. I recommend spending some time searching the forum you will find lots of information and opinions related to what you're asking

 

[epp_b]

Couldn't say for sure about highway mileage with 411s but they are not bad with 373s

Well, if my rough math is right, I should be able to do about 20mpg (Canadian) then, which is OK for the amount I drive.

Thanks for the help. I just want to make sure such mods would at least be a reasonable option for the future.

 

[91TwighlightGT]

So, it's time to buy a toy. Tired of my buzzy 4-banger.

I found a 5.0L 89 LX that I'm seriously considering putting in an offer for. It's got nice low mileage, it's in impressive shape cosmetically, really clean body (a very little bit of hail damage never claimed on insurance, little bit of bubbling on the quarter panels, but should be able to keep it at bay if I take care of it early, but otherwise, in very nice shape), tidy interior and very clean engine bay. I wouldn't expect any reliability problems with it's mileage under 100kms.

It's pretty close to stock, just a cold air intake, BBK headers and a 411 rear. He's asking $5k (Canadian) for safetied and ready-to-go.

The only caveats: the A/C doesn't work (seller says it's just old/low freon, but, if that's BS, I'm prepared to dump a couple grand to fix or just live without it for a while), the dash vents don't blow (not a fan problem, the defrost and footwell vents still blow) and the seatbelt recoil springs are shot, but that's it. Power locks / cruise, etc, all works (speedometer reads "optimistically" because of the diff swap, but I can just use GPS)

The vents only on defrost is going to be either a vacuum line issue to the HVAC control switch, or the switch itself is bad. Shouldn't be abig deal.

Out of curiosity, how do you know it is low mileage if the odometer hasn't been reading accurately? It may help to know if it is an 85 MPH speedo or a 140. Depending on the build date, early 89's had stock 85 mph while later ones got 140 mph. In general, I don't trust too many of these cars with supposed low mileage. It is 23 years old, after all.

Just a few things I wanted to figure out:

1. I know I'd be an idiot to buy a Mustang and worry about fuel economy, but I won't want to end up getting 12mpg or something and living paycheque-to-paycheque just so I can afford gas With the 411 rear, could I expect maybe... 20mpg (1 US gallon = 1.135 Canadian gallons) on the highway? I live in the prairies; arrow-straight roads for miles and miles, virtually no weaving around traffic.

Maybe, but I wouldn't count on it. It could be close depending on how fast you go on the highway, I guess.

2. I'm used to driving imports most of the time, so the handling characteristics are certainly different. Can I expect a reasonable improvement with some good aftermarket suspension and lower profile tires? Again, it's not a chief concern, most the driving around here is on long, straight roads.

How much do you want to spend? The Fox Mustang "quadrabind" rear suspension is a disaster from a handling perspective, so be prepared to spend 1-2K if you really want it right. The front isn't much better, so again 1-2K to make it really good.

Since you are on long, straight roads I wouldn't mess with it too much. A quality set of springs and shocks would make it decent for the road. Lower profile tires will hurt the ride quality, but make it a little more responsive on turn in and transitions. It won't be a "good" handling car without a decent cash infusion.

3. How big of a job is it to do a rear brake conversion to discs?

It isn't that hard. Do a search, there are a million threads about it.

It should be said, seeing as how there is rust on the quarter (fairly common, especially in your climate) you should also be thoroughly checking out the rear subframe, and more importantly the lower shock towers. These cars are notorious for rust, and the shock tower stuff is expensive to fix if you have to pay someone else. It is very labor intensive if you tackle it yourself, and you need a welder and some tools to cut out rust damage.

If it is a hatchback, expect the rear hatch to be rusting out. If it isn't, it will be. Also, get a good look at the floor pans, especially the rear. Again, they can be replaced but it is a pain.

Good luck on your purchase.

 

[epp_b]

The vents only on defrost is going to be either a vacuum line issue to the HVAC control switch, or the switch itself is bad. Shouldn't be abig deal.

That's kind of what I thought. Not too worried about it.

Out of curiosity, how do you know it is low mileage if the odometer hasn't been reading accurately? It may help to know if it is an 85 MPH speedo or a 140. Depending on the build date, early 89's had stock 85 mph while later ones got 140 mph. In general, I don't trust too many of these cars with supposed low mileage. It is 23 years old, after all.

This is a Canadian car, so the speedo is in KPH. If I recall correctly, it went up to 160 or 180 kph. The general shape the car is in definitely matches what I'd expect for a car with that mileage and age. If anything, the odometer may actually be reading slightly high because the 411 rear is causing the speedo to indicate much higher than actual.

Maybe, but I wouldn't count on it. It could be close depending on how fast you go on the highway, I guess.

We don't have freeways here. Speed limits here are no higher than 100kph (60mph) except for a 15-mile stretch along one highway. The engine was at 2500 RPM when I was maintaining speed with other traffic on the highway. I know that's a kind of high for this car.

How much do you want to spend? The Fox Mustang "quadrabind" rear suspension is a disaster from a handling perspective, so be prepared to spend 1-2K if you really want it right. The front isn't much better, so again 1-2K to make it really good.

Put it this way: I'm not going to be taking it on a track. I just want to improve lane changes on highways and general handling on city roads, but that's pretty much it.

Since you are on long, straight roads I wouldn't mess with it too much. A quality set of springs and shocks would make it decent for the road. Lower profile tires will hurt the ride quality, but make it a little more responsive on turn in and transitions. It won't be a "good" handling car without a decent cash infusion.

Ride comfort is one of my least concerns. I'm 25 and single, so I can do whatever the heck I want with my car

It should be said, seeing as how there is rust on the quarter (fairly common, especially in your climate) you should also be thoroughly checking out the rear subframe, and more importantly the lower shock towers.

He said the floor panels were perfect, the only small problem area was the rocker panel. But,
I'll definitely take a close look at the things you mentioned.

I may actually decide to store this for winter and get a junker that "runs and heats" for winter.

If it is a hatchback, expect the rear hatch to be rusting out. If it isn't, it will be. Also, get a good look at the floor pans, especially the rear. Again, they can be replaced but it is a pain.

Didn't see any rust at all on the hatch, again, I'll take a closer look.

Thanks for all the feedback.

 

[gearheadboy]

Bottoms of the doors inside along with the already mentioned. I'd forget a rusty car if you are gonna keep it. But im all about saving a Fox one at a time, so by all means if you like fixing rust...

 

[epp_b]

Yeah, it's incredibly expensive and laboursome it is to fix rust. I'm planning to look at the car a second time in a couple of days and I'm going to take a much closer look at everything, especially the undercarriage.

 

[NXcoupe]

To make a fox handle decent, doesn't take too much. Everyone has their own opinion as to what decent handling is. I think a good set of struts/shocks, good upper and lower control arms, and replace fron sway bar bushings should help it to handle pretty well. I've driven a lot of cars over the years, and the fox mustang is not bad in the handling department if you are speaking of road handling and not race course.
As for your vent issue. Open the hood, look on the passenger side of the firewall, next to the little metal strip that grounds the hood, down by the brakelines, there is a small vacuum T that has one inlet and two outlets. One outlet goes loops over and through the spongey material that the heater core and evaporator lines come through, this vacuum line controls your vent doors. The supply line goes straight across the firewall and into the vacuum manifold bolted near the brake booster. It's labeled a/c on the manifold. The other line goes to a vacuum canister under the fender. There is a leak somewhere in these lines or, as stated above, the control is not functioning. It's easy to check the vacuum lines first.
Rear disk are easy, go to north race cars' website and look over it. Lots of info. Charging the a/c is a lot cheaper than 2k, if you're willing to spend that to get air working, come pay me a visit, lol. Shouldn't be more than a few hundred bucks to get it up and working. Good luck, hope you get it.

 

[epp_b]

Charging the a/c is a lot cheaper than 2k

Yeah, I know, recharging is just the cost of the can (in the States ). The $2k I mentioned was to rework and fix the entire A/C system if the problem turns out to be more than recharging.

I'm going to look at this car again tomorrow, chances are looking good that I'll drive it home.

 

[epp_b]

Well, I think I've decided to go with something else, but thanks for all the feedback guys.