Help For A N00b Please!!!

Mattvus

New Member
Sep 14, 2012
5
0
1
First off, hello everyone and thank you for all the wonderful help and support I am sure to receive over the coming months, years maybe even decades! I have wanted a fox body since I first rode in one at the age of 15! I have finally decided to jump in and get one. I've been haunting craigslist for weeks now looking for a good deal. I'm probably going to be looking in the 2000-3000 range which I know is not much but I'm looking for something I can "depend" on to get me to and from work but also weekend warrior the tar out of!

On to the question:

The best prospect I have found so far is a 1988 gt convertible 5-speed with a d code motor. A little research revealed that was a 93-95 cobra motor, no idea if that is a good thing or not so could use some suggestions on that one.

The only problem is that it apparently is running rich and rough. I don't have any other information yet on that problem but the current owner has apparently replaced all the sensors, gaskets, etc.

Would this put me in over my head? I'm very mechanically inclined so I'm up for a challenge but I don't want to be stuck with a big, pretty paper weight! Thanks again all.
 
  • Sponsors (?)


Hello Matt and welcome to StangNet!

I've cleaned up your post just a little bit to separate your introduction from your questions. I'm also going to move your post over to the 5oh Talk forum. You should be able to get the best responses about this particular situation over there.

Good Luck! :nice:
 
88 is speed density unless it's a California '88. They might have tried running the 24 lb injectors with the stock speed density set up. That would cause it to run rich.

Can you tell if it has the Cobra intake? If it does, then they most likely are running the 24's. You could step down to the stock '88 injector size (19 lb/hr) and be okay. But what I would advise is if it IS speed density, convert to mass airflow. That way you can mod the engine later on (heads and cam) and be able to run them without needing a dyno tune.

Of course the 24 lb injector idea is a complete guess. If it has a stock intake and orange top injectors (I might be wrong on the color, someone will correct me if I'm wrong) then the injectors are 19 lb/hr. If the injector tops are blue, then you have 24's and they won't work with speed density.
 
Here's a Cobra intake. If it has this, it also most likely has 24 lb injectors (see pic at bottom to verify injector size by color)
ford_cobra_5l_intake.JPG


Here's a factory style intake, still check to see what injector size it has
2q8v9rb.jpg


Injectors are color coded so it makes it simple to see what size they are.
Ford_Injector_Guide.jpg


And according to this, Cobra injectors are Black. I messed up and said blue in a previous post.
 
Here's a factory style intake, still check to see what injector size it has
2q8v9rb-jpg.74348


That's actually an explorer intake not a stock intake....We need more info about the car or we are just shooting out random guesses. Pics of the engine would greatly help. Also possible they did a MAF swap which could be a wiring nightmare if done incorrectly. The "stocker" the better.
 
This is the only picture I have right now:
5L95Na5F43Kc3N63H5c9cd1d121152492121c.jpg

It seems to have a few electrical gremlins roaming around. Trunk and fuel door release don't work, clutch sensor doesn't work (they replaced it already but it just blew out again), needs a basic tune up as well, plugs, wires, distributor, timing chain. I did check the fuel injectors & they are yellow. He said it has the cobra upper and lower intake, some sort of cam, flowmasters, MAF is there apparently but it's either hooked up wrong or not hooked up at all. Body & interior are in pretty good shape compared to others I have looked at. It seems like it was owned by someone with very little mechanical knowledge and big plans for this car.

I'm pretty interested in it & it should provide the right amount of effort I am looking for, assuming I don't find a bunch of problems as I start digging. I'm thinking just redo the MAF conversion even if it is already done so I know it is completed correctly and see what happens. Thoughts?
 
I thought that was it in the top left of the manifold, guess it's still speed density then. It has a cold air intake & there is definitely no maf in that tubing. Guess i should have brushed up on my mechanics before looking at projects!
 
That's actually an explorer intake not a stock intake....We need more info about the car or we are just shooting out random guesses. Pics of the engine would greatly help. Also possible they did a MAF swap which could be a wiring nightmare if done incorrectly. The "stocker" the better.
Yeah but it's close enough...
281236_2296106640875_1195351919_2808758_4281977_n.jpg
Looks similar enough to get the point across.



Anyways OP, a cam and an intake typically doesn't work with SD unless it's an SD cam. I'd convert to MAF
 
First off, hello everyone and thank you for all the wonderful help and support I am sure to receive over the coming months, years maybe even decades! I have wanted a fox body since I first rode in one at the age of 15! I have finally decided to jump in and get one. I've been haunting craigslist for weeks now looking for a good deal. I'm probably going to be looking in the 2000-3000 range which I know is not much but I'm looking for something I can "depend" on to get me to and from work but also weekend warrior the tar out of!

On to the question:

The best prospect I have found so far is a 1988 gt convertible 5-speed with a d code motor. A little research revealed that was a 93-95 cobra motor, no idea if that is a good thing or not so could use some suggestions on that one.

The only problem is that it apparently is running rich and rough. I don't have any other information yet on that problem but the current owner has apparently replaced all the sensors, gaskets, etc.

Would this put me in over my head? I'm very mechanically inclined so I'm up for a challenge but I don't want to be stuck with a big, pretty paper weight! Thanks again all.


Do you WANT a convertible, or are you settling for one because that is all you are finding? It is only my opinion, but people complain about how hard top cars ride and rattle, and the convertibles are worse. If you have serious power or performance goals in your future, I would hold out for a hatch or a coupe. If you want top down cruising, then go ahead and spring for the 'vert.
 
IMO, it doesn't.
The Explorer intake was modeled after the Cobra, so I really don't see how you came about this conclusion.

So if the Explorer intake was molded after the cobra are you saying it looks more like the stock intake or cobra intake? The explorer intake is square at the end and has the lines going vertically across it, If I didn't know what a stock, cobra or explorer intake was supposed to look like and you told me my stock intake was supposed to look like that I would assume I didn't have a stock intake, maybe others dont pay attention to detail though.
 
So if the Explorer intake was molded after the cobra are you saying it looks more like the stock intake or cobra intake? The explorer intake is square at the end and has the lines going vertically across it, If I didn't know what a stock, cobra or explorer intake was supposed to look like and you told me my stock intake was supposed to look like that I would assume I didn't have a stock intake, maybe others dont pay attention to detail though.
Forget what I said. At the time, I actually misread your comment. I thought you said the Explorer intake looked closer to the stock one. Not that you thought the Cobra looked closer to stock than the Explorer. That was my bad right there