Like a new car again. :)

[bhuff30]

I've been doing some regular maintenance on the 97 GT and she feels sooo much better now. Feels good to have working AC, a nice ride and a smooth engine. While I can't honestly say it feels like new, it does actually feel like it has 61k miles instead of 161k.
The nicest change was getting new tires and struts/shocks. The ride feels so much nicer now. I also recently fixed the AC, which I hope will work for a long while. The AC has been a huge pain in my ass since last summer. It always leaked a bit of freon and needed recharged every few months. Then, the leak got much bigger. I finally tracked it down to a crack in the evaporator tube. After replacing that and evacuating the system, it worked great for the last month of summer before the compressor locked up cold in the winter. I bought a J-yard compressor, and new accumulator, installed it, evacuated and so far so good.
Next, I'll shine her up and take some pictures. I hope to get 261k out of her. Still runs great. Using mobile 1, it only used 1qt of oil in the 6k mile change interval. I'm also considering a PI cam swap, since I can grab the cams for about 35$. That's a lot of work though.

 

[Greenscobie86]

Sweet. It's great to see someone take care of their car and have it last that long. If I'm not mistaken, your car is that "rare" Autumn Orange color right? That's a sweet color, I'd love to have that.

 

[1low03gt]

It's amazing what a little maintenance can do fo your ride!!
Nice to see that she is still running strong!

 

[bhuff30]

Yup, it is Autumn orange. I quite enjoy the color, but it really needs to be waxed to shine like it should. It's really a shame what winters in Kansas can do to your car.

 

[LI98GTStang]

Congrats on the A/C. Mine is not working as we are approaching summer and need to diagnose. I fixed mine twice prior already - these things need to get worked and mine is a weekender .
For $35, those PI cams are a great deal and if you can borrow or find a used Ford timing chain "wedge" tool, you can cut the time down to ~ 1/2. The PI cams will freshen up the performance of the motor.

 

[02nightmaregt]

Yea thats awesome man. I've had my Tokicos for months now but with the way my job is right now and the fact that i don't have a daily i can't get them installed. My tires are holding on for dear life too. I really want to get tem installed.