Mods for Mustang "Newbie"

[_jb_]

you can do all that with your 88. they changed little over the euro years.
also, before you rip your dash apart, your CEL (check engine light) is not broken - SD cars dont have a functioning light.

good luck!

My CEL works. I've never seen it on, but when I start the car it lights up and then turns off.

 

[jrichker]

jrichker,

What benefits do you gain by taking the rear end out of one car and putting into the mustang instead of just buying a gear kit and having a tech install it? Is the cost difference that significant? Also you talk about using the disc breaks from the swapped rear end, but my stang has drum brakes in the rear end....would that still work with my stang? Is it worth while to get 4 disc breaks instead of 2, and how much work is involved in upgrading the drums to disc breaks.

Thanks again for the help.

Jared

The package is the reason, everything for less than $300. Gears are $170-$190 + another $100-$200 to get them installed. New Ford Motorsports or equal disk brake kits for the rear are $300+. Get the whole thing in one pass for less than the cost of buying gears and getting them installed.

The brake questions are best answered by Matt90GT, he's the brake expert. I can only write about doing the Turbo Coupe swap and getting the brakes as part of the package. Matt90GT has done it all and several different flavors of it as well. See http://www.svo73mm.cjb.net/ for everything you would need to know about Mustang brakes and what upgrades are possible.

All I can say is that now that it is all finished and working is that I now have the brakes that should have been standard equipment in the first place.

 

[HISSIN50]

nice write up, JR!

JB, i dont think your CEL should work. ive read several threads and the consensus is that SD cars dont have a functional light - it can be made to work, but is a bit of work. interesting that yours does. hmmm.

 

[tmoss]

If you have a CEL light, it should come on during start to verify the bulb is working. My SD 88 does not have one.

 

[_jb_]

If you have a CEL lihgt, it should come on during start to verify the buld is working. My SD 88 does not have one.

When I took out my cluster for my 160 speedo, I can't remember if there was a light already in the "Check Engine" slot or if I put one in it. When I turn the key on, it doesn't light up. Only when the car starts to turnover does it come on.

 

[tmoss]

Yeah - when all the other dash lights come on to verify the bulbs are good right? Does it go out then? Ever try to simulate a code to see if the CEL comes on?

 

[_jb_]

Yeah - when all the other dash lights come on to verify the bulbs are good right? Does it go out then? Ever try to simulate a code to see if the CEL comes on?

No, when I turn the key to on, all the lights come on except the CEL light. When I begin to start my car (during the process of the car turning over) the light comes on. Since it take like 1 second to start my car, that is how long the light is on for. It never flashes with the other lights.

I have never tired to turn on the light, but I do run with one O2 senor. Wouldn't that set off the CEL?

 

[tmoss]

Yes it would - your CEL does not function correctly.

 

[_jb_]

I do know I put a bulb in the "Check Oil" light by the CEL. It was dim, and it made my other Check Oil light the same brightness as it was. I found out that way they are on the same circuit lol.