New Mustang Owner: The first steps?

smubalancedman · December 28th, 2006, 05:17 PM

I just bought my uncle's 88 Mustang 5.0 convertible this past week and I'm starting to fix it up. I'll give you guys a lay out of what it has and maybe you can give me some sort of initial guidance as to how I should treat this pony car.

88 Mustang 5.0 Convertible: 120,000 (very pampered) miles

My uncle bought it off of an old lady who was the original owner and put 45,000 very slow neighborhood miles on it. (She'd never been on the highway). He is a car mechanic by hobby and took very good care of the car.

What it has:
Factory headers/cam (apparently that was an option in 88)
6-stage shift kit & fully rebuilt transmission with less than 1000 miles on it
Performance plugs/wires (not a big deal)

I've already bought the sub-frame connectors that I've read up on. They seem to be a must have for convertibles. After a few small fixes, (new convertible top, door ding, rear view mirror replacement, door handle replacement), I wanted to add some easy mods that will help it run smoother and cleaner.

I don't want a 12 second mustang. I want a Stang that can corner well, run smoothly on the highway, and haul some serious ass if it needs to. It already has a pretty nice kick to it, but I know there are a few things that I should do.

What do you guys think? I really appreciate any/all info you guys can share with me. Here's a picture:

Thanks again,
Mike Thomas
Corpus Christi, Texas
smubalancedman@yahoo.com

terribleonexx88 · December 28th, 2006, 05:22 PM

upgrade the brakes, suspension upgrade all around, and a k-member would help with the turning. whats your budget

Tony_90fox · December 28th, 2006, 06:25 PM

little kick would be full exhaust, u/d pullies, cold air intake, and all the maintenance taken care of.

cobraetti · December 28th, 2006, 07:48 PM

nice, love the factory turbine rims. where do the sub-frame connectors install,and are they bolt on or weld?

nolife · December 29th, 2006, 01:05 AM

Against the popular opinion...

KEEP IT AS IS AND UNMOLESTED!!

Buy one with some battle damage if your planning on spending some money anyway!

I know, that is no fun.

Hey, these years are getting a little old and seeing a near stock unmolested Mustang hanging in the crowd of modded stangs gets just as many looks and wows and as crazy as it seems, they often sell for more then modified ones (limits to that of course).
I expect some heat for the suggestion but I'd thought I 'd throw it out there anyway.

smubalancedman · December 29th, 2006, 05:22 PM

Originally Posted by 89 ragtop

nice, love the factory turbine rims. where do the sub-frame connectors install,and are they bolt on or weld?

They are bolt on sub-frame connectors as found on ebay from Blue Oval Industries.

As for the advice, I appreciate everything and I plan on being pretty cautious about what I upgrade. Most of my bought parts so far are very small add-ons. I was planning on adding the cold air intake though. Does anybody have the specs on building this myself? I saw some kits on ebay for $24.99 but I don't trust them.

When you say "suspension all the way around," where is a good place to start? It rides pretty smooth but it could use a little tune up.

As far as injectors go, is there any reason to upgrade to a higher performance fuel injector? Was 19lbs a stock injector for an 88 5.0?

I think I'd like to steer clear from under-drive pulleys and all that good stuff. I don't think I need to go through all of that for an extra 10-15 hp.

Thanks again, I really appreciate the info.

Mike Thomas
smubalancedman@yahoo.com

smubalancedman · December 29th, 2006, 05:23 PM

New Pick

[/img]

82GT · December 29th, 2006, 06:00 PM

Don't just bolt the subframes in...have them welded in.
FWIW....all 5.0 mustangs from at least 1987-up came with the factory "headers"

In town miles are much harder on a car than highway miles.
That IS a very nice car in excellent shape for how old it is though. Try to keep her garage kept if possible.

smubalancedman · December 29th, 2006, 06:21 PM

Originally Posted by 82GT

Don't just bolt the subframes in...have them welded in.
FWIW....all 5.0 mustangs from at least 1987-up came with the factory "headers"

In town miles are much harder on a car than highway miles.
That IS a very nice car in excellent shape for how old it is though. Try to keep her garage kept if possible.

Thanks for the info. I know city miles are harder on a car than the highway, but I doubt Granny ever got it over 40. Just to the grocery store and back. I'd take 40k miles by Granny over 80k miles on a highway.

As far as a "K-member" goes, I saw that I would have to remove the crossmember to install it. Would I be replacing the crossmember after installing the K-member or would the K-member serve as the replacement?

thanks again,
mike

shurb125 · December 29th, 2006, 07:56 PM

Underdrive pullies are worth the time and money, $80-$90 and easy to install, just put a set on my '93 vert along with a BBK cold air intake, fenderwell mount, it was worth it. Nothing outrageaous but a noticeable difference.

Stangzilla · December 29th, 2006, 08:46 PM

In order to replace the K-member the whole front end must be removed. What crossmember are you talkin about the tranny? If so it stays. Go with a AJE K-Member they are the best hands down. and while you are at it put in urethane motor mounts and a urethane tranny mount. For sure have those subframe connectors welded in and you do not have to worry about changing the injectors until you get into changing other stuff like the intake, cam ect... Underdrive pullies are worth the effort not that difficult to do..

82GT · December 29th, 2006, 08:53 PM

What happened to the foglights?

89StangGT · December 29th, 2006, 08:56 PM

go for some 3.73s, get the frame connectors on, full exhaust and any other little bolt ons and it will run great. then do some brakes and springs and some other suspension mods and it will handle pretty good.

smubalancedman · December 29th, 2006, 09:37 PM

Wow, thanks for all of the info. I found a BBK fendermount cold air intake on ebay but I read somewhere that you have to upgrade the mass air ***? If that isn't the case, I was going to purchase it.

As for the pulleys, what do they bolt on to? Is it just a bolt on over the waterpump/alternator? I spent the last 3 years working on a 74' Datsun 260Z so the ford route is new to me.

How much of a pain in the butt is putting on the K-member setup? I found a full set for $50 on ebay. Does that sound right? Is it worth the hassle? I figure I'll just do the pulleys, cold air intake, & exhaust for now. i want to focus on getting most of the cosmetics out of the way too.

Any info on installation of the pulleys/k-member would be great.

Thanks again for the info, I've found out that the Mustang community is pretty tight.

mike t.

smubalancedman · December 29th, 2006, 10:00 PM

Also, which pulleys specifically should I buy? I've found a few different sets and the prices range from $45 to $125. And when you put the pulleys on, do you need new belts? Do you know which sizes or how many?

thanks again,
mike

solareclpse2000 · December 30th, 2006, 12:02 AM

shouldnt need new belts depending on how much underdrive the pulleys have.but mostly your stock belt tensioner should pick up the slack fine if there is any. and a k member for that price is probably a stock one.you should go tubular.a never trust ebay myself.

82GT · December 30th, 2006, 12:47 AM

Ebay is fine as long as you KNOW what you're looking for and ask the buyer questions. I ALWAYS check the seller's rating. Anything less than 90% I usually don't bother with.

shurb125 · December 30th, 2006, 02:32 AM

The underdrive pullies consist of a alternator pulley, water pump / fan pulley and a bottom / crankshaft pulley. Make sure with the alt. pulley that you use a impact wrench of some sort.

notsoslo5.0 · December 30th, 2006, 05:00 PM

i just got u/d pulleys and cai off ebay and both of them went really smoothly. i paid about 45 for cai with shipping and it works really good for me. all you need to do is just connect a pipe from the manifold to the maf and from the maf to the fenderwell. all in all both of them took me an hour or less total to do. as for the pulleys, i would say go with a set of aluminum pulleys which i could definately feel after i put those both in. also a good mod would be a o/r x or h pipe with some flowmasters or whichever you choose.

Stangzilla · December 30th, 2006, 05:55 PM

I think he meant he found underdrive pullies for 50 bucks not a k-member. If you found pullies for 50 bucks buy them good price... AJE k-member with control arms and coil over kit will run you about a grand or so.

December 28th, 2006, 05:17 PM	#1
smubalancedman Newbie Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 9 iTrader: 0 reviews	New Mustang Owner: The first steps? I just bought my uncle's 88 Mustang 5.0 convertible this past week and I'm starting to fix it up. I'll give you guys a lay out of what it has and maybe you can give me some sort of initial guidance as to how I should treat this pony car. 88 Mustang 5.0 Convertible: 120,000 (very pampered) miles My uncle bought it off of an old lady who was the original owner and put 45,000 very slow neighborhood miles on it. (She'd never been on the highway). He is a car mechanic by hobby and took very good care of the car. What it has: Factory headers/cam (apparently that was an option in 88) 6-stage shift kit & fully rebuilt transmission with less than 1000 miles on it Performance plugs/wires (not a big deal) I've already bought the sub-frame connectors that I've read up on. They seem to be a must have for convertibles. After a few small fixes, (new convertible top, door ding, rear view mirror replacement, door handle replacement), I wanted to add some easy mods that will help it run smoother and cleaner. I don't want a 12 second mustang. I want a Stang that can corner well, run smoothly on the highway, and haul some serious ass if it needs to. It already has a pretty nice kick to it, but I know there are a few things that I should do. What do you guys think? I really appreciate any/all info you guys can share with me. Here's a picture: Thanks again, Mike Thomas Corpus Christi, Texas smubalancedman@yahoo.com

December 28th, 2006, 05:22 PM	#2
terribleonexx88 Enthusiast Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: new england Posts: 820 iTrader: 0 reviews	upgrade the brakes, suspension upgrade all around, and a k-member would help with the turning. whats your budget __________________ 85 svo. work in progress

December 28th, 2006, 06:25 PM	#3
Tony_90fox Banned Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Bowling Green, KY Posts: 3,831 iTrader: 0 reviews	little kick would be full exhaust, u/d pullies, cold air intake, and all the maintenance taken care of. __________________ [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC] [B][U]MM Sapper Squad[/U][/B] [QUOTE=Regency 2007;1676187]MSO's stupidity has never stopped amazing me since the day he joined this forum.[/QUOTE]

December 28th, 2006, 07:48 PM	#4
cobraetti Regular 2001 svt cobra no way (IRS) Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: goose creek,sc Posts: 304 iTrader: 0 reviews	nice, love the factory turbine rims. where do the sub-frame connectors install,and are they bolt on or weld? __________________ Build #1249 MM New Edge Crew Member# 6

December 29th, 2006, 01:05 AM	#5
nolife Hardcore Enthusiast 91GT, 88GT, 02GT Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 2,877 Blog Entries: 3 iTrader: 0 reviews	Against the popular opinion... KEEP IT AS IS AND UNMOLESTED!! Buy one with some battle damage if your planning on spending some money anyway! I know, that is no fun. Hey, these years are getting a little old and seeing a near stock unmolested Mustang hanging in the crowd of modded stangs gets just as many looks and wows and as crazy as it seems, they often sell for more then modified ones (limits to that of course). I expect some heat for the suggestion but I'd thought I 'd throw it out there anyway. __________________

December 29th, 2006, 05:23 PM	#7
smubalancedman Newbie Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 9 iTrader: 0 reviews	New Pick [/img]

December 29th, 2006, 06:00 PM	#8
82GT Regular Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Danville, Pa. Posts: 249 iTrader: 0 reviews	Don't just bolt the subframes in...have them welded in. FWIW....all 5.0 mustangs from at least 1987-up came with the factory "headers" In town miles are much harder on a car than highway miles. That IS a very nice car in excellent shape for how old it is though. Try to keep her garage kept if possible. __________________ 1982 GT (t-top) 351w(.060),10:3, ported & polished iron heads, 1.94/1.60 valves, BBK shorties & flowmasters, 274XE cam, stealth intake, mallory dizzy, stealth intake, 750dp, Edge 3700 stall converter, C-4, 4:10's Best E.T 12.85@102mph

December 29th, 2006, 07:56 PM	#10
shurb125 Regular 1993 Mustang LX Vert Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: South Carolina Posts: 437 iTrader: 0 reviews	Underdrive pullies are worth the time and money, $80-$90 and easy to install, just put a set on my '93 vert along with a BBK cold air intake, fenderwell mount, it was worth it. Nothing outrageaous but a noticeable difference.

December 29th, 2006, 08:46 PM	#11
Stangzilla MM Fanatic Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: On my way to Baines's house!! Posts: 3,298 iTrader: 0 reviews	In order to replace the K-member the whole front end must be removed. What crossmember are you talkin about the tranny? If so it stays. Go with a AJE K-Member they are the best hands down. and while you are at it put in urethane motor mounts and a urethane tranny mount. For sure have those subframe connectors welded in and you do not have to worry about changing the injectors until you get into changing other stuff like the intake, cam ect... Underdrive pullies are worth the effort not that difficult to do.. __________________ Rotating The Earth 1320 Feet At A Time!! Today, I found out that when I masturbate at night while watching internet porn I cast a huge shadow on the curtain and the entire street is able to see it.

December 29th, 2006, 08:53 PM	#12
82GT Regular Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Danville, Pa. Posts: 249 iTrader: 0 reviews	What happened to the foglights? __________________ 1982 GT (t-top) 351w(.060),10:3, ported & polished iron heads, 1.94/1.60 valves, BBK shorties & flowmasters, 274XE cam, stealth intake, mallory dizzy, stealth intake, 750dp, Edge 3700 stall converter, C-4, 4:10's Best E.T 12.85@102mph

December 29th, 2006, 08:56 PM	#13
89StangGT Moderator SVT Cobra Mustang Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Toledo, Ohio Posts: 1,843 iTrader: 0 reviews	go for some 3.73s, get the frame connectors on, full exhaust and any other little bolt ons and it will run great. then do some brakes and springs and some other suspension mods and it will handle pretty good. __________________ There's a reason Ford codenamed them the Terminator

December 29th, 2006, 09:37 PM	#14
smubalancedman Newbie Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 9 iTrader: 0 reviews	Wow, thanks for all of the info. I found a BBK fendermount cold air intake on ebay but I read somewhere that you have to upgrade the mass air ***? If that isn't the case, I was going to purchase it. As for the pulleys, what do they bolt on to? Is it just a bolt on over the waterpump/alternator? I spent the last 3 years working on a 74' Datsun 260Z so the ford route is new to me. How much of a pain in the butt is putting on the K-member setup? I found a full set for $50 on ebay. Does that sound right? Is it worth the hassle? I figure I'll just do the pulleys, cold air intake, & exhaust for now. i want to focus on getting most of the cosmetics out of the way too. Any info on installation of the pulleys/k-member would be great. Thanks again for the info, I've found out that the Mustang community is pretty tight. mike t.

December 29th, 2006, 10:00 PM	#15
smubalancedman Newbie Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 9 iTrader: 0 reviews	Also, which pulleys specifically should I buy? I've found a few different sets and the prices range from $45 to $125. And when you put the pulleys on, do you need new belts? Do you know which sizes or how many? thanks again, mike

December 30th, 2006, 12:02 AM	#16
solareclpse2000 Newbie Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 30 iTrader: 0 reviews	shouldnt need new belts depending on how much underdrive the pulleys have.but mostly your stock belt tensioner should pick up the slack fine if there is any. and a k member for that price is probably a stock one.you should go tubular.a never trust ebay myself.

December 30th, 2006, 12:47 AM	#17
82GT Regular Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Danville, Pa. Posts: 249 iTrader: 0 reviews	Ebay is fine as long as you KNOW what you're looking for and ask the buyer questions. I ALWAYS check the seller's rating. Anything less than 90% I usually don't bother with. __________________ 1982 GT (t-top) 351w(.060),10:3, ported & polished iron heads, 1.94/1.60 valves, BBK shorties & flowmasters, 274XE cam, stealth intake, mallory dizzy, stealth intake, 750dp, Edge 3700 stall converter, C-4, 4:10's Best E.T 12.85@102mph

December 30th, 2006, 02:32 AM	#18
shurb125 Regular 1993 Mustang LX Vert Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: South Carolina Posts: 437 iTrader: 0 reviews	The underdrive pullies consist of a alternator pulley, water pump / fan pulley and a bottom / crankshaft pulley. Make sure with the alt. pulley that you use a impact wrench of some sort.

December 30th, 2006, 05:00 PM	#19
notsoslo5.0 Regular Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 326 iTrader: 0 reviews	i just got u/d pulleys and cai off ebay and both of them went really smoothly. i paid about 45 for cai with shipping and it works really good for me. all you need to do is just connect a pipe from the manifold to the maf and from the maf to the fenderwell. all in all both of them took me an hour or less total to do. as for the pulleys, i would say go with a set of aluminum pulleys which i could definately feel after i put those both in. also a good mod would be a o/r x or h pipe with some flowmasters or whichever you choose. __________________

December 30th, 2006, 05:55 PM	#20
Stangzilla MM Fanatic Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: On my way to Baines's house!! Posts: 3,298 iTrader: 0 reviews	I think he meant he found underdrive pullies for 50 bucks not a k-member. If you found pullies for 50 bucks buy them good price... AJE k-member with control arms and coil over kit will run you about a grand or so. __________________ Rotating The Earth 1320 Feet At A Time!! Today, I found out that when I masturbate at night while watching internet porn I cast a huge shadow on the curtain and the entire street is able to see it.

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