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First Fox Body & First Project Car - 1988 Mustang GT

15K views 79 replies 10 participants last post by  dudestang 
#1 ·
Hi all, I guess I'm a noob...though I'm pretty sure I created an account a few years ago when I bought my first Mustang (2014 GT). I couldn't find the login stuff though so I just created a new one. Anyways, I've always been a huge fox body fan. First Mustang I ever rode in was a Fox Body. First Mustang I ever drove in was a Fox Body and when I first really got into cars as a teenager, I hung out with a few guys who had modified Fox Bodies and needless to say, I've wanted one ever since. Well, in January I finally picked up my first Fox Body. It's a 1988 GT, white with the red stripe around the middle (Vanilla Ice style-ish, lol). I've been trying to do some small things when I have time to work on the car.....like fixing the horn, replacing some minor exterior and interior pieces, returning the CAI to stock, etc. It definitely needs some more work like fixing some oil leaks and addressing some rust but overall I'm pretty happy with the car and I'm looking forward to continuing work on it as sort of a resto-mod/occasional weekend track car, in the coming months and years. I've documented my progress in some threads on other forums but trying to cast a wide net so I can get as much insight and guidance as possible from other Mustang owners.

Anyways, here's the car (along with my 2014 GT):
Land vehicle Vehicle Car Classic car Sedan

Land vehicle Vehicle Car Sedan Classic car

Land vehicle Vehicle Car Personal luxury car Automotive exterior

Land vehicle Vehicle Car Hood Automotive exterior


I'm documenting my progress (and learning experience) through videos on YouTube. Will share links in my next post (I guess you can't add links to your first post). Always open to advice and suggestions so please feel free to comment. Thanks and cheers.
 
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#3 ·
A few recent updates....I made some progress on getting the horn fixed, identified a few other problems that need to be addressed.


Also fixed the intake box seal (and added a K&N filter, serious powah).

I picked up some weatherstripping from a hardware store close by but I didn't feel confident it could be manipulated to make the right shape without cutting it and gluing it together a bunch so I just ended up returning it and ordering the replacement seal from LMR. It took me probably close to half an hour to clean off the old stuff but I got it done eventually and got the new seal on the air box.

Old seal
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New seal, pretty happy with fit and quality
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I made a short video of the air box fix


Also ordered a few random small hardware pieces...the hardware for the fender splash shield, so it’s easier to put back in when I get it all cleaned up, also the battery tray hardware kit, and the hood rubber bumper kit.

I’ve got some other stuff on my list but trying not to be irresponsible with money given the current situation...and also need to make sure I’m not forgetting the importance of fixing the rust and leaks.
 
#4 ·
Made some progress on some small things on Friday and Saturday...including adding some more sticker-based horsepower :p, updated the airbox hardware, added new inner seat-belt sleeves, and installed hood rubber bumpers. Little things but I still count them as progress.

 
#5 · (Edited)
Latest on the fox body - battery (brand new) has died on me a couple of times. Now completely dead. Ordered a trickle charger and am now patiently waiting for it to arrive....probably won't be here until middle of next week. I've also ordered a heat gun so I can replace the center molding stripe.
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Got a few things in the mail this week. Got the plastic clips for the fuel filter and some sway bar end links (I've had some noises at low speed/tight turns).
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In the meanwhile, I pulled out the battery and I'm taking the drill/wire brush to the rust on the frame. Also have a POR-15 kit on the way.

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#6 ·
Finally managed to get rid of the old yellow stickers on the inside of the quarter windows.....took a long time though.

Before:
Land vehicle Vehicle Car Classic car Sedan


After:
Land vehicle Car Vehicle Classic car Sedan

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Really looking forward to getting the red body molding strip updated and touching up the paint in some spots, including the taillights:

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New video is up with some of the small progress:

 
#7 ·
Interesting update on the Fox. I had a person comment on YouTube that I should check the lights on the vanity mirrors to see if they are draining the battery. Battery was out of the car, attached to trickle charger that just arrived so I couldn't see if the lights were functioning. I had taken a picture a while back though and noticed one of the vanity mirror lights was still on even though there was electrical tape across the little button. So I pulled the sun visors out (they need to be repaired or replace anyways) and disconnected the vanity mirror lights. That update can be partially seen in my newest video (just skip to the 9:00 minute mark):



So after this video...I hooked the battery back up to the trickle charger and let it charge over night. Yesterday, I threw the battery back in and the Fox started right up. I ran voltage test on the battery and it appeared normal. Even took the Fox for a little spin around the block.

This morning I checked the voltage again and it appears the battery is still holding a charge. I have some work to do but will try to start it again around lunch time and confirm that it's still holding enough juice to start the car.

Also, I ordered a PA Performance Premium Battery Cable kit that is supposed to be arriving today, so I'll be getting that installed as soon as possible.
 
#8 ·
Got the fox to crank yesterday and the battery seems to be doing find holding a charge since being on the trickle charger over night and with the sun visors/vanity mirror lights removed.



Also, my PA Performance battery cable kit arrived yesterday. Good stuff. :)
 
#9 ·
Last night I replaced the old battery cables, which were in even worse condition than I thought, with the PA Performance kit. I couldn't figure out the alternator cable yet because I couldn't see where it was routed exactly...but I will try to get that installed sometime in the next few days.

Old:
Antique tool

Tool Antique tool


New:
Wire Technology Electronics Electronic device Auto part

Technology Electronic device Metal


 
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#10 ·
Got a new video up with the fuel filter replacement, arrival of some more parts, and installing/testing out the Steeda Tri-Ax Shifter Handle (just the handle, not the actual replacement shifter):



Plans for this week include tracing the alternator cable to see if I can figure out if there's already a mega fuse or something similar somewhere hidden in there. Also going to remove the air intake silencer since I'm probably going to have to remove the air box anyways while I'm tracing the alternator cable. Also got some additional wire brushes for the drill so I want to pull the battery and tray again and get back to working on the rust.

Also thinking about maybe draining and fully replacing the power steering fluid or just replacing the power steering pump since I have an extra one that came in the box of parts that came with the car. The loud whining noise has become worse than the Flowmaster drone the last few times I've driven the car.
 
#11 ·
Heat gun finally arrived..along with some other random stuff. On Friday evening, something else arrived. Our foster dog, Lady, gave birth to one puppy at our house and then was having trouble delivering the next one. We ended up having to take her to the clinic and she got an emergency c-section. An little over an hour later we were driving home with Lady and six tiny puppies. Hell of a Friday, lol.
Vertebrate Mammal Dog Canidae Dog breed

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Once things settled down, I managed to get some garage time. Took advantage of the heat gun and started removing the body molding stripe.
View attachment 650405 Automotive exterior White Automotive lighting Bumper Vehicle


View attachment 650404 Land vehicle Vehicle Car Automotive exterior Bumper


I need to look a little bit closer but it seems like the stripe on the door moldings is possibly a different material or might even be painted on. I didn't want to melt the door moldings so I didn't mess with those much longer while removing the rest of the stripe around the car. I also got the front driver side wheel off again and started doing some more work on the rust. I need some spray bottles for the degreaser and metal treatment from the POR-15 kit. I had initially ordered them from Chemical Guys but the order got cancelled due to lack of inventory. Fortunately I was able to pick up a couple of alternatives with my grocery pick-up at Wal-Mart today. Hopefully these will work fine and I can get at least one side of the apron done with POR-15.
View attachment 650406 Plastic bottle Glass


On the alternator power cable situation, I finally just sucked it up and ordered the SR performance cable which already has the 200 amp in-line fuse. I figured between everything else I'd need to order to do it myself, I'd only be saving 15 bucks and at least with this kit I have everything already put together. That should be here in a day or two.

Anyways, I got a new video up documenting some of these things.

 
#12 ·
Following up on the alternator cable issue - I wasn't able to re-use the ring terminal from the green wire and all the ones I have (that came with my cheap, crappy wire stripper) are too small. So I am waiting on some of those to arrive in the mail. I also ordered some more wire loom tubing, wiring harness clips, cloth wiring tape, and electrical tape.

In the meanwhile, I managed to make a little bit of progress using the POR 15 on the area underneath the battery tray (wheel well side). Unfortunately, I didn't think ahead and planned poorly with brush usage, so I have to wait until I get some more brushes before I can get to the engine bay side. I have some cheap brushes ordered for curbside pick up so fingers crossed that those are actually in stock). I managed to get two coats of the POR 15 on with the two brushes I had available.
Vehicle door Bumper Automotive exterior Auto part Vehicle


Once I get the brushes, I should be able to get some more rust work done and then eventually get the alternator cable situation squared away. Oh, in other exciting news, got a new t-shirt (and HP sticker) via Blipshift that I think some folks in this forum will appreciate.
Green Pink Turquoise Vehicle Car


Anyways, here's my latest video documenting recent progress:

 
#13 ·
I made some progress on applying the POR-15 kit on the frame underneath the battery tray. I will likely need some more of the POR-15 to get the shock tower done. On the shock tower though, I'm wondering if it would make sense to remove the master cylinder (and how difficult that is) in order to apply the POR-15 better. It's not the easiest space to get into.

Back to the horn issue...I was finally able to get the screw out of the horn bracket, thanks to the torch idea. I found a couple of random screws that actually fit in the holes on the bracket (looks like they are from IKEA) but they fit in the bracket pretty tightly and they are too narrow for any of the holes on the frame. For now, I used some washers and attached both horns to the same hole but with that placement, I can't get the fender protector back in and I'm also wondering if the second horn is too close to where the tire will turn in. I will carefully test it out once I get the alternator and battery hooked back in. I am thinking I might need to just have someone weld the bracket back in eventually.

Pictures aren't uploading for some reason. Anyways, here's my latest video documenting these efforts.


I finally got some electrical tape and ring terminals, at least one of which will hopefully work. Planning to try and get the alternator and battery squared away and put back in this weekend.
 

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#14 ·
If that is copper tubing being used for brake lines you need to get rid of that right freaking now. Copper is a terribly dangerous choice for brake lines because it can split, work harden, and fail. A restoration shop I am friends with removes copper lines from the vintage cars that come in for restoration for this very reason. They then replace with steel lines that have been copper plated for the correct period look.

There are enough rental tools to make your own steel lines, and junk yards out to provide acceptable replacements for these copper lines.

A failure in the most critical safety component in your car may cost you your life, or the life of someone else exposing you to law suits or jail if you get into a crash. A guy in my area killed a woman and maimed her two children when the bus he was driving had a brake failure after he worked on them. He is now in jail.


 
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#15 ·
If that is copper tubing being used for brake lines you need to get rid of that right freaking now. Copper is a terribly dangerous choice for brake lines because it can split, work harden, and fail. A restoration shop I am friends with removes copper lines from the vintage cars that come in for restoration for this very reason. They then replace with steel lines that have been copper plated for the correct period look.

There are enough rental tools to make your own steel lines, and junk yards out to provide acceptable replacements for these copper lines.

A failure in the most critical safety component in your car may cost you your life, or the life of someone else exposing you to law suits or jail if you get into a crash. A guy in my area killed a woman and maimed her two children when the bus he was driving had a brake failure after he worked on them. He is now in jail.


The brake lines were on the car when I bought it. Based on some pics of other forum members' brake lines, it looks like some sort of custom job. Based on how the alternator upgrade was done, it isn't surprising that they might be copper. Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I am trying to figure out which pre-bent line kit I can use to get those replaced.

Here's a couple more angles of the lines:

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#16 ·
Following up on the brake line, wanted to see if anyone had any insight. My fox has a rear disc brake conversion (and drilled front rotors that appear to be the same size as stock). Whoever did the conversion, it looks like they kept the factory master cylinder and made those custom copper looking lines. For additional context, the car also has a Wilwood proportioning valve behind the passenger side strut tower.

Based on needing to prioritize this brake issue....initially I was looking at purchasing the 1993 Cobra Master Cylinder, which appears to be somewhat of an upgrade, and can fit on 87-93 GT Mustangs without major modifications. The problem I'm anticipating though, is the Maximum Motorsports master cylinder installation kit doesn't appear to include the front port brake line, which I obviously need to replace too. I'm not seeing any front port lines available on MM or LMR.

I also looked at the 94-95 Cobra MC on MM and it looks like their installation kit does include a complete line kit. Anyone have thoughts on the 94-95 Cobra MC for a mostly stock 1988 GT? I'm looking across forums and on YouTube but trying to cast a wide net to figure out what solution makes the most sense. Thanks.
 
#17 ·
Do you have any pictures of the rear disc conversion? A popular swap back in the day was a Thunderbird conversion with an SVO master cylinder. The Wilwood rear prop valve is also a necessary addition to achieve proper braking balance. This also means that the factory proportioning valve the MC goes into is gutted of the springs on the shuttle inside it. These springs help achieve a front to rear ratio and once removed it acts solely as a means of isolating a failure in either the front or rear brakes.
 
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#19 ·
Hi all, I guess I'm a noob...though I'm pretty sure I created an account a few years ago when I bought my first Mustang (2014 GT). I couldn't find the login stuff though so I just created a new one. Anyways, I've always been a huge fox body fan.
...
I'm documenting my progress (and learning experience) through videos on YouTube. Will share links in my next post (I guess you can't add links to your first post). Always open to advice and suggestions so please feel free to comment. Thanks and cheers.
Hi DudeStang,

I found your build journal and will be following what you are doing. I'm doing the same thing, only my build is more resto mod aimed at multipurpose racing and street driving. I'm also starting to document it on youtube, I found your channel and subscribed.

I also have a 1990 LX that is near factory stock, if you have any questions about what stock should look like let me know and I'd be happy to grab some pictures for you.

Cheers,

Stacy
 
#20 ·
Hi DudeStang,

I found your build journal and will be following what you are doing. I'm doing the same thing, only my build is more resto mod aimed at multipurpose racing and street driving. I'm also starting to document it on youtube, I found your channel and subscribed.

I also have a 1990 LX that is near factory stock, if you have any questions about what stock should look like let me know and I'd be happy to grab some pictures for you.

Cheers,

Stacy
Thanks Stacy, appreciate the kind words and support. What is your channel name?
 
#22 ·
Happy to report that I finally got the alternator power cable finished. I ended up running the power cable in one loom and the rest of the wires in a separate loom. It took a while but I got it looking how I wanted it, for the most part. I might need to redo the tape around some of the clips but for now, I'm pretty happy. Trying to get both looms to sit well and fit underneath the battery tray took the most time.
Auto part Personal protective equipment Fuel line Suspension Engine

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Got a new video up documenting this progress and talking about a few other things:

 
#24 ·
Foster puppy madness has occupied most of our time at the house the past few weeks. I found some time to make a new video but not a ton of progress on the car. The foster puppy goon squad should be gone this weekend so I'm hoping to start working on the master cylinder/brake line project soon. I believe I have everything I need for that but I do still need to pick up another can of POR-15 to use on the shock tower so I can do both of those at the same time.
Vehicle Auto part Engine Car Hood




I also ordered the lower door hinge tension spring so I can finally fix the driver side door. Also managed to make some progress on getting the residue from the body molding stripe cleaned off (documented in the video a little bit as well).
Land vehicle Vehicle Car Classic car Sedan
 
#27 ·
I think there is some miss information. OP if your car has an adjustable proportional valve installed then chances are the factory one has been gutted already. Second thing the brake system is a 2 channel system, front and back. Regardless if the factory proportional valve is gutted or not, it's still a 2 channel system.
 
#28 ·
I haven't taken anything apart yet but I was assuming the factory proportional valve was already gutted....I ordered a plug though, just in case. I will just try and keep the factory proportioning valve in place.

Can you be more specific by what you mean about the 2 channel system? Are you saying it would be bad to get rid of the stock proportioning valve even if it is gutted?
 
#29 ·
Still haven't made a ton of progress recently. In addition to the puppies, I've had a few things come up in the house that we need to work on sooner than later. I am still waiting on the shocks I ordered a few weeks ago. I did install new header panel support brackets...but I should probably take some time to clean up the screws. Still looks better than the rusty ones that I had on there.
Bumper Automotive exterior Auto part


Also, I ordered a lower door hinge tension spring, since my driver side door won't stay open. I noticed today that the bag is marked a little bit differently. It says 82-83 door check tension arms...the parts in the bag look the same as what is advertised on LMR though, so I'm hoping it's still the right piece, just tagged or bagged incorrectly.
Land vehicle Car Vehicle Automotive exterior Hood
Metal


Also, managed to make some time to clean a bit more of the space on one side of the garage. This area was pretty crowded and a pain to walk through until now. We recently ordered some new shelves to help better organize the garage and maximize space. It's the little things that help sometimes...


Made a new video documenting some recent things:
 
#30 ·
Turns out the lower door hinge tension spring was the correct part. Managed to get this done over the weekend. The installation video from LMR definitely made this seem like an easier install than it actually is...at least for me, lol.

 
#32 ·
It was probably a typo on the description... shouldve read "82-93" but was the correct PN.
Remember, small progress is still progress.
I like to tell myself the same as often as possible..haha. It keeps me from being discouraged or getting too worked up when something takes more time than I expect (by something, I mean everything). On a related note, I did experience some failures/delays in my latest efforts:



Hoping that the ratcheting wrenches I ordered (hopefully arriving tomorrow) will help me with the brake MC.
 
#33 ·
So it turned out that everything wasn't a failure from my last weekend of work on the Fox Body. A couple of days ago I started the car again, just for the hell of it, and let it run for five minutes or so, then gave it a little bit of gas. The temp gauge slowly started to move up so it appears that the sending unit might have fixed the problem. I guess I just needed to let it run longer.
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In the meanwhile, I had no luck in trying to remove the nut from the fender side of the brake MC so I've now removed the driver seat and am trying to take the brake booster out. Lovely experience so far, lol.
 
#34 ·
I gave up on the outer nut/bolt and ended up getting the brake booster out. It was a huge pain. Getting the top two nuts required some seriously creative thinking, lol.

I managed to finally get the POR-15 kit applied to the firewall areas where the hood hinge cups go. I also applied it to the shock tower behind the factory proportioning valve.

I documented these efforts of course. Latest video is up on my channel.

 
#35 ·
Part 2 of my brake master cylinder saga is up on my YouTube channel:



After making the video, I managed to replace the front left brake line with the part that came in the MM kit I got a while back:


I got it pretty secure on the brake/wheel side and it seems there's enough flexibility that I should be able to get it lined up with the new MC when I install it. I went ahead and ordered the proportioning valve eliminator kit from LMR. Probably won't be here until the weekend but I'm hoping I can make everything fit/work between that and the new front left brake line. Fingers crossed.
Auto part Engine Vehicle Automotive engine part Suspension


The molding adhesive eraser tool arrived this weekend. I definitely should have picked this thing up sooner.
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I used it to remove some more of the adhesive from the body molding stripe area. I had largely ignored the rear bumper, which I assume will eventually need to be replaced but since I don't know if that will happen any time soon, I do at least want to clean it up and do the new red stripe soon, all around the car.

Before:
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After (like 2-3 minutes):
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My gaskets also arrived (intake manifold, EGR spacer to intake) and I already have the valve cover gaskets but I think I'd like to get the brakes done and drive the car for at least a few days before tackling the gaskets and then working on the rest of the oil leaks.
 
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