My turn!

dhirocz

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So no $hit, there I was...Recently just got out of the army and finished cleaning up this '98 vert I inherited. It, unfortunately, spent the better part of the last 4 years parked under a tree right after it got a new set of tires. Before that, garage queen. Luckily, I was able to reinflate the tires long enough to roll it into the garage at my mom's house to fix it and get it home.

I have so far had to:
replace the headlights
buff and claybar the paint. Surprised it cleaned up nice! Pressure washer was my friend that day
replace the fuel pump and filter
replace the top and battery
clean it inside and out. Anally. What a mess! (needed a top BADLY as it had huge holes in it)
install some Lloyds mats
maintenance (LOF) as well as silicone weatherstrips, lube hinges and suspension, added filtermags
fix small items like the odometer that decided to break when I was bringing it home

I've gotten pretty good at bringing cars back from the dead. Now that it's finally road worthy and reliable again, I've been contemplating what I should do with it. Now, you'd never know as good as it looks now that it ever spent years living under a tree (except for the scratches from some a-hole who stole the grille insert while it was parked, and scratched the front bumper in the process). There isn't even a speck of rust on it, to include the floorboards under the carpet.

I distinctly remember my parents buying this car when it was still new. It's the last thing I got from my mother, who loved the hell out of this car, and really, the only thing of significance I have so I'm reluctant to part with it. Still have the original paperwork and sticker in the glovebox. Kids love the droptop too. Which brings me to where I am now.

I'm a motor guy. Always have been. Problem is, this thing kind of lacks in the motor department. Far better than my 2.3 Ranger at least. I considered putting the 3.8 in the ranger. I also considered reworking the heads and intake (I port my own heads, with nothing but success so far)or doing a split port swap. I spent the better of the last 6 months trying to decide if I should just clean it up and leave it alone or if I should play with it. I figure I'll play with it, tastefully. I've got my reasons.

I think I'm going to put a 5.0 in it and call it a day for now. I'm not a huge modular fan, seeing as I grew up with a 302 and foxes. Adjusting to the LS in the Corvette took me awhile as it is. Not looking to win any RWHP wars or anything, but it's a platform that I feel comfortable with. And it just so happens, there are TONS of 5.0 exploders around here and a new '95 GT with 70k at the yard that has a ripe front K member and SRA and other pieces. So I'm kind of thinking to go 5.0 and go OBDII with a '96 explorer longblock, pocket ported, H.O. cam, and OBDII harness reworked for the stang to plug it all up. I've done this kind of swap before on my T/A without issues though it takes a hot minute to complete if you do a good job.

Been awhile since I've last had a Mustang. I forgot how different they feel from F-bodies, which feel totally different than Vettes. Which kind of makes me feel IRS which is what led me here to begin with.

That's it!


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Orange 94

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Welcome to the forum!

1. Please take the bra off :)

2. If you're still on the edge of building the v6... you can check out my build and a couple others on here :) Ask any questions about the v6 platform that you want!
 
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dhirocz

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The bra is covering some really fugly scratches from someone who stole the grille insert. Pretty nasty scratches and pretty noticeable.

Once the weather warms up enough where I can pull the cover and paint it in the garage, it'll come back off.
 

mcglsr2

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Welcome to the site! Once you decide which way you want to go with it, start up a build thread so folks can follow along as it progresses :)
 

myk

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Normally I'd tell people looking to do a motor swap to just forget about it and buy the car that already has that motor, but it looks like you know your way around the garage. I'd do the 5.0 swap and have fun with that, although if you're like me with a history in LS F-Bodies you might still want even more. FI 5.0? That sounds like an awesome car. No matter what, welcome to the site and we look forward to seeing your project evolve...
 
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dhirocz

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Right now I think I'll just drop in a budget 302/4R70W and call it a day. I'll give it a once over and get in some quality time with a die grinder. I found a nice roller 351w that I wouldn't mind using. Something I can take my time with and toy with on an engine stand. I like strokers, and prefer long rod strokers at that. One thing the 351 has going for it is its tall deck height. Shame not to put some long rods in it.
 

ttocs

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Mine too was originally purchased by my mother when I was in high school. Took about a week before a friend named it the mom-stang and its stuck ever since.
 

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