New member 96 gt convertible

Caindawg · Mar 14, 2020

Hello, just stopping by to introduce myself and say HEY. Been a GM guy my whole life but my roommate AKA wife ( that’s a story for another time lol) has always wanted a GT convertible, 96-98. A friend of hers had this 96 that had been sitting for years, top and paint were shot but gave $300 for it so why not. We are slowly restoring it to OEM specs. Replaced the normal items that go bad, intake, fuel pump, cooling fan ect ect. She loves driving it and is completely satisfied with the performance, me not so much lol. It’s a driving project car that she enjoys. I’ve been reading the threads on this forum and have learned a lot so far . Looking forward to talking with the members on here and learning more. I will attempt to add some photos and continue to add updates as the restore continues

evilcw311 · Mar 14, 2020

Holy hell!!!!! That was in horrible shape when you got it!!!!!! Glad to see it being brought back to life.

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PinkieT · Mar 14, 2020

Welcome, dawg! You got a great deal, looks like. I have a weakness for SN95 ragtops, my wife got hers first.

MyLittlePony · Mar 14, 2020

$300? Good buy.

Laser Red is only good the day it rolls off the assembly line. The color is gorgeous! But the sun is not kind to it. Even if the car did not suffer from clear coat leprosy, it would be 50 different shades of red/pink/copper. If you ever decide to get this thing painted, I suggest going with something else, unless you plan on garaging it the majority of its life.

As for the top, vinyl tops never look as great as cloth. I recommend either replacing it with cloth, or if money is an issue, see if you can find yourself a cloth top from a 2004, which is still installed on the frame. That’s how I got mine. Although, those are now 16yo, so it may be better to just buy new.

Caindawg · Mar 14, 2020

So far it’s been a pretty inexpensive project, we have a U Wrench salvage yard here that has great prices on parts so I’ve been taking advantage of that. It will be repainted laser red but it’s garaged all the time. As far as the top goes, definitely want the dark tan so cloth may not be an option as those are getting hard to find for a reasonable price. At this point I have $500 in it and it’s on the road, so I can put more money into the cosmetics

ttocs · Mar 14, 2020

not sure I would recommend to keep it the same exact color. Laser red was a red candy that was known to fade(as candy paint does) over time and if its in the sun enough eventually becomes laser pink. Its also a more expensive color with base - candy - clear needed.

MyLittlePony · Mar 14, 2020

Is the interior saddle tan? A tan top would look great on a laser red mustang. But, as an owner who’s mustang originally had a white top, I may advise against this due to how it will age over time. The tan may not hide the dirt as well as black. My top started to get grey/black streaks where the frame was on the rear “C pillar.” Eventually it even wore a hole!!! I have since had a black vinyl and a black cloth. Both started to get these wear patterns, but they’re barely noticeable, and certainly never have looked dirty. Also, one thing to consider, the way the window apron is made. The factory top would leak terribly! I remembers days, getting into the car, having it smell like mold, and hearing the water slosh around n the back as I drove. But as soon as Au got a replacement, the bottom apron was more physically part of the rear glass, and never leaked.

As for laser red, there are a lot more modern colors similar to laser red. I would consider possibly going with one of those. You may get away with not having to respray door jams and match the engine bay better.

Caindawg · Mar 14, 2020

The laser red is definitely optional however I know she wants to stick with a red color, it has the tan interior so I’ll probably stick with the tan top however with that being said a black top wouldn’t be out of the question. She plans on only driving it with the top down, we have a Jeep Wrangler, Nissan Pathfinder and Hyundai so it’s a 4th vehicle , so the top color isn’t terribly important I just like the look of the dark tan

OLD H2S · Mar 15, 2020

Nice wheels...
Just throw a cheap wrap on it for 500.00 it will last 3 years and then you can change it to something else. Red frost with a tan top?

PinkieT · Mar 15, 2020

Where you located? Looks like you can get a decent set of front fenders, hood, and more for cheap. https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1429373120570117/

ttocs · Mar 15, 2020

and some sweet sweet tail lights. But yea for $300 I would.

MyLittlePony · Mar 15, 2020

Wow. That went quick.

OpalFrostGT · Nov 3, 2021

MyLittlePony said:
Is the interior saddle tan? A tan top would look great on a laser red mustang. But, as an owner who’s mustang originally had a white top, I may advise against this due to how it will age over time. The tan may not hide the dirt as well as black. My top started to get grey/black streaks where the frame was on the rear “C pillar.” Eventually it even wore a hole!!! I have since had a black vinyl and a black cloth. Both started to get these wear patterns, but they’re barely noticeable, and certainly never have looked dirty. Also, one thing to consider, the way the window apron is made. The factory top would leak terribly! I remembers days, getting into the car, having it smell like mold, and hearing the water slosh around n the back as I drove. But as soon as Au got a replacement, the bottom apron was more physically part of the rear glass, and never leaked.

As for laser red, there are a lot more modern colors similar to laser red. I would consider possibly going with one of those. You may get away with not having to respray door jams and match the engine bay better.

MyLittlePony,
i just saw a photo of your red Mustang! May I ask where you obtained the rear seat hard cover? That looks great!

Clutch Cargo · Nov 3, 2021

Since 1994 I have had two saddle tan covers and for a change of pace I went with a black cover as of later. Next time I am definitely going back to saddle tan. I think it looks better with my laser red stang. Speaking of, I never had an issue of fading, pinkish, or what others described. It has been probably 80% garaged. The only bad areas are the front chipping that I blame to an auto shop paint job due to accident that got my bumper. The original paint areas still look very good. I plan to have my repainted again laser red... luv the look.