Newcomer With 1994 Mustang GT

[Chester5000]

Hey guys! I'm new here, so thanks for having me.

I'm no car guru in the slightest, but I've been wanting to upgrade and mod my 94 GT for a while and thought I better get in the trenches with some guys who know a thing or two!

This car had 2 owners - it was bought in Seattle and garaged in Idaho. It was sold to a kid who brought it to Arizona where I bought it. Overall it's a pretty nice car! Most everything is stock except wheels and air intake I think.

There are things I want to do, but maybe you know better and can suggest things I *need* to do.

Known Issues​

Idle​

I also swapped a vacuum line that broke myself. When the vacuum line was snapped, the idle fluttered more than normal. Is this due to the air intake being off? Still, with the new line, I get occasional idle fluttering when I'm at a red light. I see the RPMs and battery gauge flicker at the same time. Could that be an O2 sensor?

Windshield and Trim​

Some idiot on the freeway hit a patch of gravel drifting outside his lane and busted up my windshield bad. I took it to a shop to swap, but the guy was honest with me and said...

"if I were you, I wouldn't replace this windshield right now. This model of Mustang and a certain Nissan Z have an issue where the door trim, which has to be removed, will crack and break. When I go to place it back on, it's not going to be good. If you don't have spare parts to put on it, I would source those first and do it all at once."

Has anyone had this experience?

Tire Rub(?)​

(read suspension upgrade below.)


I recently got new hoses, radiator, and fan connector at a local shop.

Some things I'm interested in doing...

Complete Suspension Upgrade​

I'm undecided and have no idea where to start. Lowering springs maybe? Something I'm a little worried about it the fact that the last owner put some big ~11in width tires in the back. They look awesome, but the right rear does a little *crunch* whenever I turn to the right and enter, say, a parking lot with an elevated ramp. It's not a metal crunch I don't think, so I'm thinking it could be the tire and the exhaust? The right exhaust pipe has a hollowed out, darkened dent right where it would potentially hit the tire. Is this "goosey-ness" when I turn something I would eliminate with upgraded suspension anyways? If so I won't worry about it.

With the tires being so big, I do wonder if lowering springs would have an issue.

Cosmetics​

Paint​

While the paint is decent, I had it parked in the AZ sun for a year and it's fading up top. I personally don't really like the red and was thinking maybe a cream color? Around the lights and edges the paint is chipping. I do have it in a garage now, so I would be interesting in investing in a decent paint job. I'd love some tips and advice on this.
Maybe I could get those trim pieces painted at the same time and bring them to a glass shop.

Wheels​

In my opinion the wheels it came with are decent, so unless I have suspension issues, due to rear tire size, I think I'll keep them.

Tint​

It has cheap tint that will need to get replaced someday but I'm not prioritizing that.

Cowl​

The cowl is a bit faded and old, so that could be an easy win.

Looking forward to learning, thanks.

 

[Daryl]

Welcome! Plenty of good people here. Helped me a ton and offer a variety of mod ideas/suggestions depending on your budget. Cheers!

 

[weendoggy]

Condensed answers:

Idle​

I also swapped a vacuum line that broke myself. When the vacuum line was snapped, the idle fluttered more than normal. Is this due to the air intake being off? Still, with the new line, I get occasional idle fluttering when I'm at a red light. I see the RPMs and battery gauge flicker at the same time. Could that be an O2 sensor?

Not likely the O2, but you need to check ALL the engine wiring and vacuum routing first. Also need to make sure the engine is "sound", i.e. compression ck. etc. This is just good practice with a used vehicle. Why....because then you have a base to go by.

Windshield and Trim​

Some idiot on the freeway hit a patch of gravel drifting outside his lane and busted up my windshield bad. I took it to a shop to swap, but the guy was honest with me and said...

"if I were you, I wouldn't replace this windshield right now. This model of Mustang and a certain Nissan Z have an issue where the door trim, which has to be removed, will crack and break. When I go to place it back on, it's not going to be good. If you don't have spare parts to put on it, I would source those first and do it all at once."

Has anyone had this experience?

Can't remember if I had my sails off or not, but for sure, the cowl piece will most likely break tabs and should/must be taken off. The sails can be removed fairly easy, but need to take care when doing so. There's about six or more screws under the weatherstrip and one 8mm hex screw at door hinge that need to come out. Once off, check for rust as well and touch up paint under if needed.

Tire Rub(?)​

(read suspension upgrade below.)


I recently got new hoses, radiator, and fan connector at a local shop.

Some things I'm interested in doing...

Complete Suspension Upgrade​

I'm undecided and have no idea where to start. Lowering springs maybe? Something I'm a little worried about it the fact that the last owner put some big ~11in width tires in the back. They look awesome, but the right rear does a little *crunch* whenever I turn to the right and enter, say, a parking lot with an elevated ramp. It's not a metal crunch I don't think, so I'm thinking it could be the tire and the exhaust? The right exhaust pipe has a hollowed out, darkened dent right where it would potentially hit the tire. Is this "goosey-ness" when I turn something I would eliminate with upgraded suspension anyways? If so I won't worry about it.

With the tires being so big, I do wonder if lowering springs would have an issue.

Check what you have and what you can do, and, if you do it, do it right. No shortcuts. The "goosey-ness" is more a wandering rear axle due to no panhard bar, which will take almost all away. Wheels with incorrect backspacing can cause issues and may be what you have. Time to measure.

Cosmetics​

Paint​

While the paint is decent, I had it parked in the AZ sun for a year and it's fading up top. I personally don't really like the red and was thinking maybe a cream color? Around the lights and edges the paint is chipping. I do have it in a garage now, so I would be interesting in investing in a decent paint job. I'd love some tips and advice on this.
Maybe I could get those trim pieces painted at the same time and bring them to a glass shop.

$$$$$$

Wheels​

In my opinion the wheels it came with are decent, so unless I have suspension issues, due to rear tire size, I think I'll keep them.

See above...

Tint​

It has cheap tint that will need to get replaced someday but I'm not prioritizing that.

Cowl​

The cowl is a bit faded and old, so that could be an easy win.

Looking forward to learning, thanks.

That's about all I have for now. A lot to go over but you need to start one thing at a time. Be thourough and you'll be happy you were.

 

[GTamas]

Hello and welcome!

 

[Terrorist 5.0]

Welcome! For idle flutter, smoke test the car and make sure there is no vacuum leaks, and check your TPS voltage. The volt gauge fluttering for a second at a red light is normal, this is the fan turning on. If you are looking for some modifications to do, I am an advocate for underdrive pullies. They are cheap, easy, and yield a pretty decent power gain for the price. Just make sure your cooling system is working well and maybe use a little more water instead of coolant.

I have a whole post talking about underdrive pullies, what they do, their risks, as well as other quality of life modifications for these cars such as a manual IAC for getting rid of the pesky rev hang during shifts, and a complete guide on how to rattle proof the interior of these cars (which all rattle).

Welcome again!

 

[Snorky]

If ypu manage to get your cowl panel off without breaking it. Buy a can of SEM trim black, scuff the cowl with scotch bright red, wash, it, wipe it down with alcohol and respray it and your mirrors. They will look OEM brand new. Nice laser red btw ;-)

 

[Chester5000]

Welcome! For idle flutter, smoke test the car and make sure there is no vacuum leaks, and check your TPS voltage. The volt gauge fluttering for a second at a red light is normal, this is the fan turning on. If you are looking for some modifications to do, I am an advocate for underdrive pullies. They are cheap, easy, and yield a pretty decent power gain for the price. Just make sure your cooling system is working well and maybe use a little more water instead of coolant.

I have a whole post talking about underdrive pullies, what they do, their risks, as well as other quality of life modifications for these cars such as a manual IAC for getting rid of the pesky rev hang during shifts, and a complete guide on how to rattle proof the interior of these cars (which all rattle).

Welcome again!

Going to check out the pulleys, thank you!

 

[ju015dd]

Nice, welcome aboard!!