1983 Mustang.Too good to scrap.Poor little orphan..

[mmb617]

Is that a Holly Brawler carburetor??

It's a Holley Street Warrior 600 cfm. The same carb he had on the stock 351 that used to be in the car before he built the 347. He could certainly use something bigger on the new engine but it's not a race car so this carb works well.

 

[Breakaway500]

Brakes done.feel good. Handbrake is strong too.

Decided to tackle the fuel system. YUCKO!! Tank is junk. Sending unit too. Too many years dormant with standing fuel. All seals cracked. Because I am using a carburetor I won’t be using the in-tank fuel injected high pressure pump..but I’ll use the pump pickup bracket setup and run the 15 gallon EFI size. Cheaper too (1/2 price)as they made that tank style for many years to follow. Whole setup for under $200.

Motor is in but..that HEI distributor may be too tall. Hmm. May need to add a subtle bump to the hood. No matter. I’ve got one around here somewhere. Came off an old 70 Mach 1.

Motor in. Trans too. All fit nicely. Now to tackle pulleys and accessory fitment. Still need a 1 wire alternator.6 groove GM should work.

Once it gets close to moving under its own I’ll have to decide about tires and wheels. I do have a nice set of 4 lug Centerline forged Vortex wheels not doing anything. About the same vintage as the car.

 

[Rodan]

That is one seriously tall distributor!

 

[Breakaway500]

That is one seriously tall distributor!

Yep. GM made them fit in the back of the engine but Ford used a flat style setup. I’ll work around it as I like centrifugal and vacuum advance and the HEI system is pretty bullitproof.

 

[Breakaway500]

Engine in and running! Very smooth and sounds good. Tme for a rip around the block..

1983 Mustang GT with a 1997 Explorer engine. - YouTube

 

[Racer X]

Yep. GM made them fit in the back of the engine but Ford used a flat style setup. I’ll work around it as I like centrifugal and vacuum advance and the HEI system is pretty bullitproof.

So many great aftermarket parts for a GM HEI unit. Someone is making complete Buick 350 and big block HEI units, fresh bodies, with performance coils and modules, with the proper BUICK curve (very different than the other GM ignition aedvance curves) for about $125 shipped. Heck, a Buick NOS distributor drive gear for a BB or a 350, if you could find one, is about $40 by itself.

Pertronix module can be had with a rev limiter built-in too. Do NOT skimp on the module heat sink grease, and carry a spare module in the console or glove box. THe only part that can just fail on a whim.

Glad you rescued it!

 

[Breakaway500]

I evicted the mice from the heating system and put in a new heater core. The floors were painted and new carpet installed.

Now on to the convt top replacement.

 

[Breakaway500]

New top operating cylinder on LH and all new hydraulic lines. Goes up and down nicely. New headlights..new wheels and tires.

New pads on the convt frame and all ready for the canvas top.

 

[Onomea]

Looking really good, Breakaway!

 

[rubiranch]

New top operating cylinder on LH and all new hydraulic lines. Goes up and down nicely. New headlights..new wheels and tires.

New pads on the convt frame and all ready for the canvas top.

Didn't Kar Kraft make those convertibles out of regular Mustangs for Ford?

 

[dmar]

Bought an 84 when I was in college. Paid cash, it was 1 year old with only 12k miles. Drove it for 5 years and sold it for more than I paid for it. Pretty hard to do that nowadays…. Had a 4 speed in it, no mods, but it was a great car.

 

[cherrypointmarine]

Nothing like a Mustang ! I have a 2003 Mach1 , 4.10 reared and it's been dyne tuned . I bought it in 2005 , only put 25,00 miles on it , the odometer reads 69,241 miles . I wanted a cobra , but at that time you couldn't find one , so I settled for the Mach . Close to being the same except no super charger , Cobra has the IRS and a few other things .

 

[Breakaway500]

New convertible top fully installed and fits well. New windshield moldings on. Got all the glue off the doors and will apply the new moldings once the correct ones arrive. New lock set going in doors and trunk and lube/adjust the window regulators.

 

[Racer X]

How about a 84 Mercury Capri fox body?
or a 88 T-Bird Turbo Coupe (with a 5.0 V8 & 5 speed manual)Also a Fox

my old room mate had an '84 Capri RS with the Saleen package. Had the carb, which had more power than the FI that year.

 

[robvious]

looks like you will be ready once the nice weather gets here..

 

[Breakaway500]

Had to move the car from one building to the other so a good photo opportunity with the new fallen shnow for the mousestang..

 

[Rodan]

It's even got some very 80s wheels on there!

 

[Breakaway500]

The Mousestang is on its way to its new home in Bosstown. The first potential buyer to see the car paid the asking price ($8k) and is happy as a clam! Saved from the junkyard and I'm sure it will live on in good hands.