"Bandit" (2bandit)
06/23/2020 at 09:26 • Filed to: crustang
11
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"Bandit" (2bandit)
06/23/2020 at 09:26 • Filed to: crustang | 11
| 18 |
Bought this 1998 Mustang GT yesterday on a whim for cheap, it’s got the 4.6 mod motor (2v) and the 5-speed manual. It also has quite a few issues... Plan is for it to be a summer beater for a while and maybe flip it when I get bored.
It has an issue where it takes a long time to crank and start, I am pretty sure it’s losing fuel pressure when parked so I’ve got a new fuel pump and pressure regulator on order. I believe it’s also only running on 6 cylinders too, an OBD scan shows a misfire on cyl 7 and 8. I’ve got new plugs, wires, coils, and injectors coming as well which should hopefully resolve the issue as the parts on the car look mostly factory still. Out of an abundance of caution, and because parts for this car are so cheap, I’m also going to replace the O2 sensors, IAC valve, EGR valve, PCV system, CAT sensor, cam and crank sensors, TP sensor, and the MAF sensor.
Interior is ok but grimey, currently has some el-cheapo front buckets and a cloth rear. I’d like to swap in leather seats out of a 99-04 mustang, they can’t be too expensive and should be a direct swap. The Mach 460 sound system seems to be missing its drivers, so something has probably gone wrong inside the factory amps. No idea there.
The worst thing on the body is a crunched rear quarter panel, but it doesn’t look above my skill to pull it and get the body back in good enough shape. Wheels look like they’re off a 2015ish mustang and I think they look surprisingly good.
I now own two unreliable rwd manual cars lol
someassemblyrequired
> Bandit
06/23/2020 at 09:51 |
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Does it take a long time to crank when damp/humid? I had a Ferd with the same symptoms, mouse had chewed a wire. Worth a quick check of the harness if it’s intermittent. A bit of paint-on insulation and problem solved.
Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo
> Bandit
06/23/2020 at 09:54 |
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Interesting! I’ve always kinda like that body style of the Mustang.
CalzoneGolem
> someassemblyrequired
06/23/2020 at 09:55 |
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Whoa ... paint on insulation? I didn’t know I needed this.
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Bandit
> someassemblyrequired
06/23/2020 at 09:56 |
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No, just an all the time problem. If it sits longer then a minute then you have to crank for 7-8 seconds, any shorter and it’ll usually fire up in a normal amount of time.
BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind
> Bandit
06/23/2020 at 09:56 |
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LOVE it. I’d totally rock a convertible one of these as a summer beater. I have a big adoration for the 2v mod motor.
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someassemblyrequired
> CalzoneGolem
06/23/2020 at 09:57 |
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Yeah it works surprisingly well, for something from the makers of Plasti-Dip:
https://plastidip.com/our-products/liquid-tape/
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someassemblyrequired
> Bandit
06/23/2020 at 09:59 |
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Is the battery new? If not try boosting or swapping with a known good battery. Sometimes a weak battery will have enough juice to crank but not to fire. If that’s not it then check fuel pressure. There should be a Schraeder valve on the rail, just pick up a cheap gauge at the auto parts store and verify before you throw parts at it
.
Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
> Bandit
06/23/2020 at 09:59 |
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How much did the initial purchase set you back? Looks a whole lot better than most Mustangs of that generation. Interior pictures would also be nice. Congratulations!
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CalzoneGolem
> someassemblyrequired
06/23/2020 at 10:01 |
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Wow this comment is salty!
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someassemblyrequired
> CalzoneGolem
06/23/2020 at 10:04 |
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with extra vinegar... :D
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Bandit
> someassemblyrequired
06/23/2020 at 10:11 |
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Good plan, the issue of having two dead cylinders is certainly not making it start easily too.
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Bandit
> Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
06/23/2020 at 10:11 |
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$1500 which considering the general condition I felt was fair, should leave plenty of meat on the bone after repairs if I decided to flip it.
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Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
> Bandit
06/23/2020 at 10:14 |
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That seems to be a good price for engine work already being done and a mostly straight exterior. Add in another $1,000 in the parts you’ve spent and you've got a $4,000 car. Well, after considerable amounts of labor.
Snuze: Needs another Swede
> Bandit
06/23/2020 at 10:47 |
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This is awesome! And I saw you paid $1500, which is what I paid for my 1987 rwd manual car that needs slightly more work, so I say Nice Price!
As someone said, check the battery. Then, I would do plugs first - my current Volvo had trouble starting and ran rough, turned out all it needed was plugs. Be very careful though, on those Ford Mod Motors the plugs thread directly into the aluminum heads, and only catch a few heads. If they haven’t been changed regularly or had anti-seize put on them, they have a nasty tendency to tear chunks of thread out. Ford, and probably the aftermarket, make a helic oil insert kit to fix this issue.
Once that’s done, I’d try swapping around injectors, coils, wires, and see if the misfiring cylinder(s) changes, that will help you narrow it down.
Otherwise, good luck and congrats on an awesome purchase!
Speed
> Bandit
06/23/2020 at 10:48 |
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Awesome! I’ve been eyeballing 94-04 Mustangs lately. I had a ‘95 5.0 and a ‘96 3.8 when I was a teenager. They’re really fun cars to drive because they make all the right noises and feel pretty dramatic with a manual transmission, but they’e slow enough that you can wring them out without going too fast.
If I couldn’t find a pushrod car, I wouldn’t mind a ‘96-98 GT with three pedals. You can throw a PI top end on one for a few hundred bucks, put some gears in it and have an easy low 13 second car for dirt cheap. Add some headers assorted bolt ons, sticky tires, launch and shift like a mad man and you can claim a 12 second slip. They’re quicker than 99-04 Mustangs when you PI swap them because they’ve got about half a point more compression.
Don’t want to pull the heads? A PI intake and cams are a huge upgrade and will make almost as much power as a 99+. The gap may be 15rwhp. If your intake gaskets ever shit the sheets, go ahead and upgrade to the PI while replacing it. Find some junkyard cams and you’re on your way.
Many dog the non power improved 4.6, but they actually have a ton of potential as far as SN95 Mustangs go. Using nothing but OEM junkyard parts, I’m confident a 96-98 GT will outperform a 94-95 or 99-04 built with similar parts. You can do an Explorer top end on a 5.0 and get comparable numbers for cheap, but I think a PI swapped 4.6 will edge it out. Additionally, the 4.6 block is a hell of a lot stronger than the 5.0.
Even with an LS1 Camaro that will runs bottom 12 ’s with a few bolt ons and a stall converter, I still miss driving my old Mustangs.
Urambo Tauro
> Bandit
06/23/2020 at 20:23 |
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I spy with my little eye a BBK intake tube and MM cast camber plates... Looks like it’s got the updated intake manifold (w/ aluminum coolant crossover) too. Lar ger wheels, and at least some of the exhaust appears to have been touched (cat-back?) . Anything else? Does it have a short-throw shifter yet?
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Bandit
> Urambo Tauro
06/24/2020 at 18:42 |
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It does have a short throw and a cat back! It just needs a lot of maintenance and as of this afternoon, the dashboard put back in....
19JRC99
> Bandit
06/24/2020 at 20:32 |
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I’ve always kinda wanted one like this. I love my Foxbody too much to just pound the piss out of it, but (no offense Urambo) I’ve never really loved the SN-95, so I could ruin one without remorse. It’d be a total blast.
(For example, I’m too afraid to dump the clutch in the Fox for fear of breaking something. I’d have less of an issue with an SN-95. or sliding it around in the rain *in an empty parking lot*)