1994 Mustang GT money pit I mean project

Dino Dino Bambino

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Plus, this will get me in HP range I'm looking for without going full crate motor, and having to wait for an extended period of time.

I'm leaning towards the following:
stock bottom end
TF 11R 190s
Custom cam from Ed Curtis
1.6 RR
Ted Jenkins tune
Supporting fuel mods (injectors, TB, fuel pump)

The 190s will be plenty of head for the eventual stroker build, but shouldn't kill TQ down low from everything I've read, especially with the gears and tune. This should come in around $2500 (before the tune and fuel mods). The Exploder intake will obviously hold me back some, but it is on the shelf already. I can always look to getting the lower ported. I'm thinking this should get me in the 350whp range, give or take.

An Explorer intake, even if the lower is ported by Tmoss, won't get you anywhere near 350rwhp but you'll certainly have at least 350 at the crank plus plenty of midrange torque to make the car a lot of fun. I'd suggest you go for the Holley Systemax II if you're aiming towards 350rwhp or 400 at the crank, and especially if you're planning a stroker in the future as that'll demand more airflow.
For a stroker build, you could consider getting a Dart block based 363 short block and swapping over the HCI from your existing 302.
 
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tjm73

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Two things..

1.) If you decide to look for a Holley SysteMAX II realize that Holley made a SysteMAX and a SysteMAX II. The SysteMAX was slightly better than the OEM intake, but not enough to sell in significant numbers. They pop up on eBay every once and a while. The SysteMAX II is the top dog in EFI 5.0 intakes.

2.) I have a SysteMAX II that was gently used and not modified that I'm all but positive I will be selling in about 2-3 weeks. If I do decide to sell it and you are interested, I will give you first crack at it.
 

joe_momma

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Thanks lads. Since I already have the Explorer intake, I'll likely need to run with that for the time being. Down the road I'll look into replacing it.
 

joe_momma

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Picked up the hood and spoiler last night. The hood is fiberglass, and in great shape from what I can tell. All of the mounting studs were present and in good shape. The latch location has seen some use, but I think it should be fine. I'm guessing my factory latch will work with this one? It looks like it has the "catch" on both sides. It is missing the vent screens, but that isn't a big deal. I can pick up a set for fairly cheap from LMR. It will need paint, obviously.
Hood:
FNu4bFp.jpg

ygEO6kL.jpg

Vent:
cBj4hUl.jpg

Latch:
DZNApkY.jpg


Factory hood/latch:
XeNnkiY.jpg

5rZtjid.jpg


Spoiler needs paint, but looks OK from what I can see. The janky parts are underneath and won't be seen. I'll need some new 3M tape and mounting bolts, unless my factory bolts will work.
a1eBVEr.jpg

iLf9oLQ.jpg

i92Y1h7.jpg


Has anyone used the rattlecan factory paint? I'd like to get the spoiler on sooner rather than later if possible. I still need to get a front bumper cover and new headlights/foglights. I won't paint until I have both pieces in hand.
 

07gts197

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I’ve used the dupli color paint with pretty good results. Just like any other paint it’s all in the prep work.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

joe_momma

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Rattle can the spoiler black for now…..

The thought did cross my mind ;)

I've actually ordered a kit from Touch Up Zone with rattle cans of primer, base, and clear. I need to get some 1/4-20 bolts to go along with the 3M tape I have ordered. I'll likely start prep work on the spoiler this weekend.
 

joe_momma

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joe_momma

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The 4 inserts in the spoiler are all OK with the exception of one - it just turns and I can't get the screws (1/4-20) to tighten. I ordered some Loctite quick epoxy to hopefully remedy that situation. I'm going after work today to pick up some sandpaper and start prep work on the spoiler. The original two-sided tape is still there with the covering in place. I don't want to take a chance with it, so I'll be removing all of that I can and replacing it with new 3M tape. Although, with as hot as it is, not sure how much work I'll be getting done on it. Heat index values are at 100+ right now.

EDIT: I also ordered a Cobra front bumper cover.
 

joe_momma

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Got the S281 clone spoiler all done up this weekend, despite the heat. I removed the old tape with a heat gun and a plastic razor blade, along with 3M adhesive remover (that stuff is the jam). After that I hand-sanded with 220, then 500 to scuff the old clear and some bad spots/chips in the paint. After I did that, I washed it with soap/water and hung it up in the garage using weed-eater string from the garage door tracks.
HARaA2i.jpg

tLuqlQl.jpg


Once I had it hanging like I wanted, I wiped it down again with soapy water and then isopropyl.
04buJHK.jpg


Here's the kit from Touch Up Zone: primer, two cans of base, and their 2K clear. The clear was pretty slick, it had a secondary nozzle on the bottom that you depressed when you were ready to spray it to mix the activator in with the clear.
D6IwaNx.jpg

p5wDWg6.jpg

yFrD06l.jpg


Laying down primer - honestly, it was probably too hot/humid to be painting, but I wanted to get it done. I think my primer was drying before it was getting to the spoiler, as evidenced by the rough/gritty finish:
mgNSfFF.jpg

uN4fldu.jpg

cehZ8lR.jpg


I put down 3 coats of primer. I just used my hand and a little 500 wet paper to knock the rough spots on the primer down before I started with color. Wiped down with soapy water and isopropyl again before I started color.

It had cooled down some by the time I got around to laying down the color and clear, thankfully. I put down 3 coats of color, and 3 coats of clear. I'm glad I picked up a second can of base, otherwise, I would have only had enough for two coats. I really needed the third coat, and I ended up sanding through the primer on a couple of edges where it was the roughest. I was kind of worried about the finish, but that clear is pretty amazing stuff. It's smooth for sure, and I haven't even polished it. I thought about wet sanding it, but I don't think it needs it. I've got some correction polish, and will likley just hit it with that before I mount it.

Finished product:
rNt5WEL.jpg

i5IbkEJ.jpg


Overall, very happy with the kit from Touch Up Zone. I can't comment on how close it matches yet, but I'll update once I have it mounted. I should also preface this by saying the car has been painted before by the PO. Oh, the epoxy didn't hold. No worries, between the 3 other bolts and the 3M tape, it shouldn't go anywhere. I noticed a couple of spots I could have done better with, but honestly, as a beginner, I feel like it turned out really good.
 

joe_momma

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Well, as feared, the paint kit I got doesn't match the paint on the car. It does, however, match the original paint as you can see in the shot below. When they repainted the car, they didn't use Crystal White. I'm not sure which white it is, but it isn't Crystal. It might be Oxford White, I'm not sure. It looks pretty close to my truck, which is Oxford.
Original vs respray:
l1wgJqx.jpg



Other than that, pretty happy with the fit. I mounted the new 3M tape and then used painter's tape to "hold" the spoiler in place (mostly) while I hinged it over to peel the tape backing. It did a decent job. I did have to restick the passenger side, it slid up a little too far and I couldn't get the mounting bolts in.

Hinge with painter's tape:
bQtbCeH.jpg


Here you can see how "off" the color is:
gNt71oO.jpg

i4fKg5U.jpg


Fit is pretty decent:
6BjsRFe.jpg


The driver side was up a little, but I sat the welder on it overnight and that seemed to bring it down some. The passenger side was down pretty good. I sat the generator and an ammo crate on top of it as well to help it stick/flatten out.

I got the seat track extenders installed, which is nice. It raised the seat up 1/2" or so, but no biggie. Any more, and it would be an issue but the seat is OK. I also got the eBay Cobra bumper in. It looked fine, but I have no idea how the fit is. Honestly, I don't really want to drive around in a 3-color car for any length of time (the hood is still blue, and the bumper is black/unpainted). It will be some time before I can afford to get it painted so I probably won't be installing any of the new parts until much later. That is unless I decide to do more "show" before "go" and get it painted before doing the crate motor swap. We shall see.
 

tjm73

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Sorry to see this. Your work on the wing looks good.
 

joe_momma

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Sorry to see this. Your work on the wing looks good.

Thanks man. I'm leaning towards it being Oxford White. I have some touch up in that color for my truck. There are some chips up front I'm going to test with.
 

joe_momma

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Turns out the car isn't Oxford White either, so I don't have any idea what color it is. Doesn't really matter, as it is in line for the body shop. Going to go back with Crystal White once my painter gets caught up. He thought it might be this month, but this month is gone. I spoke with him the other day, just checking on his schedule. He said he isn't ready yet but will let me know.

I did pick up a set of Cobra fog lights and brackets this week off FB Marketplace. Brand new, still in the plastic. I also got some GMC Envoy fogs to do that mod once the time comes. Supposedly the Envoy fogs fill the fog light opening up much better than the factory lights (they're like 0.5" larger in diameter). I might work on the fog lights this weekend, but honestly it won't make much difference until I get the car back from the body shop as I don't have the Cobra bumper mounted.
 

joe_momma

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Finally got around to removing the door trim last night. It wasn't a bad job, despite the lack of tools. There's still some adhesive on there I couldn't get off. All of my garage stuff is packed away at the storage building for the upcoming move, so all I had was a hair dryer and the "flat" attachment on the end of the hair dryer itself.

Door trim removed:
RjLo4QL.jpg


You can see the (I'm assuming) factory color below. It appears they didn't remove the trim for the repaint.
toa84D9.jpg
 

tjm73

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You can see the (I'm assuming) factory color below. It appears they didn't remove the trim for the repaint.
toa84D9.jpg

Not unusual for a "quicky" repaint. Someone was lazy and cheap.
 

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