Finally a Fox Body Owner - 1988 GT acquired!

[DudeStang]

I've wanted a fox body for a long time. The first Mustang I ever rode in was a fox body. The first Mustang I ever drove was a fox body. I’ve been a huge fan of these cars since I was a teenager and always wanted to own one. I also wanted a project car that I could tinker with and build up and mod and learn on.

I spent the first few weeks of the new year trying to track down a reasonably priced fox body. I negotiated a sale on a 1988 GT but at the last minute the seller decided he wanted to keep the car. I tried to buy a 1990 LX and again the seller decided he was going to keep the car. I tried to buy a 1992 GT and basically told the seller I would pay asking price and then he stopped responding to my emails.

Convinced the universe was conspiring against me, I was about to take a break from the search for a while but came across a couple more options. I checked out this Oxford white 1988 GT and made an offer a couple of weeks ago. Finally picked the car up last weekend. She definitely needs some work but she runs pretty strong and is a lot of fun to drive. Looks good in the garage next to my 2014 GT.

I haven't had a ton of time to tinker around yet but since I picked her up I've put the stock CAI back in and figured out that the horn is not in the car. I've been trying to figure out if the horns I have in the box of spare parts actually work or if I need to order something.

 

[MrAwesome987]

I like it. Very retro!

 

[06 T-RED S/C GT]

Congrats, very nice find

 

[tjm73]

Wait till you work on it. I don't know if Model T's are much simpler. Love mine. LOL

 

[MADGT]

Dang, nice.

 

[DudeStang]

Wait till you work on it. I don't know if Model T's are much simpler. Love mine. LOL

My first challenge..which is not simple enough apparently, is trying to get a functioning horn so I can pass my state's safety inspection, lol.

 

[JJDAG]

Nice find, I’ve owned several mustangs but the first new car I ordered was the new for 1987 mustang gt black with red gut, the only mods I did were cold air box, cat delete and 3:73 gears. The exhaust sounded good with just the car delete pipe not too loud but aggressive enough. The 3:73s made a huge difference 2nd gear was a blast. loved that car . Good luck and have fun!
John

 

[golkhl]

Very cool car, always loved that hood on a fox body.

 

[86GT351]

Very nice. Here is my 4 Eye Car

 

[tjm73]

Very nice. Here is my 4 Eye Car

View attachment 71723

I think I hate you......j/k!!! LOL 1986 is my hands down favorite foxbody vintage. Best nose. Best taillights. Best interior. Factory 8.8 axle.

You running SVO sail panels on that car?

 

[86GT351]

I think I hate you......j/k!!! LOL 1986 is my hands down favorite foxbody vintage. Best nose. Best taillights. Best interior. Factory 8.8 axle.

You running SVO sail panels on that car?

Yes. It is an 86 with a 351 Windsor that is actually a 358 Now. Victor Junior Heads and Intake with a Pro Systems Carb. Nice Healthy Custom Bullit Racing Cam. Make a little over 500 at the rear wheels. Have also included picture of the Bellhousing after Powder Coating and the Fuel Cell

 

[Shaggy]

Very nice. Here is my 4 Eye Car

View attachment 71723

Wow!

 

[Dino Dino Bambino]

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That's a great find. The previous owners seem to have taken good care of the car. A 32 year old will inevitably have some faults but that's what makes it a fun project car. You can upgrade as you repair.
The 5.0 engine is very easy to work on, and the first mod I did to my old '95 GT was to remove the smog pump/piping and the EGR valve. This opened up quite a bit of space on the passenger side and made changing the no.4 spark plug a lot easier.

 

[DudeStang]

Video evidence of my latest efforts on the Fox Body, lol

 

[DudeStang]

That's a great find. The previous owners seem to have taken good care of the car. A 32 year old will inevitably have some faults but that's what makes it a fun project car. You can upgrade as you repair.
The 5.0 engine is very easy to work on, and the first mod I did to my old '95 GT was to remove the smog pump/piping and the EGR valve. This opened up quite a bit of space on the passenger side and made changing the no.4 spark plug a lot easier.

I did discover some rust on the frame underneath the battery tray, as well as some corrosion on the shock tower where it appears that the brake master cylinder was leaking. Those + addressing some oil leaks are my next priorities. Made some progress on a few other small things last weekend:

 

[Iceman62]

Wow, very nice...miss my '84 (sold just before entering USAF). Congrats & enjoy wrench'n!

 

[DudeStang]

Wow, very nice...miss my '84 (sold just before entering USAF). Congrats & enjoy wrench'n!

Oh man, the four-eyes have really been going on me the past couple of years. Would love one of those as a project one day. Thanks man.

Made some progress on some small things on Friday and Saturday...including adding some more sticker-based horsepower, updated the airbox hardware, added new inner seat-belt sleeves, and installed hood rubber bumpers. Little things but I still count them as progress.

 

[tjm73]

Cleaning the windows counts as a project in these crazy COVID times.

 

[DudeStang]

Cleaning the windows counts as a project in these crazy COVID times.

Hahaha I really needed that validation. Truth!

 

[tjm73]

I see you signed up over at corral too. Lots of good knowledgeable people there. Realitivly decent traffic lately too. There's one dude, indy2000 I think, that can come across totally helpful and in the next post sound like a complete asshole. But he's knowledgeable. He has ZERO "bed side manor". He's like the Dr. House of the corral.