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Author
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Topic: Got me a new project
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Butch Jennings
Gearhead Posts: 582
From: No. California
Registered: Apr 2000
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posted 09-08-2002 09:33 PM
   
I went to Carlotta (way north in California) and rescued this 85 Mustang LX http://home.mchsi.com/~9secmerc/Must1.jpg from behind a barn. It was so covered in dirt with plants growing out of the body gaps, that my wife made me tow it an extra 20 minutes farther north to wash it....she said she didn't want anything that ugly behind the truck all the way home, and she said I couldn't park it in front of the house until it got a bath...lol. A roll of quarters later it doesn't look too bad, except the color.
It's got the wrong nose on it and a pretty good dent on the passenger side rocker panel, but it's a real solid 4cyl car. I'm taking everything out of my Comet that will work in this and building a new racer out of it. The plan is to fix the floor in the Comet and sell it pretty much empty of everything that will switch over.
I'm going to attempt to prep and paint it myself after caging it and getting it ready for horsepower. I don't know much about these Fox bodied cars, so I'll have plenty of questions here and in the Fox forum before I'm done.
First question, what's it take to get a 10.5 slick under it? Can I do it with a stock width housing without cutting the tubs and using my 15 x 10.5 (7 1/4" backspace) wheels that are on my Comet?
Thanks guys, Butch
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capri man
Gearhead Posts: 3385
From: doerun, ga.
Registered: Nov 2000
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posted 09-08-2002 09:38 PM
butch, a 28x10 (w/5 1/2 in backspaceing) is as big as i could get under my 81. even then it would scrub a little at the inside top in a turn.------------------
mike r
racing is real
everything else is just a game.
81 capri-7.51 @89mph 1/8
1.54 60 ft.
http://prestage.com/site/site_display.asp?SiteID=141
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Rory McNeil
Gearhead Posts: 1210
From: Surrey, B.C. Canada
Registered: Nov 2000
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posted 09-08-2002 10:19 PM
Butch, either you have a 83 or 84 Mustang on your hands, or someone has installed the earlier front nose on it. As the owner of 3 FOX cars, the engine bay of the FOX is much wider than the shock tower equipped 64-73 Mustangs & pre 72 Torino/Comets, but are much tighter underneath. If you are going to put your 460 type engine in there, do yourself a favor & buy a tubular front K member. It will make building & installing headers MUCH easier. Most of these cars I see with the commercial swap kits put the engine way too far foreward & too high for my tastes, may be OK on a streeter, but if you want good 60 foots, you will want the engine a lot farther back. My buddy built all his own stuff for his 86 Mustang /460 SS-GT/FA racer, he built a full sump oil pan with the rack running thru the pan, with a fairly modified front stock crossmember, his engine sits at least 3 inches lower than my Fairmonts 428, which uses the stock crossmember. His engine with a Victor intake & a 1" carb spacer easily fits under the stock hood, as per NHRA SS rules. He also built his own mounts & headers.------------------
78 Fairmont 428 4 speed 10.20@130mph
80 Fairmont 302 5 speed 12.8@105mph
85 Mustang NHRA Stocker under construction, 302 5 speed
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steve'66
Gearhead Posts: 6522
From: Sonoma,CA,USA
Registered: Mar 2000
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posted 09-08-2002 10:19 PM
Butch,Good find! Congrats on the new project and lots of luck with it. Let me know if/when you wanna weld up the Comet.  SteveW
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Butch Jennings
Gearhead Posts: 582
From: No. California
Registered: Apr 2000
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posted 09-08-2002 10:47 PM
Rory, The nose has definately been changed, it doesn't fit the fenders at all and the black molding is different. I've been toying with the idea of putting an 87 or later front end (I'd like to go with fiberglass) on it but have gotten differing info on whether it will work or not. Who makes the best fiberglass for these things and can I go with the later model stuff?
Steve,
My Windstar is broken down right now (head gasket) so I have to get it running asap. After the van is running I'll finish taking the Comet apart and I'll be ready to fix the floor....I got some repo floorpans for the passenger side so we can work with clean metal. I'll let you know when I get the car ready....I went back to work last month so I've got much less free time than I did before. Thanks, Butch
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Big D
Gearhead Posts: 3680
From: WELLS, NEVADA
Registered: Nov 2000
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posted 09-09-2002 01:42 AM
Hey Buthc,,,Sounds like a great project...  BBF in that little sucker is gonna scream...  Don
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Fastymz
Moderator Posts: 11429
From: Reno Nv USA MEM#1240
Registered: Apr 2001
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posted 09-09-2002 01:55 AM
Butch,looks like a good start.I'm sorry to hear the big scooped Comet is going away.I'll bet the fox body will be alittle cheaper to work on and more easy to find parts for.Good luck I'm sure it will fly when done.SCOOP ------------------
2.634 60's
[email protected] 1/8 mile 65 coupe,351w,C4,Big Boss 429 hood scoop,8"3.40 TracLoc,Cragar SS,Black Suede. https://mustangsandmore.com/ubb/Fastymz.html
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Moneymaker
Administrator Posts: 19704
From: Lyons, IL, USA
Registered: May 99
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posted 09-09-2002 01:49 PM
Hey Butch, congrats, but I am sorry to see the Comet go.  I have a real soft spot for Cyclones you know.  You can get a very short 10 to 10.5 tire under them, but forget about anything over 26 inches tall unless you don't mind them sticking out of the wheel wells.
We needed minor wheel well surgery on Tony's Capri to get a 92.5 9x30 radial under it with 15x9 inch wheels. The 89 GT convert needed major surgery to get 9x30 94 inch radials under it. With that 460 I would assume that you want as tall a 10.5 tire as you can get so plan on some wheel well work. Good luck. ------------------
Alex Denysenko
Co-Administrator and Moderator/ non 65-66 Mustang owner sensitivity co-ordinator NHRA/IHRA/SRA/MCA member
NHRA and IHRA SS/LA National Record Holder '00, '01, & '02
Fleet of FoMoCo products including 88 ASC McLaren Mustang #28
Part time secret agent license #0089
Professional Manwhore
The Barry of BarrysGrrl Quote: "I never met a magazine mechanic I liked."
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JCQuinn@work
Gearhead Posts: 422
From: Lakewood, CO, USA
Registered: Jun 2001
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posted 09-09-2002 02:15 PM
Congrats Butch, I think this will make a great race car. I have an 85 coupe and an 83 GT fastback that I am going to work over if my contractor ever gets my garage done. Its been a two year contractor-hell ordeal that may be coming to a close soon.I have been reading up on fox bodies while waiting for the construction. I found a great book that goes into all sorts of details about chassis modifications. The book is "Mustang Performance Handbook 2: Chassis and Suspension Modifications for Street, Drag and Road Racing Use. Includes Suspension Geometry, Chassis setup
by William R. Mathis" Amazon.com has it new for $12.57 or used for $9.00. I think I remember the book saying that the late model K members are lighter and the late model front fenders have more tire room. If you are going to a newer front clip you need to know what the years are for these changes and I don't remember. If you want I would be glad to look it up in the book or you could just get your own. Let me know Also that earlier front fascia appears to also have an earlier hood. The 85 has more of a drop in the center. John
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67coupe
Gearhead Posts: 384
From: dallas NC usa
Registered: Nov 2000
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posted 09-09-2002 11:00 PM
Hey butch as far as the front end goes any nose will work as long as u use thematching fender extentions and the 91-93 fenders have a little more room for tires so they need a shorter fender ext than the 87-90 fenders but with the right matching of parts bout anything can be changed ive personally took a 79 sheel and put in everything from a 93 into it took a little fabbing here and there but no real major changes oh and i think its the 87 and newer k members that r lighter but i do suggest the tubler one ive done alot of work on an 84 with a 429 and its tight with the stock one . sorry so long ------------------
Josh
67 coupe with 351c
94 Explorer
30 model A currently rustbucket
in process 67 convt with efi 5.0 and t5
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tomstir
Gearhead Posts: 108
From: San Jose CA USA
Registered: Jun 2000
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posted 09-11-2002 08:37 AM
Kinda off topic......watcha gonna do with the Comet? Is it already spoken for? What happened to the floor? Rust? Hint Hint!!!Tomstir
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Butch Jennings
Gearhead Posts: 582
From: No. California
Registered: Apr 2000
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posted 09-11-2002 09:24 AM
Tom, Here's some pictures of what happened to the Comet. It broke the rearend and then the driveshaft beat the hell out of the floor on the passenger side.
http://home.mchsi.com/~9secmerc/Dscn0893.jpg http://home.mchsi.com/~9secmerc/Dscn0896.jpg http://home.mchsi.com/~9secmerc/Dscn0899.jpg I plan on taking everything (engine, trans, ignition, fuel system) that I can use on the Mustang out of the Comet and then selling it. It's not spoken for at all, I was actually planning on putting it on Ebay and seeing how it does. If you're interested in it let me know and we can talk. If you want to email me use [email protected] instead of the Hotmail link in my profile. Thanks, Butch
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tomstir
Gearhead Posts: 108
From: San Jose CA USA
Registered: Jun 2000
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posted 10-05-2002 10:11 AM
Cool ride. I went to those links....bad timing/more purpose built than I had thought. I will be passing the info on to my buddies though.Thanks Tomstir
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