1986 Mustang

About 2 years ago I bought a 1986 Mustang GT 5.0 HO with T-Tops.  I realize today this year is the one that slides between the cracks.  1979 to 1986 were all carb cars and in 1986 it was the first year of fuel injection.  From 1987 until 1993 the car kept with the fuel injection system but there were a lot of changes from the 1986 model.  In other words electronics for a 1986 Mustang almost have to come from a 1986 Mustang only!  It was a first year of a car and then all of the changes came the next year.

Anyway a few years back I owned a 1985 Mustang and now I was a little older and more mature so when I found this 1986 it was love all over again.  It started and ran but that was about it.  A lot of work was needed if this car is to see the light of day.  So, I parked it in my garage and occasionally tinkered with it from time to time getting no where fast.

As the car sat in the garage it became more storage than a car.

Finally, my 18 year old son decided he wanted a real car to drive and wanted to connect with me building a car.  He bought the Mustang off of me for what I paid for it and we began our journey together.  The car would be a learning experience for both of us.  We made a list of parts and needs for the car and decided to test our abilities with this car.

We took all of the interior out to check the sheet metal and decide what needed done first.  Once everything was removed we needed to replace the floor pans in small areas and not the whole thing.  I had some sheet metal and we cut out areas that were rotted beyond repair.  I then looked up on You Tube how to weld and went out and bought a wire feed welder.  LET THE LEARNING BEGIN!!!  Welding is a lot harder than the videos look.  I learned and we cut more metal as I burnt through some, but eventually I got the hang of it.  I also ended up with a sunburn because I tried to use just the goggles instead of a full face shield.  I now have a full shield with auto tint abilities.  No more face burning for me!!  The welds are not the prettiest but they are strong and hold well.  The ugly welds are covered nicely by some carpet.

New paint and new gauges help with the interior.

The next problem was the doors.  They were rusted out and dented beyond repairs.  We found a someone selling a car for parts.  It was a 1988 Mustang convertible.  Since our car has t-tops any new doors has to be off a car with t-tops or a convertible.  We got the doors and stuck them on the car.  We ordered some new door panels and felt all would be fine.  Never think that when swapping one set of parts for another.  The doors are on and the electronics seem to be working.  We roll up the windows and they are 1/2 inch too short!  Luckily, I have not gotten rid of the old doors and the glass in them is good, but it should be a fun situation swapping out the door glass if we cannot adjust the glass in the doors currently.

The car has tested all of our other problems and we are still trying to finish the car.  It has become a lot harder though since my son has left for the Army and I need his hands to help finish other problems.

I am always looking for extra advice on how to make the car better and other people's wisdom is wonderful.    We have several problems still to overcome.  One example is I took out the dash board and to fix the heater core.  While everything was out I bought the white face gauges for the car and changed them over.  That was easy, the heater core was hell.  

I have the dash back together and had to replace the headlight switch and and wires and a few other items.  Now, when I turn on the headlights only half of the dash lights come on.  Everything outside works fine, but I cannot get the dash lights to work right.  I changed all of the dash bulbs to LED lights, and cannot find any tears in the electrical board on the dash bezel.  I am at a loss for what I need to do and looking for any help I can find.

4 point harness are cheaper than the regular seat belts
when replacing for new.

Windows can cause you problems if you have to change out rusty doors.  I had asked around about changing out the doors and was told the only problem I would encounter is if I bought doors that had frames.  My car has T-Tops and I would need to find doors from a car that had T-Tops or doors from a convertible.  I am here to tell you that is not the truth.  If your car has T-Tops and you get doors from a convertible you will have to replace the windows as they will be too short!  The windows cannot be raised to fit properly.  Luckily I have not thrown out the old doors and the glass is still in tact.  I do not look forward to replacing the glass as there is not a lot of room to maneuver inside a door.  I am planning on changing these windows out in the next few days to see if there is anything else I will need to replace.  If anyone has an idea to make this process a little more simple please let me know.

Once again the car seems to win the small battle against me but in the end I will triumph overall.  It is just a car and we have developed a strong relationship no matter the troubles.