The beast has come...

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ClutchDisc
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The beast has come...

Post by ClutchDisc »

My dad and I just picked up a new to us 1992 Ford Mustang to share! This car is an absolute beast... plenty of pin you to the back of your seat power. :D

Some specs / upgrades done to the car:

LX 5.0 1992 151K miles. Power dlw, sunroof, 5 speed. T5 Trans replaced 123K miles, and King Cobra Clutch

Cold air intake with 70 mm Cobra Mass Airflow Sensor

H-pipe with flowmaster mufflers

Now for the pics!
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09 Mazda 5 2.3 5-speed manual 171k
11 Subaru Forester auto :( 113k
92 Ford Mustang LX 5.0 5-speed manual 151k
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ClutchFork
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Re: The beast has come...

Post by ClutchFork »

Yeah, that car is a lot of fun to drive. I can't wait to get behind the wheel again. Clutch pedal is very firm. Got back in S10 and clutch pedal went down like it was a feather. :lol:
Stick shiftin since '77
theholycow wrote:Why in the world would you even want to be as smooth as an automatic? Might as well just drive an automatic...
tankinbeans
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Re: The beast has come...

Post by tankinbeans »

I dig the loud red interior even as the fox body Mustang has never done it for me as far as the exterior.
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InlinePaul wrote:The driving force of new fangled features to sell more cars [is to] cater to the masses' abject laziness!
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potownrob
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Re: The beast has come...

Post by potownrob »

wow, that must be a hoot to drive. would give the BIG BLUE BEAST a good fight too. :twisted:
ClutchFork wrote:...So I started carrying a stick of firewood with me and that became my parking brake.
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bk7794
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Re: The beast has come...

Post by bk7794 »

God that Red interior!!!

I love that generation of Mustang. Specifically the LX but the GT is a close close second
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ClutchFork
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Re: The beast has come...

Post by ClutchFork »

While the seller told me it has 3.55 gears in the pumpkin, it did not make sense then that he had 3.73s in the trunk that he was going to install, Base for that year was 2.73 and option was 3.08. After noting the rpm at 60 mph I took the tire size and the tranny ratios and calculated. Sure enough it has 3.08 gears. Still goes like a banshee because of all the power and the low first gear (3.35, which would equate to about 2.95 with a 3.55 rear). My calcs (because I dropped it off at the shop and can't do real world RPM read) show 5200 at 40 mph in 1st gear, 5400 at 70 in 2nd gear, and 5200 at 100 in 3rd gear, so a quarter mile run should not go past 3rd gear and should come out near the upper end of 3rd.

https://www.hotrod.com/articles/t5-transmission/ Hot Rod Magazine says,
Anything greater than 9.5 could be considered overkill for the street. Ever driven a Mustang with a 3.35 First-gear trans and a 3.73 rear? First gear is virtually useless, since the overall ratio is 12.49.
This one is about perfect with the 3.08 rear (figures 10.32 overall ratio). Slight overkill, which is perfect for my purpose.

It idles a little rough but in a nice sounding way, so when I first saw it I asked if a somewhat lumpy cam had been installed. He said no, but he bought it about 15 years and 20,000 miles ago, so who knows what was done to it before that. Also, looking in the oil filler it is clean as a whistle. You don't see the valve train, but the shield under the cover and that is perfectly clean too, so maybe there has been some valve train work. I don't know, but the car runs strong.
Last edited by ClutchFork on Mon Jul 16, 2018 1:05 am, edited 2 times in total.
Stick shiftin since '77
theholycow wrote:Why in the world would you even want to be as smooth as an automatic? Might as well just drive an automatic...
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ClutchFork
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Re: The beast has come...

Post by ClutchFork »

Here is an article on the 1987 Mustang titled "Five Liters of Fury." This is the same setup through 1992 and same rear gear.
Article is in 5 separate images for those interested in reading it. The article has a lot of humor and is hard driving with colorful language.

https://www.stangnet.com/mustang-forums ... pg.553220/

https://www.stangnet.com/mustang-forums ... pg.553221/

https://www.stangnet.com/mustang-forums ... pg.553222/

https://www.stangnet.com/mustang-forums ... pg.553223/

https://www.stangnet.com/mustang-forums ... pg.553224/
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theholycow wrote:Why in the world would you even want to be as smooth as an automatic? Might as well just drive an automatic...
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potownrob
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Re: The beast has come...

Post by potownrob »

bk7794 wrote:God that Red interior!!!

I love that generation of Mustang. Specifically the LX but the GT is a close close second
wait, eye thought the GT was the better Mustang :?: :? eye know LX in fordland used to be above GL and other base models, but shouldn't GT be above that??
ClutchFork wrote:...So I started carrying a stick of firewood with me and that became my parking brake.
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ClutchFork
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Re: The beast has come...

Post by ClutchFork »

I think the GT is a sportier looking package, perhaps with ground effects. I prefer LX as I like basic models and don't care for ground effects as I think it detracts from the muscle car look. As it is, this one has more options than I want. Would rather have manual locks and crank windows but both are power.
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theholycow wrote:Why in the world would you even want to be as smooth as an automatic? Might as well just drive an automatic...
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potownrob
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Re: The beast has come...

Post by potownrob »

InlinePaul wrote:I think the GT is a sportier looking package, perhaps with ground effects. I prefer LX as I like basic models and don't care for ground effects as I think it detracts from the muscle car look. As it is, this one has more options than I want. Would rather have manual locks and crank windows but both are power.
perhaps you could only get the smaller engine mustang without the higher trim features. kinda similar to how the V6 altima could only be had in SE or SEL trim, though the SE without the leather option wasn't much fancier than a 4 cylinder Altima S other than nicer wheels and a moonroof. It doesn't even have adjustable lumbar support, though the seats are comfortable enough without them (and someone posted a video of installing a lumbar mod using a paint roller...).
ClutchFork wrote:...So I started carrying a stick of firewood with me and that became my parking brake.
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ClutchFork
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Re: The beast has come...

Post by ClutchFork »

What About the Fox Body GT and LX? What's the Difference?

In the long run, not much. Depending on the options from the factory, the LX model could be up to 50-250 pounds lighter than the GT. The LX also doesn't have the same ground effects as the GT model. From the factory, the GT was offered with more options as standard whereas the LX came as a blank slate. In fact, the only option you couldn't get on the LX from Ford was fog lights. However even if you go with an LX model, you can add fog lights at a later date. The wiring harness is designed to make fogs an easy addition.
From: https://www.americanmuscle.com/buying-a ... stang.html
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theholycow wrote:Why in the world would you even want to be as smooth as an automatic? Might as well just drive an automatic...
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ClutchFork
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Re: The beast has come...

Post by ClutchFork »

Taking some time to get the Mustang in tip top shape because my shop was very busy last week and only has two good mechanics left. Says all the young guys don't know much about diagnosis, want to be told what part to change, and whine if the get to a rusty bolt. So he is working on it himself along with his one good mechanic. So today they R&Rd the radiator which had a bad leak. $250 and the car runs nice an cool, about 1/3 up the temp gauge on a 5.5 mile run I took it on today.

Next up, the oil pan. Tricky on this car because of the extra dip up front of the cross member so they have to jack the engine up some. The pan is rotted and someone fixed it with epoxy, so the sooner we replace that the better.

Then there is a small fuel leak coming down the side of the tank. I am hoping it is the pump gasket (the seller had changed out the pump) but if it is the tank, no problem. R&R it and be on our way.

Some front end parts are in order as it wallows a little when driving. Perfectly drivable but would be nice to tighten up and don't want to pop a tie rod going down the road.

So the car has a 3.08 rear gear and I have a 3.73 set in the box that came with it. Thinking to drive the car a lot before deciding whether to sell the 3.73s. I can get them installed for $250, but is it worth it. The 3.08 has plenty of giddy up, and it is probably traction limited now. All the 3.73s are probably good for is the drag strip with sticky tires, or for burnouts, which can certainly be achieved with the 3.08 if I want to, but I am not all that into smoking tires. I bit of a chirp on take off and gear changes is enough.
Stick shiftin since '77
theholycow wrote:Why in the world would you even want to be as smooth as an automatic? Might as well just drive an automatic...
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potownrob
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Re: The beast has come...

Post by potownrob »

InlinePaul wrote:Taking some time to get the Mustang in tip top shape because my shop was very busy last week and only has two good mechanics left. Says all the young guys don't know much about diagnosis, want to be told what part to change, and whine if the get to a rusty bolt. So he is working on it himself along with his one good mechanic. So today they R&Rd the radiator which had a bad leak. $250 and the car runs nice an cool, about 1/3 up the temp gauge on a 5.5 mile run I took it on today.

(Moar work on Mustang)

(MOAR work on Mustang)

(Moar work down the line)

So the car has a 3.08 rear gear and I have a 3.73 set in the box that came with it. Thinking to drive the car a lot before deciding whether to sell the 3.73s. I can get them installed for $250, but is it worth it. The 3.08 has plenty of giddy up, and it is probably traction limited now. All the 3.73s are probably good for is the drag strip with sticky tires, or for burnouts, which can certainly be achieved with the 3.08 if I want to, but I am not all that into smoking tires. I bit of a chirp on take off and gear changes is enough.
sounds like a nice project car to me. makes the big blue beast look and feel like a whirlpool refrigerator (he says thanks). looks to be in good cosmetic shape, either way, and a fun car for you and clutchmaster to take turns enjoying.
ClutchFork wrote:...So I started carrying a stick of firewood with me and that became my parking brake.
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ClutchFork
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Re: The beast has come...

Post by ClutchFork »

potownrob wrote:sounds like a nice project car to me. makes the big blue beast look and feel like a whirlpool refrigerator (he says thanks). looks to be in good cosmetic shape, either way, and a fun car for you and clutchmaster to take turns enjoying.
Yep, some surface rust in a couple places, but otherwise sound body and undercarriage. So the project work excludes the finish as we like the rough edges look. The only problem is after I drive it and get into the S-10 I stomp the clutch pedal to the floor as it has maybe 3 pounds of resistance whereas the King Cobra clutch in the Mustang must be 30+ pounds? 50 pounds? It is heavy for sure.
Stick shiftin since '77
theholycow wrote:Why in the world would you even want to be as smooth as an automatic? Might as well just drive an automatic...
tankinbeans
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Re: The beast has come...

Post by tankinbeans »

I tried stomping the non-existent clutch in my friend's Fusion the other day. It wasn't pretty.
17 Mazda6 Touring
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InlinePaul wrote:The driving force of new fangled features to sell more cars [is to] cater to the masses' abject laziness!
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