Lets just say that I happen to run across a 1990 LX 5.0 automatic. What should I look at before making the plunge?

 

cheak the oil make sure not bad and the wheel walls make sure their not rusted. Make sure price is fair what i always check for

 

take it to your mechanic to check it out

 

well dont think he bought it yet so cant take it to a mechanic to yet but i thinks hes asking what to look for before buying it

 

lots of people will take the car to their mechanic before they buy it to have him look it over first, it is the best thing to do if you aren't familiar with fox-bodies

 

I am going to take it to my mechanic, but my mechanic doesn't do too many fox bodies, he mostly does late sixties and early seventies models. I was really wanting to know just some specifics to look for like the wheel wells being rusted.

 

open the hatch and look around the plugs on the bottom of the hatch, look under the wheel wells, open both doors and look at the hinges...thats what i would do

 

Under the rear of the car where the lower control arms connect to the chassis, check to see if the metal "torque boxes" are bent, twisted, or even torn. If so it will indicate the car was driven hard and probably launched on slicks a lot, they can be repaired, but its an ominous sign as to what else could be wrong with the car. Does the car have any modifications done to it?

Check under the passenger side dash and on the floor for any drops of anti-freeze, the heater core could be leaking, another sign is if the windshield is constantly foggy and won't defrost. A lot of guys just bypass the heater core when it goes bad and live without heat or defrost, if you want to make sure the hoses are at least connected I circled the spot on the firewall where the hoses go to the core:

 

Thanks for the info. As far as I know, the only mods are Cobra R rims, Shorty headers, and flowmasters. It has the original paint, and unlike most fox bodies with original paint, it is not chipping off, and it still shines fairly well. Ill try to take some pics of it later today if I get a chance.

 

Can't wait to see it man

 

+1 to all of the advice. Don't forget the infamous rear main oil seal leak.