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Still haven't made a ton of progress recently. In addition to the puppies, I've had a few things come up in the house that we need to work on sooner than later. I am still waiting on the shocks I ordered a few weeks ago. I did install new header panel support brackets...but I should probably take some time to clean up the screws. Still looks better than the rusty ones that I had on there.
Also, I ordered a lower door hinge tension spring, since my driver side door won't stay open. I noticed today that the bag is marked a little bit differently. It says 82-83 door check tension arms...the parts in the bag look the same as what is advertised on LMR though, so I'm hoping it's still the right piece, just tagged or bagged incorrectly.
Also, managed to make some time to clean a bit more of the space on one side of the garage. This area was pretty crowded and a pain to walk through until now. We recently ordered some new shelves to help better organize the garage and maximize space. It's the little things that help sometimes...
Yeah man, no kidding. Even just that one section...I have found myself desperately trying to keep from leaving stuff there, so it looks clean and uncluttered when I walk into the garage. In other news, I finally got the driver side door able to stay open, by replacing the lower door hinge tension spring.
The installation video from LMR definitely made this seem like an easier install than it actually is...at least for me, lol.
Hoping the ratcheting wrenches I ordered (should be here tomorrow) will help with the brake MC removal. Also planning to do more trouble shooting on the temp gauge issue based on some guidance from folks on another forum.
I gave up on the outer nut/bolt and ended up getting the brake booster out. It was a huge pain. Getting the top two nuts required some seriously creative thinking, lol.
I managed to finally get the POR-15 kit applied to the firewall areas where the hood hinge cups go. I also applied it to the shock tower behind the factory proportioning valve.
The brake booster has seen better days. Per the advice of someone on another forum, I went ahead and ordered a reman BB from Auto Zone, which should be here sometime next week. Fingers crossed.
I documented these efforts of course. Latest video is up on my channel.
After making the video, I managed to replace the front left brake line with the part that came in the MM kit I got a while back. I got it pretty secure on the brake/wheel side and it seems there's enough flexibility that I should be able to get it lined up with the new MC when I install it. I went ahead and ordered the proportioning valve eliminator kit from LMR. Probably won't be here until the weekend but I'm hoping I can make everything fit/work between that and the new front left brake line. Fingers crossed.
The molding adhesive eraser tool arrived this weekend. I definitely should have picked this thing up sooner.
I used it to remove some more of the adhesive from the body molding stripe area. I had largely ignored the rear bumper, which I assume will eventually need to be replaced but since I don't know if that will happen any time soon, I do at least want to clean it up and do the new red stripe soon, all around the car.
Before:
After (like 2-3 minutes):
My gaskets also arrived (intake manifold, EGR spacer to intake) and I already have the valve cover gaskets but I think I'd like to get the brakes done and drive the car for at least a few days before tackling the gaskets and then working on the rest of the oil leaks.
I recently took a "break" from working on the Fox Body to install GT500 axle backs on my 2014 GT. I had the Roush axle backs for almost six years and then was rockin' the stock mufflers the last few months while trying to sell the Roush. Well, I finally sold the Roush and picked up the GT500s. They have a nice sound and give me enough rumble to not fall asleep while driving, like the stockers, but aren't so loud and droning that I can't hear myself think.
Anyways, I made a video documenting the recent mistakes/foolish assumptions I made, while I patiently wait for the correct brake lines to arrive.
I am also still waiting for my Koni shocks to arrive. In the meanwhile, I am searching for (and saving for) a second set of wheels and tires in the hopes that I can get to at least one track day or autocross event before winter time.
I went ahead and ordered the Motive power bleeder, which arrived this week. Going to visit family for a few days so I’m planning to get back to the fox and get this brake issue fixed early next week.
These arrived this week too and fingers crossed that the Koni parts arrive soon. It would be nice to get the brakes sorted, install all new shocks and struts and drive the car some.
Finally took some time to start working on the suspension this past weekend. Finished up installing the struts but still need to make time to do the rear shocks and quad shocks.
Weirdest/most time consuming part about the strut install was definitely repurposing the dust boot upper retainers.
Suspension upgrades continue....this past weekend I finished up the sway bar end links on the front and installed Koni rear shocks and Gabriel (OEM-ish) quad shocks. Love the improved feel. Car would definitely benefit from some new wheels and tires though. Hopefully coming in the not too distant future.
Latest video documenting the process with some other updates
Latest update on the Fox Body....I recently installed a Cervini's Ram-Air kit to go with the Cervini's Ram-Air hood (that was on the car when I bought it). It was a bit of a messy process and in retrospect, there are things I could have done smarter/differently, but it seems to be functioning as intended.
I made a somewhat detailed video of the installation process, since I hadn't found a tutorial/instructional video on this.
Some recent updates - I discovered a small fuel leak the last time I filled up the tank on the Fox Body. I recently dropped the tank and checked the fuel pump, replaced a few parts (filler neck grommet, vapor valve seal, filler pipe to trunk floor seal, filler neck to housing gasket, new tank pads).
Here's how the tank looked when I dropped it:
And after a little bit of cleaning and removal of the old pads:
I didn't get a pic of it with the new pads and a bit more cleaning. While I had the fuel tank out, I went ahead and flushed the differential fluid. I read from multiple accounts how bad the diff fluid smells but I was still pretty surprised. That stuff is nasty.
My latest install, over this past weekend, was the lower control arms...which took a lot longer than I originally anticipated. Video on that coming soon.
I just finished editing and uploading my video on the lower control arm installation process, which took me the better part of last weekend. My facial expression in the thumbnail photo reflects my naive optimism prior to the installation process.
I've now replaced front lower control arms on my 2014 Mustang, rear LCA relocation brackets on the 2014, rear lower control arms on the Fox, and upper control arms on the Fox. The rear LCAs on the Fox were definitely the worst installation to date. If I ever have to replace the front control arms, I seriously might consider paying someone else to do it, lol.
Picked up a set of cheap wheels for the Fox over the weekend. 16x8 Pony wheels. Not my first choice but I do prefer a factory-ish look and the deal was too good to pass up. $80 for all four wheels. At first I thought they needed a bit more work but upon closer investigation, they are in pretty good shape aside from the center caps. One wheel has a little bit of curb rash but other than that and the caps, they are fine.
The guy I bought them from was pretty cool and also an owner of his first Fox that he had purchased this year. His black 93 (I think) GT was in excellent shape.
We talked for a bit before he had to take off. He told me the Fox was his daily driver and he had even taken it camping recently. As someone who took my own 2014 GT camping recently, I appreciated that Mustang utilization.
I picked up some tape, primer, and paint to see if I can get the center caps sorted. Worst case, I'll just order a new set of caps for all four wheels.
Over the weekend, a buddy of mine came to visit and we replaced the power steering pump on the Fox. Plenty of idiocy ensued during the process but I’m happy to be done with that.
I wish I would have learned about hose removal tools before working on this, lol.
While working on the power steering, we found a small leak on the lower radiator hose. Seems like it might be good to replace a few more of the hoses while I’m at it.
My early Christmas present to myself arrived yesterday. Ordered the SVE short throw shifter. I picked this one over the Steeda because it had better reviews and was slightly cheaper. Plus, I already have the Steeda shifter handle so I figure I can at least try both that one and the handle that came with the SVE, rather than having two Steeda shifter handles. Will probably try to get this installed over the weekend.
Will likely try to do the radiator hoses soon too, since those arrived a couple of days ago:
Uploaded a new video this morning, brainstorming what to do next and in what order, and asking for inputs from the Fox Mustang folks with more experience/expertise than me.
6/21/20, 07:15 AM
