Fordnatics List Archive

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Mail From: (email redacted) (DAVID S ZECKHAUSEN)

Hi gang. I am just joining your list. I have a bone stock
1990 Mustang GT 5-spd which I intend to modify for road racing.
My wife & I have many years experience autocrossing and we've both
been to a bunch of high-speed driving events (some schools and some
lapping days) with a different car. We just bought the Mustang so
that we could enter SCCA and EMRA events without going broke if we
crashed. We joined this list so that we could tap the collective
experience of all you Mustang fanatics out there.

Here is my current plan:
Immediately install a roll cage with removable side supports (this
will be a dual use car), 13" front disks and some type of rear disk,
5 lug wheels (Saleen or Cobra), Saleen springs, competition shocks,
some type of sway bars, and of course a free flow exhaust, headers, and
a conical air filter.

What I hope to gain from you guys:
Advice on:
1. Springs (rates and sources)
2. Wheels (Cobra or Saleen? Are they the same bolt pattern?)
3. Sway bars (what's best for racing and where do I get it?)
4. Shocks
5. Engine mods which will increase power and/or reliability
(Like roller rockers, larger radiator, baffled oil pan. No blowers!)
6. Any other advice you can give someone setting up a Mustang for
road racing.

If anyone has used parts in good shape, I would be happy to consider
purchasing them after I become educated about what it is I should be
buying in the first place.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Dave Zeckhausen
(email redacted)
(201) 761-8743

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Mail From: "Kory J. Priestley" <(email redacted)>

I am a die-hard Ford fan who is thrilled to finally have found this
mailing list. Currently, I am a graduate student at Virginia Tech. I have
driven or helped restore everything from a 51 Ford, 64 & 67 Mustangs, 78
Fiesta, 82 Mustang 5.0 HO, 85 Bronco II, 86 Tempo, and currently I am
driving an 88 Escort GT.

I have so many questions which I would like to get input on, but
I will restrict myself to two questions currently.

1) My 86 Tempo has a condition which has been occuring for well over a
year now. Whenever it is driven at a constant speed (above 25mph) it
feels as though I am pulling a trailer. That is, it misses, resulting
in a feeling of a trailer tugging on the rear of the car. The car has
central fuel injection, but is not the HSC engine, and the three speed
auto. tranny.. A list of components already replaced reads as such:
(replaced during regular maintenance, as well as attempting to combat
this problem)

Throttle position sensor
EGR valve
EGR valve position sensor
Thick film integrated circuit (on the distributor)
The distributor
Plug wires
Idle speed controller
Fuel pump
Fuel filter
Fuel injector

I am thinking of replacing the MAPS sensor next, as the computer
codes indicate that this is now a problem.

The problem does not seem to have gotten worse over time, however
fuel consumption has increased, and is very annoying while driving. If
one floors the accelerator while this condition is occuring, the hesitation
stops and the car accelerates normally.(i.e. this condition does not occur
during wide open throttle) Another peculiarity is that as each of the above
components was replaced, the condition seemed to stop for a week or so then
return. The engine now has about 150,000 miles on it and this condition
has occured for over the last 30,000 miles.

I recently read in an article that this vintage Tempo sometimes
exhibits this condition because of something in the transmission, but
this does not appear to be a transmission problem since the condition
lessens (temporarily) each time something electrical on the engine is
replaced.

Any and all input as to what may possibly be causing this problem
is greatly welcomed.


My second question is much simpler:

2) I really enjoy my Escort GT, and am wondering if anyone has any idea of
how to mildly tweak the engine and suspension. I have not found many
catalogs which contain performance parts for this car.

I apologize for the long message on the Tempo, but I am stumped at this
point on how to end this problem.


Thanks

Kory Priestley


P.S.-feel free to reply to me directly.

_______________________________________________________________________

(email redacted)

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Mail From: Eugene Y C Chu <(email redacted)>

New Member Kory Priestley wrote:

A story about a bizarrely behaving Tempo.

First, welcome to the group.

Second, I have expexrienced the same symptoms before on both my 1969
Mustangs, and neither of them had much in the way of electronic engine
controls. The engine would stumble when I tried to run at any constant
speed, sometimes would knock under heavy load, and gas mileage suffered
during this time. The one item that I found and fixed which solved my
problems were the same on both cars: A little rubber fitting on the
brake booster housing was leaking. It has a little grommet like end
that gets plugged into the housing, and the sheetmetal of the housing
had actually cut through it, allowing vaccuum to escape. One of them
was worse than the other, so I was able to find it by using a vaccuum
guage. The other (which occurred first, so I didn't have the experience
yet) I found by accident while reworking the brakes.

So a vaccuum leak may or may not be your problem, but you can still use
a vaccuuum guage to check the health of your engine. As long as it has
a throttle, all its vaccuum characteristics should still be the same as
those of a carbed engine. I know it is on my 87 GT.

I don't know about how to hop up an Escort, but if you find out, I'd
like to know about it as well.

eyc

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Mail From: (email redacted) (George Chang)

Hi Kory,
Welcome aboard. You'll soon get lots of replies from folks who
actually know what they're talking about, so I'll be brief.
1) I have had trouble with Ford modules on two cars, and I have
heard all kinds of stories about them. The '80s front-wheel drive cars
were notorious. Rumor has it that tow truck operators in US 50 in the
Sierras have nicknamed a turnout "Taurus Turnout" to celebrate all the
money they have made towing Fords with modules that have failed in the
heat. Several friends also tell me that dealers deny that there ever
was any problem.
2) My brother who works in East Los Angeles tells me that lots
of people zip around in souped-up Escorts. According to him, the Escort
is a car of choice for that purpose, just as the Pinto was earlier.

Good luck!
George

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Mail From: (email redacted)

- ----------------------- Mail item text follows ---------------

To: INTERNET--IBMMAIL
From: BOB GELETY at ADVANTIS-IBMMAIL
Subject: New Member





Finally I've found it, an automotive group of just Ford's| As you can
tell I am a new member. I own a '81 Mustang (with '87-up body panels)
tubbed with a MPFI unit on a tunnel ram with distributor-less ignition
on a 415 Cu-in small block (351W Block, 400M rods-crank),C4 Trans, NOS
Fogger system,and a 9"rear. It's >>SUPPOSED<< to be in Muscle Mustangs
and Fast Fords in the December issue(thats yet to be seen). I also own
a '72 2wd F150 360Cu-In, and '84 Bronco 351W.

I am in the process of gathering pieces for a 454Cu-in Small block
which I would like to inject in a tubbed '94-up body, which opens to
my question, is it still possible to buy a "Body in White" from Ford?
I have asked several local dealerships and get the same crybaby answer
from each "NO". Has anyone had any experience snagging one of these? I
know there are fiberglass versions available but I would like to
stick with steel. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

By the way, I am the Manager of a Auto parts store/machine
shop/service center and have some good resources as far as machine
work or parts are concerned and would be more than happy to help
anyone out.

You can reply directly to me at:
(email redacted)
or through the list.

Thanks in advance.....Bob Gelety

This read-only message was archived from a public mail list.
Mail From: (email redacted) (Dave Williams)


-> tubbed with a MPFI unit on a tunnel ram with distributor-less
-> ignition on a 415 Cu-in small block (351W Block, 400M rods-crank),

Hi Bob, nice to see you. As you will probably see over the next few
days, you've fallen into a hotbed of stroker freaks. Various list
members are building a 302/357, a 302/363, a 427/454, and a 460/506 at
the moment, with a couple of others being swayed by the music.


-> my question, is it still possible to buy a "Body in White" from Ford?

I'm not sure the Mustang was ever offered as a body in white. The old
SCCA and drag guys used to spend lots of time carving the cars for
competition. The only bodies in white I know of were the Torinos and
full size models, and that (as far as I know) stopped years ago when
NASCAR stopped requiring a factory body. Now the builders just hang
replacement sheet metal over a tube chassis; no more threading a cage in
a stock body shell.

This read-only message was archived from a public mail list.
Mail From: (email redacted)

- -------------------- Mail Item Text Follows ------------------

To: I1177352--IBMMAIL
From: BOB GELETY at ADVANTIS-IBMMAIL
Subject: RE:New Member

> Who was it that did the peice on your car? The reason I ask is
> because I talk to one of the writer for MM&FF about once a week. I
> also know of
> a guy who works for Vortech who was suppose to have his in but it
> has yet to make it.

The writer was Jeff Koch, it was supposed to be in the Nov. issue.
Our shop is located in Northeast PA. We have a pretty good sized
macine shop, with pretty most equipmnt but a crank grinder and dyno(in
the works presently). We are presently working with Jim Wohlford on
his Mustang which I beleive has bested approx. 10.30's with 347Cu-In
in a non-tubbed car. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks....Bob Gelety