Bought a Mustang this weekend

cratz2

Addicted Member
So, I bought a 1993 Mustang this weekend. It's a lowly 4-cylinder, 5-speed manual but it's in fantastic condition. 63,000 miles. Technically a four owner car, but the person th an owned it from 1995 through 2008, bought it back in 2010.

One mechanic maintained it since 1995. Paint looks good. No rust anywhere including the towers. It needs some new weather stripping and a good polish and wax. The color wouldn't have been my first choice, but it will grow on me.

We have a Mustang/Ford guy in the family that used to build race engines and probably next year (possibly this year) we will end up doing a swap with a slightly built V8 that he has. It's perfectly driveable right now and I'll start driving it a day or two each week just to get some miles on it.

This morning, it was eight degrees outside and it fired right up on the first crank.

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Looks sharp with the 10-hole wheels. You could put GT emblems on it, hang a fake pipe out the rear on the passenger side, put LETS GO on the license plate and then blow off anyone that asks to race . . .
 
She's a beaut! I honestly had no idea they made them in 4-bangers back then!
And not just garden-variety 4-bangers, either.... Ford`s skunkworks (Special Vehicle Operations, or "SVO") had a high-performance version, turbo`d, heavy-duty suspension and brakes, lots of nice cosmetic bits, too. Friend of mine had one with a 175 shot of nitrous, it would run 12s on the juice (!) (broke a couple of transmissions with it, though).
 
Before you go throwing in a v8 look into the turbo 4 cly engines. Same 2.3 as the one you have now but a slightly different head. They’re a direct bolt in. I built one for my wife’s 88 convertible. Thing is crazy fast with upgrades and still gets close to 30mpg. There’s guys out there running 9s on slicks and driving them to work daily.
 
Before you go throwing in a v8 look into the turbo 4 cly engines. Same 2.3 as the one you have now but a slightly different head. They’re a direct bolt in. I built one for my wife’s 88 convertible. Thing is crazy fast with upgrades and still gets close to 30mpg. There’s guys out there running 9s on slicks and driving them to work daily.

Same motor used in the Escort Cosworths. I understand Maxx's post but the OP's car is almost mid-90's.
 
Same motor used in the Escort Cosworths. I understand Maxx's post but the OP's car is almost mid-90's.
The engine I used was from an 88 turbo coupe (thunderbird). It would bolt right in. You can’t even tell the 2 apart if the turbo was removed from the side. I also used the ecm. All the accessories swap directly over too. Even if it’s a 90s car.
 
which came directly from the 1982 Lincoln Continental. Its the only reason I can get the rear caliper bushings for my 84 Conti and axle shafts for it and my Mark VII. The SVO used those parts, which are not the same as standard Mustang ones.
The SVOs also had 5-lug wheels (with beefier axles).
 
The SVOs also had 5-lug wheels (with beefier axles).
And nobody can ever explain why ... talk of greater torque than the 302 from a dig snapping wheel studs was always nonsense ... maybe, just maybe, the suspension was refined just enough to snap wheel studs when cornering hard.
 
Yeah, a buddy used to have a (I think) 1986 SVO and a Merkur XR4Ti. And a couple Thunderbird Turbocoupes.

Plenty of Mustangs had 4-cylinder engines. My ex-wife had a 1980 Mercury Capri with a 4-cylinder, 4-speed and I had a 1979 Mustang pacecar which originally had either a turbo 4 or a V8. Mine had a replacement naturally aspirated 2.3L 4-cylinder but was originally a turbo car.

I'll almost certainly end up going with a V8. This guy literally has multiple engines on engine racks. The one I'll most likely end up with is a 425-450 dyno'd HP (not BS numbers) roller 347. I will get it for a very good price. Alas, it will not get 30 MPG. Not even going downhill with a strong tailwind.

Aesthetically, I really like the Cobra turbine type wheels. I won't spend a fortune on them, but if I can find a set for $500 or less, I'll nab them.

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So, I bought a 1993 Mustang this weekend. It's a lowly 4-cylinder, 5-speed manual but it's in fantastic condition. 63,000 miles. Technically a four owner car, but the person that owned it from 1995 through 2008, bought it back in 2010.

One mechanic maintained it since 1995. Paint looks good. No rust anywhere including the towers. It needs some new weather stripping and a good polish and wax. The color wouldn't have been my first choice, but it will grow on me.

We have a Mustang/Ford guy in the family that used to build race engines and probably next year (possibly this year) we will end up doing a swap with a slightly built V8 that he has. It's perfectly driveable right now and I'll start driving it a day or two each week just to get some miles on it.

This morning, it was eight degrees outside and it fired right up on the first crank.

The first car I worked on at FoMoCo was the 1990 2.3L Mustang. The 91~ 93 Dual Plug cars were a big improvement in driveability. 1993 was the last year for that body style and for the "lowly" 2.3L SOHC Dual Plug Engine. Eight spark plugs, eight ignition wires, dual coil packs. We used to joke, "The same tune up cost as a V-8, but with half the power!"

If your car is like most of the 2.3L MT Mustangs I have driven you can get the hatchback glass to resonate like a giant speaker. Smooth road, second or third gear, light steady throttle, somewhere between 1000 & 1300 RPM the glass will begin to resonate, and if you are good, you can vary the frequency and make the car sing to you.

We spent some long, dark hours in Bemidji MN working on the cold weather engine calibrations, so it is good to hear this one still starts on the first crank at 8 degrees.
 
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The SVOs also had 5-lug wheels (with beefier axles).
yep, also Continental parts. Axles weren't actually any beefier but its longer than the standard Fox chassis axle. 5x4.5" bolt pattern, same as the full size cars. Other Mustangs of the time had 4 lug wheels with weenie rear drums vs the SVO/Continental/Mark VII's four wheel disc. The Lincolns got a 5 lug wheel and the better brakes probably just for weight reasons. Despite the extra weight on the Lincolns they stop very well. I imagine the SVO's lower weight would stop on a dime and give change.

I doubt the 5 lugs had anything to do with studs snapping and more to do with the brakes. It made more sense to simply grab parts that already existed vs special-engineering a 4 lug rear disc brake.


have to agree about the twin plug 2.3 working well. I've driven Rangers with that motor and they definitely had more zip than the standard 2.3
 
Same motor used in the Escort Cosworths. I understand Maxx's post but the OP's car is almost mid-90's.

No, it's not. The Escort and Sierra Cosworths used a 2 liter "Pinto" motor with a 16-valve DOHC head designed and made by Cosworth engineering. The Mustang SVO, Turbocoupe, and Merkur XR4Ti used a 2.3 liter "Lima" motor with an 8-valve SOHC head.

Lee.
 
There are a couple guys at my work with Rangers and the 8-plug 4-cylinder engines. One guy has one with 700,000 miles on it and the transmission has been rebuilt twice but he says the engine has never been apart. Another guy has somewhere in the high 200,000 mile range and has had it since about 30,000 and swears other than a couple sensors and some front suspension work, he's never had to do anything to it.
 
No, it's not. The Escort and Sierra Cosworths used a 2 liter "Pinto" motor with a 16-valve DOHC head designed and made by Cosworth engineering. The Mustang SVO, Turbocoupe, and Merkur XR4Ti used a 2.3 liter "Lima" motor with an 8-valve SOHC head.

Lee.

Yeah you're right! There's a nice handful of cars that used the 2.3 T back in the day...wow.
 
Nice car!

For the stroker 302 the 3.25 crank 331CI version would be my choice do to the rod ratio (less thrust on the cylinder walls) plus more rev capability like the 302 & smoother! 347 has 3.40 stroke crank so will affect engine life more negatively.
 
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I hear ya. I won't be building it,just getting a great deal on an already built engine that only has maybe 2,000 miles on it.

I'd probably go with something revvy and has a lumpy idle for auditory pleasure.

I've been around fast cars my whole life, but I'll mostly probably just lean into it every once in a while. I'll leave the stop light antics to the youngsters.
 
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Nice looking ride. I would just drive it as is. Probably an excellent commuter vehicle with a little sporty look.
I'm guessing the 4 cyl cars came with rather wimpy rears and gearboxes. So plan on fixing them when the V8 splatters 'em.
 
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