1993 2.3 mustang lx

[1980c10]

Well guys here it is lol.

As some of you know I picked up a 93 mustang lx hatch the other day. Its a dual plug 2.3, with a t-5 behind it, and just getting broke in with 245,000 miles on it :smirk:

It runs pretty damn smooth and doesnt smoke or peck, the tranny shifts good with no grinds or noises, and the rear end is quiet. The drivers side of the body however, ummm not so great lol. The fender lip on the quarter has been smashed and looks like a 3 year old tried to fix it, the lower rear of the quarter has a rust hole. So it will get most of a new quarter put on the rear. The door looks like a guard rail hit or something its really wavy, not worth effort, so im just gonna hang another door on it. The raised rail on the drivers side that the seat bolts to is messed up. Looks like the seat bolt got stuck and they just twisted a big chunk of metal out. So I am chopping that section out of a parts car along with the quarter panel sections. Next is the lower part of A piller where the bottom door hinge bolts to. Its rusted right above and right below the lower hinge, I dont think the hinge is even attached anymore just kinda floating. This makes the door act like it needs hinge pins and bushing really bad lol, but it has brand new piins and bushings so I know it has to be the hinge rusted out causing it. Last but not least lol, the rear edge of the front fender is wrinkled up. It looks like the door was opened to far and messed it up, not sure if I am gonna fix it or just hang another fender on it. Thats it for the body haha the drivers side is really good.

The interior has random parts removed that need put back on. Other than that its a clean interior and in good condition.

The night I got it alot of the lights werent working, interior, turn, signals, stuff like that. So I replaced every bulb on the car other than the headlights lol. $85 worth of bulbs later and a few fuses everything and every light on the car works, except the cruise control damnit lol. I will get it working though.

First on the list is wipers lol they suck. Next oil change, tranny fluid change,wires, and a new air filter. The exhaust need some attention but it can wait. I also picked up a new alternator belt for it.

The tires arent great and I am not a fan of wheels (outlaw 1's) I found a set of 10 holes with good tires on craigslist for $200. Probably going to pick those up tomorrow.

Ummmmm cd player, xm, and speakers of course, gotta have good music lol. Other than that a good washing and detailing of the whole car. Then I will take care of the body after all that is done.

Now I can finally show you guys some pics of my junk lol

The day I payed for it $600


The very dirty but completly stock, right down to the heat riser to the air box engine bay




The good side lol




The rear



The bad side


Close up of the quarter lip


The quarter panel


The door and rear of front fender


Rust on the lower A pillar behind the lower hinge


The rest of the chassis is pretty rust free IDK what happend to that spot

The interior








All the interior parts in the hatch when I got it





Under the carpet in the hatch, no rust





Well thats it for now. I will update is it progresses, enjoy.

[mrltd]

header and 5L air box w/straight intake tube from a ranger... and 4.10's should make it fun. Though mine was SD, not MAF, so it was easier to do the intake.

[1980c10]

Yea I think the intake will be fun. The maf sensor is so damn small lol it has to be a restriction. I may pick up the same 70mm mass air meter that I have on my marquis and swap out the stock 14lb injectors for 19lber's and see how it does, maybe maybe get a sn95 throttle body and do that swap as well.

fcuk I will get carried away lol, long tube header from racer walsh, 3'' exhaust, who knows dont get me excited haha. I have always wanted to build a N/A 2.3

[rick99601]

im thinking more along the lines of something that looks like a snail

[1980c10]

Yea had my fair share of turbo 2.3's they are fun. 300 hp is not a problem. The blocks are also incredbly tough for high hp/high reving applications.

Idk every since I got around some dirt track cars with pretty nasty N/A 2.3's I always thought it would be fun to build one.
Big cam, high compression, N/A screamer. Though to be honest this car would/will get a v8 long before that would ever happen lol.

[rick99601]

Yea had my fair share of turbo 2.3's they are fun. 300 hp is not a problem. The blocks are also incredbly tough for high hp/high reving applications.

Idk every since I got around some dirt track cars with pretty nasty N/A 2.3's I always thought it would be fun to build one.
Big cam, high compression, N/A screamer. Though to be honest this car would/will get a v8 long before that would ever happen lol.

idkk, just got into my buddys mustang to run to the store and its a world of a difference from the turbo saturn ive been driving the last few days. kept letting off the throttle at the top of hills as if i had a BOV. lol..

n/a is overrated sometimes. IMHO.

[87gtVIC]

Passenger's side looks pretty nice.

Whats all the black stuff over the messed up areas?

[1980c10]

Just black spray paint. I guess the PO was trying to keep it from rusting.

[87gtVIC]

Did he trying welding metal to the quarter?? It look sSOOOOO lumpy in the pictures that I am not sure if it is fiberglass filler or weld lumps. hahaha

[1980c10]

Niether lol. He just beat it to death with a hammer, looks like a ball peen at that lol. That's why it's not repairable IMO the metal is so stretched and deformed it's not worth it to fix, when I can just chop and put a new piece in.

[87gtVIC]

Wow he sure did a number on that quarter.

[gabegt90]

nice mang not bad for 600 bucks looks like a good project

[P72Ford]

What gears did the 4 cylinder cars come with?

It needs a little love, but I think everyone knows that this mang has the skillz to pay the billz.

Keep us updated!

[1990LTD]

3.45 and 3.73s were an option I think


that's a neat car. I am thinking I would have fun with a 4 cylinder Mustang.

[pantera77]

Man, I remember the 1990 2.3 LX my Mom had. What a pig, couldn't get out of it's own way. It would always stall twice before leaving the driveway, and the clutch felt like a pile of cheese. It was completed rotted out, and got in a hit and run so the drivers side door no longer functioned right. It made it 150K before she traded it in for $300 and a free alarm system on the Dakota.

And yes, I would have driven that car everyday.