1982 GT

[broncojunkie]

I've been putting off starting a thread on this build, because it's going to be VERY slow starting it. I'm focusing on getting my 88 GT road worthy before I really get into this one.

This is what it looked like the day I bought it:

It has a 302 and c4, although, it was originally a 4spd. I will eventually switch it back to manual, but that will be a while. It appears to be mostly complete. The interior is all there and not completely trashed. The body is surprisingly rust-free, from what I can tell. It has been parked outside for many years...not sure exactly how many, but the exterior is covered in moss and mildew. Mechanically, I know that it needs the drive shaft installed and the ignition hooked up. The previous owner was in the middle of working on it when it was parked, I guess. Hard to say what else it will need, but I'll find out eventually.

I found a couple 10-hole rims to match the rear at a local junkyard. I haven't put them on yet because I'm using them temporarily on my '88 project.

Here's another view of her parked at my house. I need to get it running so i can pull it up into my upper driveway spot, where it's flat. Until then, I can't do much.

But I did stretch a couple hoses out today so I could start cleaning her up a bit.

After getting most of the years of crud off of her, I was pleasantly surprised to find the original paint really wasn't in as bad of shape as I thought.

 

[Blown347]

Keep the c4, you might like it lol. I used to be a "5 speed only" guy and somehow I wound up with 3 mustangs that all have autos in them.

 

[broncojunkie]

Well, I very well may keep the c4. My 88 is 5spd, so I'd have one of each!

 

[broncojunkie]

I was thinking about this today. When I was younger, it was common to come across these old fox bodies that had been swapped to automatic. Didn't really dawn on me till recently, but the old ones with the SROD trannies just didn't hold up once people started building decent motors for them. For instance, my cousin had a '79 Pace Car. He swapped the factory 302 and 4 speed for a 351 Cleveland and built C4. My dad had a small used car lot he ran and we would occasionally get Mustangs in. He would always turn his nose up at them when he found out someone had swapped in an automatic. Not that he disliked autos, but he just thought they would be junk if someone was converting it. Makes so much more sense now, looking back at the weak 4spd when the beefier C4 was so readily available at the local boneyard. This was when the T5 was just becoming available. I guess the T5's were bringing a pretty penny and didn't come cheap, since they hadn't been around long enough to find used ones at a decent price.

I always wanted to take an '82 GT (or a '79 Pace Car) and swap in an old, built toploader. That way, it would still be a 4 spd. It makes more sense to go the T5 route, though, from my understanding. There's more support for them in the aftermarket world and there are much better units available...not to mention the extra gear!

 

[broncojunkie]

Took a couple pics of the interior this evening.

And the Holley Strip Annihilator setup. I don't know anything about this, but I don't think I like it. I spoke to the previous owner today and he said the car was parked around 2003, as far as he could remember.

The two switches you see are the fuel pumps. Can anyone tell me if i can just bypass the system and run a regular fuel pump? I know nothing about this motor, other than it's supposed to be the original motor that came in the car. The glove box is unmolested and lying in the back seat. I'd love to get rid of all this junk.

 

[broncojunkie]

Thought I would update this thread just to add a couple parts I acquired. I got a T5, which will eventually get a rebuild. The pedal assembly is still in the car, so should be pretty easy. I also ended up with a nice set of old iron heads, which have large valves (don't recall specs). They are from a '68 302.

Of course, this stuff well be put back for future use. I may start on the motor and transmission this winter, depending on where I'm sitting with my '88 project.

 

[broncojunkie]

Traded around last week and acquired a freshly machined non-roller 351W and crank. The crank is installed with new bearings. There is a cam installed with new cam bearings, as well. No idea what the cam is, but I'm sure that will eventually get swapped out. New freeze plugs, etc. No rods or pistons. Block bored .030 over. Still not anywhere near starting on this beast, but I'm slowly collecting parts for it. Now, I'm not sure if I'll use the crank. By the time I get around to starting on the build, I might just buy a complete stroker kit.

For now, the '88 is in the body shop and racking up a pretty hefty bill. So no work on the '82 anytime soon.

 

[broncojunkie]

If anyone has been following along on my 88gt build, you know that I recently moved it and this 82 into the garage at our new house.

Got the crud cleaned off the outside and it sat around for a couple months while we were getting settled in. Finally started working on her a couple days ago. Got the motor and transmission out tonight.

So that's where I'm at now. Next, I plan on stripping the interior. While working on the car, I've come to the conclusion that the hood and hatch both need replaced. They have a little rust. Not a lot, but just in bad areas. Hard to repair, so replacements make more sense. The shock towers look pretty good. Only the slightest amount of rust on the passenger side, but I don't think it will take much at all to repair. I did, however, find I soft spot on the passenger floor board. Looks like I get to try my hand at either patching it or replacing the pan. I'm really looking forward to pulling the interior, so I can get a better look at it.

 

[broncojunkie]

Got the interior pulled today. No more rust to speak of, really, but the floor pan rust is a bit iffy. It looks like it is rusted at the front edge of the pan. No big deal, but the rust extends up an inch or so into the slanted area. Replacement floor pans don't appear to include this area. I guess I'll have to piece in a little metal when I replace the pan. I really may just end up patching in some sheet metal pieces altogether. The rest of the floor pan looks perfect. It's just the leading edge that's bad.

I've been keeping an eye out for a good 8.8 rear to replace the 7.5, and I think I found one. I'm going to pick it up this week. It may need some work and it doesn't have axles, but the price is right and I've been wanting to learn how to rebuild one anyway. But as I was crawling around looking for rust tonight, I got a good look at the rear and decided it was an 8.8! It has been quite a few years since I've really looked at a 7.5, so I called the previous owner to make sure. He said not only was it a good 8.8 out of a 91GT, but he had installed a brand new 4.10 gear! Well, brand new as of many years ago lol!

 

[broncojunkie]

A few more pics of the stripped interior:

Here's a pic of the drivers side floor. I was concerned about this side, because it was pretty wet. I scraped away the soft material to get a good look at the metal and it looked fine. Surprisingly, the passenger side (which was rusted) was bone dry. Go figure.

 

[Blown347]

Got the interior pulled today. No more rust to speak of, really, but the floor pan rust is a bit iffy. It looks like it is rusted at the front edge of the pan. No big deal, but the rust extends up an inch or so into the slanted area. Replacement floor pans don't appear to include this area. I guess I'll have to piece in a little metal when I replace the pan. I really may just end up patching in some sheet metal pieces altogether. The rest of the floor pan looks perfect. It's just the leading edge that's bad.

I've been keeping an eye out for a good 8.8 rear to replace the 7.5, and I think I found one. I'm going to pick it up this week. It may need some work and it doesn't have axles, but the price is right and I've been wanting to learn how to rebuild one anyway. But as I was crawling around looking for rust tonight, I got a good look at the rear and decided it was an 8.8! It has been quite a few years since I've really looked at a 7.5, so I called the previous owner to make sure. He said not only was it a good 8.8 out of a 91GT, but he had installed a brand new 4.10 gear! Well, brand new as of many years ago lol!

Rebuilding a rearend isn't too difficult. CJ pony parts has a video that would help you. But a couple tips, number 1, don't be cheap and try to reuse old bearings, races, etc. rebuild it right and it will last a lot longer. 2, it's entirely possible that you will get it all assembled and the gear pattern will be wrong. Take the time and move the shims around until it's right. And last, get the right tools for the job. You will need a shop press, bearing driver set, bearing separator, and if not micrometer at least a good digital caliper. Everything except the caliper I have from harbor freight and it all works good.

 

[broncojunkie]

Thanks for the tips! I was actually looking at shop presses today. I've been looking for an excuse to buy one for a while now, lol. They had a bench-top press. Would that suffice or do I need the bigger stand-up model?

Edit:Looking at presses at Harbor Freight

 

[Blown347]

That little bench top one won't really work, I have the 20 ton press, but a smaller stand up 12 ton will work fine too

 

[broncojunkie]

Another set-back on the 82. I, being the king of "too many irons in the fire", couldn't pass up a deal on another project car. This time, it runs and drives. Plenty of rust, of course, but I think I'm going to focus on getting some work done to it first. It makes it go a lot quicker when you have a running vehicle. I can move it around as needed. The 82 is just slow to get going, since it isn't mobile. I did buy a cheap welder and started practicing a little. If I can get it down, I'll try my hand at a little more in-depth body work. There's plenty of that stuff needed around here lol.

Anyway, here's the new project:

1970 Mustang Coupe. It's a 302 car, auto...but I'd like to put in a 4spd toploader at some point. Needs floor pans, trunk floor, rear frame rails, and a few other spots repaired. This is the heart of the rust belt, so all things considered, I've seen much worse.

 

[broncojunkie]

The 82 is still on the back burner, although, I'm always keeping an eye out for good deals on parts. For instance, I picked up this set of front seats last week for $125.

Looks like I'll be changing the interior color, after all! I had been contemplating it anyway, since the seats, carpet, dash pad, and headliner all need to be replaced. Plastics really need refinished, too. So basically, that leaves the dash hull and and door panels I'll need to figure out.

 

[mustanggarage]

you sound like me, too many irons in the fire lol. My Dad decided to move into the nursing home this summer so I bought his 94 gt convertible, and 94 gt coupe. I have not been on this forum for a while because I have been working on the convertible. I plan to start on the coupe this winter.


but I just decided I want to supercharge my 89. When I built my 331 stroker I built it with the idea that I would supercharge it some day, and hopefully this summer it will actually happen.

 

[broncojunkie]

I didn't know much at all about the sn95 cars, but I'm getting a crash course, since I just picked up a 98gt a couple months ago. I spent a few weeks getting her all lined out and we're going to take it on a short ride with a local mustang club in my area. Should be fun, but I'm hoping we can run a couple fox bodies next year (me and the wife). But yes, I can tell you feel my pain lol! It's a sickness for me. There's still a few mustangs I'd like to add, but I have to force myself to refrain from bringing any more home!

 

[broncojunkie]

By the way, I ordered me a mig welder yesterday. Tired of the little flux core welder and I'm ready to move on. I think I'll try my hand at welding up the 82's passenger floor and then the extensive rust repair on the 70 coupe.

 

[mustanggarage]

which welder did you get? I bought one from eastwood last year and it has really done a great job for me. My daughters boyfriend just finished a certified welding course and he used it to weld my 94's subframe connectors on and he was really impressed with how well it works. He says it works as well as the miller he is used to using at work. so anyway for me it has been great.

 

[broncojunkie]

I got the little mig 135 they have that runs on 120v. My neighbor got one for his jeep project and loves it, so I figured it would at least be good for floor pans and whatnot. It showed up today, but I probably won't get to use it for a while.
http://www.eastwood.com/mig-welder-...Uur7dbdNBME9VC2iRhoZTglO4wdravxOAUaAi5D8P8HAQ