• Hello there guest and Welcome to Fox Body Mustangs forum, This forum is intended to be used by enthusiasts of the Fox body Ford Mustangs (1979-1993)!
    To gain full access you must Register. Registration is free and it takes only a few moments to complete.
    Already a member? Login here then!

Embarking on a lot of clean up . . . not really a resto . . . quite

Erkenbrand

Active Member
I'm starting to dive into my 1980 Cobra. I've always loved Mustangs, and this is the first I've actually owned. I've helped restore a couple of 65s, and do some tinkering on Foxbodies, but just never pulled the trigger on my own. Then, a couple of months ago I came across this car and just had to jump on it.

The history as I've been told:
- It's a 1980 Cobra, and the guy I got it from bought it a bit over 20 years ago. The person he bought it from had been working on the car, and then somebody stole the turbo motor and he gave up.
- The new owner dropped in a motor from a '90 GT and set it up with a Holley 4bbl on top of a Ford intake manifold. He also added shorty headers, and really nice duals with an H pipe.
- He also used a 4spd from a mid-80s Mustang. Supposedly, the rear has a locker, but I haven't yet confirmed that.
- He had the car running and driving well, but never bothered to get the gauges to work. He was going to paint the car, so he pulled all of the trim; pulled all of the interior trim including dashpad and headliner; sanded the entire car down; painted the engine compartment, door jams * sills . . . and then stopped. After getting that far, he parked the car in the corner of his garage. And there it sat until I picked it up.
- In the years between he lost the headliner, dashpad, and fog lights, and all of the interior screws. But everything else is still there. Including the paint he was using. The car fires right up and runs really well.

Now . . .
- I've been over and under the car. It needs a lot to make it a really nice driver, but most of what it needs is just cleaning up. The harness under the hood is a mess. The harness in the dash is weirdly chopped up. For instance - it looks like everything but the blower and radio work. No idea why those don't.
- My plans:
- Replace all of the brakes. Small upgrade with the goal of getting on the road.
- Replace all of the shocks / struts.
- Get the interior put back together, and get the instrument cluster addressed. Probably pick up one of the complete panels from CJ or Rock Auto.
- Clean up under the hood. Bring it back to looking good, and remove about 3/4 of the crazy wiring. I'll also replace the distributor with one from Pertronix (probably) so I don't need the external ignition box. I'm not looking for insane performance. Just solid numbers and a clean presentation.
- Paint job. I might do that myself, but I'm not sure if I want to tackle that. I used to do it, but it's been several years since I had access to a paint booth, and I don't relish doing what it would take to get my shop in shape.

I'll keep posting my progress here. We'll see how it goes now that it's really nice and cold up here.

Screenshot_20211107-193224_craigslist.jpg


20211127_145137.jpg20211121_154507 (1).jpg20211121_154517 (1).jpg20211115_110714.jpg
 

broncojunkie

Well-Known Member
Awesome project! I am slowly working on a 79 cobra for the wife, but the 80-81 cobras are the good (and rare) models!
 

Erkenbrand

Active Member
Thanks for the responses! Although part of me wishes it still had the turbo motor, I'm also sort of relieved it's not there so I don't feel like I have to bring the car back to original spec. My goal is to make it a nice, fun driver that won't win awards, but will be fun to pop the hood on at shows.

If anybody has fog lights, I'm in the market for them. I can't seem to find a set anywhere. I've found everything else I need so far, but those remain elusive.
 

broncojunkie

Well-Known Member
You're referring to the original Marchal 750 fog lights? There are usually a few on ebay. They aren't cheap. I found a good used set for about $300 with nice covers. Some people have substituted Cibie "Airport 35" fog lights in a pinch, but they're getting pretty spendy too. I wish someone would start reproducing them. Check ebay regularly and you'll probably find what you need.
Another warning... they're not the most robust design. They tend to go out and need repair. Parts are hard to find, but still out there. I'd actually be interested in a correct size/shape housing that uses led bulbs and would accept the original style plastic covers. That would be awesome.
 

Erkenbrand

Active Member
You're referring to the original Marchal 750 fog lights? There are usually a few on ebay. They aren't cheap. I found a good used set for about $300 with nice covers. Some people have substituted Cibie "Airport 35" fog lights in a pinch, but they're getting pretty spendy too. I wish someone would start reproducing them. Check ebay regularly and you'll probably find what you need.
Another warning... they're not the most robust design. They tend to go out and need repair. Parts are hard to find, but still out there. I'd actually be interested in a correct size/shape housing that uses led bulbs and would accept the original style plastic covers. That would be awesome.
Yup, that's what I'm looking for. The prior owner pulled them off as he was prepping the car for paint, and they disappeared into a black hole in the intervening 20 years. I'll keep an eye out for them. I figured they'd be pricey, but the car just looks much better with them in place.
 

Auggie

New Member
Nice ride. I just got an 86gt (no cobra) but going thru many of the same things you mentioned. Good luck and I hope to see many more posts. This site doesn't seem to have the traffic I was hoping for but I'll stick
 

Erkenbrand

Active Member
Nice ride. I just got an 86gt (no cobra) but going thru many of the same things you mentioned. Good luck and I hope to see many more posts. This site doesn't seem to have the traffic I was hoping for but I'll stick
I was hoping for a bit more traffic, too, but it looks like a good community. There is some great information available.

My progress has come to a halt since my garage is now freezing. I'll pick it back up once there's a thaw.

Good luck on your GT!
 

Auggie

New Member
I have a lot of friends back East and and they are all telling me the same thing it's pretty bad right now I guess I'm lucky out here in the West I don't have to worry about that at the moment
 

Erkenbrand

Active Member
We've been talking about moving south. We're getting just old enough to be a bit sick and tired of the cold every year. Love the snow, but I'd like to be able to do things outside for more than just a few months a year. ;-)
 

Erkenbrand

Active Member
Yay, spring is here! Time to start ordering more parts. I ordered a new headliner . . . since the previous owner misplaced the original. Anybody have the trim that should go around the sunroof? I think that's the only thing I'm missing at this point.

Pretty soon, I'll be throwing all of the pile of parts at this thing. The motor runs now, but I'm considering going with a Holley Sniper EFI setup to replace the old Holley 4bbl carb. We'll see. Trying to work out a trade deal for one now. :)
 

broncojunkie

Well-Known Member
Did the sunroof have a trim piece around the headliner? Been a while since I did it on my 79, but I seem to recall the fabric stretches over the edge and was glued to the sheet metal... then the weatherstripping went over it. If I was home, I'd go out and look but I'm on the boat till end of the month.
 

Erkenbrand

Active Member
I have no idea. When I got the car it didn't have any headliner at all. I've been trying to figure out if there is a missing trim piece there.

Does anybody here have a pic of the sunroof in their Foxbody from the interior?
 

Erkenbrand

Active Member
When I got this car, the headliner was missing so I don't have any experience with what's going on up there. Anybody know what this is? Found above the windshield / just in front of the sunroof. Looks like this should plug into something, but nothing's there, and I don't have any idea what it might have been.

Also - is there any interior trim around where the headliner and sunroof meet?


20220509_174656.jpg
 

broncojunkie

Well-Known Member
Erkenbrand,
I'm back in town and recovering from minor surgery (Carpal tunnel). Can't do much with my hand right now, but I can definitely get you a pic of one of my 79's with factory sunroof. I don't believe they changed much over the years. Pics to follow.
 

broncojunkie

Well-Known Member
It does appear the headliner fabric stretches over the edge and the weatherstripping goes over that. I think LMR has a good video on their website that shows replacement of the weatherstripping. I'll see if I can find it.

Interesting note, my car has a piece of shiny trim along the front edge (inside). I really don't remember having to mess with that piece. It's not jogging my memory at all. Here's a pic:
Screenshot_20220511-141831_Gallery.jpg
 

broncojunkie

Well-Known Member
That trim piece might be part of the sunroof glass. I can't quite pull it out with one hand. Maybe you can look at yours and tell.
 

Erkenbrand

Active Member
Thanks! That's extremely helpful. That wire I found must be for the dome light, so I need to find one of those. I also need to grab the weatherstrip.

Those pics are the first time I've seen an early Fox sunroof from the inside. I've even been strolling through the local junk yards, but all of those cars are stripped bare.

I hope your recovery is smooth!
 
Top