Sunday, December 2, 2007

Donor Tear Down


We started out with a 1989 Mustang LX with the 5.0 litre engine and 5 speed transmission. The body and interior were rough, the engine had a miss, the radiator leaked and 2nd gear didn't even work - so, we were able to buy it for less than $1000. Over the next two years we rebuilt the engine and transmission while also saving up for the cobra kit.
I'm lucky to have a friendly neighbor with a Kubota! Kubota mows the back yard, it moves dirt, it pulls engines. Is there anything it can't do? So far we've used that tractor to pull and install the engine twice. After rebuilding the engine I put it back in the Mustang to test it. Now the engine is sitting on a make-shift engine stand waiting to be installed in the Cobra. (Pictures of the finished engine to come later.)
Stripping the interior was necessary to access the wiring harness which will be used in the Cobra. This was a fun step. Its not very often I get to pull so many screws and bolts without paying attention to how this thing goes back together. This car will never go back together! It is being transformed into a different car.
The carcass is now being used to store parts. Some of that stuff, like the gas tank will be used on the Cobra. Other parts like the leaky radiator will go away with the carsass one day.
"How do you get rid of that thing?", you ask. Well, I'm not sure yet. As cheap as possible, I'm sure.








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