September 2004 Featured Ride:
Congratulations: Red1986GT - Marc W.
Project Big Red - by Red1986, Marc W.
I have only been in the mustang world for about 4 years now. I remember when I could not even change a spark plug. But 4 years is a long time and I have come a long way. Most of you remember my slow 85 lx drop top. Adam use to say but it’s a clean car.
Last winter a good friend of mine emailed me this link to a clean 86gt T-Top. Guy was from Delaware. So I emailed him about the car. Said I am interested in the car but I must sell mine first. He emailed me back a few days later and asks if I would consider a trade. Now for the next 2 weeks I did not know what to do. Should I part with my sweet 85 show car that I know where I stand with it or take the chance and go for what I always wanted? An EFI 5-speed 86gt T-Top. So I did it. Drove to Jersey and met the guy whose name was Matt Grieve’s. Some of you might know of him. At the time I had no idea who he was. Just a guy that had my dream car. So after about 5 seconds of looking at this bone stock Mustang with the original 10 hole wheels I said I will take it. We did the normal paper work and off I went.
Well after getting the car home and having no idea where to start or what to even do with the car I just drove it and cleaned it up in the meantime. The car was not perfect by no means. Hood decal was all faded and cracked. Paint was all faded. Interior was not so great but the car was straight with no rust anywhere.
My first mod was a sweet set of 17’’ Cobra R wheels that really made the car stand out. After that I detailed the engine bay and started working on the interior. Normal stuff, cleaning the carpet and seats basically going over the whole car threw and threw. With in just a few short weeks the car was looking nice. Paint came back very nice. Engine bay was extra clean and car was running mint after a nice tune up and some new parts just to get her up to par.
Now came the fun part. Deciding what way to go with the car. After a lot of thought I decided to make her a sweet street car. Not super fast but fast enough to hang and just really pretty. I started by adding a set of steeda sport spring thanks to my good friend Mr. Dugger. After talking with Adam we thought that Mass Air conversion would be a great start for performance. Now during the course of the spring and summer months I added some little things to the car like a short throw shifter for easier shifting, a Cold air kit for some easier breathing for the engine along with a Mac off Road H-Pipe. The car came with Dynomax Cat-Back when I picked the car up. Also added a new stereo for some tunes and a lot of chrome for under the hood. Now when my birthday came around my wife Stacey ordered me a very sweet Cervinis Mach 1 hood. The car was starting to become everything I hope for and then some. But the car was still a bit lazy from the start. So after staying a few hours late at the shop I and my boss installed a set of FRPP 373 rear end gear set. Now the car felt alive and not so sluggish. After a few car shows and some very nice 2nd place showings at the local car shows I felt like my car was becoming everything I wanted and then some.
So now my car is coming along till one very windy day I receive a phone call from my wife that I have to come home. Right there I knew what it was. I bought a 10x20 canopy for my car. Well when I showed up at the house I saw that it had inverted and was on top of the 86. At first I did not get to crazy just cleaned up the mess and looked at the car. Well it was pretty beat up. Lots of dings and major scratches. After getting more into the damage I had no idea what to do. Was thinking of selling it because I could not fix her at the time. It was a crappy few weeks and most of you guys know that from talking to me during that time. Shit my baby was in bad shape and things looked real bad. After a few weeks of talking to my Dad we decided that he would lend me the money for paint and I thanked him a lot for that. Thanks Dad!
Now while the car is in the shop certain things come up with the car. The guy tells me that I need a few parts for the car,moldings,etc. I order everything he needs to make the car perfect. During the winter months I acquire a few parts for the 86 as well. New c&l mass air with 24lbs injectors from Tom (tsang90),190 fuel pump,carpet ,more chrome all from 5.0 Resto also a sweet set of seats from a 93GT. Finally the day comes for me to pick up the car. I show up and can’t believe my eyes. The car looked great, better than I could ever imagine.
So now I get the car back and the fun begins. I first install my new carpet and seats I got from a 93 GT. While installing the carpet I painted most of trim and console to give it that fresh look. It was a whole day project but well worth it. Carpet would probably only take me half the day but I did a lot of extra work while I had the car apart. Now my wife tells me that I have 600 to spend on the car as an early B-day gift. So I talk to a few friends and ask what I should do. After a lot of thought I decided that I would order the rest of the parts from 5.0 Resto to finish up the car. Next step was to tackle under the hood. I start by installing the new injectors and mass air set up. Next was the new fuel pump and the rest of the chrome goodies for under the hood. Was again another all day job but well worth it. Now the car was done and all put back together. Man did she look sweet.
Now the car was complete and back together. Man did she look sweet. With in one year’s time this car has come a very long way. I never thought it would turn into something like this but it was well worth it. I mean the car is not a race car but I am not into that like other guys are. All I really wanted was just a real sweet street car that I could take to shows and enjoy. I am very happy with the car and get lots of looks when I go out and that is the reward I think. When someone comes up to you and say hey sweet car. I enjoy that more than anything. First I would just like to thank a few people for there help with this project. My wife Stacey for putting up with me. She is my world and without her I would not know what to do. My Dad for helping me a lot. A few good friends in Bryan, Adam, Phil, and Ryan for all there help over the past year on the car.
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