Fox body regrets.... someone talk me down

So I've been looking forever for a spirited daily driver, and a few weeks ago I bought a 1988 Mustang GT 5.0 ragtop. It's a one owner car w/75k miles, but it's been sitting for a while. It needs paint and a few other things, but the biggest pain is that the power top is not working, the top fabric is bad, and the quarter windows do not work right (a common problem on Fox ragtops).

After staring at the car blankly for a few weeks and looking into what the top repairs will cost me (I'm guessing around $1k all in for top, pump, and cylinders), and seeing how I already paid $1500 for the car, I'm thinking I should find a clean Fox 4 cyl coupe and transfer all the good bits over, as in the 5.0, 5 speed, 8.8 rear, etc, etc.

So- am I nuts? Should I sell the ragtop and just buy a 5.0 hatch (since the 5.0 coupes are too hard to find? Should I shut up and fix the top?

Leave the top down? When it get's rained in a few too many times you can strip the interior and use waterproof seat covers. When that gets old then you can transfer everything to a hardtop.

Well, did you want a convertible? If answer is yes then look into fixing the top. If answer is no then swap it? Seems like a lot of work to do that swap however. I would think it would be easiest to just buy another car and sell this one?

Jaynen wrote: Well, did you want a convertible? If answer is yes then look into fixing the top. If answer is no then swap it? Seems like a lot of work to do that swap however. I would think it would be easiest to just buy another car and sell this one?

I was never really that excited by the fact that it's a ragtop, because I have a turn key '65 Eldorado ragtop next to it in the garage.

Remove the top mechanism and all interior carpeting.

Paint everything with bed liner.

Waterproof all wiring.

Add fiberglass seats.

Roll in style.

Remove the top mechanism and all interior carpeting.

Paint everything with bed liner.

Waterproof all wiring.

Add fiberglass seats.

Roll in style.

Sell it and buy the notch you really want, you wont regret it

The only really E36 M3ty thing about Fox verts is they weren't Ford assembled, like the 94-ups. They were a complete afterthought and the whole deal got subletted to Cars and Concepts to finish the roofless coupes.

Now, the top is kind of an easy fix with all the available kits from Latemodel Resto, Mustangs Unlimited, or even the local top shop. As to power, most times the motor itself E36 M3s the bed. I would check the connector for 12v and ground and go from there. Sometimes you get lucky and the fluid is junk and needs a flush, other times not. But it isn't hard to swap and fix that stuff out.

Or, if I had the loot, I would buy it to shut the wife up about not having a running Fox in the driveway.

the proper answer is "LTD3"...

So $2500 for a low mileage Fox 5.0 convert is too much money now? Is that what I'm hearing?

novaderrik wrote: the proper answer is "LTD3"...

THIS.

Actually, another vote for the "stripped-interior" options. Add some auto-bailers onto the floor, a couple of roll hoops (eliminating the rear seats), brace the bejeezus out of the interior and go roadster.

"Smoothness everywhere means LTD needs only 67 horsepower to push it through the wind at 50 mph."

Wow, imagine trying that kind of logic in today's horsepower hungry climate? Only needs 60 some horsepower to move at 50....the rest is overkill.

And that print ad isn't even for the V8 equipped LTD...the one that used the same V8 found in Mustangs.

Hey, with a title " Fox body regrets...", I thought you were going to tell us you had bought one of those Fox-bodied Granada sedans from the early '80s (there's one of those for sale on my local CL. Unfortunately, it's either 4 cylinder or inline 6 powered (the ad doesn't say), but it is my favorite color (light yellow).

integraguy wrote: "Smoothness everywhere means LTD needs only 67 horsepower to push it through the wind at 50 mph." Wow, imagine trying that kind of logic in today's horsepower hungry climate? Only needs 60 some horsepower to move at 50....the rest is overkill. And that print ad isn't even for the V8 equipped LTD...the one that used the same V8 found in Mustangs.

you missed a decimal point.. it looks like "6.7 horsepower" to me..

It's 6.7, 67hp to run 50mph down the road would be horrible.

My first car was an 86 LX. 4-cyl, 4-spd Notchback. I wish I had it back. 88hp and all.

Grtechguy wrote: My first car was an 86 LX. 4-cyl, 4-spd Notchback. I wish I had it back. 88hp and all.

the first car that i put a lot of miles on was my mom's 86 Mustang LX hatch with the carbureted 2.3 and a 4 speed- yes, 4 speed, as in no overdrive.. fun little car that got really good mileage and took a surprising amount of abuse. i even had 7 people in it that one time..

Get the 4 cylinder coupe and swap over.

Depends on your plans for the car. To quote myself, the Fox Bodies have structural rigidity rivaled only by moist balsa wood. Having a convertible top only makes that worse. So, if you want to track and/or hoon the car, get a hard top. If you just want to roll in style, keep the 'vert. Personally, I LOVE cruising around in a convertible.

aussiesmg wrote:

LOL

Aeromoto wrote: After staring at the car blankly for a few weeks and looking into what the top repairs will cost me (I'm guessing around $1k all in for top, pump, and cylinders), and seeing how I already paid $1500 for the car, I'm thinking I should find a clean Fox 4 cyl coupe and transfer all the good bits over, as in the 5.0, 5 speed, 8.8 rear, etc, etc. So- am I nuts? Should I sell the ragtop and just buy a 5.0 hatch (since the 5.0 coupes are too hard to find? Should I shut up and fix the top?

Personally, I'm glad you're 1000 miles away... because that car sounds like the PERFECT donor for a FFR:

Please, please, please don't scrap out yet another V8 car to just make yet another hilljacked 4cyl conversion.

Here's a wild card thought, probably a terrible idea but I'll throw it out anyway. How much would it cost to just replace the fabric top and not worry about fixing the power mechanism? If you don't mind not being able to put the top down, just don't fix it for now. Then at least you get to drive the car and have it be relatively weatherproof and if you decide you don't love it sell it on. But if you decide you love it and want the top to work you can fix the power mech later.

That's assuming you can get the top on without first fixing the power mechanism.

Around here . . .peeps are selling 4 cyl Foxes (most non-running) for almost the same price as a running V8 fox Their rationale . . . it's a straight, clean chassis . . .