OK, so SWMBO has approved of getting a project car. I found a 2012 Mustang V6 with a manual. It's got 160K with a bad motor. Swapping the motor isn't a big deal so I'm not worried about that.
Carfax shows it's a Florida car and I don't see any rust on the outside but haven't looked at the car yet. It's at a small dealer about 1.5 hours from me and I haven't had time to get over to check it out.
So just wondering what I should check for?
This would be a general cruiser, trackday & autocross toy.
That year of the V6 is roughly 305 HP so comparable to the previous generation 4.6 V8 at 315 HP. Not the lightest car ever made. Lots of aftermarket options in terms of suspension, brake, wheel and tire upgrades. If you can get it cheap it could be fun.
3520lbs is what C&D quoted. That's similar to an M2, or 140lbs more than a 911. In this day and age it's not terrible.
What does a blown engine V6 Mustang go for these days?
They're asking for $5,200
Seems reasonable-ish. I suspect you can beat them down a bit. I have to imagine the market for blown eninged cars is small. For most people, that car needs $4-6k of work to get it on the road. car-part.com shows engines for like $500!
I've never heard of a 3.7 that dun blowed up. Which is why a used engine is so cheap.
I drove one when they were new, they go faster than they feel. It doesn't seem fast via the butt dyno but the speedometer movement doesn't lie. It was an odd car to me; quick, but without the thrill.
Obviously most S197 parts (suspension) will work and I think a LSD is a bolt in without the goofy driveshaft flange needed for the 4.0 models.
These cars are heavy-feeling. By modern standards they really aren't (ha ha, Challenger) but compared to a 1960s Mustang they are portly.
My 2006 spent it's life outdoors in the rust belt and has no issues aside from a little bubbling on the lower door inside seams and the one quarter panel in front of the rear wheels, a result of a water leak in the trunk. Check the cowl drains for debris (it will drip water onto the passenger floor usually). It's really a pretty solid platform with very few problems.
The V6 models have the correct brakes to try and fit 15" wheels over for rally tires, if you want to do that sort of thing.
Well, I just called the dealership and they'll stay late tonight so a buddy and I are going to check it out.
I'm curious as to the cause of failure. Those engines go bad in FWD platforms due to water pump leaks (it's behind the timing cover, you get a milkshake in the oilpan before you realize it's leaking), but the RWD platform doesn't have the same problem.
Seems a bit much for that car with a blown engine...
But I'm cheap and lazy so maybe not
The 3.7L is a pretty underrated engine. 305HP(and around 280ft/lb of torque). The water pumps on the early S197s were known to have issues...but unlike the FWD models they are pretty easy to change, later revisions fixed that issue. The engine itself only weighs 290lbs or so, accesory for accesory just a touch more than a 2.3l ecoboost...and unlike the ecoboost engines(either the 2.3 or the 3.5 variety) the 3.7L is port injection, making it a lot more tuning friendly if you like aftermarket ECUs. The S197 v6 Mustangs themselves run about 14.8 seconds in the 1/4 mile stock, but some bolt ons and maybe a set of gears gets many people down to 13.9 or so, the platform has some potential.
The biggest issue is the MT82 manual transmission. Its not a bad transmission at all...but it has some things that need to be addressed because from the factory it has issues with ,missed shifts...first, it has a dual mass flywheel that is pretty much garbage...not a big deal because a 5.0L coyote conventional flywheel will bolt right up if you space out the ToB by .75". Then you have the plastic hydraulic clutch line...$50 will get you a braided stainless line that will help that out. And finally, you have the remote shifter assembly that bolts to the body of the car...this is the main culprit of missed shifts....a misalignment of the shifter and the trans under hard acceleration due to engine and trans torquing. The solution is to get a bracket that mounts the shifter to the trans instead of the body...or get an aftermarket short shifter assembly that does the same. You can buy these, but they are hundreds of dollars so its not cheap...but fabricating a trans mount bracket would not be difficult or expensive.
I chose the 3.7L engine and MT82 for my '66 mustang because the combination of power and light weight was very appealing.
Wicked93gs said:The S197 v6 Mustangs themselves run about 14.8 seconds in the 1/4 mile stock, but some bolt ons and maybe a set of gears gets many people down to 13.9 or so, the platform has some potential.
The C&D article that I looked up the weight on listed 14.0 @104mph. They got 13.7 @103mph with current gen Mustang EcoBoost (non-PP).
Well, we're going to pass on this one for sure.
Not sure what's growing in it but I don't need to figure it out.
Snrub said:Wicked93gs said:The S197 v6 Mustangs themselves run about 14.8 seconds in the 1/4 mile stock, but some bolt ons and maybe a set of gears gets many people down to 13.9 or so, the platform has some potential.
The C&D article that I looked up the weight on listed 14.0 @104mph. They got 13.7 @103mph with current gen Mustang EcoBoost (non-PP).
Depending on your source your 1/4 mile times will vary no surprise, different drivers...besides the 3.7L had an optional drag pack with a shorter rear end gear ratio...so different trim packages will have different results as well. The ecoboost 2.3T makes 15HP and a whopping 40ft/lb of torque more than the 3.7L so its no surprise that it pulls a full second faster than the base 3.7L(no drag pack). Ford did its best to kill the 3.7L as soon as the Ecoboost came out...they actually dropped 5HP for the 2015 model year...no surprise there, their intention was always to replace the 3.7L with the Ecoboost 2.3T as the base model engine, so they made the Ecoboost look more appealing to customers comparing the 2...gave them a perfect excuse to stop offering the 3.7L, which they did soon after(the fewer options they have to offer the better, the Mustang is no longer anywhere close to as optioned as it was in the 60s with 69 model year offering the 302, the 351w, the 351c, the 390, the 428, the Boss 429, and if I remember correctly the 427 OHC engine...we could only wish for as many engine options today)
We love our Mustang track project. The only issue we've had, so far, after six track days and a night at the drag strip is a continued issue with rebuilt rear calipers. My wife hasn't been turning off the traction control for her track sessions, and it may be causing issues. I am replacing the caliper today (thank goodness for warranty) and we will see what turning off the t/c does at for the life of the caliper. The remans are cheap . . . but I'd rather not replace them.
Cheap. Reliable (ish). Fast(ish). It's pretty close to the holy trinity.
In reply to GPz11 (Forum Supporter) :
A dealer is trying to sell a car like that??? Wow. $100 on cleaning it, and it would at least hide whatever that is.
If they took another couple of thousands off so that you can replace all of the interior, maybe. But I'm astounded that a dealer would try to sell anything in that condition.
Clogged cowl drain, as I mentioned earlier. Takes ten minutes to fix.
As for the seat...obviously owned by someone who just used it as a disposable item, which explains the lunched engine. Probably never had an oil change in it's life.
Hah, very true about the oil, it was black as coal.
Am I nuts, or is $5,200 seem like absolute top dollar for something that's going to need an engine replacement? I realize prices are super-high right now all around, and I realize that the motor is cheap and easy to find. Still seems to me that $5,200 would be top of market for a super-clean V6 car with the performance pack and a blown engine.
OK, so how are the 4.6 engines?
https://chicago.craigslist.org/wcl/cto/d/brookfield-2006-mustang-gt/7370897340.html
In reply to GPz11 (Forum Supporter) :
Damn near bulletproof, especially if maintained. They do have the 3-valve broken spark plug issue, but if it was maintained, that should have been resolved already.
Isn't that just replaced spark plugs with the new style?
In reply to GPz11 (Forum Supporter) :
Yes, but the revised Motorcraft part still used a 2-piece threaded sleeve and ground strap, so they would still occasionally fail. If installed correctly, with some antiseize, they're fine. Some aftermarket ones were a 1-piece design.
In reply to GPz11 (Forum Supporter) :
That looks pretty clean. At some point they went to aluminum hoods and you need to check for bubbles / paint missing on the leading edge. I don’t see any obvious issues and I’ll agree a well maintained 4.6 is a long lived engine.
2005-up is aluminum hood. They all corrode, which is why you see so many rocking fiberglass replacements.
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