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Project "hole in the head." LS376/480 into my 1991 Fox Body Coupe
After purchasing the roller, a former 4-cyl, automatic transmission car from a kid in San Antonio just over two years ago, it's finally time to start my conversion thread. I needed this project like I needed a hole in the head.
Some background: way back in 1991, I ordered a brand new, 5-sp Mustang GT. Bright red with a black interior, a 3.08 rear gear and 225 stock, OEM horsepower. I drove that car until almost 5 years ago when I pulled it off the road due to rust damage from the saltwater air when I lived by the beach in Fernandina Beach, Florida. The mechanicals of the car were perfect. It just needed the body lifted off and another, non-rusty body dropped down onto the mechanical part of the car. Engine;perfect. 5-sp trans:perfect. Interior: 9 out of 10. Converted, R134a airconditioning: ice cold! 5-lug, 4-wheel, Mustang Cobra brakes: perfect!
With all of the perfectly functioning mechanicals, I thought it would be of great value both price wise and sentimentally to find a good body and swap all the good parts from my '91 GT that I now call the donor car into a good, non-rustly body. At first I started looking for hatchbacks but within a month or so, I said, "NO!" I need to find a coupe! It took me almost 3 years to find the right car. I looked at many, many fox bodies and even drove several. All coupe sellers wanted too much money for 5.0 powered cars or even 4-cyl powered cars for that matter. I think that it was 1 Dec 2018 that I bought this roller from Noah in San Antonio: The car at Noah's place before we loaded it up on my U-haul trailer
On the trailer somewhere between San Antonio and Montgomery, TX (about an hour north of Houston.
Here are some pictures of the car after I got it home and washed it. The car has been repainted but not very well and will need a much better paint job. The OEM color is Oxford white and I want a white car so it'll be resprayed in the same color.
A very poor quarter panel repair. The car is getting a cowl hood so this is not of concern to me
Here are some pictures of the interior of the car when I bought it. Noah had taken the dash all apart and even started messing with some of the wiring harness trying to install LED lights. Since I didn't know what was done to the wiring harnesses, I decided that all of my donor car's wiring would go into the coupe because I knew that my stuff was in pretty much pristine condition.
Noah had "recolored" the interior to black. You can even see the original greyish/blue color of the back seat. My donor car has a geniune OEM Ford "sport" black interior so all the hatchback parts that'll work in a coupe will find their way into the "hole in the head."
I have the coupe's original dash however my donor car's dash will be going in. These are vinyl seats that had been "painted" black. My OEM, black cloth seats will be going in You can see the coupe's original interior color in this picture.
Yeah, looks like a bit of "judicious" bondo application (like with a trowel...) has been artfully bestowed upon this beast. BUT from 20 feet it looks pretty good. I have always loved notches!
I have a sneaking suspish this will all transform into a clean-looking stealth weapon!
This is what the engine compartment look like when I bought the car. The stock disc/drum brake booster right before I removed it
There was deep surface rust underneath the brake booster. It was probably from leaking brake fluid over the decades. I should've taken a picture of the rust but I didn't.
This is a picture of the area after I had cleaned it up with a wire wheel on my 4 1/2 grinder
Once I cleaned all the rust, the clean metal was pitted but still very solid. I applied some Ospho rust treatment to the area.
Yeah, looks like a bit of "judicious" bondo application (like with a trowel...) has been artfully bestowed upon this beast. BUT from 20 feet it looks pretty good. I have always loved notches!
I have a sneaking suspish this will all transform into a clean-looking stealth weapon!
Right and thank you for your vote of confidence with your "sneaking suspicion!" The car is a nice 20 footer for sure but I want it to look real nice so new paint and body work is in it's future.
A super clean notch like that? I wouldn’t be able to resist either.
It really was/is a clean car. It had very little undercarriage damage unlike many V8 powered cars that are probably driven much harder. I like to say that this car doesn't appear that it's had any "Dukes of Hazzard" jumps done in it!
Looking forward to this build. I owned a 1989 LX 5.0 back in the day. Bought it new...
Andrew, I'm two years into this build so I've got a lot of pictures and information to post. I'm a very sloooooooow worker and I've had to deal with a lot of stumbling blocks. I'd say most guys would've accomplished in 6 months what it took me 2 years to do .
It really was/is a clean car. It had very little undercarriage damage unlike many V8 powered cars that are probably driven much harder. I like to say that this car doesn't appear that it's had any "Dukes of Hazzard" jumps done in it!
Andrew, I'm two years into this build so I've got a lot of pictures and information to post. I'm a very sloooooooow worker and I've had to deal with a lot of stumbling blocks. I'd say most guys would've accomplished in 6 months what it took me 2 years to do .
Progress is progress. Don't forget, this is supposed to be fun!
This was a 1-day late Christmas present that arrived on 26 December 2018. LS376/480 brand new in the crate. Like everyone else, I really wanted the 525hp version of the LS376. However, I absolutely positively could not justify paying $1000 for just a more aggressive camshaft. It's the only difference between the two engines and is in no way worth $1000+!
You can see all the surface rust on the behind the dash, bare metal "skeleton" that supports the dashboard. The wiring harness was 27 yrs old when I took this picture and the wrapping is looking like a horror movie mummy coming apart. I've labeled the many, many electrical connectors to help during reassembly. In this picture I've already removed the HVAC box and the skeleton is about to come out. The mummy harness is close to coming out as well.
Skeleton is out. I didn't realize it at the time but the brake pedal skeleton isn't what I was going to later use because it didn't have the clutch pedal.
I'm applying that Ospho phosphoric acid rust treatment that I showed in an earlier picture. You can see how it changes the color of the rust and metal.
I know I've already posted this picture but here it is again.
Yeah, looks like a bit of "judicious" bondo application (like with a trowel...) has been artfully bestowed upon this beast.
I believe I'd have to call it spackle.
But I believe Dannyual has got this one under control. My 2 cents -- With it up on jack stands - take some careful measurements to be sure things are true/straight/not--twisted -- and get your subframe connectors welded in BEFORE you start monkeying-around-with/mocking-up the heavy bits.
Andrew, I bought my Holley Terminator kit right before the end of December 2018 during Holley's Christmas sale. I'll have to check but I'm pretty sure it's this one:
About 3 months later you posted your famous, "Swaps just got way easier...Holley Terminator X" thread. I could've saved a lot of money if I had looked into my crystal ball and known that the Terminator X was coming out .
12-20-2020, 11:45 AM
Project "hole in the head." LS376/480 into my 1991 Fox Body Coupe 
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