I took some time (a lot of time) this past weekend to start working on suspension upgrades for the Fox Body Mustang. I managed to successfully install Koni front struts without killing myself…but it was a challenging experience, which naturally I documented for my YouTube channel:
I still have to correctly install the sway bar end link on the driver side and then I will move on to replacing the rear shocks and the quad shocks (because in case you didn’t know, Fox Body Mustangs have six dampeners).
I sweat a lot, swore a lot, and screamed a lot, but I also learned a lot. The saga continues.
My latest garage progress continues with my 2014 Mustang GT, AKA the DudeStang. This week, I added something I most certainly should have added years ago when I first bought the car – a Steeda clutch spring assist (or clutch assist spring, I’ve seen it called both). I have a bad left knee due to an injury from many years back. It hasn’t been an issue when it comes to driving manual cars until more recently. I think this may be partially due to driving both the Fox Body and the DudeStang. I don’t drive the Fox Body all the time but it does have a pretty heavy clutch. Here’s the latest video from my YouTube channel, with more details:
I have only driven the car a few times since installing but initial results are positive. The clutch requires less effort to engage. Hopefully this will help with future knee pain. A viewer with some experience with Fox Body Mustangs suggested a clutch cable package from Maximum Motorsports so I’ll be looking into that at some point.
On the subject of the Fox Body, I do have plans to start working on the suspension this coming weekend, as well as working on cleaning up the undercarriage to better identify the source of the oil leaks. I’ll be documenting those efforts for the YouTube channel of course. Stand by for more updates. Cheers.
I recently added a Steeda Tri Ax Short Throw Shifter to my 2014 Mustang GT, AKA the DudeStang. I documented the installation process and “review” on my latest video here:
I’m happy to report that I was finally able to complete the brakes on the Fox Body a few days ago. There are more details in my most recent video here:
Needless to say, it was quite a relief to drive the car for the first time in approximately two months. I have new suspension parts waiting to be installed but now that I can actually use the car, I’d like to drive it for a week or two before doing anything else. Next up will be a set of Koni orange performance shocks and struts, a new set of (OEMish) quad shocks, and accompanying hardware.
In other news, my wife and I are visiting the Outer Banks for the third time. A close friend of ours is moving out here soon and we came to spend a couple of days with him while he’s in town doing some preparation for his new job. This is our second road trip with Lady and as far as we know, her first time visiting the ocean. She seemed a bit overwhelmed when we first arrived at the beach (ocean side), possibly because of the wind, but eventually she settled down and seemed to just enjoy being with us on the sand.
The first day was fairly uneventful besides visiting the beach before due to a thunderstorm with some pretty crazy rain. Our second day was pretty eventful though. We went to Nags Head Woods Preserve in the morning and took Lady on a couple of the trails.
Aside from almost walking into a few giant spider webs, it was a nice place to start the day. One of the trails ends on the sound, and after a little bit of convincing, Lady actually got her feet wet.
We had lunch on the patio of Sooey’s BBQ (solid burger FYI), while watching a live stream of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, where my friend Derek Boyd set a personal best in his monster of a Mitsubishi Lancer EVO. Nice work Derek!
Check out the in car feed here:
Other highlights of the day included a visit to the sand dunes of Jockeys Ridge State Park. In the parking lot, I spotted the first C8 Corvette I’ve seen in the wild. I dig this dark red/maroon color.
The sand dunes were a nice place to watch the sunset, though we probably got there a little bit later than we should have.
Lady seemed to enjoy the sand dunes as well. Our second full day of the trip was pretty uneventful as my wife and I both had work to do. We’re looking forward to some beach time before we head home though. Thanks for reading.
I listened to a podcast interview with some women who participated in the Rebelle Rally recently (maybe on The Smoking Tire?) and just came across this article on Twitter. For any of my readers that have girls aged 9-17 in the family, this is worth sharing with them. Sounds like an awesome learning opportunity.
“Team Ponderosa driver Erin Vogel and navigator Sara Swenson will coach middle- and high school-age girls 9-17 in a variety of racing-related topics over a series of Athena Racing-hosted workshops over five weeks. The aim is to provide female students with mentors and real-world examples of careers that women can pursue in technology and racing.
The weekly workshops commence Sept. 8, and registration for participants ends Sept. 5. Students will need their own email and Zoom accounts to register for the workshops.”
The last few weeks have been challenging in terms of my ability to make substantial progress on the Fox Body Mustang project. After installing a new brake booster and a new brake master cylinder, I attempted to bleed the brakes twice and am still dealing with a soft/squishy pedal feel. After more browsing/reading, I finally ended up ordering a powerbleeder from Motive Performance. I am hoping this will do the trick in terms of getting the brakes bled successfully.
In the meanwhile, for folks interested in learning more about the details of my latest challenges, I documented them for my last two YouTube videos.
I am hoping to give the powerbleeder a try this coming week and assuming that I can finally get the brakes wrapped up, I am looking forward to driving the car for at least a few days before I get to work upgrading the suspension.
I had been planning to try and get the Fox Body well-sorted enough to attend at least one track day or autocross event before the winter but I have been seeing a lot of events closing due to COVID-19. This is understandable but I try to remain optimistic that I might still get a chance to see what the Fox can do in the not too distant future. Fingers crossed.
This piece caught my attention because on the day when I first bought the Fox Body, I had to fill up the tank before driving it home. Having driven a 2014 Ford Mustang for the previous almost six years, with the fuel fill door on the driver’s side, I assumed a 1988 Ford Mustang would have the same layout. Upon getting out of the car, I was surprised and slightly embarrassed to discover that the fuel fill door was on the other side. Fortunately I did not make the same mistakes as this poor soul. Apparently it was around 1988-1989 that Ford switched to putting most fuel fill doors on the driver’s side, according to some random person on a Ford Mustang forum. I haven’t independently confirmed that claim yet but will be sure to update this post if/when I do.
Anyways, it’s a wild and uncertain time to be alive on planet earth. Maintain safe social distancing, wash your hands, and wear a mask. Hope you’re staying healthy and safe. Thanks for reading. Cheers.
I wish I could say that part 2 is the final video of the brake master cylinder replacement on the Fox Body Mustang project….but alas, the saga continues. I have documented the latest hurdles, mistakes, mishaps, etc. here.
I swear I have plans to write something new and original (and hopefully interesting) on the blog soon, but lately my free time has been mostly occupied by troubleshooting issues (often self-inflicted) on the project car. I can’t complain though. I am learning. Thanks for watching and thanks for reading. Cheers.
My latest efforts on the Fox Body Mustang project = attempting to replace the brake master cylinder. I managed to make some headway on addressing some more rust issues as well as getting the brake master cylinder and brake booster out. The latest video is up on the TacoPotatoMustang YouTube channel. Thanks for reading, thanks for watching!
My latest efforts on the Fox Body Mustang Project AKA Zorro Blanco, include successfully replacing the lower door hinge tension spring, which means that my driver side door no longer closes on its own every time I open it.
After that, I attempted a few other repairs/fixes….all of which failed or have been temporarily delayed. My troubleshooting efforts will continue this week undoubtedly.
Thanks for reading, thanks for watching, leave a comment and let me know if you have any ideas or suggestions. Cheers!
