Had an 89 drop top,std.. Was a lotta fun. Never lost to ricers. Tore up the trans and couldnt afford a good one at the time

I would say get a hard top.

Got my 95 cobra with 97k miles for 5000-5500.     A 5.0 GT in good shape with fewer miles could be had for 3500 all day long in my area.

Head/cam/intake and 300rwhp should be easy after a re-tuned/chipped ecu..

Fox notch LX with a turboed LS?  



Or a Fox Capri with a Coyote 5.0?  





Yes there are better cars out there for handling,  but they can be made to be a reasonably good handling platform with some work.  Sub frame connectors,  torque box bracing,  and a cage make a huge difference alone,  then some good suspension components added make them pretty damn respectable.  A huge plus is the parts availability is huge.

HAHAHA.  

PFFT.  

Stock?  yes,  Not fast.   Some work?   Holy shit fast!

Like 9.3X @ 146 fast.    

But I see where you are coming from.  

So the SN95 guy says he got it about 4-5k miles ago as a project car.  He redid the convertible top because it previously wasn't working, he put new mufflers on it, new wheels/tires, replaced the clutch, and replaced the harmonic balancer.

The latter 2 I asked him about, he said that there was a vibration when he got the car, so he figured it might have been a transmission issue.  Checked it out, tranny was good, clutch was a pretty worn so he replaced it, but there was still a vibration.  So he removed the harmonic balancer, replaced it, and now the vibration is gone.

I'm a little worried about this.  As I understand it a neglected harmonic balancer can cause crankshaft damage which can then bork your block.  I plan to ask if the keyway was distorted in any way.  Without removing the harmonic balancer, are there any tells that the crank or engine might be damaged or destined to failure?

I saw another car today, an 03 GT hardtop with 122k.  Guy wants $4500, will wiggle to $4000 minimum.  Paint is pretty good, leather, etc.  No telling what's wrong with it, if anything, but I'm wondering if spending an extra $2k is worth the 9-years-newer 4.6 new edge.

Don't get a convertible.  
Unless you want a daily toodler.  
Especially if you plan on doing anything performance wise to it.

Daily toodler is okay by me, my kids are stoked about driving around in a drop top.

My concern is a cracked block or an impending cracked block in the 5.0 sn95.  Otoh the hardtop is being offered about 1k below kbb, but if it's messed up I'm already $2k more into it than the other.  Argh!

I miss my '95 convertible.


Sure, it's heavier than the hard top, but damn it was a fun car.  How many miles has he put on it since he swapped the balancer?  I've been in the Ford circles all my life and I've seen balances go bad, but never seen damage from it.
I will say, the brakes absolutely suck on an SN95 with an auto trans. Auto cars are programmed to hold throttle a little high when you slam on the brakes. So not are you trying to stop the car, but you are having to overcome the torque of the engine.  I upgraded to Cobra brakes and a '93 Cobra master cylinder and it was perfect.
My sons manual trans never had this issue.

Because it is impossible to tie the subframes together and put power to them?   LOL
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Your block is neither cracked nor "impending cracked".   Your crank keyway is fine.  
Don't sweat the little stuff.   Seriously...   don't sweat it..

If the op is set on this convertible my advice is to lowball the fuck out of the seller. I guarantee the seller has had the car awhile, lost money on it and is ready to be rid of it.

Buy it right (read cheap)

Of course he should try and talk the seller down, but if $2500 is not cheap, you are in the wrong hobby..

$1500 is better I don't care how well off you are even for a person like you where $1000 is merely  "walking around money"

Since pics are creeping into the thread.   Truth be told, you can find a high miles 05-06 for not much more than what a good used dox will bring these days.

I loved these cars, drove one in college and had a few in the years after.

Trying to pass California smog every two years was too much stress and heartache  Now its either pre-smog toys or simple mods on new ones.

Got the convertible for 2300



And now begins my work!

The drive home was good except for bringing it out of gear and into neutral sometimes results in an idle of around 2000-2500 rpm for a few seconds. Bringing it to a stop brings the idle back to normal, around 750. Dirty MAF sensor? Bad IAC valve?

Somehow also, when I locked the car up, I couldn't get back in with the key! The driver side keyhole wouldn't turn at all, and the passenger side turned but did nothing. I figure maybe a simple keyless will be a quick fix but I'd like for the damn door key to work!

Other than that no major problems, no leaks.  Engine is very clean, oil and coolant look very good. New clutch, tires, rims, and balancer, I'm happy with it, and it looks like a good specimen on which to learn. The interior needs some work but that's the least of my worries save for some weatherstripping.

I go to the DMV tomorrow, can't wait to get cracking on her!

Some of that reving in neutral while rolling is actually programmed in.   But 2000 rpm is way too high.    Usually if idle is 750ish and you are rolling in neutral it runs the idle up to around 1000-1100rpm.

Clean MAF, throttle body, after that there is a check for TPS and Idle Air Control.

Those are the usual culprits for idle issues.    Check over hoses and clamps for leaking vacuum hoses.    Usually a main line coming off intake to split to brake booster and the charcoal canister.

Mine does it during hot weather and I havent got it 100% tracked down yet.   Mine is cammed so it likely needs a ecu tune.



When you get the car in the air check the bushings for the control arms front and rear.    The rubber is likely rotting.   My car had the pivots actually tear through the rubber.   New control arms made for a much improved car, i went for control arms since I knew I was doing coil overs and wanted to reduce weight.    It is possible to just change the bushings.

Did I say that?  

They are naturally a heavier car.  And in some ways,  yes tougher to strengthen.

Also...

Start browsing cjponyparts, americanmuscle, and latemodelrestoration.

You can get a set of replacement tumblers and keys for pretty cheap for doors and trunk.    Not sure if they do a full set for ignition/doors/trunk.

Watch the odometer, the gears like to wear out for the speedo in the trans or the odometer worm gear chews itself up between 90-100k miles.   Mine did it right at 98k miles.   It is a 30 minute fix.


Cobra style knock off headlights are like 100 for the pair.   About a 1 hour job.    Do not even fuck with headlight lens restore.  Just buy replacements and not have to fuck with it.

Want to make it ride better and look better? Eibach Pro kit springs, Tokico blue struts and shocks and Maximum Motorsports castor/camber plates. See the photo of mine above for the stance. Trust me, stock springs bounce, bottom out and ride rough as hell.

If your clutch cable is really stiff or breaks, again, Maximum Motorsports makes the ONLY replacement that lasts. Replace the cable, pedal quadrant and install their firewall adjuster.

SN95's are famous for breaking the rear sway bars.  After I broke mine and two Steeda's, I just drove without one.

First mod you need to do, 3:73's in the rear.

Get some MAF cleaner and remove the MAF and spray it down good and then using a Q Tip, carefully clean it.  It is very fragile.

If you hear a chirping noise under the hood when first cranked up in the morning, it either your idler pulley or the distributor bushings about to fail. Pull the cap and feel for side to side play on the rotor. If you have any, get a new distributor.

If it dies all of a sudden without warning, I mean no signs, like running rough or acting like it is running out of gas, it's probably the ignition module located behind the stock air filter box on the fender well. Sons just died last month.

If you have to attempt to crank it a few times before it starts, could be the internal check valve in the fuel pump. You can get the same effect by turning the key on and off a few times to build pressure back up. And If you do need to swap the pump, don't forget the big donut seal on the tank. Even though it looks good, you must replace it. Use lots of grease on the new one when reinstalling the tank.

I'll add more tips as I can think of them.

Oh, and you suck!   That car around here would bring $5000 all day long.  I'm looking hard for something like this for my son right now and can't find shit for $4000 or less that isn't fucked up and over.

Removed the MAF sensor last night, had to go find torx security bits.    The front hotwire was gunky, the rear was okay but I cleaned the shit out of both of them with MAF cleaner, isopropyl alcohol, and a q-tip.

I also replaced this ratty K&N air filter that was in there.  Its foam gasket had rotted and left sticky, oily bits of gasket stuck to the air box. Cleaned all that shit out and replaced it with a regular paper filter.  I may go with a newer K&N or Airaid later, I just wanted the car to run for the night.

After the MAF and filter went back in we took it for a spin last night.  Throttle response seemed a little bit improved but I was still getting an intermittent Check Engine light and the rev sticking problem was still evident.  Drove it home, left it alone until this morning.

I did get one Check Engine on the way to the Harbor Freight (which went away after I came back outside and turned the car back on) and two very brief Check Engines (for a few seconds at a time) while driving along the road at about 45 mph.  After that, I tried and tried, but I could not repeat the rev sticking problem.  Maybe it was just an MAF issue.

My plan is to take it into the stealership on Thursday morning for a complete inspection/diagnosis.  I don't think I want them to work on anything unless it won't run me a whole lot (NOT my experience with Ford), I just want to get the laundry list of issues I need to address, prioritizing the most important ones first.

So far all things considered it's awesome!

Get on an actual Mustang forum.  No reason to blow cash on a vehicle inspection from ford without finding out what you can do yourself. There's plenty of stang forums that will do you right, way better than anything here.

 

My dad's got a '94 GT that I learned to drive manual on.

It's not fast, nor does it handle well, and it's VERY loud, but it's got great aftermarket and is a fine weekend cruiser, and has been basically trouble-free.  It's at 300k miles now.

I was having issues with my 95 recently to where I went to Ford to see if they have any ECU scanning capabilities beyond a store bought code scanner.    They do not.   In fact they said they farm out any OBD1 cars to other shops now.   They basically do not support OBD1 anymore.

So mustang forums or good privately owned shops.

Get a code puller, should have stored codes even if CEL is not on.    Could be any thing from IAT to O2 sensors.

Before you do anything, disconnect the battery for a half hour to clear the memory.  These things "relearn" after you clear the memory, or after 25 crankings.
Then go buy a code reader.  They're not that expensive.  Oh hell, pm me your address.  I think I actually have a spare one I'll send you.
AutoZone reads them for free too.  But make sure they plug into the correct port in the passenger side wheel well.  Under dash is a dummy since '95 was a transition year to OBD2.  I think the V6 was OBD2.
Careful with a new K&N. They are full of oil and can contaminate your MAF sensor.

I am wondering if the idle air control valve is shot or sticky.  
And make sure the throttle cable is not physically sticky.  That is a rare thing,  but I have seen it.  

Code reader is on the way!

http://www.jegs.com/p/AFCO/AFCO-K-Member-Kits-Mustang-To-Chevy-Applications/2812853/10002/-1

After cleaning up the MAF sensor the problem is essentially nonexistent.

I do however get a small engine surge when granny shifting sometimes. I'll be driving along in gear, foot off the gas, hit clutch pedal and the engine will zoom to 2k rpms for a split second and fall back to a rolling idle (about 1k) before I shift the stick.

Anyone know what gives with that?

foxbodies are by far may favorite and when done up correctly are extremely badass. Ive had 6 over the years and currently still own my 89 coupe... will probably have this car forever.
Best advice is buy the cleanest one you can afford. Many of them were beat to shit over the years. The nice thing is, as long as the body is straight you can buy and replace every single piece as everything is available oem or aftermarket. And modding, the sky is the limit.

this is my current fox- 306 R-block twin turbo - 610rwhp/680rwtq