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My dad purchased this 87 4 cylinder convertible new as an early retirement present to himself. He actually drove it to work for one year prior to retiring in 1988. I was about 24 years old when he purchased the car and I remember lobbying hard for him to buy a 5.0. Unfortunately he had no interest in a V8. A couple years later, fresh from a divorce, with a wad of cash in my pocket, I walked into the Ford dealer next to the project I was working on in Branford CT and told the first salesman I saw that I wanted the new green 7 UP convertible that they had for sale. The salesman took one look at me and my post work grubbiness and told me I wasn’t taking it for a ride. Incredibly pissed off, I walked out and eventually bought an 85 300ZX for half the money.
My dad kept this little Mustang for the rest of his life. He and my mom took it to Florida every winter for about the first five years of retirement until my mom refused to take it anymore because it was too small to fit two months worth of stuff. After that it spent winters in a heated garage in CT. My dad passed away five years ago and the car has been sitting in my moms garage waiting for me to build a pole barn so I have a place to store and work on it. That finally happened this fall.I’m not sure what the long term plan is yet. Maybe do a 5.0 five speed swap, maybe let my 15 year old daughter drive it for her first car. It joins my 68 Olds 442 four speed convertible that I finished a complete nut and bolt frame off restoration on in 2011.
Nice story and looks to be a well preserved car. JMO but I'd keep the car as your father enjoyed it, maybe with some nicer wheels.
It's in nice original shape. The interior is a little mildew-y because the garage was a little damp. The new barn is dry as a bone so that should help it. It needs new fuel lines and brake lines. The floors have a couple spots that could use some work but the interior needs to be removed anyway so I can fix that. All in all it's incredibly solid for a car that was driven. It has 101K miles
It's funny, I posted the story on the Fox Body Addicts FB Group and almost every comment so far says to leave it alone and drive it as is.... That's the last place I would have expected that advice
Last edited by allyolds68; January 18th, 2019 at 08:20 AM.
Sometimes you get surprised like that. I joined a 6th Gen Camaro page on FB because I got my son one and apparently about half of the members hate Camaros
There's nothing wrong with a little diversity in the automotive hobby... I myself have had several Fords as part of my collection over the years... In particular, a 1964 Galaxie Convertible and a couple Falcons (One being a Sprint)...
As for your Mustang, enjoy it as your Father would have...
Yeah I would put some factory 5 liter rims on it and drive it. To bad you couldn't convince dad to get the v8 I had an 86 and 87 5.0s back in the day lotsa fun. My own father bought an 01 6 cyl convertible mustang in about 2004 he had no interest in the v8 either just wanted a convertible.
I have only one question. How did you end up with a pocket full of cash after a divorcee? I've never been able to do that even with a lot of practice too...... Tedd
I have only one question. How did you end up with a pocket full of cash after a divorcee? I've never been able to do that even with a lot of practice too...... Tedd
X 2 Next time, I think about getting married, I'm jes gonna find someone I hate and buy them HOUSE
What a history, I also would leave the engine as-is, let the daughter drive it and afterwards keep it forever. What a nice cruiser. as said you can put different wheels on it and make it look like a hot rod but have the dependability and economy of a 4cyl and a opencruiser!
On the car: I'd rock the wire rims. Just clean it up and drive it. It's not worth anything, use it. Let the daughter drive it.
On divorce. I am horrible with women; my hobbies don't attract them, and I moved to the midwest after any girl near my age would have been either already happily married, or already married on the way to the first divorce.
As I have enough sense to avoid single moms, it seems that I have inadvertently come out way ahead by never getting married in the first place, and keeping all my money.
I have only one question. How did you end up with a pocket full of cash after a divorcee? I've never been able to do that even with a lot of practice too...... Tedd
My (ex) wife and I had a house that my father in law pretty much built for us (he was a builder and gave us the property and built the house at cost). My wife cheated, my father in law loved me (who wouldn’t....lol), and he basically told her she was selling the house and splitting the profits with me or he’d disown her. It was a great life lesson. (Especially for her....lol)
not having kids helped a lot too.
Last edited by allyolds68; January 21st, 2019 at 12:30 PM.
FWIW, Against almost everyone’s advice I’m looking for a donor 5.0 and I’m not going to let me daughter drive it......
It needs tires anyway and for the price of four tires and rims (I hate the little anemic tires on it) I can almost buy a donor car with good tires and rims.
I bought a new 5.0 LX 5 speed convertible in November 1993. It had QC issues with the paint durability on the lower body but with a March ram air and underdrive pulleys, that thing was a blast on on-ramps and back roads. Wife 1.0 didn't feel safe in it due to its size (we had been creamed head on a couple years earlier and she was busted up pretty good), so it was traded on my first Acura Integra 5 speed. Here it is in late 1993 with the first of several Viking Blue 1972s that I've owned.
From my signature, you can tell I still have some non-Olds and non-GM car interests.
Well I swing both ways, that is I like classic Oldsmobile's and little sports cars. Couldn't be more different in styles and the friends they attract. At times I have a neighbor drive my Miata to a show and I the Old's, park them side be side and just listen to my Oldsmobile friends ask funny questions about the Miata and my Miata friends question me about what kind a car the Old's is and what do you mean it has a 4 speed auto and not a Power Glide. Sometimes it is different strokes for the same folk.
I had a 93 Mustang 4 banger as a business car, for me it did not work out well. It was short on power not good on gas millage for a 4 banger and my clients had to crawl in to the back like a reptile to get in. Didn't buy another when that one went away.... Tedd
[QUOTE=Tedd Thompson;1148225]I have only one question. How did you end up with a pocket full of cash after a divorcee? I've never been able to do that even with a lot of practice too...... Tedd[/QUOT
=rightYea Ted, that's exactly what stood out to me too. I always say they keep us broke enough so we can't leave.
Mike you've made your decision but my vote is to leave it as is and give it to your daughter as her second car, you know after she's done beating up the first one with the "I thought I had more room" and "but it wasn't my fault". The universal lines of the brand new driver.
Cool story Mike. I'm all for the 5.0 swap. I'm assuming the suspension would have to be upgraded as well? Keep us posted
Rick,
The 5.0 has larger brakes, a different front K member, the motor mounts are specific to the 5.0 convertible, heavier rear, and heavier drive shaft. The whole electrical system is obviously different too. From what I've been able to learn the best years to use as a donor are 89-93.
You might also consider a Ford 460 as a transplant. I don't know how easy it is to put one in a Fox body Mustang but they are plentiful since they were available in Ford trucks at least through the 90s.
You might also consider a Ford 460 as a transplant. I don't know how easy it is to put one in a Fox body Mustang but they are plentiful since they were available in Ford trucks at least through the 90s.
Apparently the common tweak is to transplant 351's but seeing as everything becomes computer controlled after 88 I'm going to stick will a stock drivetrain if I can help it
I had an interesting summer with the Mustang. I bought a $1500 running, driving 93 GT 5 speed hatch with light front end damage and about 93k miles on it in early April. I was going to jump right into the swap but decided to drive my dad's convertible through the summer instead. The reason being is my daughter turned 16 in May and my wife was terrified to have her drive her 16 Enclave. So I've been doing driving lessons in Mustang until two weeks ago. My daughter has to put 50 hours of permit driving before she can get her license. What better way than with the top down. In the early summer I stripped the 93 to it's shell and retained all the GT specific parts including the engine, trans, wiring and suspension. Late this summer a guy contacted me that I had made a deal with to buy his 89 GT convertible late last winter. He had gotten cold feet and wouldn't sell. I ended up buying that one for $550, got it running, and flipped it for a decent profit three weeks ago. I started the 5.0 swap last weekend on my dad's car
It's kind of cool that I've had my 68 442 for 16 years. It was about 35 years old when I got it and required a complete frame off restoration. Lots of rust and lots of work. The Mustang was 32 years old when I got it and it's practically rust free. Both came from the Northeast but my dad only drove it in the winter for a couple of years. The fact that it's a 4 cylinder is a huge help too. The exhaust on the 5.0's lies right near the front shock towers and frame rails. I think it must cook all the paint off and the frame rails and shock towers rust out. The 4 cylinder was rust free there. I'm going to replace part of the driver's side floor pan, only because there were a few small rust holes.
Last edited by allyolds68; January 7th, 2020 at 12:39 PM.
January 15th, 2019, 10:49 AM
