Fox Resto Project
I've inherited my mother's '84 Mustang L hatchback. It has a 3.8L V-6 with 145,000 kilometers on it and is in fairly good shape overall. Anyone else might just drive it until it dies, sell it, or give it away. But since it's a car my mother owned, I would like to restore it to its former glory and maybe add a few power mods along the way.
I've started on the interior by pulling out the plastic panels. They've taken a beating over the years from wear and the sun. I've searched all over the Web and can't find anyone that carries replacements. Can you direct me to companies who carry these parts? Any tips on how I can repair and restore them would be greatly appreciated.
Robert Turner
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
You might be able to repaint the plastic panels you've removed if you can match the color of the interior. You also might be able to do an interior color-change to black or some other mainstream color if restoring your interior proves difficult.
Regarding power upgrades, to my knowledge, the carbureted V-6s don't get much attention in a car as old as yours. Still, there might be headers for your car, and you could also add a dual-exhaust system. To make it a bit more lively on acceleration, a set of shorter gears for the 7.5-inch rearend, such as 3.55s or 3.73s, would also help.
There are two places you can start with for interior parts and/or general restoration help. Latemodel Restoration Supply has a huge Web site. Call 866/507-3786 or visit www.50resto.com. MPS Auto Salvage specializes in used late-model parts. Call 800/236-1156 or visit www.mpsautosalvage.com.
Regular or Synthetic?
I own an '89 Mustang GT with 53,000 miles. I purchased it a few years back with 38,000 miles. The previous owner used synthetic oil from day one. I was thinking about switching back to regular Pennzoil motor oil. Should I make this switch or stay with synthetic?
John Thompson
Conway, SC
I switched to Mobil 1 synthetic oil in an '01 GT during the car's second oil change after buying the car new. After selling it, however, I spoke with the new owner, and he told me the shop that tuned its supercharger setup prefers running conventional oil with the blower. So I'd say it's really up to you.
In the case of your car, which I assume is pretty much stock, I don't think you'd hurt anything either way. Synthetic oil has its advantages, however it's considerably more expensive, usually at least double the price. But the upside of that is you can usually go longer between changes with synthetic because it doesn't break down as fast as regular oil.
In the final analysis, staying with synthetic might be a good idea. If you want to save a few bucks, switch back to a good-quality conventional oil like Pennzoil. But if you stay with the synthetic, you could easily go another 1,000-2,000 miles between oil changes.
Send your '79-'05 Mustang questions to: Late-Model Corral, c/o Mustang Monthly, 9036 Brittany Way, Tampa, FL 33619, or e-mail to mustang.monthly@sourceinterlink.com.