98SVT_BASKET_CASE
New Member
Hello to all, have some questions about a project I just acquired.
The "Basket Case" is a 98, black on black. Has some suspension upgrades, and the exhaust has been played with, but stock motor wise. It was wrecked in the front, so it will need some love there. I got a pickup load and trunk full of parts, so the only parts I need to source to fix the front end is a radiator support (it's a little kinked) and the bumper cover. The body work, unfortunately, is the easy problem to fix.
The motor has a knock/tick. I'm thinking it's timing chain or valve train, but it could be a rod knock. It runs great, and the noise doesn't get consistently worse at higher RPMs, will do some shade tree stethoscope diagnosing with a screwdriver when time allows. The motor does have 168k on it, and is burning a little bit of oil as well. This leads to the dilemma I currently find myself in.
As part of the deal, I got what is supposed to be a spare "running take-out" motor, as well as a second T-45. I'm thinking the spare motor would make the most sense to tear down and rebuild, but I'm not looking to drop a bunch of coin to "build" a motor for a car with a rebuilt title, but don't want to half-ass a rebuild. I'm in this very little money at this point, so the idea of putting a 10k motor into a car I paid 1500 bucks for isn't too enticing. I could just throw the spare motor in the car and hope for the best, but not sure I want to spend much time on an untested motor.
That being said, all I'm looking for is a decent cruiser without breaking the bank. It won't ever see a drag strip, and my driving like an idiot days went out the door 2 kids ago. I've had a 97 V6 and a 2004 GT in the past, and I was happy/content with the power level of the GT. Would I be completely nuts to ditch both 32 valve motors and use that to finance putting a good running PI 2 valve in it? I know that it's blasphemy, but it's better than an LS swap. What would I need to do to swap a 2 valve in?
Appreciate any thoughts, glad to be back into the Mustang world.
The "Basket Case" is a 98, black on black. Has some suspension upgrades, and the exhaust has been played with, but stock motor wise. It was wrecked in the front, so it will need some love there. I got a pickup load and trunk full of parts, so the only parts I need to source to fix the front end is a radiator support (it's a little kinked) and the bumper cover. The body work, unfortunately, is the easy problem to fix.
The motor has a knock/tick. I'm thinking it's timing chain or valve train, but it could be a rod knock. It runs great, and the noise doesn't get consistently worse at higher RPMs, will do some shade tree stethoscope diagnosing with a screwdriver when time allows. The motor does have 168k on it, and is burning a little bit of oil as well. This leads to the dilemma I currently find myself in.
As part of the deal, I got what is supposed to be a spare "running take-out" motor, as well as a second T-45. I'm thinking the spare motor would make the most sense to tear down and rebuild, but I'm not looking to drop a bunch of coin to "build" a motor for a car with a rebuilt title, but don't want to half-ass a rebuild. I'm in this very little money at this point, so the idea of putting a 10k motor into a car I paid 1500 bucks for isn't too enticing. I could just throw the spare motor in the car and hope for the best, but not sure I want to spend much time on an untested motor.
That being said, all I'm looking for is a decent cruiser without breaking the bank. It won't ever see a drag strip, and my driving like an idiot days went out the door 2 kids ago. I've had a 97 V6 and a 2004 GT in the past, and I was happy/content with the power level of the GT. Would I be completely nuts to ditch both 32 valve motors and use that to finance putting a good running PI 2 valve in it? I know that it's blasphemy, but it's better than an LS swap. What would I need to do to swap a 2 valve in?
Appreciate any thoughts, glad to be back into the Mustang world.
), so will need a new set. Unless I can find one of these wheels sitting in someone's garage, but not real hopeful about that happening. 
