Saturday, March 7, 2009

1980 Ford Mustang Sport


Title: Beautiful '80 FORD MUSTANG

Mileage: 89,156 miles

Location: Wisconsin

Here's my 1980 Mustang 3-door Sport Hatchback. I've owned the car since 1994 and the car has been in constant indoor storage since 1987 when the original owner parked the car due to carburetor problems. I am the second owner of this Mustang.

This Mustang has less than 90,000 original miles. It has been driven less than 500 miles since 1987 when it was put into storage. It was used for a number of years as a college car by the children of one of the ministers at our church. You'll see it still has the college parking stickers on it from Missouri and Rhode Island. The car saw only seven years of use before it was put into storage. Seven years later I bought the car and began having it restored. It started out as a car with very little rust, no rust holes or underbody rot. This is a very solid little Mustang. The car has NEVER been in an accident. However before I bought the car someone gave it a "key job" down both sides of the car. The paint was faded and there were some small surface rust spots in several areas. So I had the body shop repair all damaged areas and had the car professionally repainted in the original Bittersweet Orange paint, code 2G Ford. As you can see the paint and body work turned out great. The interior needed some work so I pulled out every panel except the dash board. To date I've invested about $3500 to $4000 into the car by my estimate, $750 last summer alone on mechanicals.

Mechanical Condition: The car has a strong 2.3 liter 4 cylinder engine. I've had the compression checked and it is like new. The automatic transmission shifts smoothly. There was a "clunk" in the rear axle so I had it upgraded by my mechanic to a low-mile 7.5 sized rear end. It originally came with a 6.75 rear end but the gears are no longer available for that. The rear end is quiet and smooth now. Based on the rearsearch I've done here are the 3 rear end sizes used by Ford on the early to mid 1980's mustangs: There were three different ring gear sizes from '79 through '86; 6.75", 7.5", and 8.8". It hasn't been determined with any certainty what vehicles got the 6.75" rear, but it was last used in the '82 model year, and models with a 2.3 turbo or V8 did not have it. Models with a 2.3 turbo or V8 through '85, and non V8 models in '86 had a 7.5" rear. Models with a V8 in '86 had an 8.8" rear. This information is from the archives at foureyedpride.com - an enthusiast site that is especially for the "Fox" Mustangs built from 1979 to 1986. http://www.foureyedpride.com/joom/index.php The original muffler is still on the car, but just barely, as there is rusted pipe behind it. Rather than put a cheap muffler on the car I'm leaving it to the next owner to determine the best way to repair it. The catalytic converter is fine. Also, when I lived in a testing zone city I took the car in for smog testing and it passed with no modifications or repair needed. The air conditioning is intact and complete. I know that the 1979 to 1993 Fox body Mustangs have tremendous commercial support, including all new AC system availablility.
Interior Condition: Thanks to the years and years of indoor storage the dash pad is perfect! This can be an expensive repair if the car is left out in the sun instead of stored in a garage. I think a new dash pad would be about $250 so there's a savings for you right there as opposed to most Mustangs of this vintage. The rest of the dash is very good to excellent. The chrome on the control levers needs polishing and everything needs a good cleaning. A perfect rear seat and a very good passenger bucket seat. As you can see the driver's side bucket needs upholstery work. The front seat belts are still installed, so the car is driveable just point A to point B. That's to get it to various shops as needed for restoration purposes. The dashboard is all there except the glove box. Also in the car is the original black carpet.
Exterior Condition: Stored indoors since 1987 by original owner. Stored indoors since 1994 by second owner (me). Virtually no rust prior to professional paint and body work in 1994. There are a few scuffs and a few dimples on the car since it was painted but no damage and nothing that stands out. The original chrome trim was removed from the windows for painting and then reinstalled. Same for the tail lamps, head lamps, cowl trim, etc... The car presents very well and has a great shine. NOTE: The car shines as nicely as you see in spite of NEVER having been wet sanded, rubbed out, or waxed after the paint job. I'm sure with the finishing touches to the paint you'd REALLY be amazed at the shine!
Other Condition Coments: As far as I know the car has no leaks and no mechanical issues other than that mentioned above. I'm not a mechanic, but I am incredibly fussy when it comes to restoring and maintaining my vehicles. This car was no exception. I've really enjoyed owning this Mustang, even though must of the fun was dreaming about making it a concourse show car someday. I've purchased literally thousands of dollars in show-car quality NOS parts over the years.