New Guy From PA

[awakened]

A little background,

My first new car was a White 1993 LX 5spd. I loved that Car! That was a long time and many cars ago but I finally now have the time/money to have a fun weekend car to work on and my goal was a fox body convertible. I found a 1986 GT convertible in November and could not be happier. I love the look of the "four eye" front on this car and think it looks much better than the aero front end of the later fox bodies. My car has 140,000 miles on it. It was originally an Arizona car so the body and frame are very clean, although the lower A-arms are covered in surface rust which looks odd. It is Oxford White with with a white top and the gray leather interior. The car runs good and is entirely stock except for the following modification that were there when I bought it:

• 5-lug conversion
• rear disc brakes
• Cobra R wheels.
• Hood swapped for a non-decal hood
• Hood vent painted white
• Rear deck lid without luggage rack. I assume this was a swap from a notchback.

Other than that it is stock down to the air cleaner, radio, etc.

Some of my future posts will include:

• Getting help to determine if the 5-lug and rear disc conversions were done correctly and what parts were used. I will take pictures and look for help in identifying the components.
• Rebuilding the power top pump (it works but it leaks)
• Investigating the cleanest way to put a third brake light on the car without going back to the luggage rack.

Future plans for the car:

• restoring/replacing the black trim that is faded
• Replacing the carpet and front seats
• Mild engine and exhaust work

I'm looking forward to leveraging the knowledge of this community as I work on my baby!

[conmech]

You came to the right place for intel. This place is crawlin' with people who sleep 4 eye info. Welcome to FEP. Pics are a must, especially of the brake set ups, as you had mentioned.

[stableboy]

Welcome. Where in PA? I live in se Pa. As to the third brake light...IMHO the feature car (white/yellow/red) spoiler or Saleen style is the best look.
and your tailights were either striped or replaced with svo/1993 cobra style units.

[STANGMAN116]

Welcome to FEP!!!

[Ruffi]

Welcome aboard! That car is looks very clean.

[awakened]

I'm in north east PA, Lehigh Valley. Here is a better picture of the tail lights. Are they really not original?

[cobracomander]

Welcome to fep. From Bensalem bucks county pa

[kevinsranger]

i have the 3rd brake light off my 92 you can have for free lol. im in trevorton, bout 15 minutes from knobels. and those tail lights are definitely not original to that car

[awakened]

Thanks for the offer but I want to try to add a third brake light without any type of spoiler or wing. I love the clean look of the trunk just as it is. I either want to try to build it into the edge of the trunk or add a small stand alone unit between the trunk and the convertible top. I know I could also add a light bar to the interior but I do not like that look for this car.

[TopGear85]

Killer GT convertible, and welcome to FEP! I'm a big fan of white Mustangs, especially 85's and 86's so I love your car. The few mods you have are good ones and the plans you have sound great. As far as the tail lights, those are SVO/93 Cobra style lenses. The correct 86 lights are the same except they don't have those horizontal lines across them. I really like those lenses and I think they look great.

If it was me the first thing I would do is paint that cowl panel back to charcoal. Something like that would drive me nuts, especially considering it's the only piece of trim that was painted. In regards to the 3rd brake light, I hope you can figure out how to accomplish the look you want but I don't know how that can be done without a spoiler or luggage rack? I suppose if the light you use is small and flat enough you could mold it into the trunk lid and it won't stick out and/or look out of place. It will look pretty sweet and be very unique when you pull it off and I can't wait to follow that thread.

Ask any questions you may have along the way and keep us posted on your progress. Awesome GT...congrats!

[kevinsranger]

Thanks for the offer but I want to try to add a third brake light without any type of spoiler or wing. I love the clean look of the trunk just as it is. I either want to try to build it into the edge of the trunk or add a small stand alone unit between the trunk and the convertible top. I know I could also add a light bar to the interior but I do not like that look for this car.

what about something under the trunk lid near the license plate lights? are you doing it to be legal or just because you want a third brake light? only asking because near the license plate lights would be cool and easier, i doubt it would be legal, i think the third light has to be above the regular lights

[awakened]

Thanks for the warm welcome and nice comments everyone. For the third brake light I am doing it for legal reasons so my solution not only needs to fit my aesthetic intentions but needs to be compliant with the law. A company called classic design concepts sells a led third brake light for 05 - 09 mustang convertibles to use with their duck tail spoiler which does not have the light incorporated.

I was thinking that this could be a possibility but I'm not sure if it would look like a cheap bolt on. I could get it painted to match the body color which would help it blend in. The only other option is to flush mount a thin LED strip just above the key hole but I'm not sure what is involved from a time/cost perspective to get that done through a body shop.