So a little backstory, I am 18 years old building an 86 GT AOD Mustang for drag racing and I pay for all the parts myself so I don't have much in terms of a budget or having a shop to work on it (I prefer working on my car myself anyway). I grew up around drag racing because my dad has been drag racing motorcycles for many years (best run 7.4 @170 spraying for those wondering). I did some test n tune with my 5-speed 2000 v6 daily to get a feel for racing and I loved it but I didn't want to race a v6 mustang and I was having a hard time with leaving at the line with the manual hence why I decided to go with an automatic for the drag car for more consistent R/Ts. The car definitely needed some work when I got it and I've done quite a bit in terms of cleaning it up. When I got the 86 it was leaking badly (later found that the gaskets were cracked in multiple places), and I mean the engine was covered in filth, the brakes didn't work until the pedal was basically at the floor, the oil pan has a pretty bad dent on the bottom, parking brake doesn't work (not sure why), and the interior was pretty rough.
So far what I've done:
- Stripped the interior
- Pulled the engine and trans
- Replaced front rotors and pads
- Rebuilt the calipers
- Cleaned and degreased the engine
- Painted the engine and valve covers
- In the process of swapping it to carb setup
What I've bought for the car so far:
- Edelbrock carb
- Rotors and pads
- Intake manifold
- Air filter
- Gasket overhaul kit
What I plan on buying soon:
- Seat
- A/C delete
- Electric fan
- Fuel Regulator
Questionable:
- Rear drums and shoes
- Slicks
- New gears (4.10?)
- Long tube headers
My plan for the cars future:
- Ultimately nitrous
- Automatic racing trans with a trans brake
- Slicks and skinnies
- Roll cage
Any advice would be greatly appreciated keep in mind I plan on bracket racing this car and I don't have a ton of money to throw at the car especially with school starting soon. Also there is some play/wobble in the steering wheel/column.
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