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  1. #1

    Default New '85 GT owner in Minnesota

    Just picked up a 1985 Mustang GT 5 speed with t-tops a couple weeks ago. The paint isn't stock, but there's not even the slightest hint of rust; the engine has some fun upgrades, and the interior is... It sure is. I never thought I'd actually own a Mustang for the most hipster reason ever: everyone I know either had one, or wanted one. I had a weird appreciation of the Fox body Mustangs because, though it was a Mustang, it was just weird enough to put a smile on my face. I knew the engine well enough, having owned two Mark VII coupes in my time (and I miss those cars) but after the second one was totaled, I ended up in a Jaguar XJS four about four years, and drove it for about three. During this time, I referred to my bus pass as a "Jaguar owner's card" in jest. I don't think it was a bad car, I just didn't have the facilities to do much of my own work, and specialists were few and far between.

    In 2018, I'd had enough of big, heavy luxury cars, and I wanted the most barebones, "pure" driving experience I could get, but it had to be a stick, and I was not sacrificing RWD. I eyed an MGB or TR6, but wasn't ready to have my heart broken by another old British car, so I settled on a Miata - which I drove back from Omaha in, braving ice on the roads in northern Iowa, and a surprise blizzard in southern Minnesota (on summer tires!) and for three years, I rocked that little roadster. During that time, though I had some kind of bizarre epiphany - what I want in a car isn't a make or model, it isn't an era, it's a set of features that, when combined together, comprise the automotive ideal. My ideal car was a hardtop coupe with four seats, Panhard configuration, powered by either an inline six or a V8, and a manual gearbox under 3,600 lbs. While this certainly includes cars I'd never be able to afford (Jaguar E-type,) and cars I'd probably never even see in person in my lifetime (Aston Martin DB5,) it did put the Mustang - a car I admit I unfairly wrote off - center stage.

    Two weeks ago, my girlfriend found this particular Mustang for sale in Omaha, and so we made the trek. The owner basically explained that his wife told him to pick a Mustang to sell, or pick a Mustang to sleep in, so he put this one up for sale, and after a trip with no ice or blizzards (it's summer, but it's also Minnesota so you never know,) we made it back, and I've been happily wrenching and rolling ever since. The carb was too rich, some interior parts needed to be replaced, the dash bulbs were so dim they probably thought invading Russia in the winter was a sound strategy, and since I've finally stopped comparing the ride to that of the Miata, a car that sticks to the road like hot glue on a bad Pinterest project, I've been having the time of my life. Though my new summer toy (it will only know snow from stories and second-hand accounts) misses one of my checkboxes for having t-tops, I've hardly been happier. It's an old car that's surprisingly easy to find parts for, it's an engine I know, and it's a real head-turner.

    And that was lengthy. I think I should lay off the caffeine for awhile. Pleased to meet you all.

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  2. #2

    Default

    Welcome neighbor! Hope to see you around the local show/cruise circuit!
    Brad

    '79 Mercury Zephyr ES 5.0L GT40 EFI, T-5
    '17 Ford Focus ST
    '14 Ford Fusion SE Manual

  3. #3

    Default

    Welcome to FEP finally, haha... Looks like Grabber Blue? Have fun finishing it up..

  4. #4

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by 1982GLX View Post
    Welcome to FEP finally, haha... Looks like Grabber Blue? Have fun finishing it up..
    I honestly don't know what it is, I always thought grabber blue was more vibrant - almost neon - but the previous owner did say he never got around to giving it a good polish, so it might come alive with a little TLC.

    Personally, I'd love to do the car in Twilight Blue, I don't know if that color was offered in 1985, but I had a 1992 Thunderbird in Twilight that was stunning. The car was a basket case, but it was a beautiful basket case.

  5. #5
    Moderator wraithracing's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Grand Junction, CO/RR TX
    Posts
    14,206

    Default

    Welcome to FEP!

    I highly recommend you install or have installed a set of Maximum Motorsports full length subframe connectors https://www.maximummotorsports.com/M...tors-C233.aspx and a MM Strut Tower Brace https://www.maximummotorsports.com/1...eted-P592.aspx If you are willing to really go all out, then also add the K member brace https://www.maximummotorsports.com/F...aces-C236.aspx at that point I guarantee you will really love and enjoy the T-tops . . . Until it rains . . .

    Congrats on a cool 85 GT!
    ​Trey

    "I Don't build it hoping for your approval! I built it because it meets mine!"

    "I've spent most of my money on Mustangs, racing, and women... the rest I just wasted."

    Mustangs Past: Too many to remember!
    Current Mustangs:
    1969 Mach 1
    1979 Pace Car now 5.0/5 speed
    1982 GT Stalled RestoModification
    1984 SVO Still Waiting Restoration
    1986 GT Under going Wide Body Conversion Currently

    Current Capris:
    1981 Capri Roller
    1981 Capri Black Magic Roller Basket Case
    1982 Capri RS 5.0/4spd T-top Full Restoration Stalled in TX
    1984 Capri RS T-top Roller
    1983-84 Gloy Racing Trans Am/IMSA Body Parts

  6. #6
    New User
    Join Date
    Nov 2022
    Location
    Charlottesville, VA
    Posts
    2

    Default

    Welcome!

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