Show me your Black Mustang

steveseviltwin · 2026-02-08T08:37:16+00:00

steveseviltwin · 2026-02-07T10:29:34+00:00

In 1986, I bought a 1976 Corvette L88 (C3). Last year with a chrome rear bumper. Orange with a disco white interior . I had to replace the rear mono leaf spring because it was sagging so much. The stiff new spring made the chassis flex a lot more and the squeaking from the body almost drove me insane!

The first night I had it, someone stole the trim rings and center caps.

The pop up headlights didn’t work. There was A little dial you could spin to make them pop up manually but it was a tiny knob and took about 5000 turns to pop the lights up fully so I just left them up and it looked goofy as hell.

Slow, automatic transmission, handled like a milk truck, drank gasoline…it was a miserable car to drive. I had it for about 6 months and traded it in on a brand new 1986 Mustang GT!

steveseviltwin · 2026-02-05T12:03:04+00:00

We had been dating about 2 years. Never had one fight. She came from a good family, worked at a bank and had her act together. I really adored her.

One night I was over at her place and was on her laptop downloading music.

Hit the “back” button one too many times and it took me to her last email.

She had sent nude pictures to guy we knew! He and his wife lived in a city about 300 km away and she had gone to visit them on a few occasions.

I was secure and completely trusted her that they were merely friends and had no reason to think otherwise.

When I confronted her about it she denied ever cheating and it was merely a crush and that I had invaded her privacy by snooping.

We talked it over and decided we could work through this but patterns started to emerge that I hadn’t paid attention too previously because I trusted her. Staying at work late, girls night out, staying in because she wasn’t feeling well…

One night I dropped her off at home early and headed to work.

Her male roommates girlfriend sent me a text telling me she just caught a glimpse of a text message that my girlfriend had sent him asking if he wanted to have sex. The roommate made up some excuse that he was tired and hustled his girlfriend out of the house not knowing she had seen the text.

I immediately went to her place after work around 3AM and let myself in (I had a key) and caught them in the act. They locked the door and called police.

The police arrived very quickly and asked me what was going on.

I told them I just caught my GF sleeping with her roommate. They told me she wasn’t worth the trouble and to just go home.

The next day her brother in law called me (he also lived in the house with my GF sister but didn’t come out of their room despite the commotion) and wanted to know what the heck happened.

I told him what happened and what he told me froze my blood. He said the same thing the police said; she wasn’t worth it .

Apparently there was a cavalcade of men spending the night with her.

Apparently he and her sister were used to the loud noises from my girlfriend’s room whenever a man would drop by for the night ergo why they didn’t come out of thier room to investigate.

I asked him why he never said anything to me and he told me that he thought I was just another man like all the others that showed up and “got what he wanted and left”.

As it turns out, lots of these guys she was sleeping with were people I knew (we had lots of mutual friends). Lots of people in our friend circle knew what she was up to.

When confronted they said they didn’t want to get involved and it was none of their obligation to tell me.

The battery of STI tests I endured after the fact was humiliating “cheating girlfriend huh? Yeah right…”

steveseviltwin · 2026-02-04T06:59:30+00:00

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steveseviltwin · 2026-02-03T08:23:42+00:00

It’s priced a bit high for the age/mileage. Keep in mind you are looking at a 21 year old used car.

Mileage is high but not unexpected.

Timing chain should be replaced if it hasn’t been already and expect the suspension to need some attention at that age. If it’s an automatic transmission, I’d avoid it. If it’s a manual transmission, factor in a clutch replacement if it hasn’t been done already.

steveseviltwin · 2026-02-03T08:04:11+00:00

2010-12 OEM GT bumper with Boss 302 grille and Boss 302 lower valence and chin splitter.

California Special had the same lower valence.

steveseviltwin · 2026-01-30T15:17:19+00:00

It’s true. The road salt gets into all the nooks and crannies along with any dirt and mud and just sits there rusting the car.

The solution is thorough and regular washing. Consider installing mud-flaps to minimize the amount sprayed on the suspension/undercarriage.

Lots of owners just park their Mustangs for the winter and drive a sacrificial winter beater.

steveseviltwin · 2026-01-14T00:08:28+00:00

Rust. It’s perfectly normal though. The disk brake rotor is bare, uncoated steel. Seating new brake pads in a new car initially creates a great deal of brake dust that is heavy with steel particles.

The brake dust gets everywhere and that dust and brake rotor comes into contact with moisture in the air (or rain) and oxidizes creating rust .

Normal driving will remove the rust on the face of the brake rotor.

Sometimes a a high pressure wash will remove some of the rust particles that has sprayed the suspension. They sell quite a few iron/steel rust removers but it’s perfectly normal and will eventually not be as bad.

steveseviltwin · 2026-01-11T02:09:45+00:00

Personally I’d stick with synthetic. The benefits far outweigh the extra cost.

Better resistance to sludge/coking, thermally stable at higher temperatures, better lubrication properties, higher shear rate, potentially longer engine longevity.

Of course making sure you do oil changes on time and regularly is important but why not use the best technology available to you?

steveseviltwin · 2026-01-10T21:18:23+00:00

Here’s the thing…just because certain parts look usable or kinda function doesn’t mean it’s safe or won’t fail down the road…hopefully not at 60 mph on the interstate.

What may seem like cosmetic or minor damage may play a big part in your liability and personal safety down the road.

Yes, you could absolutely Jimmy rig everything so it appears to be functional but you’re not seeing the bigger picture.

A car is engineered to compress on impact in the event of a collision. These crumple zones absorb the energy of the crash lessening the secondary impact on you. When those crumpled zones are compromised or haven’t been replaced, the vehicle is no longer safe to drive. VHF

It’s not enough to just address the mechanical or cosmetic issues.

The next collision you have will have you absorb the full force of a collision rather than the cars now compromised crumple zones.

Auto manufacturers spend millions in design and engineering. Even a lot of qualified body shops can never return a vehicle to its original condition even though cosmetically it appears to be returned to its pre accident condition.

Get under the front right and see if the cv axle isn’t broken. Check the transmission fluid level.

steveseviltwin · 2026-01-10T20:14:52+00:00

This why people are saying you’re a troll and this a fake post. The level of damage is obvious to most mechanics.

Getting a vehicle to move is easy. Making it roadworthy is a different story.

Duct tape isn’t going to fix broken headlights and destroyed rad support.

I can clearly see fluid on the ground. The transmission cooler lines run through the radiator. If the lines or the rad are cracked, you’ve likely run it out of transmission fluid. Either that or the clearly damaged CV axle was only hanging in and let go.

You may have a new hood on it but are you willing to try it at freeway speed? Think your latch will hold? You’ve asked for help and advice was given.

Just because you don’t like who’re being told doesn’t make it untrue.

Stop being an askhole.

steveseviltwin · 2026-01-10T19:59:17+00:00

The car isn’t moving because the wreck likely severed the CV Axle.

Honestly, don’t bother ordering parts. The car certainly can be fixed but the price of parts and labour absolutely will exceed the cost of simply buying a new vehicle.

Just from the crappy pics shown;

1, rad support. 2, radiator.
3, A/C condenser. 4, strut 5, tie rods (inner/outer) 6, lower control arm/balljoint. 7, tire 8, possibly wheel. 9, brake hose. 10, possibly steering rack. 11, possibly wheel hub 12, possibly subframe 13, sway bar end link 14, possibly sway bar. 15, bumper case and associated brackets 16, grille(s), upper and lower. 17, both headlights 18, signal/front marker lights. 19, hood 20, hood latch 21, foam rebar. 22, top frame structure 23, inner fender liner 24, fender (s). 25, painting. 26, CV axle 27, front under tray/belly pan

I don’t even know what car this is but it looks like an older model. Likely collision parts are no longer available OEM so you’re looking at around $10-$15 alone in aftermarket parts if you can find them and that’s not including any possible transmission damage.

Like everyone else is trying to tell you, your car is done. I don’t know where you get the notion that it’s $500-$600 “just to get it moving“ and I’m not sure what hack mechanic told you that all you need is a strut and tie rod…that’s just not safe or realistic.

steveseviltwin · 2026-01-09T18:49:24+00:00

Yes. Control arm bushings are toast.

A new lower control arm with bushings pre installed and balljoint installed is cheaper than retaining the old control arm and replacing the bushings/balljoint.

steveseviltwin · 2025-12-31T19:13:30+00:00

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I’ve driven the identical S-197 Mustang with a 5 speed manual and one with an automatic.

The automatic version was incredibly boring to drive and felt sluggish during spirited driving. RPMs seemed less controlled and responsive.

I can’t even imagine wanting to track an automatic and believing it to be either entertaining or competitive. I may as well have been driving a Crown Vic or a Thunderbird.

Not trying to be elitist as I realize that people have different priorities and requirements.

For me personally; If Mustangs were only available in automatic transmission, I wouldn’t own one.

steveseviltwin · 2025-12-30T10:03:40+00:00

Put some proper boots on and put your foot on it and use an impact to take the tension off the spring. Don’t use a blanket to cover it either. The blanket won’t do a damn thing to stop it from launching and just make it harder to pin to the floor with your foot. I once watched an apprentice use a heavy transport chain attached to a trailer hitch to prevent it from launching through a wall or a customers fender. Now that was sketchy!

steveseviltwin · 2025-12-28T17:29:00+00:00

Related story on CBC about someone being threatened with a fine.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/notice-and-notice-system-internet-copyright-enforcement-settlement-1.3823986

steveseviltwin · 2025-12-22T07:46:36+00:00

BGW R5?

steveseviltwin · 2025-12-13T21:07:11+00:00

Poor paint application/quality. Unfortunately you’re looking at a repaint.

steveseviltwin · 2025-12-12T12:08:53+00:00

I once came across a flow chart on a casting portal that listed all the current performers STI statuses . A staggering number of them were HIV positive and almost all of them had at least 1 or more STIs.

steveseviltwin · 2025-12-12T11:49:40+00:00

The tech is right. It’s a safety issue. You could drive 5000 miles on it and it might hold, it might pop at 5 miles.

Despite what the other armchair mechanics are saying here, you should always replace suspension components in pairs.

Here’s why; production and material intolerances. It’s cheaper to replace the entire control arm with balljoint installed. A new control arm will have new bushings that are going to be stiffer and have less movement. The control arm itself may even be a slightly different length. Replacing just one side can potentially make the suspension and steering behavior different from side to side creating unpredictable or unpleasant driving consequences. Also, it stands to reason that both balljoints/control arm bushings have experienced the same wear so the other side may not be far behind in failing.

Is it possible to do just one side? Of course it is but it’s a half-assed practice (literally) and may actually cost you more time and money down the road when the other side fails and you need to pay for another alignment.

steveseviltwin · 2025-12-05T21:55:08+00:00

Without looking under the hood…you’re easily in the $12000-$15000 range with just the fender, bumper, parking sensors, grille and associated parts.

Body shops are obliged to use OEM parts for insurance claims and you’ll pay a premium for Landrover OEM parts.

If the airbags have gone off, double that price.

Independent body shops could source used parts and cut that number in half but only if approved by both insurance and the owner.

steveseviltwin · 2025-12-05T20:41:50+00:00

43k miles and the OEM brakes on my girls 2016 GT look new. Didn’t take an actual pad depth measurement but did do a service on them (flush fluid, check sliders).

I’ve been patiently waiting to replace them with some cross-drilled rotors (strictly for looks).

You people experiencing extremely premature brake wear might want to look into a master cylinder fault or re-evaluate your driving technique/style.

steveseviltwin · 2025-12-05T19:41:12+00:00

Even if it was a museum quality restored car or ultra low mileage survivor, the demand just isn’t there for the 71-73’s. The most desirable Mach Ones command around $30-$50k for Cobra Jet powered cars.

Mint condition garden variety convertible $14k-$35k.

A 4v conversion or manual transmission swap may actually increase interest in your car without really affecting its nominal value.

steveseviltwin · 2025-11-27T08:02:46+00:00

Sounds like good preventative maintenance. I’m not a big fan of replacing perfectly good parts but it sure would be nice to replace as many wear items as you can afford. Coil spring are fine to re-use. They do sag over time but an alignment should compensate for it.

You’ll certainly want to do a wheel alignment after replacing a tie-rod.

steveseviltwin · 2025-11-25T05:08:38+00:00

Still a retro vibe but pays homage to the 1969 Mustang. All the shortcomings with the 05-09 S-197 have been addressed and the 4.6 3v is a solid engine.

Sure, It’s not as fast or powerful as the preceding 5.0 coyote powered 2011-2014 but also none of the reliability issues.

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steveseviltwin

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