[jstblz98]

Crazy how a little carpet really makes a huge difference.

 

[jstblz98]

Picking up the car from the body shop today. Rust repaired and a new windshield.

Before

During

After

 

[jstblz98]

And got the wheel back from being restored and the tires mounted and balanced.

Before

After

 

[jstblz98]

Got the car inspected this past Friday! Here are the lead up rush pics. A lot of finishing and fitment things weren't pictured, but there was some decent head banging fitting everything back in.

Stripped and repainted the arms and hit the stainless with a little scotch-brite.

The pilot's view...

Wheels on and I'm in love all over again.

Even made it to the Cars and Coffee on Sunday

Me towering over the car....

 

[johnnybee]

Looks great...love the centre cap on the steering wheel!

 

[jstblz98]

Looks great...love the centre cap on the steering wheel!

Thanks! I obviously hold very little sacred, so I had to have it. lol

 

[jstblz98]

Took the chrome off the caps, cleared them, and put on new vinyl bubble logos.

Finally got her lined up! Very happy I started close to where it needed to be. Turn in is sharp and feels really sorted in turns.

Also this weekend was the Pittsburgh Vintage Gran Prix...

Even made a 240 friend!!

Everyone really, really liked the car. Even ran into the Mustang Marketing Manager and it blew his mind.

***Still taking it super easy, still in the tuning process.

 

[damarble]

Looking good. I finally got my engine and just finished mounts yesterday.

 

[jstblz98]

Happy new year and happy build season!

I drove the 242 for the rest of the fall. Everyone seems to love the hell out of it. It's a blast to drive. I put as many miles on it as I could comfortably and learned lots of things. Between PA winter and whatever the new flavor of covid is, I'll have the time to work on this decent list of improvements and upgrades. This post will start to see some activity again <3. Thanks for showing love!

 

[RX-78 Gundam]

So motivating to hear you're enjoying driving it! Looking forward to more updates this year!

 

[jstblz98]

Hola! We've made some progress!

A shot from last fall <3

OEM end links vs the new end links and new (correct, lol) ball joints

When I got under the car to change that stuff, I found out that the radiator was failing. It was very cheap so that's what I get, I guess.

Not a fish-eye lens

Went with a Griffin Thermal Products (2-56185-H) Scirocco-style rad. Larger tubes, same core width and thickness, without a filler neck like the original Mustang setup. I upped the CFM to deal with the smaller rad with a Mishimoto HD 12" (MMFAN-12HD) puller fan.

I cut out a section of the crossmember to fit the last rad. I don't know that I needed to put support back, but I decided to since I had the angle iron and welder.

Decided to use the old end link cups and poly bushings to mount and cushion the rad.

 

[jstblz98]

Switched from a RasPi 4 from a 3B. Printed a cool little case too. It's so much faster to boot and display data.

I also update to the newest version of RaceCapture to power the dash. I'll update with pics of that soon.

I'm a few iterations deep at this point, but I'm using Cobb/TunePlus to get the most out of this setup as it currently sits. He sends tunes and I send logs until we're happy. 1st thoughts, this car is more powerful than I expected and it makes me grin like an idiot. 🤣

Biggest changes that needed the tune:
Modified intake/bigger intercooler
3" downpipe and exhaust (logging with the cutout open)
Cooler spark plugs
93 Octane
Upgraded wastegate

Shout out to Matt for catching me on a test drive!

 

[VolvoBertone]

Glad I found this post as it shows a lot of what I need.
I'm headed down this path in a possibly more perverse way. I have a 1980 Volvo 262C Bertone that suffered the dreaded cam failure. I don't see any reason to repeat the error of the PRV motor so I spent half a year searching for a donor 2.3 Mustang and finally got one. It had a front end accident but is kinda drivable. (Drove it one block and it is STUPID quick.)

If possible I'd like to pick your brain about how much of the original harness/ecu/etc was able to be used. I'd like it to be able to retain the keyless entry and start, and I certainly want it to pass emissions if I ever change states. I'm guessing that one of the off-the-shelf motorsport harnesses might be a problem

Also I'm wondering about the strength of the Volvo rear axle. I want to get the car running first and then once the kinks are worked out I'm thinking of seeing if the Mustang IRS can be put into the Volvo.
Making a "ballistic barge" that can handle would be a serious treat!

 

[Coyote Chaser]

Switched from a RasPi 4 from a 3B. Printed a cool little case too. It's so much faster to boot and display data.

I also update to the newest version of RaceCapture to power the dash. I'll update with pics of that soon.

I'm a few iterations deep at this point, but I'm using Cobb/TunePlus to get the most out of this setup as it currently sits. He sends tunes and I send logs until we're happy. 1st thoughts, this car is more powerful than I expected and it makes me grin like an idiot. 🤣

Biggest changes that needed the tune:
Modified intake/bigger intercooler
3" downpipe and exhaust (logging with the cutout open)
Cooler spark plugs
93 Octane
Upgraded wastegate

Shout out to Matt for catching me on a test drive!

Awesome build!!
What modifications did you do to your intake? And are you running the stock OEM turbo charger?
Thanks

 

[jstblz98]

If possible I'd like to pick your brain about how much of the original harness/ecu/etc was able to be used. I'd like it to be able to retain the keyless entry and start, and I certainly want it to pass emissions if I ever change states. I'm guessing that one of the off-the-shelf motorsport harnesses might be a problem

Also I'm wondering about the strength of the Volvo rear axle. I want to get the car running first and then once the kinks are worked out I'm thinking of seeing if the Mustang IRS can be put into the Volvo.
Making a "ballistic barge" that can handle would be a serious treat!

The current (and I assume all going forward) system has cut down on a lot of wiring by using distributed computing around the car and reusing the same circuits with different voltages or timings. I spent 3ish weeks pulling the wiring apart and didn't get what I was looking for. I ended up buying the Ford Performance controls pack and started having non-wire related dreams again. Your car is over 25 yrs old so you shouldn't even be tested for emissions in most places.

As far as the rear axle, I haven't broken it yet and I've not been easy on her. New bearings, seals, oil, and a LSD. Send it. As far as the IRS stuff, spend a lot of time doing research over at Turbobricks.com. I had an IRS out of a 240SX in my garage for that very reason, but honestly, I doubt the suspension is going to be the limiting factor of this car's performance before my skill level will be. It's a huge time and money investment that I personally won't see back.

 

[jstblz98]

Awesome build!!
What modifications did you do to your intake? And are you running the stock OEM turbo charger?
Thanks

Thanks!!

It's 3" aluminum, GFB internals in the recirc valve, an intercooler is bigger than my radiator. It's out of an Isuzu NPR box truck.Yes, I'm on the stock turbo.

 

[gatornek]

It's a huge time and money investment that I personally won't see back.

I was thinking about this for the most part reading this thread. And while projects can be worthwhile, they can also be this. It' really all about the 'finished product' and only then will you be able to judge if its all been "worth it".

 

[MD18EcoStang]

I was thinking about this for the most part reading this thread. And while projects can be worthwhile, they can also be this. It' really all about the 'finished product' and only then will you be able to judge if its all been "worth it".

But, one can enjoy the journey, even if they end up right back where they started. 😉

 

[VolvoBertone]

The current (and I assume all going forward) system has cut down on a lot of wiring by using distributed computing around the car and reusing the same circuits with different voltages or timings. I spent 3ish weeks pulling the wiring apart and didn't get what I was looking for. I ended up buying the Ford Performance controls pack and started having non-wire related dreams again. Your car is over 25 yrs old so you shouldn't even be tested for emissions in most places.

As far as the rear axle, I haven't broken it yet and I've not been easy on her. New bearings, seals, oil, and a LSD. Send it. As far as the IRS stuff, spend a lot of time doing research over at Turbobricks.com. I had an IRS out of a 240SX in my garage for that very reason, but honestly, I doubt the suspension is going to be the limiting factor of this car's performance before my skill level will be. It's a huge time and money investment that I personally won't see back.

I sat down and listed systems that "would be nice" to have transferred over from the Mustang and with your description I now think that it is an over complicated idea with little return. The Ford Motorsport harness or one of the aftermarket harnesses will need to be researched. 🤔 (Emissions will always be a consideration because:Kalifornia and who knows where the car might end up.)

If I head the IRS direction my idea is to see about transplanting the Mustang's IRS into the car. Along with that would be an increase in the car's rear track and a major increase in tire size. This is a discussion that will continue. The car is ultimately my wife's alternative to a Panamera (and much cooler!) so I have to make sure that any increase in rear track doesn't piss her off. 🤣

 

[jstblz98]

I was thinking about this for the most part reading this thread. And while projects can be worthwhile, they can also be this. It' really all about the 'finished product' and only then will you be able to judge if its all been "worth it".

But, one can enjoy the journey, even if they end up right back where they started. 😉

Obviously, this is a disposable income hobby so "worth" is highly subjective lol. The creativity, problem solving, and community make the projects extremely worth it.