13 years later I finally got my SC!! now I have questions!!!!

EBSC338

Registered User
Well, I am finally an SC owner. I test drove them when they were new and was instantly in love. I just couldn't quite make it happen then though. I bought 1990 Canadian model 5 speed, black with gray cloth interior to be exact. Power seats, windows, door locks. Keyless entry, fog lights, power outside mirrors. Limited slip differential. Cruse control, standard (not automatic) climate control. Rear defrost. Appears to be pretty much stock all the way around. Now I have to restore and modify to make her my own!! (That's the American way isn't it?);) Back to new and better than wherever possible. I always loved the looks of the early SC's and this Canadian model without the dreaded automatic seat belts was even better in my book!

Does anyone know the best source for quality body repair parts or patch panels. She has some rust starting which is my first priority to fix.

At the time I wanted a black leather interior, and this cloth interior is showing its age. Has anyone converted their interior from cloth to leather?? Anyone know a good source for the parts to do so? Correct leather material, etc. Also the power function of the seats works but is very slow when you are in the seat, what all ought to be done to rebuild these seats to new function?

Has anyone converted to the automatic climate control? Is that difficult to do? Is the automatic system too problematic to justify converting? Are the later model year components improved and thus better for a conversion?

JBL audio system is MIA. I will probably just install good aftermarket stereo components but is there a source for these systems? I wouldn't rule out putting the original back depending on price, function, etc.

I saw a post on here somewhere (which now I cant find) about adding the factory power moonroof. This car does not have one. I wanted one when new and given the metal work involved I totally dismissed any thoughts of adding one to this car. But then I saw that post and I saw somewhere where an SC owner claimed to have added one in his description of the car. Does anyone know anything about this? Is it really possible? Some of my rust is in the front roof area so there is going to be work done there anyway, maybe I can replace the roof section with one for a moonroof?? I know it would be a lot of work but I have restored lots of old cars so the concept is not at all foreign to me. What's the best source for the parts??

I am no stranger to engine building and I have a pretty good idea what I want to do (wish list exceeding budget as usual), but I am sure I will have computer questions galore when the time comes. This is the newest vehicle I have owned that I will be going this far into so the computer stuff is new to me. Does anyone know how serious an impact the Magnum power intake components (on say a Coy Miller stage II engine) have on idle, driveability, and (though not very important in light of MORE POWER) fuel economy? This car is going to be a street machine for me, maybe (big maybe) a little time at the track on occasion.

Does anyone make upgraded springs and suspension components that do not lower the car? I want to wring as much performance as possible (within reason) out of the car but keep a mostly factory appearance and not blow away driveability. Also are there any better shock/strut assemblies that work with the adjustable ride control??

I am sure I will have ever more questions but then that's what we are all here for isn't it? Thanks in advance to everyone!!
 
Welcome and congrats on the new purchase! Sounds like you have big plans for the SC there. I think you could pick up another JBL head unit pretty cheap if you watch or post in the parts section. You may find that your speakers are blown too--at least that's what happened to me. I didn't replace mine with another JBL head unit, I got an Eclipse for under $200. I figured that problems with the JBL are common, so why wait for the next to go out too. Check the back and see if the amp is back there and the sub. If not, just go aftermarket. If the amp works, you can use a wiring kit with an aftermarket stereo. The JBL amp is pretty good. I think there are 2, one for speakers, one for sub.
I think I saw a post about swapping the springs/shocks in Tech. Do a search for that, I think it was about a firmer setup than stock, also by Tokico (sp?).
Might try breaking your questions up a bit and post in Tech or Non-Tech to reach more traffic.
There's a ton of info you might want to know about in the FAQ forum that's some really good reading:
http://www.sccoa.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=71

Enjoy!
 
Congrats on the new purchase!

Couple thoughts for you and your questions:

As for fixing the rust, make sure you get it up on a lift and check the rocker panels. In Ford's infinate wisdom, they 'sealed' the joints with foam insulation. Rust is very prone. Find a parts car from the southwest. That is honestly your best bet there.

I plan on changing from cloth to leather as well and have found many internet places that may work. E-mail me and I will send you all the links that I have found.

I wouldn't mess with the automatic climate control. I had it on my '92 LX, but not on my '89 SC. I always used the climate control like the regular. It's not really a hands free option.

Go with an aftermarket stereo. The ford units are getting old enough that things don't work on them any more. Most aftermarkets fit just right into the stock location with little work.

I had a moonroof on my '92 as well. I started having many problems with it towards the end. Ultimately, your choice, but I like mine without. It is a lot more quiet and the roof does not leak. If you do go with one, get a manual one. Less parts to break. My $.02 anyway.

The MP stuff will work great on a Stage II engine. You could get well over 300 hp on the pavement with over 400 ft lbs of torque. I'm definately going that way myself. Driving habits greatly affect fuel economy, but I've been told that a Stage II engine can get as good as 22 mpg on the highway, (with around 400 hp on the pavement). Don't know how accurate it is, but...

Not sure about the springs to keep the same ride height, but the Tokico Illumina II shocks keep the ARC and are marketed at 30% firmer than stock. Also get yourself new poly bushings for the front and rear. The kits are sold at: supercoupeperformance.com and mn12performance.com.

Just a note for you. I'd get the exhaust done first if it hasn't been already. The stock setup is VERY restrictive. I can already see that if you don't, you will blow the head gaskets very soon. That is generally the first mod to do. I'm going with a 92 and up gas tank to accomidate true dual 2.5" exhaust. I recommend that to anyone, even if they are not going to modify their car. A search for exhaust on both the tech and nontech forums will have more info than you'd think possible about exhaust.

Hope this helps!
 
At the time I wanted a black leather interior, and this cloth interior is showing its age. Has anyone converted their interior from cloth to leather?? Anyone know a good source for the parts to do so? Correct leather material, etc. Also the power function of the seats works but is very slow when you are in the seat, what all ought to be done to rebuild these seats to new function?

I think your best bet with the seats is to find a shop that services local car dealers. Almost any town with some good sized car dealers also has a shop that does seat conversions. It's amazing how common it is for a car dealer to have a new car changed from fabric to leather or this color fabric to that color fabric. They should also be able to refresh the seat mechanicals. Mine is slow and need a leather refresh so I'll be digging into them in the next few years. But my plan is to find a shop that does this for dealers and have them baby my seats.


Has anyone converted to the automatic climate control? Is that difficult to do? Is the automatic system too problematic to justify converting? Are the later model year components improved and thus better for a conversion?

You would really want to change over to do this. Most of the HVAC stuff is put into the dashboard before it is installed into the car during production. That means to swap you would need a complete dashboard assembly from another vehicle, plus rip the dashboard out of your car to swap all the parts. Not something that I would want to try. But some people may feel it's worth it.


JBL audio system is MIA. I will probably just install good aftermarket stereo components but is there a source for these systems? I wouldn't rule out putting the original back depending on price, function, etc.

The Stock JBL amp is a very nice amp. So unless you are looking for some battle of the radio type fights, I would see if the JBL amps are still functional. If so, replace the speakers and the head unit and you'll be good to go.

I saw a post on here somewhere (which now I cant find) about adding the factory power moonroof. This car does not have one. I wanted one when new and given the metal work involved I totally dismissed any thoughts of adding one to this car. But then I saw that post and I saw somewhere where an SC owner claimed to have added one in his description of the car. Does anyone know anything about this? Is it really possible?

I would say it is 100% possible if you are just willing to do the work. It can't be any more work than chopping and channeling a 1956 Chevy. It's just work. There are likely some aftermarket companies that could put one in also.


Does anyone know how serious an impact the Magnum power intake components (on say a Coy Miller stage II engine) have on idle, driveability, and (though not very important in light of MORE POWER) fuel economy? This car is going to be a street machine for me, maybe (big maybe) a little time at the track on occasion.

Don't become too entrenched in the fact that this is an electronically controlled engine. At it's core, electronic engines are still Internal Combustion engines with the same requirements and issues that a 429 or a 350 would have. You need air, fuel, and spark. The most complex part on our car is the Spark, which is driven by mutliple sensors and two components.

The factor to consider with this engine is more it's supercharged nature than it's electronic nature. Because of livability or an order not to eclipse the Mustang, the Super Coupe never realized it's full power potential while in production. It's exhaust is very restrictive. It's intake is less then stellar. And it's head designs are not optimum. What this means is that head work, and bolt on bits can increase power output dramatically. But this also means that You don't need to bore out cylinders, or put ungodly crazy cams into the car to get power. Thus... It can have a good street performance (when off boost) with good driveability and reasonable fuel enconomy, but when you get into boost you can have a demon on your hands.

I think the biggest thing that would impact drivability from Coy and Magnum side would be what Cam you choose and if you pickup an EEC tuner. With the stuff in Stage II coy motors, and MP add ons, an EEC tuner with some guidance can really optimize the engine for whatever type of vehicle you want.

Does anyone make upgraded springs and suspension components that do not lower the car? I want to wring as much performance as possible (within reason) out of the car but keep a mostly factory appearance and not blow away driveability. Also are there any better shock/strut assemblies that work with the adjustable ride control??

The stock units are basically Tokico Illumina I shocks sourced for Ford. That unit has been replaced by the Tokico Illumina II shocks that many people carry. This is the only shock that will allow you to retain the Automatic Ride Control. An very good upgrade that I am considering is Koni adjustible shocks. While they are not going to auto change for me like the stock shocks, they will give me more flexibility in tuning if I want to do some road racing.

Check the Race Results forum for a discussion on Road racing where some great posts by people regarding spring, shock and brake combinations showed up.
 
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