New Member/SC Owner From Northern CA

Xounlistedxox

Registered User
Hello all! New member here in CA. I recently picked up my first SC. It's an 89 5 speed. Picked it up for only $450. It's been sitting many years and is pretty rough. Fortunately only 119k miles. Clutch, master cylinder, & tires all had less than 100 miles on them when I bought it. It's been a steep learning curve thus far & Ive been getting a lot of info from you guys here by searching the forums.

Plans are to restore it to much better condition, daily drive it, & mod it(goal is 12's). I live close to sea level, so getting boosted cars into the 12's isn't that hard. I'm thinking full exhaust, aeromotive 340lph in tank pump, intake, 90mm maf, 70mm t/b, blower hat, intercooler fans, injectors, blower pulley, slicks & possibly e85 to get there. Which brings me to wonder how well these EEC's deal with mods. I know my 93 Mustang 5.0 computer handles mods pretty well(meaning it didn't wig out and act crazy with tons of mods), so I'm hoping this will be the same.

So far I've put on a ton of new parts,
New oil/filter, coolant, thermostat, radiator cap, coolant sensor, coolant sender, egr vacuum solenoid, starter solenoid, ever start extreme 850/1000 ca battery, all new fuses with led illumination when blown, fuel filter, o2 sensors, autolite double platinum plugs, plug wires, alternator, trunk lock, transmission fluid, rear axle oil, completely bled the brakes & clutch with dot 4 synthetic, air filter, etc & scored on some much needed stuff from pick n pull.

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Welcome - good luck w/the car.

Ken

Thanks, I appreciate it. I'm new to the sc, but not new to cars in general. They're basically all fairly similar just different names & locations of parts. I plan on putting this car back on the road soon, then modding it, & giving it lots of tlc
 
They're basically all fairly similar just different names & locations of parts.

Yes and no...

I think you'll find the electronics on this car a learning experience. And while parts aren't that hard to find still, aftermarket stuff is another story.

Get a factory manual and EVTM, fix the hinges in those doors and don't forget to smile when it finally comes around.

About locations - if you haven't already, see this thread:
http://www.sccoa.com/forums/showthread.php?t=61769&highlight=component+Locator
 
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Yes and no...

I think you'll find the electronics on this car a learning experience. And while parts aren't that hard to find still, aftermarket stuff is another story.

Get a factory manual and EVTM, fix the hinges in those doors and don't forget to smile when it finally comes around.

About locations - if you haven't already, see this thread:
http://www.sccoa.com/forums/showthread.php?t=61769&highlight=component+Locator

I picked up a chilton and Haynes manual, have the ford obd1 tester, several digital meters, and I've been learning about the fun stuff this car has to offer.

The main problem I'm finding with after market parts since I live in CA is that there are basically none that are carb certified for these cars.
 
I picked up a chilton and Haynes manual, have the ford obd1 tester, several digital meters, and I've been learning about the fun stuff this car has to offer.

The main problem I'm finding with after market parts since I live in CA is that there are basically none that are carb certified for these cars.
Chilton and Haynes will work for most things, but the factory service manual and EVTM have so much more information. You can usually find used copies on here or Ebay, or you can buy a new copy from Helms.

Good Luck with your car.
 
Chilton and Haynes will work for most things, but the factory service manual and EVTM have so much more information. You can usually find used copies on here or Ebay, or you can buy a new copy from Helms.

Good Luck with your car.

I've never owned a factory service manual before. I checked out ebay. Looks like there are a few put out by ford. Recommendations?
 
Welcome to the forum I live in burlingame myself and have two 35th sc's and the ford manuals so let me know if you need anything. Good luck!
 
Welcome to the forum I live in burlingame myself and have two 35th sc's and the ford manuals so let me know if you need anything. Good luck!

There's a 35th ann. For sale for $350 with a blown head gasket out here. I thought about buying that one before this one, but this one runs/drives and only 119k miles, new clutch, new master cylinder, new tires etc
 
There's a 35th ann. For sale for $350 with a blown head gasket out here. I thought about buying that one before this one, but this one runs/drives and only 119k miles, new clutch, new master cylinder, new tires etc

if you could send me the details that would be awesome. I don't need another one but always like to look and see if it has any parts I might want or need.
 
Awsome man! I have a friend out there with a fast Mark VIII. He had problems too with Calis insane environmental laws. It can be done, but I think you have to know somebody sometimes.
 
Awsome man! I have a friend out there with a fast Mark VIII. He had problems too with Calis insane environmental laws. It can be done, but I think you have to know somebody sometimes.

I was going to buy a mark viii last year, but all the bags were broke and it had several parkingbtickets, so I wound up passing it up. I have the same problem with my srt as far as smog goes. I think i can get away with several mods fairly easily. Fuel pump, blower hat, intercooler, 94/95 exhaust manifolds, late model blower, maf, injectors, e85 etc
 
Don't waste money on the sc top, instead use it towards a magnum powers inlet when you switch to the 2nd gen m90. And if the head gaskets haven't been done yet, save some cash because they're going to blow soon.
 
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Don't waste money on the sc top, instead use it towards a magnum powers inlet when you switch to the 2nd gen m90. And if the head gaskets haven't been done yet, save some cash because they're going to blow soon.

There are many high dollar work orders that came with this car including brand new tires $838, new clutch & master cylinder $1,000+, reseal supercharger piping $300+, but none that say head gasket repair. Do you think even at factory performance levels and being adult driven it's still likely to pop a head gasket soon?
 
No reason to think that, I feel.

Put some miles on it, monitor the cooling system and worry later when you start to add hp and stress. Those hot Sacto. summers won't help, tho :)
 
No reason to think that, I feel.

Put some miles on it, monitor the cooling system and worry later when you start to add hp and stress. Those hot Sacto. summers won't help, tho :)

Ya, it seems like it runs a bit warm right now. The cooling fan works, but it doesn't come on until the temp gauge reads about 3/4 of the way towards hot. I changed the temp sensor & temp sender & it still does the same thing. I know the coolant moves around via the thermostat since I get heat inside, and can see when it starts & stops moving via the overflow bottle. I'm wondering if the dash gauge is just off? The actual surface temperature of the radiator stays around 180* while running. I use my laser thermometer to check temps all over the engine while it was running. The hottest spot was of course the exhaust manifolds. Other than those, the engine was all under 200*
 
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