Decisions, decisions, decisions

By far the hardest choice that I am attempting to make is what type of wheels to put on my 83'. Honestly I am a fan of almost every Mustang wheel made in the last 25 years. I've seen numerous nice examples of each. So far I've narrowed it down to the following selections. Post your thoughts and comments!

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To four eye or not to four eye?

I've always been a fan of Mustangs. I guess in a way it started when I was brought home from the hosptial in a 66' after I was born. But despite my lifelong interest, there was one thing that for whatever reason I was never aware of, and that is the hatred of those who convert the front of their four eyed Mustang to the aero nose of the 87-93 mustangs.

Disclaimer: Keep reading after I reveal the next fact:

When I bought my 83', I intended on changing the nose!

Now let me explain myself. For the longest time I thought the 83-84 nose looked like an Escort. I thought it was ugly. When I originally bought the car, I wasn't looking for a particular year. I just wanted a fox body car at a bargain price that I could shape into the car I wanted it to be. But a funny thing happened along the way. I started to like the look of my car.

It all started when I began doing some research. I couldn't understand why those crazed four eyed fans flipped out when someone "desecrated" one of their own. But the more I thought about it, they're right. The best thing about having a 79-86 is that you don't see that many of them anymore. For reasons varying from production numbers to people making the unmentionable swap, you just don't see that many on the road. I also have grown to realize that the squared off bumper is "tough" looking.

Now that I have made this distinction, I notice how many 87-93 mustangs are out there. I see them all the time. I still like the cars, but I appreciate mine more for what it is. It also helped that I have seen some sweet 83-84's online that have inspired me. Not to mention that it will save some money not having to buy all those extra parts. So now I can confidently say, save the four eyes!

Future Mods

After much consideration, I've come up with a list of mods I intend to perform on my vert. While I am trying to maintain some semblence of budget, I also have several goals in mind. I'm looking for 400+ horsepower with no power adder. I want to keep compression low so that I can add a blower/turbo in the future however. Naturally this means the drivetrain has to be able to handle 400-600 hp. The vert will not be my daily driver, however once it's done I want to be able to enjoy it so it has to have some level of reliablity. I also have a (fairly amibitious) goal of having the car completed by next summer. I'll continue to post progress.

Desired mods:

-351W crate motor (426hp)
I am still on the fence between going this route or just rebuilding the 302 with heads/intake/cam

-Tremec TKO500 tranny
This is a definite. The car was originally a 5 speed car but the guy that owned it before me put a C4 in it. Everything is still hung for the manual, however.

-8.8 rear with 3.73 gears
A definite must

-5 lug conversion, upgrade to four wheel disc (SN95 style)
This is the part I'm having the most trouble with. The 5 lug conversion has many benefits, including the wide array of wheel choices that come with it. It's a pricey and involved conversion but I'm leaning towards doing it. I have a soft spot for Saleen 5 stars and this is the only way to do it. A braking upgrade is a definite must no matter what, considering the performance upgrade.

-4" cowl hood
Necessary with a 351 swap, plus the future power adder.

-Vert styling bar
I just like the way they look

-Eibach suspension upgrade
I don't necessarily want a road racer (i'm more of a drag kind of guy) but I do like to go around corners safely and sometimes at speed. Plus, you get a nice drop to improve the looks of the car along with it.

These are the major parts and upgrades I have planned. I'm currently trying to save money by doing the interior myself. I will also do the majority of the body work myself. The body is really in great shape with little surface rust and just a few dents here and there. A couple of the panels also need to be adjusted.

I'd love a little feedback on what I have planned. I really want to go with 18" Saleens and I've seen it done on a few cars with the Eibach suspension. I am also trying to decide on a color. I would have to say that Black is in the lead right now but I am a fan of grey and blue also.

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