No, that is not the Great Pumpkin Mustang. That is not the replacement for the Great Pumpkin Mustang. What you’re looking at is the latest thing to be dragged to BangShift Mid-West’s sacrificial altar (read again: that concrete slab in front of the house), a 1994 Mustang that has been through hell and back, it seems. Doesn’t make a lot of sense at first to bring home an SN-95 Mustang to sacrifice for a Fox body, does it? I’ve already got a V8 and transmission from the Rollover Explorer, so it’s not for the engine. So what’s the deal here?
First off, let me make this official: this Mustang will be donating parts for the cause in one manner or another. And I say that because this one is…well, interesting. This originally was your typical V6/automatic car, the kind that was being marketed to young, impressionable soldiers who suddenly were getting a decent paycheck by dealerships around bases when I joined the military at the turn of the century. Somewhere along the way, twenty-four years later, the six and automatic got yanked out of this car in plans for dragstrip domination. A V8 was shoved into the engine bay and…well, that’s kind of it. The project stalled out and I got tipped off that for $750, I could get that five-lug swap that my wife and I always wanted the Great Pumpkin to have. Being a 1994, it’s the perfect candidate for the job…after 1996, the suspension got a re-do in order to make room for the 4.6L V8 and is more of a pain. But after putting hands on the car, there might be a chance that this thing escapes the Sawzall. Maybe. Then again, after 30 minutes of looking it over before I had to run to a family event, I’m wondering if this is proof that I’m clinically insane. Check out the photos below and see what you think:
I’ve done a hell of a lot worse for $750 than the ’94. The front bumper cap is brand new, and other than some aging on the paint, it’s pretty straight. I don’t see rot and the only issue I really have involves the hood latch system, which is bent enough to keep the hood from fully closing. The Cobra R knockoffs are peeling and overall horrible, but will work for the moment.
1996 taillights out back, a missing reflector (whoop-de-doo) and sun damage to the paint. If it ran and drove, I’d pay a few grand for it. Spoiler alert: it doesn’t.
Forgive the horrible phone photo, but this is the only shot of the interior I got. There’s slight wear on the steering wheel and the driver’s seat, but overall…the interior is AWESOME! No funky smell, no shot carpet, even the factory Mach 460 sound system is present and accounted for. This is where I started to wonder if I could get the engine that is under the hood to work. Maybe I could flip this one?
Dammit, I was hoping for an 8.8. But seeing how we are keeping the power level low on the 5.0L from the Explorer, this 7.5 unit should be okay. I still need to ID the gears via coding, but more than likely this is a 2.73 open rear axle. There is a tiny chance that it might be a 3.27 rear gear ratio. Either way it’s a step in the right direction from the current 2.26 unit in the Great Pumpkin!
Ok, now let’s talk about the bad with this SN-95. Whatever happened between the radiator and the transmission tailshaft is all questionable. First thing is first: I need to ID the trans pan. I’m sure by the time I go count the bolts in the morning that someone will have already ID’d it for me. I’m suspecting that it’s a C6 three-speed automatic. Whatever the case, it’s butchered into the car so tightly that the firewall had to be bashed in to clear the shifter…and it still doesn’t clear enough.
And, finally, the engine itself. Other than “small block Windsor”, I don’t have much to tell you about what it actually is. What I do know is that no engine should be that angled when sitting in the motor mounts. It is mostly complete and what isn’t there seems to be in the parts stash that came with the car. I’ll be diving more in-depth in this engine bay soon, trust me…if nothing else I want to see how all of this actually happened!
So now we have another red Ford product at McTaggart’s Home For Horrible Cars that may go under the knife. Parts-harvesting this Mustang would be easy enough. But it’s almost close enough that if I could get it up and moving, it could make for a killer flip and that brings in money for car parts anyways. What do you think, readers: try to save this poor horse or do I put it out of it’s misery once and for all?
Travelling through the high desert in CA a month ago I had a few hours to kill, noticing a Pick-Your-Part alongside the highway NE of Victorville I stopped in just to look, no tools along. What did I see?
Dozens and dozens of cars I could save, maybe hundreds. This one, that one…a little work and, what potential! Cars I would have loved to have back when could add to the collection, or maybe make some money!
It’s an addictive thought but a mild delusion. Of course it could be done, along with a lot of better usages of time including building what’s already on the plate. Let the junk go, the Fox is the keeper, and don’t spend a bunch of effort swapping around a 7.5. Just opinion, but you asked…
Engine that crooked, tranny that far over, equals driveshaft at a wonky angle. It may decide to abandon ship at a most inopportune time. If you can straighten that out it could be a fun, cheap, racecar. But, looking at that kind of work already done to it, you best check everything else also.
It looks like there’s some structural damage up front – notice how the lights and panel gaps all don’t line up? I’m guessing the crash that required a new front bumper did a bit more damage than trashing the bumper. Between the likely structural damage and the off-kilter drivetrain, I vote for a part out.