Welcome to my pages devoted to my Ford Mustangs, courtesy of Car Domain.com!

This page tells the story of my Black 1990 Mustang LX Coupe 5-speed Page 2 tells the story of my Black 1991 Mustang GT 5-speed which was purchased in August 1999 bone-stock with 92,000 miles and sold in March 2005 with 140,500 miles.

THE 1990 LX Coupe ("Notchback")

There she was in 2001 on the left, and how she is today in 2005 on the right.

Owning one of these 5.0 body-styles in black with a 5-speed gearbox has been a dream of mine for a number of years. Finally in May 2001, I managed to find an affordable one and my dream became a reality.

Although the car had 107,000 miles, the body was real clean and straight. The previous owner (a cop) said the car was resprayed in 1999. Additionally, the car came with the following modifications: ported Cobra intake manifold, ported stock heads, B303 camshaft, Cobra transmission, 24# fuel injectors, Edelbrock 70mm throttle body, Pro-M 77mm mass air meter, 3.73 gears, Flowmaster 2.25" mufflers, an off-road 2.25" H-pipe with dummy cats and long-tube headers. Even if the car was bone stock, I still would have bought it! At the present time (05-27-2001), I'm still in the process of tweaking the engine. For instance, I discovered the previous owner had the timing set at 20 degrees and the TPS was set at 0.55 volts!! I'm also chasing down a few emissions-related error codes but they're no big deal. As soon as I have everything set up to my liking I'll begin cleaning up the engine bay. The only change to the engine compartment since the car's purchase has been the addition of a Ford Motorsport alumnium radiator and a Steeda aluminum radiator bracket. The next project will be to change the engine mounts and the installation of an aluminum driveshaft & loop to cure some vibration blues. This is definitely a "work in progress" so check back often to see the latest developments.

The interior was very dusty and the headliner had various stains. Other imperfections were as follows: the map light was broken, the glove-box latch was broken, the driver-side door scuff plate was cracked, and the driver-side door armrest padding was missing. All stains have been removed and all broken items have been replaced with parts I managed to pick up dirt cheap (about $30 for everything) from the local junk yard. Thankfully, the seats were in mint condition because they were always covered.

The LX will undoubtedly be modified much more - probably more than my GT. The overall goal is to get to a high 11 second ET, normally aspirated. Heads, cam and intake upgrades will be necessary, but at this point I have not yet decided which parts I'll be using. However, the desired power level dictates that I'll have to build it a little differently than the GT.

UPDATE: 07-04-2001.

Immediately after delivering the wife's Formula 350 to it's new owner, a cop assisted me in the removal of my headlight covers, thus saving myself a few bucks for an unnecessary ticket. The headlights underneath were in such a terrible condition that the cop bluntly suggested I buy some new ones.

UPDATE: 10-10-2001.

The headlights have been replaced with 6 new pieces from Texas Mustang. The car looks brand new now! There is an amazing difference. Highly recommended! Anybody want to buy my black-outs? ;-)

UPDATE: 07-02-2002.

After an unfortunate incident on I-95 last fall, the Notch is now the proud owner of a new T-5 World Class transmission and King Cobra clutch. This unforeseen expense set back my modification plans by a few months, but the time has now come to build for 400+ normally aspirated HP! It is certain that I will be going with Airflow Research 185 aluminum cylinder heads. Intake manifold may be either Trick Flow R-Series, Track Heat, or Edelbrock RPM. Camshaft will probably be of the Comp Cams' Xtreme variety, although I am toying with the idea of going "custom". Other usable parts will be transferred from the GT to the LX. Hopefully, she'll be ready by the end of this summer. Stay tuned!

UPDATE: 08-25-2002.

The plans have been delayed once again. The GT required a new clutch and I also ended up buying a bunch of other goodies for it with money from the LX Fund. The LX did get new struts, shocks and four new tires earlier this month, so it shouldn't be feeling too neglected right now.

Here are the two bad boys!

UPDATE: 09-23-2002.

The coolant overflow reservoir was replaced today with a non-leaking unit from a 92 Stang.

The Notch alongside my old man's Vette (October 2001)

In the driveway with the GT in the foreground (September 2002)

In the driveway with my cousin's 91 LX Hatch parked behind it in the garage (October 2002)

Three black Stangs! Two Stangs in the garage (my 91 GT and my cousin's 91 LX Hatch) and the Notch parked in the driveway (October 2002)

UPDATE: 01-27-2003.

The Notch got treated to a new intake manifold today! The famous purple & ported Cobra manifold that was on the car when I bought it has been changed to an Edelbrock Performer 5.0 manifold. Additionally, a set of hand-polished stock valve covers were installed along with a nice shiny Accufab 70mm EGR spacer. The pictures will be posted soon.

UPDATE: 01-31-2003.

The 13-year old engine mounts were finally replaced by my buddy Jeff with a pair of convertible engine mounts.

UPDATE: 02-08-2003.

Today I finally got around to changing the oxygen sensors on the car. I picked up a pair of Bosch sensors with 16.5" wiring for $50 each from Pep Boys. The wiring was the perfect length to fit with the set of long-tube headers installed on the car.

UPDATE: 02-09-2003.

Woke up early this morning and swapped the EGR sensor. Also verified timing and pulled the latest batch of "Check Engine" codes. All codes are now gone, and the Notch drives like a champ now! It only took 2 years to get to this point. Very satisfied!

What's next? The car needs a steering rack so I will get that taken of next. After that will come the power modifications that I've been planning since last summer.

UPDATE: 02-15-2003.

Having recently sold the famous purple Cobra intake that used to be on this car along with a few other stock parts, I decided to give Summit Racing a phone call. I ended up ordering a few goodies which included a Flowmaster American Thunder cat-back exhuast system (2-chamber mufflers and 2.5" stainless tips), a BBK short off-road 2.5" H-pipe, Ford Racing blue silicone hoses, and a Ford Racing oil-filler cap. These parts should be here sometime this week and will be installed by next weekend. I still need to get the front-end of the car taken care of because it is getting progressively worse. I'll try and get that done this week.

UPDATE: 02-17-2003.

Took the LX to Gus at Steeda this morning to see what could be done about the rapidly deteriorating front-end. Chad's diagnosis was that the car only needed inner tie-rods, so I went with it and had him change them. After trying to align the car, it was also determined that a set of Steeda Caster-Camber Plates would also be required to get the job done. Since I figured I was already financially ahead of the game (because I no longer needed a steering rack), I really wasn't too concerned about the extra expense.

Incidentally, during this visit to Steeda I managed to pick up their 2003 catalog and noticed they now carry the AFR 185 cylinder heads that I've been dreaming about for the last year. Additionally, I've been told that contrary to popular belief these heads DO NOT require pistons to be notched prior to installation as long as camshaft selection is not too radical. Apparently any Steeda cam will fit without piston modifications as long as 1.6 rockers are used. Hearing this good news has further motivated me to get this car built!

UPDATE: 02-20-2003.

Received the Flowmaster American Thunder exhaust kit and BBK short H-pipe today from Summit. The mufflers & tailpipes were installed immediately but the H-pipe could not be installed because they came with 2-bolt flanges. The long-tube headers that are currently on the car have 3-bolt flanges so I'll probably pay a visit to a muffler shop tomorrow to get the flanges swapped. Even without the new H-pipe installed the car is noticably louder now due to the larger 2.5" diameter of the mufflers and tail-pipes.

I also received a set of Ford Racing blue silicone hoses and they will be installed this weekend.

UPDATE: 02-21-2003.

Since changing the oxygen sensors and EGR valve a few weeks ago (which resulted in the elimination of all "Check Engine" codes), I have noticed that the car is consistently providing 45 to 50 city miles MORE per full tank of gasoline! This works out to be about 4 city miles per gallon better than before, or a total of 16.25 city miles per gallon. I wonder how much I can get on the highway??? Time to start planning a trip to Orlando!

UPDATE: 02-22-2003.

Completed installation of remote fuel door release today, almost 2 years after starting this simple project.

UPDATE: 02-23-2003.

Installed AVS taillight covers today. Not sure if I like the look of them yet. They don't quite have the same clean look as they do on GT.

UPDATE: 02-27-2003.

After replacing the blown rear and dash speakers with the working set I took off the GT about 3 years ago, I decided to head off to the junk yard to see if I could pick up a few interior items for the Notch. I managed to find a driver's side armrest and sill plates which perfectly match the rest of the interior's titanium color (instead of the blue set I picked up 2 years ago and then painted).

The reproduction power door lock actuators and door handle bezels also arrived today from 50resto.com and were quickly installed. She now has power-locks!

UPDATE: 03-03-2003.

After ordering a nice shiny Accufab 70mm throttle body from JDS Performance, I decided to head back to the junk yard to pick up some more stuff. This time I found the grey carpet that covers the parcel shelf & rear speakers. Not sure what happened to the original piece of carpet, but I can tell you that it wasn't there when I bought the car. Also found a pair of grey sun visors and various plastic mouldings that cover the front seat tracks.

UPDATE: 03-07-2003.

My cousin has decided to sell his black on black 91 LX Hatch. His car has much more modifications than my GT. If you're looking to buy a normally-aspirated 12 second capable Mustang check it out HERE.

UPDATE: 03-14-2003.

Accufab 70mm throttle body finally showed up today from JDS Performance, and was installed on the car quickly thereafter. I am now seriously considering the purchase of a polished upper intake plenum to match the two Accufab pieces (TB & spacer) and the polished valve covers.

UPDATE: 03-28-2003.

All Auto Meter gauges that were installed in the GT have been removed and reinstalled in the 90 LX Coupe (notchback).

UPDATE: 07-10-2003.

I have decided to sell my GT and LX! If you are interested in purchasing either vehicle send an email to sketman@bellsouth.net or click HERE.

UPDATE: 01-05-2004.

I am no longer selling the LX! If you are interested in the GT send me an email to sketman@bellsouth.net or click HERE.

UPDATE: 9-27-2004.

It has been approximately 18 months since I did any work to either of my Stangs. A heavy work schedule, marriage separation and the purchase of a third vehicle (1991 BMW 750iL) has left little time for me to do anything.

However the Mustang "bug" has returned and the long anticipated Coupe performance project is underway once again.

The interior has an unbearable stench and the exterior door mouldings have faded and cracked because of months in the Florida sun. So today I decided to surf over to www.50resto.com to pick up a few items. A new titanium carpet, LH & RH door belt mouldings and LH & RH roof rail mouldings were added to the shopping cart.

UPDATE: 10-01-2004.

Interior was completely stripped from the LX in preparation for the new carpet installation.

UPDATE: 10-09-2004.

Attended the 5th Annual Steeda Stampede/Ford Power Festival at Moroso Motorsports Park in Jupiter Florida. This was the first time I've visited the track since December of 2002. My passion of Mustangs have returned and have decided that the LX Coupe Project is top priority.

The GT must be sold in order for me to raise the funds to modify the LX. I attended the event with my GT and paid the extra $5 to enter the car show. Found the old "For Sale" sign under the passenger seat and placed it in the dash. Although the car was dirty and not ready for a car show, an offer of $5000 was received on the vehicle within hours.

UPDATE: 10-17-2004.

With the interior totally stripped from the car a few weeks earlier, Sound Deadener material was installed to the entire floor pan.

UPDATE: 10-22-2004.

Seats were Steam-Vac'd. I could not believe how dirty the seats were until I threw away the dirty water.

UPDATE: 10-23-2004.

Carpet installation is complete. Car smells brand new inside.

With the GT deal falling through, I have decided to change strategy for the performance mods for the Coupe. During the planning process of modifying the GT I had deliberately picked parts that would allow the possibility of supercharging -- 30lbs fuel injectors etc. However the GT never received the Supercharger because the funds saved at the time were used to purchase the Coupe -- a decision I have not regretted even up to today.

Anyway, I have come to the decision that it will be thousands of dollars cheaper if I removed the entire engine and drag-launch suspension from the GT and install them into the Coupe. And whatever comes off the Coupe will go back into the GT. The GT will then be sold for a much lower price and all proceeds from that vehicle's sale will go towards a Vortech supercharger for the Coupe.

I am hopeful that the engine & suspension swap can take place within the next two weeks. Stay tuned !!

UPDATE: 10-29-2004.

I spent the week weighing the pros & cons, I decided that the GT to Coupe engine swap idea isn't something that I really wanted to do. I decided that the Coupe needs to run 10 seconds.

UPDATE: 11-03-2004.

Went to Summit Racing's web site and ordered the following goodies: MSD Billet distributor, chrome oil pan, Edelbrock chrome water pump, Powermaster high-torque starter, BBK long tube headers, BBK 255LPH fuel pump, Aeromotive fuel pressure regulator, Auto Meter fuel pressure gauge and an AGR power steering pump.

UPDATE: 11-04-2004.

I called DSS Racing and ordered a brand new Super Pro Bullet 347CID long block assembly:

SUPER PRO BULLET Max Quench/IN/TW: 347 cid short block for use with most inline valve and twisted wedge cylinder heads and will accept large cams and large valves. Balanced to racing tolerances and blueprinted, forged DSS Pro-Lite Series Pistons, assembled in a Level 10 CNC Block with an O-Ringed deck and the billet aluminum Main Support System installed with custom ARP main studs.

SPECS: BLOCK: Level 10 CNC Block- deck equalized and squared, deck plate bored and honed in CV616 with sub 10 micron filtered man-845 honing oil, elliptical high flow cylinder chamfer, O-ringed deck, and numerous other CNC operations. RODS: Forged 5.400" Full Floating 4340 H-Beams with ARP bolts, CRANK: 3.400" stroke, PISTONS: Forged Pro-Lite # 4337 (Max Quench/IN/TW -18cc), RINGS: Moly E-458K, ROD BEARINGS: Tri-Metal BB214J/2600 CP, MAIN BEARINGS: Tri-Metal BC240J/4125M CAM BEARINGS: Tri-Metal CC440

LONGBLOCK UPGRADE: Final assembly of a shortblock with heads,Rockers and all other necessary parts listed below to complete the long block assembly. This critical step in the assembly process is the key to long life and maximum power. Checking and correcting rocker arm geometry, adjusting pushrod length and setting lifter pre-load is very time consuming but pays big dividends in power and longevity. These often overlooked steps are included in this longblock assembly.

PARTS: CYLINDER HEADS: Air Flow Research 185 - 14xx CAMSHAFT: Comp Cams XE274HR .555/.565" hydraulic roller cam TIMING CHAIN: Pro Gear 3 Position Double Roller 430HDSTK LIFTERS: Ford Racing RETAINING HARDWARE: Hydraulic (when necessary) PUSHRODS: 4130 .080" Wall Seamless HEAD BOLTS: ARP 8740 Hex Head Bolts HEAD GASKETS: Fel Pro Graphite 8548 PT2 ROCKER ARMS: DSS Aluminum Roller Rockers T-WASHERS: 1/2 to 7/16" reducer bushings for cylinder heads (where applicable)

Upgrade to Hydraulic Roller .600" lift spring - valve, retainer and keeper upgrade included

DSS Racing (located in IL) stated the motor will take about 2 to 4 weeks for it to be built. It will then be shipped directly to Steeda for installation into the vehicle.

UPDATE: 12-06-2004.

My DSS Super Pro Bullet long block is delivered to Steeda.

UPDATE: 12-08-2004.

Dropped the car off at Steeda for the transplant.

UPDATE: 12-17-2004.

Picked the car up today from Steeda. Steeda determined the 1-year old motor mounts were completely shot. They also recommended a new clutch because of the 50oz billet steel flywheel needed to be exchanged for a stroker-friendly 28oz piece. So another King Cobra clutch was installed along with Steeda's polyurethane motor mounts, Ford Racing 28oz billet steel flywheel and a Powerbond 28oz billet steel harmonic dampener/balancer. Now the engine break-in period begins. This will be the longest 1000 miles ever!

UPDATE: 03-10-2005.

Weld Draglites rims and Mickey Thompson drag radials were installed last week. Today I installed a new radiator fan.

Click this link for more pictures, a chronological history of every modification made since it's purchase, and future plans.