tell me about turbo coupes....

[kunar]

i'm looking at buying one, it's an 88. the body is pretty rusted out, especially along the bottom of the doors and the rocker panels. i'm not too worried about it though, i plan on driving it a year or so then swapping the drivetrain into a ranger. he claims the engine and trans are low miles, turbo has been replaced with a garrett t3. he's in the process of swapping out the 8.8 drum rear end in favor of a 7.5 with discs. he says that the spiders grenaded in the other rear end, the 8.8 was 3.55's and the 7.5 is 3.73. will the 7.5 hold up for 6 months or a year? i would think it should be okay since my 7.5 in my truck is holding up to my 4.0 and 31's. anything else i need to know? anything to check for before i buy it? common problems?

 

[v8nick]

First off, if the rear end has drums, its been replaced. No turbo coupe in 87 or 88 came with drums. The common problems with these cars are the abs solenoid on the firewall tends to leak. The tfi modules seem to go bad regularly, and I changed my plugs everytime I changed my oil. It always seemed to me that the turbo was hard on sparkplugs. Don't use anything but motorcraft ignition components. You will have nothing but problems if you don't. I have had 5 of these cars, so if you have any other questions, just ask.

 

[adsm08]

They go fast.

 

[Tominator]

When they came out I was working at a Mercury dealer in parts, The first one off the truck was ran so hard by the salesmen and mechanics that the motor seized! After it cooled off and they were able to start it on the sales floor it went....

I had a Merkur Xr4ti and had a lot of fun with it, but it's build quality absolutely DESTROYED any legend about so-called German build quality. Other than the motor, it was JUNK!

If it's an auto, the C3 behind it is either junk or soon will be.

Guess I should relate that the turbo Mustangs had the same motor and tranny as the Merc....the 2.3 is a German designed motor......and all modular V8s produced by Ford owe their heritage to that little 2.3!

 

[v8nick]

If its an auto it will b an aod, unless someone swapped it out for a c3 which I would think highly unlikely. Where did he get a 7.5 with discs? The 7.5 will hold up fine.

 

[adsm08]

A disc 7.5 came out of a Mustang.

 

[kunar]

First off, if the rear end has drums, its been replaced. No turbo coupe in 87 or 88 came with drums. The common problems with these cars are the abs solenoid on the firewall tends to leak. The tfi modules seem to go bad regularly, and I changed my plugs everytime I changed my oil. It always seemed to me that the turbo was hard on sparkplugs. Don't use anything but motorcraft ignition components. You will have nothing but problems if you don't. I have had 5 of these cars, so if you have any other questions, just ask.

lots of good info! this is what im looking for, thanks! im familiar with the tfi module, i've had a few 2.9's. the plugs i can handle, thats a piece of cake. whats the story with the abs solenoid? its the body its self that leaks or is it the lines? whats the preferred fix?

They go fast.

i hope so, thats why i want it

When they came out I was working at a Mercury dealer in parts, The first one off the truck was ran so hard by the salesmen and mechanics that the motor seized! After it cooled off and they were able to start it on the sales floor it went....

I had a Merkur Xr4ti and had a lot of fun with it, but it's build quality absolutely DESTROYED any legend about so-called German build quality. Other than the motor, it was JUNK!

If it's an auto, the C3 behind it is either junk or soon will be.

Guess I should relate that the turbo Mustangs had the same motor and tranny as the Merc....the 2.3 is a German designed motor......and all modular V8s produced by Ford owe their heritage to that little 2.3!

its a manual, so it should be a t-5 i think.... are these built on the fox chassis?

If its an auto it will b an aod, unless someone swapped it out for a c3 which I would think highly unlikely. Where did he get a 7.5 with discs? The 7.5 will hold up fine.

i dunno where the axle came from, he just said 'the donor car' but like adsm said im thinking 4cyl mustang.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

When I hear "new engine, new trans, different turbo, blown rear end" I automatically think "beat"

 

[v8nick]

The only 4cyl mustang to come with discs was the svo, in which case the rear end will b a little narrower with 5 lug axles. Try to find the correct rear end for it. The t5 rearend will have 3.55 gears in it.

 

[adsm08]

i dunno where the axle came from, he just said 'the donor car' but like adsm said im thinking 4cyl mustang.

The only 4cyl mustang to come with discs was the svo, in which case the rear end will b a little narrower with 5 lug axles. Try to find the correct rear end for it. The t5 rearend will have 3.55 gears in it.

I didn't say anything about a 4-cyl. 6-cyl Mustangs were getting disc brake 7.5s up until last year. It could be from almost anything from the early 80s up to 2010. But the fact of the matter is still that the Mustang was really the only application where the 7.5 axle got discs at the factory.

 

[kunar]

I didn't say anything about a 4-cyl. 6-cyl Mustangs were getting disc brake 7.5s up until last year. It could be from almost anything from the early 80s up to 2010. But the fact of the matter is still that the Mustang was really the only application where the 7.5 axle got discs at the factory.

You're right, you didn't say 4cyl, that's what I assumed since I don't really think of 6cyls when people say mustang. I'm used to the late 80's when it was either a 2.3 or a 5.0.... Doesn't matter much as it seems it's been sold out from under me. Oh well, I found another one. The only problem is it doesn't run... Should I even consider buying a 2.3t I can't run/drive? What should I test other than pulling plugs and checking compression, and how hard is that to do on these engines? It sounds like the fuel pump died on this one and they don't feel like fixing it....

oh, and on a little bit of a tangent, tell me about super coupes... found one of those im looking at too... i know that theyre a 3.8, with a roots style supercharger. independent 8.8 rear end. what trans? anything to look out for? i know that its not gonna be so easy to swap drivetrains into a ranger but the body on this one is in good shape so i might just drive it as is. what kind of power do they make and what kind of 1/4 would they run stock? how much room is there for improvement and at what kind of cost?

 

[v8nick]

I wouldn't buy that turbocoupe unless you get it really cheap. I picked up an 87 a few years ago for $200 and all it needed was a fuel pump.

 

[kunar]

I wouldn't buy that turbocoupe unless you get it really cheap. I picked up an 87 a few years ago for $200 and all it needed was a fuel pump.

ha, ill be lucky to ever see a deal like that. i talked him down to $800 and i still have to trailer it home. there's nothing available around here for less. if it runs and drives they want 1500 or more. i guess ill hold out and see what else is out there, im really thinking about that super coupe now...

 

[kunar]

so i went today and looked at an 87. body was nearly spotless, couple spots of surface rust but nothing through. interior was just as clean. now the problem, its freakin slow! now ive never driven one before to know what they should really feel like but compared to my 127hp escort, it was slow. sure the escort has a weight advantage but still.... now when i drove it i noticed that the boost gauge only read about 6psi max. i dont know if its the gauge or if its really only putting out 6psi. how can i tell what the issue is before i buy it? im wondering if the turbo is bad, im wondering if its just a vac/boost leak.... where do i start??

(btw, this is a different car than the one i started the thread about)

 

[badmts]

DO NOT BUY A USED 25 YEAR OLD POS! If its any good the guy will want too much-if he is willing to deal ,he knows something,and if its a car lot look out-good luck and be careful-just get a block and trans and build your own. the t-5 in either car is NOT world class but will hold up behind a warmed over 306 ,when you are ready to upgrade look up an outfit in the midwest called D&D,GREAT PRICES AND LOTS OF SUPPORT-they sent me the gears and guts to make the t-5 stand up to 500 rwhp 347