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1993 Coupe build.

16K views 68 replies 19 participants last post by  Stew_Magoo 
#1 ·
Taking a 1993 2.3 auto coupe and doing a 5.0 swap, 5 speed swap, IRS, Cobra brakes, and interior swap.


This project actually started a few years ago when I bought a red 93 2.3 5 speed coupe to replace my 1990 lx5.0 hatch that had a bunch of stuff done to it, but had rust. That coupe ended up as a summer driver for a few years and I decided this fall to get the project started. So I got a on craigslist to look for an engine harness and I stumbled across a clean 4 cyl Calypso coupe. I hate red, so I bought it.

Got the car home and stripped her out...









1993 Cobra booster and 94/95 MC with MM no cut/no flair 3-2 port conversion. Was excited about putting this in with the pedals and clutch quadrant because these were the first parts bolted in the car. the turning point from stripping to building.



The future holds a MM a MM k-member. Stocker will do for now. Stock struts in there for mock up purposes. Bilsteins are installed in the other car and will get swapped in come spring when the other car comes out of storage to get sold. IRS was slid in with bolts in the front, and jack stands under the back so I could work on the rear mounts. Picked up some 03/04 cobra springs and shocks. Future holds coil-overs. Time is money and I wanna keep this train rolling. IRS is from a 99. Brakes are Cobra's, not sure of the year.





Got the rear end in and the rear mounts half worked out. I got the rear end in hand hanging on its own, then took it out to do brake lines and install the fuel lines. Rear subframe mounts will get completed when I can empty the trunk and work in there.





Wasn't *planning* on doing much to the rear end, but that blossomed into doing pretty much everything. Poly upper and lower control arm bushings, delrin subframe bushings, Kenny Brown racing forward brace, FRPP cover, Adjustable sway bar links, full tow links and bump steer kit.



And for now, I'll end with the most important part of any five liter swap...

 
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#3 ·
Thanks! No heat in the garage, so I don't get a lot of time to work on it. Been pecking away at it. Weather should be breaking in a few weeks here so i should be making regular progress once I can put a good 10-20 hours a week into it.
 
#4 ·
Got all the parts needed to complete the rear end. Just gotta put it all together! The front diff brace i bought used of ebay, and when it came, it was bent to ####. Seller was great and two emails and a few pictures later I had another one at my door!



LCA bushings were a total PITA to get out not using the proper tool. But I got them out. I also did front control arm bushings, and I've never fought harder to do bushings. But they're done and the control arms are in along with a new rack and pinion.



Ford Racing cover with new clutches underneath.



Bought this little lip spoiler. Not sure how I feem about it. Ijust got it sitting on there to see if I warm up to it.




New brake lines and SS rear hoses in and mounted. Started installing new prebent fuel lines.




And don't forget to keep your Ford all Ford!

 
#5 ·
Since our last visit... New fuel lines are in. I bought new, unused SS fuel lines secondhand. They had been folded up a few times to be shipped, putting them in was a bit frustrating, but I got them in. Not factory pretty, but not bad. I got the 93 coupe I had planned on building out of storage on March 14, got the shocks and struts swapped out, black interior out, and grey interior in, found a set of center caps, and a new clear marker light and had her sold April second. Was busy and cramped for a few weeks! Got the front coilover Bilstiens in along with the MM C&C plates. IRS is all put together and in with new subframe bushings, upper and lower control arm bushings, new trac-loc clutches, axle bearings and seals, FRPP cover and MM bushing, Full Tilt Boogie Racing front dif bushings, Kenny brown brace, MM toe arms and bumpsteer kit, and new cross axis joint boots. Brakes are on with MM braided SS hoses. 03/04 Cobra rear shocks and cut coils are in. Slowly but surely progress is being made!







 
#6 ·
Looks good man, I put an IRS in my 92 coupe and added full MM Koni Coilovers to it a few weeks back... it rides awesome and you'll love it. Mine was also a 4 banger that got converted to 5.0/5spd/IRS. Details are in my build thread, not sure what your plan is for wheels, but you'll need about a 9" wide wheel and 6.75 backspace on it.
 
#7 ·
What size tires are you running? I'll check out your build. Right now I think I'm just gonna run some 98 GT wheels I have. I really like the wheels, so I might go out and buy some 245/45/17 tires (or maybe shorter) that I was gonna run on the front, and test fit them on the back and go wider based on my measurements.
 
#8 ·
No real progress since last time. A little puttsing around under the hood taking out some things I don't want or need. I don't want to say the project is on hold, but I'm buying a house so that's gonna delay things for a little while. Picked up some P71 wheels and cobbled the car together so it can roll out of the old garage and into the new one. i think it looks great and it's gonna motivate me to keep at it and get it on the road.



 
#10 ·
Ben getting back at it recently. Got the motor apart and it is at the machine shop now. Been hoarding parts and got the car situated in the garage and will be working on it regularly. Front wheels are gonna need spacers, bought one inchers, but I thing the are too big. Gonna try half inchers. I like luggage racks, scooped one at the JY a few months back and got that installed tonight. Here's some random pictures of whats been up as of late.







 
#13 ·
Got some work done this weekend. Trans hump is in. Got pretty much every thing pulled out of the engine bay and scrubbed it all down. Cleaned up better than I thought. Gonna borrow a heater and get her painted up soon, today was super nice, but i don't think it's gonna be warm enough to paint for a bit.

Before:




After:





And a crappy picture of the trans hump...


 
#15 ·
I am thinking of doing an IRS. Looking at finding a 79-84 coupe and installing one in addition to mini tub kit and coilovers in front and back. Is there a kit that is made or do I just find one off of a 03-04 cobra for the IRS?
 
#17 ·
The "kit" is an IRS. The IRS mounts to the rear frame rail in the back of the wheel well where the quad shock normally mounts, so that has to remain in place. So I don't think you'd gain much if any room. And I think rear coil overs make for even lees tire room. If your desire is to have super wide rear tires, IRS ain't for you.
 
#18 ·
Got it. Thanks for the advice. Never rode in an IRS car. I may just eventually mini tub my coyote notch and then do coilovers and wide wheels.
 
#21 ·
Looks like you have snowball syndrome. Start something small it turns into something huge. Makes for a nice end result though.


I'm ok with that. I'm not in a rush. And not being in a rush allows the spending of more money, but the rub to that is it takes time to come up with the money. I don't want to have to re-do things because I simply wanted to get the car on the road sooner rather than later. that being said, there are things I want to do down the road, but am holding off on. I want to put a t56 in, but it won't cost me a penny to put in the t5 I already have. Rear coil overs are on the list, too. But I bought OEM shocks and springs cheap, and MM coil overs Bilstiens are not a cheap date. I did decide to pull the trigger on a k-member and control arms the other day.
 
#26 ·
Fantastic job mister.

I really understand this.
(Sadly i'm having too many torch everything down thoughts in a project when something goes wrong. Like a K member that doesn't fit..
Congrats on attaking this many different mods on the car a same time. When my car is torn apart as much as yours, usually it stays like that for ever..
Seems like everything I go to do, I need to do (or undo or re-do)three things before I can do the first. But slow progress is still progress...
Brick by boring brick...

It's taking too long and costing too much. But I'm enjoying it.
Which K member is this? Did it fit well? Something special about it?
 
#27 ·
Thanks!!

Fantastic job mister.

I really understand this.
(Sadly i'm having too many torch everything down thoughts in a project when something goes wrong. Like a K member that doesn't fit..
Congrats on attaking this many different mods on the car a same time. When my car is torn apart as much as yours, usually it stays like that for ever..
While I've yet to have a "burn-it-all-down" moment, I have had a few expletive filled shouting fits when something sets me back. thankfully I've had no major setbacks, and most have been from my own impatience leading me to have to take something apart because I didn't assemble it right or I put things together in the right order. And another thing that is holding things up is me changing how I'm going to do things, or deciding now is the time to make an upgrade rather than later.


The K-member is a Maximum Motorsports piece. It's lighter than the factory one, improves steering geometry, increased clearance for headers and oil pan. It's also an example of how I'm my own worst enemy keeping things from getting done. I knew I wanted, but didn't want to spend the money. So I cleaned the factory one, put new poly bushings and new ball joints in the control arms and put it back in. I got to cleaning up the engine bay and painting, and decided now was teh time to put the k-member in. I ordered it with out bushings for the lower control arms. I wanted to save a buck, and gain some fabrication experience by making my own Delrin bushings. Then my plan to make the bushings with my machinist buddy fell apart, so I had to order them from Maximum Motorsports.

Maximum Motorsports offers free shipping on orders over $147 dollars. Delrin bushings cost $137, so you don't get free shipping, even though you spent $1300 with them two weeks prior. I like maximum Motorsports, but their customer service seems a little lacking. I have $4000 worth of their parts on my car and after bitching that they don't include stickers with their parts they reached out to me, twice, to offer some stickers and a shirt; it's been over a year and they never made that happen. All of that is besides the point, but I needed to get it off my chest.

The maximum Motorsports k-member fit perfect. All of their stuff fits great, and their instructions are excellent. Everything of theirs I've ever touched is top notch.
 
#29 ·
Short block is now a long block. Push rods are in the mail. It's funny, I never planned on making the engine bay as pretty it is turning out. Certainly never imagined it going this far. All that started because I pulled the battery tray figuring to put the battery in the trunk and found the paint gone, and everything rusty underneath. So I bought some paint thinking "oh, I'll just cover where the rust was." Then I realized having one cleaned up spot in a dirty dingy engine bay was just ugly as having a rusty spot. So out came everything and on went paint. And wire tuck. And brake hose tuck. And so on with so many other things. And then. AND THEN! I decided NOT to put the battery in the trunk. This morning I ordered a bunch of parts, including an OEM battery tray. Then this afternoon a deal on an OPtima and matching mount came up on the bookface and I scooped it up. Things are moving fast!









Gonna spend a few hours straightening up the garage tomorrow before I do anything. Place is a mess.

 
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