First car is a SHO

[TheVancen]

My first car in my name just arrived yesterday, and I'm now not sure what I want to do with it.
The plan was to use its engine in a project I'm working on, but once I saw the car in person during the day, I realized its not a complete turd. It has no brakes at all, but it runs and the body isn't completely rusted away.

I figure I'll introduce myself and the car and let you guys judge me for buying a 400 dollar crap can and falling in love with it.

I don't feel like writing it out again, so here's the Oppo article. I am allowed to link out right?

http://oppositelock.jalopnik.com/guysguysguys-1619843038

Anyways. Its got about 130,000 miles, no door panels, and the brakes don't work. Also the dip stick is stuck in the tube xD.

But I love it.

 

[zoomlater]

Welcome, it looks like a SHO Plus

 

[TheVancen]

What's a SHO plus? Trim package?

 

[sperold]

That is a SHO+, it probably has a fiberglass hood. It has the chrome around the window area and the body coloured rub strips. Good find.

Fix it.

You will not find much in the wrecking yards around Kingston (just where are you?), but you can get most of the stuff from this forum.

You are not going to be able to adapt the engine into another car without some serious work and money.
Clean it up, evict the mice, and get going during the good weather.

 

[sperold]

Here is the SHO plus package and it is quite rare:

There was a special option package on SHOs available only during the 1991 model year. The plus model had a specific Ford order number that would show on the window sticker, but I am not sure what it was.

The package was cosmetic only and consisted of:
Plastic hood with a "power bulge" in the middle area. Not highly visible from outside, but really noticable on the inside. If a fridge magnet sticks to your hood, you don't have the Plus hood. Note that due to the plastic hood, the brass metal ground device on most SHO's had to be replaced with a ground strap that connected to the metal foil backing of the hood pad (not needed on the steel hood) and attached to the same spot as the metal spring ground device.
All black mirrors instead of body color top insert.
Black B and C pillars. These were covered with a black vinyl tape.
Line in the body cladding around the lower portion was body colored not black.
Taurus emblem on the trunk lid was body color instead of chrome.
24 V DOHC badges on the front fenders behind the wheels, between the accent line and body cladding.
Some pluses got a subtle plastic spoiler on the trunk very similar to the factory ones on 93/95 models except it did NOT have a CHMSL (Center High Mounted Stop Light) - that was still on the package tray. This spoiler was in short supply when the package was released and thus did not get on all of them.
White SHO plus packages got white wheels, all other plus's/SHO's got silver wheels.
Some regular SHO's in 90 and 91 somehow got the plastic hood, and several 89/91 regular SHO's have it now like my 89 since I ordered the hood from my local dealers parts department. I doubt if you can still get them.
There was a dark green color in 91 that was only available with the plus package.
There were no suspension or motor differences.
The rod shifter became available for ALL SHO's about 6-91, it was not a plus "feature".

Note: The popular "police/taxi" grill is NOT a plus option - many gen 1 SHO's have it though.

 

[TheVancen]

Well, I've already done the home work as to the swap, but I'm not sure I want to do it anymore. It definitely has the glass hood, because its warped and cracked all to ****.

Got any idea where to find cheap brakes?

Also, I've hear some nasty things about the diffs in these cars. Something about needing to weld a pin in there.

 

[TimboSHO]

It looks like someone put some money into it at some point! Who knows what other hidden goodies it may have in it? I know it's pretty hard to find a Green Plus with Black interior. Nice find!

 

[sperold]

Go to RockAuto and dial in your car and under Brakes/hub you will see all the brake stuff.
The rotors and pads are low price items. You calipers will be fine after you free up the slider pins (frozen solid now with rust, but easy to get out and oil).

Take note of the rotor size and the hubs. The stock rotors will be 10.16 diameter. If it got updated to 94 standards, it will be 10.865. If it got upgraded to 96 standards, it will be 11.6 diameter. If it has the larger rotors, the front knuckes or hubs have be upgraded to 94-95 year knuckles.

Don't worry about the diff pin just yet. I have 4 of these things and have never welded a diff pin yet.
Worry more about your brake lines. There is a bundle of brake lines near your ABS controller that are hard to service, so take a look at them. You can buy them new.

 

[kevinspann]

It does have a moonroof yes? Hard to tell in the pictures.

 

[sperold]

Here are some production numbers:

212A SHO Plus (2,597 Total), 922 White, 273 Red, 352 Black, 898 Green, 152 Mocha

 

[TheVancen]

Yes, has a moon roof, it even works! ****, the power antenna works!

 

[sperold]

Of the 898 green SHO+ models, 30 had the black cloth / leather seating, 589 had power antennae, and all but one were made with a moon roof and automatic AC controls. Since yours is an American model, you can get the certificate of build that lists your car characteristics.

 

[TheVancen]

This is definitely a plus then. It even had the spoiler, but it missing now. The brackets are still there.

 

[TheVancen]

The calipers are toast three of them are seized. And the other is on a rotor that's broken in 2 or 3 pieces.

 

[rubydist]

My first car in my name just arrived yesterday, and I'm now not sure what I want to do with it.

The point of having a car in your name is to be able to drive it, so you should therefore fix it so you can do that.

However, if you decide to put the engine in something else, I have in my for sale thread a bunch of cool stuff that will help you do that, including a Canfield adapter, clutch, flywheel, and SuperCoupe 5 speed trans...

 

[TheVancen]

The point of having a car in your name is to be able to drive it, so you should therefore fix it so you can do that.

However, if you decide to put the engine in something else, I have in my for sale thread a bunch of cool stuff that will help you do that, including a Canfield adapter, clutch, flywheel, and SuperCoupe 5 speed trans...

Oh really? That super coupé trans would be perfect for what I have in mind. But I'm definitely going to try and make it road worthy. It's not as bad as I thought it was, but it still needs a lot of work. Brakes being the major problem.

 

[TheVancen]

Of the 898 green SHO+ models, 30 had the black cloth / leather seating, 589 had power antennae, and all but one were made with a moon roof and automatic AC controls. Since yours is an American model, you can get the certificate of build that lists your car characteristics.

Where can I get the certificate?

 

[AREA 91]

Welcome to the Green 91 + club!

 

[zoomlater]

Where can I get the certificate?

The link is below for the official certificate. There is a free letter that you can request from Ford that list the options that originally came on your car. You have to email someone at Ford with you viin number. It's on a thread somewhere here on the forum.



http://www.fordshowparts.com/store_...41308&store_id=1&dept_id=1137&product_id=6989

 

[Dave]

That is too cool. Deserves a total restoration.