Where to start, more importantly, where to stop?

[bittertech]

Starting next week, I start a new job that I'm pretty excited about, and requires a 500+ a week mile commute -- I've always been lucky enough to have lived within 10 miles of my work, so I learned to 'live with' a number of flaws in my car. I first got an SHO as my first car when I was 16. My dad has owned a 90 and a 91+, and when I decided to sell mine with 140k (90) on it my dad (220k) decided he wanted my engine.

Long story later, we finally get the engine back in 3 years later. Yeah. And then I total the car I had sold my SHO for. My dad has a new car, so I'm given the SHO with my old cars heart -- and proceeded to treat it like a beater. So many things were wrong with it, but it survived. It even got me across the country -- from Atlanta to Seattle and back (and on the return trip it was towing a 5x8 Uhaul!). I drove it for 3 months stuck in second gear (once again, living less than 10 miles from work helped).

But last week, faced with a 500 mile a week commute, I came to the realization -- as much as I've whined and moaned about the SHO, taken jabs by my friends for having a middle-age crisis car, etc, it has never left me stranded. Theres only one time I can think of that I had to call my folks to come pick me up when I was out with it, and I ended up fixing that (loose battery terminal) before they got there. The car (Albino Eeyore) has 249k miles on him, when we did the engine swap (engine has 160k on him now) we did most of the 60k service except the valve adjustment.

But with close to 250k on the frame, its time to start taking some care of the car. I realize that I'll never be able to get as nice a car for $2000, and with a little more TLC, I'll be able to drive this car till the wheels fall off.

So, I've been looking to invest in some upgrades, and have a few questions I was hoping to get some input on -- and for someone to be a voice of reason and tell me where to stop because I'm afraid I'm getting to be like a kid in a candy store here (though I think I'd have better luck asking the alcoholics at AA when I should stop drinking..) Mind you though alot of this comes from "I'm going to need to fix this anyway... but while I'm at it, I upgrade it, and for a little bit more money and work I can upgrade this and this too." Its a slippery slope.

So.. here's my list so far..

Job: Rear struts
While I'm there: Solid(polyurethane?) swaybar bushings, car is 90 with probably a 26mm swaybar that shouldn't need changing.
Parts needed: Rear Tokicos
Questions: I don't need to lower, so would aftermarket springs be worth it?

Job: Front Struts
While I'm there: Hoo boy

I. Solid Subframe Bushings
II. Tower Strut Brace
III. 96 Brake Upgrade
IV. Solid Swaybar Bushings
VI. With brake upgrade -- new wheel bearings
VII. Strut Bearings (are these cups?)
VIII. Tranny Drain Plug Install
IX. Replace all wheel studs
X. Change brake fluid (yes, 250k and its never been done. Nor has the MTL been changed.)

Questions:
1. What else should I be replacing while I've got the front suspension out? With 250k on the car, I think I can assume pretty much everything is worn.
2. What parts should I be ordering new in regards to the strut job? I mean, new struts is obvious, but I don't know (or have a vague idea) what the cups are.
3. With the 96 brake upgrade -- I plan on doing a junkyard run here in the next few weeks (hopefully I'll get a warm day) to pull off what I need -- I'm assuming I can use the knuckles (also, knuckles refer to the front while spindles refer to the rear, right? I saw them used interchangably and it threw me off for awhile) off a 94+ SLO, correct? And pick up the calipers off a 95(+?) Continental with FNB7(?) Stamped on it? We already have the brackets.
4. Once again, outside of lowering, should I be replacing the stock springs? I plan on installing Tokicos front and rear.

Yeah, I've got a bit of work ahead of me, hopefully it'll only take a week or two (working on the weekends) if I plan it right, get the parts I need before hand, and don't screw up too badly. I have to say this too -- When I was 17 (in 97), I used to read the SHOtimes mailing list back in the day, but it was often hard to get the right information in front of you when you needed it. Amazing what the SHO community has done in my 5 year absence, course I'm also alot more willing to take a wrench to my beast these days, so I'm probably just paying more attention.

Ohya, and I should mention that even though it's a 90 we do have 91 cheese slicers on it, so clearance and the brake upgrade shouldn't be a problem.

 

[92inPA]

Sounds like you need to be far more concerned with having reliable transportation than adding "go fast" mods. Use your budget wisely. If you do all the labor yourself, a lot of cash can obviously be saved. Prioritze your "to do" list. Start with changing fluids and repair known problems. Next work on replacing rubber parts as they have likely deteriorated extensively by now. Don't get caught up with the popular hopups unless that part needs replacing and the price is better than OEM parts. There is nothing wrong with replacing worn out parts with stock items.

I like (& use) the reinforced motor mounts, solid sub frame bushings, bigger brakes, Koni/Tokiko struts, Intrax/Eibach spring, etc. They are all great, but lets face the truth, they are not necessary for a nice performing, reliable SHO. Use any of these if you can find a great deal on them (as needed). Otherwise, Moog, TRW, Ford, Motorcraft and plenty of other brands make perfectly good replacement parts.

That being said, Moog sells many replacement suspension parts made from TPR at very reasonable prices. I have most of the part numbers to help you order them.

Why change springs if the old ones are still fine?

96 upgrade parts can come from SLOs too.

 

[K-Dawg]

Looks as if you've got the right idea.

Don't waste your money on a Front Strut Tower Brace (STB). While you have the front suspension apart, you may want to look at and replace the CV joint boots as well for preventative maintainance.

For the 96 upgrade, you need the knuckles (spindles, whatever) from a 94/95 Taurus/Sable, SHO or SLO, w/ ABS. Calipers can come from the same knuckles, or any 94+ Taurus/Sable or maybe Continental (?). You may want to replace the brake hoses with stainless ones while you have the system open.

Everybody has a different opinion on springs. Recently a lot of people have been going for the Moog springs, especially if they are on a limited budget, however a lot of people do prefer the stock springs.

 

[pjtoledo]

If you're going to be driving 500+ miles a week,,,,stiff chassis parts will only be fun for the first 2 or 3 weeks. Been there, done that, bumps ain't no fun at 70 mph day after day after day. Check out the roads first, then pick a suspension to match them.

Perry

 

[Fourcats]

Sounds like you need GOOD transportation. See if you can drive the car and not break it for awhile, before throwing $$$ at it {its NOT investing}. Otherwise it may be like Xmas, red & green. {Run in the RED, spend the GREEN...} Congrats on the job.

 

[Todd TCE]

Great, but sad story of sorts.
I gotta disagree however....putting good money after bad is always a bad idea.


You say it yourself: " I think I can assume pretty much everything is worn."


Sell the car for parts or a track beater only and move on. If you're desiring a SHO then buy one from someone else with half the miles on it. And leave it stock. So you can get back and forth to work!

 

[francis_sawyer]

I believe Todd TCE is is a voice of reason.

His comment may not be popular, but he is right. You need to think about this VERY CAREFULLY.

I'll give you my own experience. I bought a '92 MTX with 100k on it. $1600. But it had a popped diff pin and I didn't know it. I ended up driving it home in that condition. Even doing 60+ on the interstate. Shifting like crap the whole way. Ever since then I have been putting money into it. The guy who owned the car before me beat the crap out of it. I have probably sunk about $8,000 into it now. With the original $1600 included. All of this is because I didn't know some of the inherent problems a SHO can have. I also could have saved probably half of that money if I did the work myself. But, I generally work 60-80 hours a week, and I also drive anywhere from 300-1000 miles in a week. I am now pushing 170k in a little over two years. I have found this is one of the most robust cars I have ever used for work. I am confident in taking it anywhere, and just will not sell it or trade it in now. This is why I am spending some extra money in parts, knowldge on how to repair it myself, and perhaps even another SHO MTX if I can find one.

But I have no crazy ideas that this is going to be cheap, in the long run yes it will be for fast, reliable trasportation. But I'll end up stocking up on thousands of dollars worth of parts and tools. I already know this. But I expect to be driving this/these cars for the next twenty years. EGR be damned, it will be a classic in another eight years.

Anyway, you may be better off with a $500 slow reliable beater that can be your work car. Then decide what you will do with your SHO.

 

[bittertech]

Well, lemme revisit this after being busier than heck (tm) the last 3 weeks at the new job. When I say beater, I mean I didn't change the oil as often as I should have, I drove it stuck in 2nd for 3 months because I didn't have the money to fix it (turns out it was only 20$ to repair, I was thinking ~400).

I don't think I'm going over-the-top with these mods, and I already have thousands of dollars in tools (from my father anyway). Its all stuff that needs to be replaced, so for the cost of just a little bit more (Tokico struts are what? 20% more than the motocraft?) I can have a nicer ride. This car will be driven until its falls apart, even to the extent of replacing most of the driveline.

Ohya, the commute is 98% interstate, Georgia asphault.

The allure of FSTB's was the fact that it'd remove my completely dead gas shocks to hold up the hood, though now that I think about it I could probably find a rod assembly off a SLO.

I'll look into upgrading the lines after looking how mine have worn. There aren't any benefits that I can see for daily driving.

I'm thinking more and more of going ahead and buying some moog cargocoils for the ride though, I think I may have waited too long to replace the struts and sag is occuring. Any simple way to test this?

Thanks for the advice, I'll have to start hunting down part lists and comparing prices.