Four Eye Surgery The year 1986 opened with the tragedy of the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion before our eyes. It was one of those moments where you never forget where you were when it happened. President Reagan was in the White House, and Mike Tyson was the youngest heavyweight champion after beating Trevor Berbick. There was plenty of strife around the world, but the majority of us were more worried about perfecting our mullet in time for the Motley Crue or Ozzy Osbourne concert, while the women among us were killing the ozone layer one bottle of Aqua Net at a time. This what we started with under the hood. The battery was done, so it had to be jump started for us to drive it. It ran fine on the twenty-mile ride home, and even the cruise control worked. All the gauges worked, and the T-5 shifted fine, albeit with a ridiculously stiff clutch. The battery terminals had seen better days and the spark plug wires were way overkill, but also damaged in a couple areas. An Explorer intake is a welcome addition, as are the shorty headers, off-road H-pipe, and Flowmaster exhaust. We will surely address the janky air intake, but it will do the job for now. In the Mustang world, hardcore performance seemingly took a hit with the introduction of EFI across the brand. The carburetor was gone, and in its place an electronic fuel injection system. Hot rodding was over, some shouted. We have the benefit today of hindsight, so we know it wasnt true, but plenty of those factory EFI intakes and throttle-bodies were pitched in favor of carbureted setups. Maybe it was because the 1986 GT was rated at 200 horsepower when the 1985 GT with a carburetor was rated at 210. Losing 10 horsepower, most people pointed at the EFI, and at that time, most people still knew their way around a carburetor. These are the parts we used to get our 1986 Mustang GT fully operational. We decided to stick with one manufacturer and get everything from the Duralast line, including a battery, distributor cap and rotor, spark plug wires, and a fuel filter. Prior to adding these parts, the engine had an upper rpm miss. With the new ignition components, its still not a rocket ship according to todays standards, but it runs much better. These days, we actually prefer EFI, which is good because our latest acquisition still maintains its electronic fuel injection system, and with an improved Explorer intake. We know what youre saying, first impressions are the most important, and were sure youre starting to question our choice, but if youve followed the Fox Mustang market recently, then you know finding a decent car for under $5,000 has become terribly difficult. Plus, this one already has a five-lug swap that is complete with old-school Weld Draglites. After the new ignition components, our four-eyes engine compartment looks much cleaner, and less busy. The previous spark plug wires were too much, and the black Duralast wires clean up the engine compartment very nicely. Also, the new battery terminals, although an item most of us dont think about, went from an eyesore to something that no longer sticks out like a sore thumb. First and foremost, we were able to drive it home, and have driven it around a few times since purchasing the car. Yes, some of it looks worse than other parts, but as a whole, the car is solid, and ripe for a rebuild. First things first, we wanted to get it running reliably. Yes, we drove it home, but it needed a battery and a few tune-up items replaced. A short trip to AutoZone for a new Duralast battery, distributor cap and rotor, spark plug wires, and a fuel filter, and we were in business. However, while removing the battery, one of the battery terminal bolts broke in half, so back to AutoZone we went for new battery terminals. Once we had everything installed, the 86 runs like a top, and we feel like we can drive it anywhere. The interior of the car could be original. Its not in terrible shape, except for the carpet and visors, but the front seat upholstery and foam could use replacing. The gauges work, even the warning lights under the radio function properly. Like we mentioned earlier, the cruise control even works, but unfortunately, the A/C does not. Living in Florida, we need to get that figured out right away. We had to add a new fuse to get the dome light working, and we need a new map light. The dash is all cracked up, but were sure the dash cover gave that away. The side mirror cover plates are missing, the stereo wasnt properly wired, and the passenger side door doesnt open from the outside. The more we talk about the interior the worse it gets, but the stereo is now properly wired, only now we need to get speakers for it. With any build, fixing one problem usually brings another issue to light. However, we plan to keep crossing things off the list, and getting them squared away. Up next, the clutch needs swapped out in the worst way, the A/C needs repair, it needs new rear tires, the interior needs work, and the elephant in the room, the car is in desperate need of paint. Tim Foreman has the paint project look on lock, so we dont want to copy that. As to what color, we have no idea. We plan to take the car to the dragstrip before stripping it for paint, so be prepared to be floored by what it runs. Get out your sun dials. The post Going Back To The Future With Our New 1986 Mustang GT appeared first on Hot Rod Network .