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shoes on the unit. The drum pulls straight out, off the axle. Rear shoes are never really replaced until
about 60-100K miles unless there was severe duty (read abuse) placed on the car.
The easiest way to avoid engine work is to buy a donor car with an engine that runs. Everyone will
tell you it runs, but it's best to hear for yourself. Bring a battery with you since for some reason,
that's usually the first thing that gets taken out. A battery also helps when some guy says, "Don't
worry it runs great, but since I don't have the battery you'll have to
trust me." The Mustang is computer controlled and should run
really well the first or second time it is turned over. If at all
possible, put the car into the gear and drive it forward and
backward. If you can't drive it, let it run for a moment, and then
re-start it. Look for main bearing oil leaks (behind the harmonic
balancer) or oil pan leaks. Leaks aren't common unless the car has
high mileage. Valve cover gaskets commonly leak at around
50,000 miles and are easy to replace so don't sweat them.
If the engine block has been painted, it is a good indication that the engine was re-manufactured
since the block was never painted at the factory. Even brand new 5.0L blocks with relatively few
miles on the odometer will have a surface dusting of corrosion.
Since our kit can use the original drive shaft (that gets shortened), the quality and condition of the
slip yolk (transmission end) and the rear flange is important. The slip yolk must be smooth and clean
without scores or gouges that can cause premature wear and develop leaks down the road. We
recommend using only yokes from manual transmission cars; the automatic cars have a weight that
limits the universal joint movement.
The front spindles should be clean, dry, and have decent rotors and calipers without much dirt or
crud accumulation. There should be no deep grooves or huge flakes of rust inside the rotor contact
area. If you do have rotors with lots of rust inside the cooling fins, you are usually looking at an
older car part or it has been sitting for a while.
We've rarely seen serious problems with donor car parts. An occasional bent axle, bad steering rack, or
mangled tie rod end are about all we've come across. Second gear seems to get the lion's share of abuse
in the T5 transmission. The factory drivetrain is remarkably tough so try not to worry excessively about
the donor parts; odds are they will work just fine.
In 1993 the emergency brake cables were shortened and will no longer reach the handle in the
FFR frame, if your donor is this year you will need to find a set of the earlier (87-92) cables.
Disassembly of a Mustang Donor for Parts
Ford Motor Company designs all of their cars for rapid and accurate assembly. These cars come apart
quickly and easily if you remember to look at it from the assembly point of view. The rear vertical
shock, for example, is not as much an individual part as it is a part of the entire rear end assembly. The
engine and transmission are actually dropped in and fastened at four points (2 engine mounts, 1
transmission mount, and the drive shaft). Think of this job as a reverse assembly line and it will go
faster. If you are getting ready to disassemble a Mustang, please refer to the "donor parts list"
Appendix. A Chilton's repair manual has quite good step-by-step disassembly instructions for each
assembly. We have tried to be helpful here but a Chilton's manual or any other quality manual will
make it that much easier. Many manuals licensed by Ford use excellent Ford drawings, schematics and
diagrams.
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