2003 - 2006
At the start of 2003 the exterior of the car hadn't changed much outside of the GT tail lights and the black 5 lug wheels. I replaced the right fender that had got the small bend in it from sliding into a tree. I kept the old fender because it was repairable, I just wanted a fresh fender on my car, and was going to use it for a 1979 notch I had picked up for $100 and was going to fix up for the girl I was dating at the time.
On a 2002 trip to California, I was washing the car with a pressure washer and to my shock the paint on the roof started blowing off in strips, so I ended up having to primer it to help prevent rust.
I was thinking of making the car a Saleen clone for 2 reasons.
- I still had the Saleen ground effects I had collected for my 80 Capri.
- The very first Saleen Coupe was created in 1987.
I was holding off on putting them on though because I wanting to build up a motor for the car so it would have the muscle to back up the looks.
An acquaintance of mine offered to give me a Saleen convertible/notch wing off of a 4 cyl. car he was getting rid of. Knowing he was hurting a bit for money I gave him $50 for it if he included the trunk lid with it, because I didn't want to drill holes in mine. So once the deal was done I went ahead and put it on the car. I also bought a new adjustable fuel pressure regulator from him.
We also worked out a deal on a motor from an 87 LTD 5.0 that would be the block for my new motor.
After moving to Tucson I was trying to finish up the 79 notch when I was asked about my Saleen stuff by the guy I bought the wing from. Next thing I know we are putting it all on to the car.
The used side spats and rear valance went onto the car easily. The 91-93 front valance seam to be really tight to pull into the wheel openings and had a tendency to pull down in the front, I figured out why in 2007.
Working towards the goal of Saleen clone I did a plumbing job for someone and scored 2 of the 16" Saleen wheels I was needing for the back of my car. I put Goodyear American Eagle 235/55-R16 on them, and they where a perfect fit. I still had to run the black 15" wheels up front which I put a 215/60-15 tire on because of the offset the 225/60-15 would rub the Saleen front valance a little on turns.
Around this time I was reconsidering some of the things I wanted to do with the looks of my car. I was growing tired of the GT tail lights and I had been drooling over the Teal 1993 SVT Cobras.
So I decided that I would keep the Saleen body kit but add to that the Cobra grill, the SVO/Cobra tail lights, and the build goal for my motor would be a 306 version of the 93 Cobra. Also I was getting annoyed that I could not find the front Saleen wheels I wanted, so I was now considering SN-95 Cobra wheels.
2004 "GhostwolF" is Born
Starting February 2004 there where 3 things happen pretty close together.
First my girlfriend's father told her about a guy wanting to sell his 1983 Mustang convertible, he was asking $800, but would be willing to sell it to her dad for $400. She knew I had always wanted a Mustang vert. Even though I ended up paying for it, she got me the 1983 GLX Convertible as our 3rd Anniversary gift.
The first thing I did when I got it home was swap out 83's taillights with the 87's GT lights and I was a bit closer to the new look I wanted for my 87.
Soon after I got the convertible a guy where I worked told me a friend of his had just got new wheels for his GT Mustang and wanted to know if I would be interested in his old ones. So for $100 I got a set of the 1994 style 16" Pony wheels & tires.
While not Cobras they where 16" Ford 5-lug had the correct back spacing for my rear disc brakes and would clear the deep hubs of my front SVO/Lincoln brakes, also my wheels would all match again. I ran the tires that came with the wheels for a while but they did rub my fenders in the front. Knowing that they had changed the wheel opening on the 1991 - 93 Mustangs to clear 16" wheels I thought this is what I would need to do.
Finally the 3rd thing that happen was I decided to get a personalized license plate with my acquired online handle "Ghostwolf" or GHSTWLF in order to fit it on the plate.
Up to this point I had never decided on a name for my car. I just called it the Mustang or the LX. Once I had the plate on the car though everyone else, especially my family, started calling my car Ghostwolf. No mater how often I would tell them that was not the cars name they persisted. SO unofficially I refer to it as the GhostwolF Edition.
Even now after I transferred the plate to my 1983 Capri RS in 2010, they still call the Mustang "Ghostwolf"
2 moves later, a blown Cobra T-5, accumulating a few more engine parts & selling both my 83 convertible and 79 notch, my 87 and I ended up back in the Phoenix area in 2006.