Donor Disassembly: Where do I start?
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1,997 Posts
Do you have a manual? I went by the book and it's straightforward and thorough. Except for the years of accumulated grime and crud on the donor I had no problem with teardown. If you don't have one, I would recommend buying the best impact wrench you can afford. Soak all the threaded fasteners in penetrating oil overnight and hit them with the impact wrench the next day. Unless your donor lived in salt country everything should come apart with no problem.
Oops...I just reread your post and you're in Ohio which I suspect has exposed your donor to salt. I still stand behind what I said about penetrating oil and an impact wrench but from what I've read about other Yankees, you may need a sawzall or cut-off wheel for some of the more stubborn stuff.
Rick
[ March 30, 2002, 08:00 AM: Message edited by: Rick Williams ]
Oops...I just reread your post and you're in Ohio which I suspect has exposed your donor to salt. I still stand behind what I said about penetrating oil and an impact wrench but from what I've read about other Yankees, you may need a sawzall or cut-off wheel for some of the more stubborn stuff.
Rick
[ March 30, 2002, 08:00 AM: Message edited by: Rick Williams ]
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1,061 Posts
Pat, If you dont have the manual, here's a list in the order they list it. Remember, if you're not sure, keep it. You can alway throw it away later.
1.radiator, fan shroud w/overflow tank, hoses
2.wiring harness and guage cluster, headlight and hazard switches, computer and plastic cradle.
3.rear harness and fuel inertia cut-off switch.
4.speedo cable and sending unit on trans.
5.fuel tank w/plastic cover, mounting straps, fuel cap, fuel filter, evaporative canister, vapor line, and fuel filler tube.
6.rubber exhaust bushings.
7.steering rack assembly, mounting bolts, nuts and washers with rubber bushings.
8.master cylinder and pedal box and fasteners, clutch cable, gas pedal
9.coil, fuel vapor canister, vacuum lines, starter soleniod, mass air meter, throttle cable.
10.engine/trans, motor mounts, exhaust headers, oem fasteners.
11.rear end, shocks, springs, brake lines and cables, control arms, fasteners.
12.front calipers, rotors, spindles, lower A-arms.
13.plastic fuel line fittings
14.e-brake handle
Hope this helps.
Greg
1.radiator, fan shroud w/overflow tank, hoses
2.wiring harness and guage cluster, headlight and hazard switches, computer and plastic cradle.
3.rear harness and fuel inertia cut-off switch.
4.speedo cable and sending unit on trans.
5.fuel tank w/plastic cover, mounting straps, fuel cap, fuel filter, evaporative canister, vapor line, and fuel filler tube.
6.rubber exhaust bushings.
7.steering rack assembly, mounting bolts, nuts and washers with rubber bushings.
8.master cylinder and pedal box and fasteners, clutch cable, gas pedal
9.coil, fuel vapor canister, vacuum lines, starter soleniod, mass air meter, throttle cable.
10.engine/trans, motor mounts, exhaust headers, oem fasteners.
11.rear end, shocks, springs, brake lines and cables, control arms, fasteners.
12.front calipers, rotors, spindles, lower A-arms.
13.plastic fuel line fittings
14.e-brake handle
Hope this helps.
Greg
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214 Posts
Don't forget ALL brake line fittings. To try and replace a single fitting can be a real headache. The only thing worse that spending 10 days running from parts store to parts store looking for two goofy fittings is then having your friend find them in your parts box 
Have fun! Get a few boxes of rubber surgical gloves at Target for the sticky and greasy stuff, Gunk the engine, trans and rear end a few times before starting disassembly. Have a good complete wrench set and a pipe that fits over them to use as a 3 foot long breaker bar.
And my biggest suggestion is to buy some mechanics gloves. They will save you dozens of cuts and scrapes. I bought the Ringer brand SplitFit Air's and I cant tell you how much they protect me now.
You will need 4 jack stands. Get the bigger ones, they raise the car higher, which will help later. Oh Yeah, and a good full-sized jack. I started with a smaller one, a real waste of time.
Have fun, follow the manual. Any questions, e-mail or call me at [email protected]
Russ
Have fun! Get a few boxes of rubber surgical gloves at Target for the sticky and greasy stuff, Gunk the engine, trans and rear end a few times before starting disassembly. Have a good complete wrench set and a pipe that fits over them to use as a 3 foot long breaker bar.
And my biggest suggestion is to buy some mechanics gloves. They will save you dozens of cuts and scrapes. I bought the Ringer brand SplitFit Air's and I cant tell you how much they protect me now.
You will need 4 jack stands. Get the bigger ones, they raise the car higher, which will help later. Oh Yeah, and a good full-sized jack. I started with a smaller one, a real waste of time.
Have fun, follow the manual. Any questions, e-mail or call me at [email protected]
Russ
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750 Posts
Start with some dynamite Seriously though, It's pretty straight forward the only part I would advise you to think about before tackling it is the control arms. First, if you're going with front tubulars then don't even bother taking the donors out and if in the rear your going with FFRs or aftermarket then leave those alone as well. If you are going to use the donor one then good luck and take lots of patience pill as this was by far the bitchiest part of the teardown.
Oh, if you're going EFI don't forget to take the return vapor line its a plastic tube that runs from the tank to the engine compartment. The manual doesn't tell you this until later when it asks you to install it. I may have forgotten something but you can check my site for more details.
Take care,
Seriously though, It's pretty straight forward the only part I would advise you to think about before tackling it is the control arms. First, if you're going with front tubulars then don't even bother taking the donors out and if in the rear your going with FFRs or aftermarket then leave those alone as well. If you are going to use the donor one then good luck and take lots of patience pill as this was by far the bitchiest part of the teardown.Oh, if you're going EFI don't forget to take the return vapor line its a plastic tube that runs from the tank to the engine compartment. The manual doesn't tell you this until later when it asks you to install it. I may have forgotten something but you can check my site for more details.
Take care,
Joined
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337 Posts
I started by removing the exhaust pipes from the headers and immediately firing it up just to hear the music and get the neighbors ready!
I removed engine, wiring, fuel tank, everything except suspension and brakes while the car was in the garage. Then pushed and pulled the carcass out beside the garage and removed the suspension and it sat there for a while out of the way while I cleaned and painted the parts.
Have fun and take pictures as you go.
I removed engine, wiring, fuel tank, everything except suspension and brakes while the car was in the garage. Then pushed and pulled the carcass out beside the garage and removed the suspension and it sat there for a while out of the way while I cleaned and painted the parts.
Have fun and take pictures as you go.
Joined
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616 Posts
I just had a couple of comments to add. I would not take apart the front suspension before pulling the engine. Without the weight of the engine and transmission to compress the front springs, you will not be able to disassemble the front suspension without a spring compressor. Make sure that you have enough clearance (height) in the garage to pull the engine if you disassemble the front suspension first. Make sure and remove the driveshaft to differential bolts while you still have the transmission and ebrake to keep things from moving. Also, go ahead and pull out the driver's seat,back seat and the carpet early in the process. You will need to remove them to get the wiring out and it will give you more room to work when you are pulling the pedal box.
Donny
Donny
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284 Posts
I'm about 2/3 done with my build. One of the problems I've had was that the manual leaves a bit to be desired. There are lotsa things that are hard to figure out till you're done with them.
I'm in Columbus, and haven't figured out where Concord is yet. If you have any problems with specific areas, let me know. I'd be glad to advise
if I can help.
[email protected]
I'm in Columbus, and haven't figured out where Concord is yet. If you have any problems with specific areas, let me know. I'd be glad to advise
if I can help.
[email protected]
Joined
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143 Posts
I'm in the middle of my donor teardown. There are a few items hanging around that I'm not sure what they are. Any help would be appreciated!!
1. The round ball shaped object under the RH fender, and the cylinder right next to it. Do I need them both??
2. The canister unit under the LH fender. Do I need it??
3. There is a white box with a wire harness connected that goes to #2.
4. A black box with a connector attached and is located behind the drivers door post.
Basically that's all I've ran into so far!!! Thanks for any help!!
1. The round ball shaped object under the RH fender, and the cylinder right next to it. Do I need them both??
2. The canister unit under the LH fender. Do I need it??
3. There is a white box with a wire harness connected that goes to #2.
4. A black box with a connector attached and is located behind the drivers door post.
Basically that's all I've ran into so far!!! Thanks for any help!!
Joined
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7,232 Posts
1. vacuum canisters -- I junked mine
2. cruise-control -- junk if you're not planning on installing cruise
3. cruise-control brains
4. no clue - how 'bout a pic or some wire color codes and the year of the donor?
Whenever a new builder asks me how to go about stripping a donor, I tell them to focus on one single task....remove the wire harness. By the time you remove enough of the car to actually get the harness out, it'll basically be stripped to the shell anyway!
2. cruise-control -- junk if you're not planning on installing cruise
3. cruise-control brains
4. no clue - how 'bout a pic or some wire color codes and the year of the donor?
Whenever a new builder asks me how to go about stripping a donor, I tell them to focus on one single task....remove the wire harness. By the time you remove enough of the car to actually get the harness out, it'll basically be stripped to the shell anyway!
Joined
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7,232 Posts
fly-n-low.... I'm in FL on vacation so I don't have access to a wiring diagram. I think I have a '90. I'll check it out Thursday when I get back. Or, maybe by me bringing this back to the top, somebody w/ a '90 diagram will help.
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761 Posts
I good thing to do if your careful is to place an ad in your local classifieds and start getting some money back! You will have tons of people buying stuff off yoour car. I made about $1000 back on my donor. If you want to get rid of it the scavengers will pick it apart.
Why careful, there is nothing worse than selling a part to someone for $50 that you later need to go to a junkyard to buy back for $100
Mike
Why careful, there is nothing worse than selling a part to someone for $50 that you later need to go to a junkyard to buy back for $100
Mike
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761 Posts
Parts worth dollars! Search on stangnet or corral.net for classifieds. Here is a small list but people will buy anything, I sold the stock radio and ant because someone wanted OEM stuff.
Bumper cover
Nose
fenders
qtr panels
trunk lid
Mass air anything if you go carb
that piece by the windshield and hood that covers the wiper arms
exhaust
wheels
gauge pod - if not going aftermarket
air bag, air bag power supply
sway bars if you dont use
all the interior
door panels
Mike
[ April 08, 2002, 08:59 PM: Message edited by: Mike Mondie ]
Bumper cover
Nose
fenders
qtr panels
trunk lid
Mass air anything if you go carb
that piece by the windshield and hood that covers the wiper arms
exhaust
wheels
gauge pod - if not going aftermarket
air bag, air bag power supply
sway bars if you dont use
all the interior
door panels
Mike
[ April 08, 2002, 08:59 PM: Message edited by: Mike Mondie ]
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