JRC99 i see your also in the metro Detroit area what city ? Im in Clarkston but grew up in warren!

Maybe deck the heads and block or at least have them checked?

Good luck sounds like it will be great once you do all this.

They'll be checked but I can't imagine any warpage. To my knowledge the car wasn't really ran much after the early 90s and we certainly never let it melt down (overheating was another issue it's always had, which I blame on us never tuning it properly, an incorrect fan and or shroud, and probably a worn out radiator.)

As for any performance benefits I'm not really wanting to gain anything. I want it to have, distributor aside, the exact same set up it had for 40 years. It's a weird personal thing I guess- I want to know what this setup's really got in it. Pap never got the time to dial it in and dad and I don't have the knowledge so we never sorted it out. But when it ran close to correct I loved it.

Garden City

Well... news that surprises nobody- cylinder walls will need to be honed at the least. Noticeable scratches- vertical and horizontal. Didn't get pictures as it was on a borescope my buddy brought over. Since it's not going any further any time soon, we bolted the hood back on to get it off the roof. Bummer.

(I'm broke right now and have no extra funds to devote to the car. Backburner it shall stay). I think I'm just gonna enjoy the Foxbody this year (like last year) and worry about the Camaro another time.

Sounds like the best plan for now.Good luck with it in the future bud.

It'll happen some day, I'm sure... I'd feel worse if it were sitting outside or something, but it's safe in a garage at least. I will say while my friend and I were messing with it, a Cardinal showed up and just would not leave. Also worth noting Pap's daily driver was a silver 2000 Town Car. My friend drives a nearly identical '99. Think Pap was checking in to see how it was going.

My advice to you, don't let the project bog down. Keep cleaning as time allows, and collect parts as money allows. Some of the best advice I ever received, try to do something every day. Sometimes it is small and insignificant, but it is progress. Avoid the mindset of "I can't afford it" and allow the car to collect dust. I think I'm fair to say everyone on this forum has experienced what you are going through.

Keep your head up and stay involved. By staying engaged, you never know what may come into your crosshairs. Again, I think many of us on the forum have gotten an olive branch from somebody who knows where you are at. I hope that makes some sense.

Tim

What he said ^^^^

The only current plans I have for it are to buff the paint (never been done- I don't think it was done even when it was painted in 2003/2004, I got a wheel for Christmas in 2023 but never bought pads, don't know why, just kept slipping my mind) and I might clean and condition the top and seats. Otherwise... there's not much I *can* do. I don't want to disassemble the engine further in fear of getting disorganized.