Rustoration of 1991 FOXBODY Mustang GT as a Cobra Clone

So the temperature has dropped into the 40s and I am still driving the fox on dry days. I will until the first salt hits the road. Although the first 2 minutes of each ride, it didn't seem to run right since it's been colder. Hesitation, popping and banging until I got it up to 15-20 mph and the it would disappear and run normal. I sat in the car after a run and heard the exhaust ticking and it gave me the idea that it might have an exhaust leak and the headers are running hot. Makes sense that after they heat up and take up the space, the fuel mix would improve. Dreading to having to tighten the ball flange nuts again, I decided to first check the manifold bolts and sure enough they were all a quarter turn loose. Now it runs great, temps are down and power is up, no more hesitation or stuttering.  If it happens again I might have to add some PTFE to the threads. I know thread locker is called for but with the high heat the PTFE stays gummy. Maybe I'll try 1 PTFE and the re...

After driving around after dark and not being able to see my own lights, I decided to upgrade to led headlights. I am not going to say which ones I choose until I know they will be reliable but they were bought off Amazon for around 45$ The halogen lights are just weak.  I had them wired as 9007 bulbs and foxbodies are 9004 so I repined the sockets back to stock. The led on low beam makes a serious difference. The install was easy just remove the bulb flange and drop the lock ring between the flange and heat sink and wiggle the seal into the housing. I'll make a rig to focus them with a distance/drop formula.  Eventually I will do the foglight led upgrade also. 

Since installing a voltage gauge I have been able to really watch the charging system. The re-maned alternator I got off Amazon would charge less and less as the car came up to temp. Getting down in the 12s at idle and dropping below 12 as the fans spin up. Knowing this I decided to revisit the alternator that came with the car. After about a half an hour I can say the original is more stable hanging in the low 13s when hot. As I swapped them today I noticed the Amazon alternator had a smaller pulley. So now a pulley swap might even be in the cards for the old unit.  There are sizing questions to be answered first, but I'd guess it's fine since it's an oe pulley for an sn95.