88k miles (when purchased 10/3/01)
156k miles (4/11/10)...on the car
???k miles on the engine
Slicers with Goodyear Eagle RS-A 245/50's up front and 235/50's in back (winter)
17" 10-spoke ICW rims with BFGoodrich 235/45/ZR17's (summer)(SOLD)
5 speed manual
3.0 liter 24 valve Dual Over Head Cam
Premium Sound System
245-250hp (rough estimate)
220-225tq (also rough estimate)
One of only about 2,036 5 spds made in '95
Half leather/cloth mocha interior
15% Tint on front and rear windows

  4/12/10:  ...And some years later...


Ok so it's been awhile...I sincerely hope no one was holding their breath.  Since my last update there have been a few things worth mentioning:  I've added (and parted with) a few vehicles, I've put a few miles on the 95 and I've recently-ish decided to do some "cosmetic" work on the car as well.  I will start off with my additions to the fleet, which graced my garage for a period of time before heading off to other pastures.  I hesitate to say greener pastures because I know who has one of my former cars, and from my perceptions the grass is in need of a mow and some Weed B Gone, but it's not TOO bad I guess.  The 1993 triple black SHO, that I had traveled to Wisconsin to get, was replaced by a silver 2002 Grand Prix GTP.  The SHO was actually sold to a guy in Wisconsin so it went back up there and, from what I have heard from him, is in very good hands.  That's what I had hoped for so the sadness of getting rid of it was somewhat soothed by knowing it's being well taken care of.  I'm working, slowly, on a page for that car...so maybe by 2012 I'll have that one up. 

This leads me to the GTP.  It came in to work from an auction with 92k on the clock.  The car had a 3800 Supercharged V6 and it came fully loaded (which isn't saying much since every GTP I see seems to be "fully loaded") but I was impressed with the black leather, HUD, and BOSE stereo and speakers.  Unfortunately my 95 hadn't been very reliable and I couldn't imagine putting daily driver miles (or dirt) on the 93 so I figured the 93 could find another good home while I secured my ability to get places without worry.  I owned the GTP for right around a year until I sold it to my roommate.  In the time I owned it I put Autolite 104 spark plugs in so I could support the 3.4" supercharger pulley I had put on.  I also installed a boost gauge which went from the 8 lbs of boost stock to 11.4 with the new smaller pulley.  That car is quick now, and my buddy drives it like an old man.  Oh well, it will still get up and go when it has to.

(...Um...actually, going through my pictures I seem to have lost the folder with the GTP pics in it...  But if I find them they will be here!)

In the spring of 2008 I went to Columbus, Nebraska to get my most recent, and most recently departed, car...a 2003 Ford Mustang GT.  I was getting ready to get a $2000 loan from the bank and put a hood and some performance goodies on the GTP when I asked myself if I wanted to mod it or get the type of car that I have wanted since I was 12 (well... aside from a SHO...).  So, I started searching for a Mustang.  I've had a few modded, V6, front wheel drive cars, I figured it was time for a two door, rear wheel drive, modded V8.  I got a really good deal on my Mustang so I jumped on it and brought it home.  I drove it all that summer and put new 275/40 17" Nittos on the back in January of 2009.  The wide tires really made the back end stance look tough and the whole car look that much cooler.  At some point during the winter the SHO once again had a period of being under the weather so I had to drive the Mustang for a few months... well until the steering shaft broke, and then the power steering pump blew up...  I had a fun time finding a vehicle for a while but managed to get where I needed to go.  I replaced the steering shaft and the pump and everything worked great for awhile, however, the steering gear (which I hadn't been told about) was damaged when the pump went out so the steering issue came back and made driving the car fairly difficult.  So I basically let it set and decided after some time to sell it to someone who might have the money to fix the steering issue.

So now that leads be back to my pretty green 95.  After 8 years of actually owning the cars I drive I am back down to one, the second car I ever owned, and the only car that has been in my possession for more than a couple of years.  The poor girl has been through a lot over the past few years.  The mufflers have all but fallen apart, the rust holes on the sides have started migrating outwards (as they do on a good number of Tauruses), and a few people have decided to either sit on my hood or drop things on it.  I feel bad that she has taken the back seat to other cars and has kind of fallen into shambles. 

 
Here she is in all her dirty, neglected glory.  I don't even want to say what it looks like underneath.

However....

I am very picky when it comes to how clean my vehicles are and she is no exception.  I also believe that, while I may slack at times, the strange ambition I have to keep this car working and looking good is nothing a little bit of rust and age can put a stop to!  The interior, aside from a small tear in the driver's seat and missing airbags, is in excellent shape.  I put my five years of detailing experience to work on the inside, and the outside for that matter.  The paint is still in very good shape for being as old as it is and I think it still looks extremely sharp.  I decided to cut out the rust and atleast get some primer and rust proofing on it so it doesn't spread.  I caught the driver's side rust hopefully soon enough to stop it from doing catastrophic damage and, I've already been told the passenger side needed a whole new quarter, so I just tried to make it look better while I wait to get enough money for that ridiculous adventure.  That will probably be a major reconstruction, involving the new quarter, a new dash and all new paint.  I'm not sure if that will come before or after I pull the motor and rebuild that.

Here are some pictures of what I've been up to lately.  Mind you I am no professional when it comes to body work, this wasn't meant to do anything but stop the rust, and make it atleast look like I'm trying to fix it, not just let it spread.

 
After posting this, I'm going to start checking Wal-Mart for collision wrap...  I'm actually kind of surprised they don't sell it already.






Finished...  Notice the mufflers, they have definitely seen better days.  I ripped them apart fearing that one of the tips would come off while I was driving and hit someone's car.

And, after a wash... (I had planned on a wax as well, but it started raining literally 15 minutes after I finished washing her, go figure.)



So what's in the future you ask?  Well, I bought some new Sable lights and clear corners ages ago and told myself I wouldn't put them on until I got the car looking better first.  So these are patiently awaiting my progress.

 



...and finally, after some photoshop fun, I think my idea of lowering springs and gunmetal powdercoated slicers looks good.



 



 

Problems, Tech info and Maintenance:
New thermostat 97600 miles, 04/08/2002
Replaced Spark Plugs and Spark Plug Wires 106500 miles, 10/2/02
Removing the Intake Manifold
Replaced pass. side rear rotor and caliper  112,000 miles 12/15/02
Replaced Starter 118,000 miles, 5/25/03
Replaced Engine 118,650 miles, 7/3/03
Replaced Clutch  118,650 miles, 7/3/03
Replaced Valve Cover Gaskets and Plug Well Seals  136,000 miles (on car, don't know engine mileage), 7/14/06
Replaced Oil Pan Gaskets  137,000 miles, 9/4/06
New Alternator and Replaced Idler Pulley  143,000 miles, 2/12/07
Replaced Camshaft Position Sensor  152,000 miles 9/16/08

Performance:
Hypertech powerchip (15-20hp)(20-25ft/lbs tq)
K&N Panel Air Filter (5-8 hp)
Removed Air Intake Silencer (2-3 hp and a meaner sound at higher RPMs) (I was informed that YES, there ARE dyno tests to prove this)

Audio:
2 12" Polk Audio DX subs
760 watt Pioneer amp 
JVC "El Khameleon" deck




Since February 2nd 2002