When people ask where my love for cars and engineering started, I always come back to one thing—my first car: a 1989 Foxbody Mustang LX 2.3L. It wasn’t just a vehicle—it was my blank canvas, my first real hands-on project, and the machine that jumpstarted my obsession with building, tuning, and truly understanding cars from the inside out.
I got the car when I was still early in my automotive journey. Stock, slow, and in need of serious work—but something about that boxy, raw chassis spoke to me. It wasn’t about how fast it was out of the gate—it was about what it could become. This Mustang became the foundation where I built not just a car, but a deep passion for performance vehicles and electronics integration.
Over the years, this Foxbody has gone through major transformations:
- I rebuilt the 2.3L Lima engine from the bottom up.
- Swapped it to a manual transmission.
- Designed and wired a custom engine harness.
- Installed a Microsquirt standalone ECU.
- Converted to coil-on-plug and distributorless ignition.
Each of these steps taught me more than any textbook could. I dove deep into electrical engineering, engine tuning, diagnostics, fabrication, and the trial-and-error process of building something real.
This Mustang didn’t just teach me how to work on cars—it showed me how to push through setbacks, learn new systems fast, and take pride in every part of the process. It also gave me the confidence to take on bigger challenges—like designing embedded systems, building robotics, and leading engineering projects.
This is the first post in a series where I’ll be breaking down the entire journey—from the engine rebuild to the custom ECU and everything in between. If you’re into hands-on learning, standalone ECUs, tuning, or just love a good DIY story, you’ll feel right at home here.
