Tell me about fox body Mustangs

Tell me about fox body Mustangs

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Discussion

Jag-D

Original Poster:

19,633 posts

226 months

Monday 7th December 2009
quotequote all
Alright chaps,

I'm debating dipping my toes in the vast pool that is Yank motors in the next two years..might be buying something to work on a little or if money comes in well enough, then something that's already done.

Mate of mine suggested the fox body Mustang and possibly the one after sooo

I was wondering if you guys would be good enough to tell me about them?

Gracias in advance smile

benny.c

3,517 posts

214 months

Monday 7th December 2009
quotequote all
You'll get more joy asking on the MOCGB forums, where there is a good following. There are a few fox owners on here but not many.

Mustanglimey

115 posts

201 months

Monday 7th December 2009
quotequote all
A great starting point. I switched from a 1997 SN95 cobra with a 4V modular to my 88 fox. Being the good old pushrod engine they are easier & cheaper to mod and I can work on it. I always refer to them as a true blue collar car. In the US they are like flies on a turd but not too popular over here. The aftermarket supports them with a multitude of goodies covering all aspects of the car and you can transform into what you like ie; street/strip, corner carver, custom, resto. Probably the most popular car on US drag strips thanks to the 5.0 revolution in the late 80's. Early models 79-86(the four eyed freaks) run carbs, the later areo nose 87-93 EFI although 87 and early 88 and some california I think are speed density which is not as tuneable as the more common and later mass air EFI which you would want if you want to start engine power upgrades.
Heres a link to the year models. http://bradbarnett.net/mustangs/timeline/87-93/ind...
If you have any specific questions please ask.
Best thing I ever did was get my LX great bang for buck and think they make a superb street/strip platform for average joes like me.
Cowl hood and some big n littles and you good to go. Dont take much to transform them. You either love em or hate em.



Motorrad

6,811 posts

194 months

Tuesday 8th December 2009
quotequote all
Personally I love 'em, see loads of them in various states of decay driving around here with shady looking characters behind the wheel. The few modded/mint cars look and sound absolutely awesome.

HD Adam

5,155 posts

191 months

Tuesday 8th December 2009
quotequote all
Motorrad said:
Personally I love 'em, see loads of them in various states of decay driving around here with shady looking characters behind the wheel.
That probably was Mustanglimey then hehe

I have the later SN95 model and although not as cool as Shauns 10 second, wheels up Fox, it serves me well as my winter runabout.

Mustanglimey

115 posts

201 months

Tuesday 8th December 2009
quotequote all
HD Adam said:
Motorrad said:
Personally I love 'em, see loads of them in various states of decay driving around here with shady looking characters behind the wheel.
That probably was Mustanglimey then hehe

I have the later SN95 model and although not as cool as Shauns 10 second, wheels up Fox, it serves me well as my winter runabout.
laugh too kind Adam, but cool coming from a mobster driving a 12 second big ass truck smokin
Should have added the SN95 is a great buy, make fine reliable 'stangs. I just didn't fancy doing head gaskets on my quad cameek

LuS1fer

41,708 posts

252 months

Wednesday 9th December 2009
quotequote all
I'd say the Fox is different to and possibly better than the 3rd gen Camaros, some of which were underpowered, but the 4th gen Camaro V8 was much better than the Fox and it's subsequent iterations and it never really recovered until the supercharged terminator came along just as the 4th gen died.

I had a 1981 3.3 Ghia with a massive 98bhp and it was quite a taut handling car for its time. Still preferred the 3rd gen Camaro myself just for the styling.

300bhp/ton

41,030 posts

197 months

Friday 11th December 2009
quotequote all
Personally I really like the Fox body Stangs, although you see precious few of them in the UK. I particularly like the Notch back but I’m not sure I’ve ever seen one in the UK. Failing that the LX’s or earlier GT’s look nicer with their cleaner lines. Never really been a fan of the latter GT’s with their flouncy bumpers.
 
One big plus, especially if you found an LX is they sleeper appeal of them. They are quite restrained in the looks department, neither ugly nor pretty. And as they are quite small they tend to be less in your face than some other cars.
 
Interior wise they are pretty dire, but not in such a bad way. Think MK III or IV Escort/Orion, they use very similar colours and plastics, so certainly give a somewhat retro feel.
 
Early Fox bodies (even rarer in the UK) had quad headlights and a different bumper. These still seemed to follow the dulled down styling of the Mustang II, the later ones (as pictured in this thread already) look IMO much nicer. In fact with some nice allows and a few styling tweaks I think the Fox bodies look fab, bit like a body builder bouncer in an Armani suit, if you know what I mean.
 
Performance wise varies a little over the years, the highest HP from the factory was 225hp iirc, although a year later Ford were forced to re-rate the engine at 215hp despite I think no changes. They are still fairly quick, 0-60mph in 6.5-6.7 sec with a top speed of 135-140mph. So enough to upset even the most spritely of hot hatches. But as we all know stock is only the beginning for these.
 
The 5.0 or 302ci OHV has a huge aftermarket, making it a very tuneable platform. Some claim it to be one of the best engines ever, although I have a few doubts. From what I’ve read and researched over the years it seems the engine is about as tuneable as a Rover V8, so not huge specific output. But with 5.0 litres it does mean they will fairly easily outperform most Rover V8’s engines. Heads, cam, intake, exhaust headers and exhaust should see some pretty serious ponies released. 300-350hp is quite doable IMO. Although you’ll need the £££/$$$ to make it happen.
 
The real advantage comes in weight, these are fairly lightweight cars, even more so by today’s standards. If memory serves they weigh about 1450kg, which is what a 911 weighs. So power to weight wise with over 300hp it ain’t going to hang about.
 
There are also plenty of supercharger kits for the 5.0 engine too. They cost a bit more, although total cost compared to a n/a build is fairly similar and you’ll likely see a tad more HP with a boosted motor.
 
Sound wise the 5.0 is very very very good IMO. Add some “flows” as they sound superb biggrin
 
Handling wise I’m not very knowledgably on these. I think contemporary reviews rated the 3rd Gen Fbody (Camaro/Firebird) as a better handling car. But that said I’m sure the Ford is far more capable than 99% of the motoring fans in the UK would give it credit for. Although with the newest example being at least 16 years old by now, if it’s on stock shocks & springs it may well be time for a refresh.
 
I believe the convertible is meant to be a bit more wibbly wobbly, so if you want performance from the car I’d stick with the coupe.
 
The biggest thing with the Fox body cars in the UK is finding them. When I’ve looked (seriously looked) I’ve found either none, or a couple which seem to be massively over priced. I guess this is good if you are selling, but does make buying a real bugger!!!
 
 
Fox body’s I think where in production from around 79-93. The latter the better, although (I forget exactly which years) I think the 90-92 cars may have had forged pistons if you were planning on boosting the motor. Apart from that I don’t think there were huge changes over the years, just a bit more power here and there and more subtle changes.
 
A very capable platform and not bad stock if you want something more interesting than the run of the mill car. And in the US at least already a budding classic with appreciating residuals.
 
That said, the 3rd Gen Camaro/Firebirds are certainly more wow! Looking cars and IMO arguably more modern feeling inside and out. These aren’t slow, but the Ford does have the edge on a year on year basis. The biggest difference is there are quite a number of 3rd Gen Fbody’s for sale so are easier to buy.
 
But as Lu5ifer said, it’s hard not to consider a 4th Gen Fbody, specially a Camaro z28. Prices do seem to have risen a tad over the last 6 months or so, but I have seen a 6 speed manual z28 for sale in good condition for £3600. These are very capable cars and quite modern while still offering all the old school thrills. The LT1 5.7 V8 is very good and a stock 4th Gen is faster than any but the newest Mustangs (in stock trim at least).
 
If you fancy a newer Mustang they changed to the sn95 shape in 1994. I believe this is a revised Fox body platform but I might be wrong.
 
They do look more wow or at least modern than the previous version Mustang but IMO there are a couple of pitfalls. Firstly for 1994/5 they used the same 5.0 V8 but with some horrid computer controlled setup that makes it hard to mod them. Also the sn95 weighed more so performance was blunted compared to the Fox Bodies.
 
In 1996 Ford switched over to their brand new OHC module 4.6 V8. Sadly I feel this motor really was quite a pathetic attempt by Ford. Not only did it make less power than the outgoing 5.0, but it was less fuel efficient and HUGE. Seriously its physically about the same size as an old school big block and weighs about the same too. And for reasons I’ve never fathomed Ford opted for an OHC valve train, which makes the engine taller, longer, heavier with a higher CoG and more expensive and complex to produce and maintain. All fine if you make use of the OHC benefits and let the engine rev higher than an OHV one and tune it accordingly. But they didn’t they developed it and tuned it for low end grunt. So all the down sides of every design.
 
If you spend a lot of money on a 4.6 engine you’ll get it to produce 300hp, if you spend silly amounts it might make 330hp. Forced induction really is the only tuning option worthwhile on the 4.6 engine and they’ll then see good power levels.
 
I think it was around 1998/9 and Ford released the PI version of the 4.6 V8, this boosted power to 260hp, which is about as much as it ever made in a stock Mustang. There where some styling revisions around 2000 and the cars stayed the same pretty much until 2004.
 
Personally I really love the look of the later sn95’s, known as “new age” styling. They look sharp and to be fair stock for stock the 260hp was enough for sub 6 second 0-60mph and faster than any of the Fox body Mustangs. The odd thing is any sn95 in the UK seem to sell for huge sums of money. The latter new age ones are also incredibly rare. Bang for buck wise a Camaro of the same year will be quicker and handle better and cost less.
 
Do you know what sort of budget you are looking at?
 
 
If you can find a Fox body Stang I think it would make a very good car to look at getting and having typed all this out I’m heading straight on eblag to see if I can see any for sale tongue out
 
I seriously have a real soft spot for the Fox bodies. If you are looking for newer or spending a bit more money, then performance wise it’s very hard to ignore the 4th Gen Fbody’s. They are seriously capable cars, even against modern ‘supercars’ and high end performance cars.

Jag-D

Original Poster:

19,633 posts

226 months

Monday 14th December 2009
quotequote all
300bhp/ton said:
lots of interesting bits and pieces
Cheers for that bud

I have noticed that the Fox body is VERY thin on the ground in this country and vastly overpriced because of this, which is a shame.

That being said, if I do venture into American ownership in the next 2 years or so, I could be looking at a good variety of cars.

My primary goal would be a early - mid 70s Camaro, but if I manage that I may have some problems navigating around the rural leics area where I'm going to be moving to due to the bloody size hehe

3rd Gen Camaros are an interesting proposition, I'm not a massive fan of the aesthetics, but it's American, it's a V8 and it's a Camaro...what more does one need?

I've seen those going for less than £3500 in most extreme cases and I dont mind buying something that needs some work doing regardless of what car I buy (or bike hehe) because I do quite fancy a bit of a project (nothing too heavy) and it will help keep me sane when the family thing becomes a bit much (you know, those little head splitting moments wink)

dtmpower

3,972 posts

252 months

Tuesday 9th March 2010
quotequote all
Bumping this thread - been spending a lot of time looking at Fox bodies on


http://www.theturboforums.com/smf/index.php

and

http://www.yellowbullet.com/forum/

after I found a cheap Mustang magazine in a local shop.

300hp/ton - did you find any fox body for sale in the UK ? There is a convertible in Classic American - but I would rather have a notch-back.

LuS1fer

41,708 posts

252 months

Tuesday 9th March 2010
quotequote all
Fox Mustangs are increasingly rare in the UK. Better to put a wanted ad on www.mocgb.net and you might tempt someone to sell theirs if they're mulling changing cars.

Mustanglimey

115 posts

201 months

Tuesday 9th March 2010
quotequote all
This is up for 3k firm, has plenty of nice mods. heres a link to the ad and details.
http://www.mocgb.net/forums/showthread.php?t=31736


Body
’88 base model notchback.
Fully stripped & sealed underneath. Ford Pacifica blue respray.
Door bottoms bubbling a bit, boot lid lip bubbling & four holes where a boot spoiler has been removed. One rear wheel arch needs repair. Small dent on top of one wing. Weatherseals are knackered.
Engine
’91 5.0 litre V8 with EFI.
Desmogged.
BBK underdrive pulleys.
K&N cold air induction kit.
New plugs, leads, dizzy cap, rotor, filters, etc.
Rebuilt alternator.
New fuel filter & lines.
New engine mounts.
Exhaust
Full length headers.
BBK x-pipe & Flowmaster cat backs.
Transmission
Standard T5 gearbox.
Balanced propshaft.
Clutch & Brakes
Maximum Motorsport alloy clutch quadrant & firewall adjuster.
Cobra master cylinder & Wilwood bias adjuster.
Mercedes rear discs, rebuilt Sierra calipers.
New brake pads. New brake lines. Braided flexis.
Clutch is at the top of its travel, probably needs replacing soon.
Axle
Fully reconditioned 8.8" Limited Slip Diff with new Motive Gear 3.55:1 gears, new clutches, etc. New bearings & shims.
Moser Racing 5 lug axles.
Suspension
Eibach lowered rear springs.
Maximum Motorsport poly isolators & pinion snubber.
Leda adjustable front coilovers.
Rose jointed strut top mounts.
Ford Racing 5 lug front hubs.
New calipers & pads. New track rod ends.
Poly ARB bushes.
Eibach strut brace.
Wheels & Tyres
Rear: Bogart Racing alloys 8x15" BFG 235x60x15 tyres.
Front: Bogart Racing alloys 4.5x15" BFG 155x80x15 tyres.
Interior
Recaro seats with fishnet headrests.
Astrali steering wheel.
Blaupunkt stereo.
Battery in boot with cut off switch.
Heater is stuck on cold.
MOT
June ’10.
Tax
End of year.

Drives well, reliable, fast & fun.

£3,000.

Lee 07808096242

Edited by Mustanglimey on Tuesday 9th March 22:49

300bhp/ton

41,030 posts

197 months

Monday 15th March 2010
quotequote all
Mustanglimey said:
This is up for 3k firm, has plenty of nice mods. heres a link to the ad and details.
http://www.mocgb.net/forums/showthread.php?t=31736


Body
’88 base model notchback.
Fully stripped & sealed underneath. Ford Pacifica blue respray.
Door bottoms bubbling a bit, boot lid lip bubbling & four holes where a boot spoiler has been removed. One rear wheel arch needs repair. Small dent on top of one wing. Weatherseals are knackered.
Engine
’91 5.0 litre V8 with EFI.
Desmogged.
BBK underdrive pulleys.
K&N cold air induction kit.
New plugs, leads, dizzy cap, rotor, filters, etc.
Rebuilt alternator.
New fuel filter & lines.
New engine mounts.
Exhaust
Full length headers.
BBK x-pipe & Flowmaster cat backs.
Transmission
Standard T5 gearbox.
Balanced propshaft.
Clutch & Brakes
Maximum Motorsport alloy clutch quadrant & firewall adjuster.
Cobra master cylinder & Wilwood bias adjuster.
Mercedes rear discs, rebuilt Sierra calipers.
New brake pads. New brake lines. Braided flexis.
Clutch is at the top of its travel, probably needs replacing soon.
Axle
Fully reconditioned 8.8" Limited Slip Diff with new Motive Gear 3.55:1 gears, new clutches, etc. New bearings & shims.
Moser Racing 5 lug axles.
Suspension
Eibach lowered rear springs.
Maximum Motorsport poly isolators & pinion snubber.
Leda adjustable front coilovers.
Rose jointed strut top mounts.
Ford Racing 5 lug front hubs.
New calipers & pads. New track rod ends.
Poly ARB bushes.
Eibach strut brace.
Wheels & Tyres
Rear: Bogart Racing alloys 8x15" BFG 235x60x15 tyres.
Front: Bogart Racing alloys 4.5x15" BFG 155x80x15 tyres.
Interior
Recaro seats with fishnet headrests.
Astrali steering wheel.
Blaupunkt stereo.
Battery in boot with cut off switch.
Heater is stuck on cold.
MOT
June ’10.
Tax
End of year.

Drives well, reliable, fast & fun.

£3,000.

Lee 07808096242

Edited by Mustanglimey on Tuesday 9th March 22:49
Are you open to offers?

I could be interested, but I've just bought another car, so it won't be immediately.

Mustanglimey

115 posts

201 months

Monday 15th March 2010
quotequote all
Its not me...just posted it...give him a buzz.

300bhp/ton

41,030 posts

197 months

Monday 15th March 2010
quotequote all
Mustanglimey said:
Its not me...just posted it...give him a buzz.
lol, my bad.....

laugh

Mustanglimey

115 posts

201 months

Monday 15th March 2010
quotequote all
Another up for grabs...not cheap but possibly one of the best around, bare metal repaint and some nice mods. Lots of parts replaced..genuine car not shiney paint over crap. I spoke to the seller tonight, worth a chat to appreciate the work/quality of it.
You get what you pay for. Links to more pics at the bottom.

1989 Mustang GT For Sale !
Hey

Im going to keep this short as Possible, not Happy to sell my Pride and Joy but there comes a time when you need to move on in your life to do other things !

Have owned the car for the last 5 years and been through allot with it as you will get an i deer from my pics on the link.I don't believe there are many fox mustangs around that have had this much time and effort spent !

Well some details and the rest you can call me if you are interested !

Full strip and respray.Stock and original apart from Cervinis Cobra R hood Aeriel Delete and Cobra Tail light lenses Clear !

Stock 5.0 with 96000 miles and in perfect condition.BBK induction,65mm throttle body,AC eliminate and smog,Ford Racing Ally Rad,headers with bespoke Stainless exhaust .New Ford Battery 2 months !

AOD auto box. Full rebuild With Ford Racing Wide ratio Gear set ,new valve body and shift kit ,upgraded to AODE overdrive.TCI higher stall Street fighter torque converter.

Lovely interior with a few tasteful mods ! Back seat and roller blind can be but back in . Wheels Fully refurbished !

Eibach lowering springs ,polly bushes KYB gas struts on the rear.

Lots of other stuff So call me.01622 862058 or 07765400450 Or [email]mussey30@yahoo.co.uk
Car is near maidstone, Kent !

Im After £5500 ovno

Cheers

Paul See

Link for Pics . Any others you want let me know
www.flickr.com/photos/28516562@N04/

300bhp/ton

41,030 posts

197 months

Tuesday 16th March 2010
quotequote all
Cheers. Although an LX notch back would actually be my ideal spec.

If I'd seen it 5 weeks back I'd have probably bought it, but since then I've bought something else, so can't do anything too drastic straight off.

Cheers for the heads up though smile