What's Veeky Forums say about Fox Body Mustangs...

Sorry I'm late to the party.
I can give you a lot of heads up on the 79-93's
Both pro and con.
I'll check back in the morning, but I'll share my knowledge in a few free form beer induced posts right now.
Pic related.
And I already time-stamped when some user found my pic on a website, yes this is mine.

OP, fox body mustangs are great cars. Easy to work on, parts are cheap, a few bolt ons and they are pretty quick. Just understand that the newest fox is still 23 years old. Personally I'd stay away from the speed density ones if you plan on modding.

do not buy one with shock tower rust. Unless you are a great welder, avoid at all cost. Ask me how I know... I picked up the new frame rails from LMR and got quoted $1500 to fix the rust/instal new rails.

Pic related: my junk

Pros:
Massive power (more than you can make with an ls under $10k).
Second biggest aftermarket behind Chevy 350.

Cons
Like the guy above me said. RUST
Its everywhere.
Buy a welder.
If you live in an area with a lot of Hispanics, they'll ask you if you want to sell it daily.

Pro:
You can get a twEECer rt or Moates Quarter horse and tune it with a laptop.
Con:
If you do more than an intake upgrade, you need a twEECer rt or Moates quarter horse to get it to run right.

Pro:
You can get cobra spec chromoly t-5 tranmissions or t-6 adapters.
Con:
You'll blow you're transmission and have to buy a chromoly t-5 transmission or t-6.

Are you still using the Windsor? How much power are you able to get out of it?

My posts seem to have a running theme.
Awesome base to build a car from, but you'll be replacing/rebuilding everything until its a new car.
My buddy bought a 2007 Saleem. He spent half of what I did for my '90.
He has a nice car.
I have a faster car and I'm still working on rust and interior.
Fox's are for the builder. If you like the body style , buy one.
If you just want a pony car and don't want to restore a car, buy an sn95

I have '95 cobra R's on my fox btw
I hate those draglights

this guy is on point.

Me again.
Actually just looked at
One problem-
Those are pre-87 lights.
Lenses are the highest commodity in the fox world.
This car was rear ended.

*pre -87 tail lights.
Car was in an accident.
79-93 lenses all fit, but have various looks.
These are 84-86

Me again.
Even with red interior, there is no "black with red rub strips" color code.
Its a repaint.
BTW
I kinda miss that color. Mines black now.

Just wanted to clarify.
'89 had a black with a thin red band WITHIN the rub strip, but NOT the entire strip.
Gotta love lazy body shops leaving trails...

My posts look like I'm googling and trying to rationalize my last post.
Nope.
Just been drinking and have to re-read my posts a couple times and think about em.

I have that '89 also BTW.
'89 lx 5 spd, 82k original miles.
Black on black (with thin red strip).
Vintage- still has the rubber boot around the dizzy.
Only taken to the track twice (club night, was for fun, she ran 14.89's I think on be 285's)

My red one is a 89'as well, Was an auto I swapped to stick, 5-lug, few other odds and ends. 129k miles. Pulled the engine to tackle the shock tower rust, really want to do h/c/I but I'm not sure if I'll rebuild the bottom end or just put it back in.

At least do oil pump if you keep the bottom end.
And not some crappy meiland. Get a ford high volume standard pressure.
Fug it, blow the bottom end. Worse case scenario is 2 valves and a block. Everything else you would have replaced anyways.

Hey man its the only aluminum wheel for a 4 lug set up. Im not a huge fan either.
Yes and Im not 100% sure but I think it should be around 350 to 370 at the crank.

No i dont but I will post them sometime when my carb swap is done

Thats actually very fair for a clean one like that.

>What's Veeky Forums say about Fox Body Mustangs?
Not too shabby. Got a stock 90 and it's a decent car for what it is.

>Are they worth the $4+ plus for a clean stock example that most people are asking now?

Not at all. You're better off buying a modded one someone has already sunk some money into. Their performance is lackluster at best in stock form and there is no doubt you'll want to get more out of it. May as well find one that's already got some of the more expensive mods done for you.

>Can shock tower rust be stopped?

Yes... but is it worth is? Not at all. Find one in decent condition.

>Been looking for a cheap V8 DD in general if user has any suggestions, too.

Foxes are CHEAP to repair, but not particularly reliable. It's not hard to DD one, but I'd recommend a SN95/New Edge with the 4.6 for absolute bulletproof reliability. More costly to mod, but faster stock for stock, far more dependable and handling is much better.

I don't have them, but I far prefer them to the stock turbines on my shitbox.

I hate the SN95 styling. Found this though. Kinda cool with zero power options. Still overpriced considering you can get a 2002 for this.

boston.craigslist.org/bmw/cto/5652893623.html

>new edge 4.6 reliable
Lmfao.

There are so many fucking electrical problems with new edges it's not even worth considering them. They're also fucking slow.

God no that year of 4.6 is absolute dog shit

Get a G body for fucks sake.

Find a 454, throw a kit of spray on it and bolt it in.

Get a set of slicks, maybe some springs and shocks, and you now have a very quick street car for very, very little money.

Or just build a regular SBC for it and drop that in. It's a GM car, that was very popular for circle track racing, as well as extremely popular for drag racing. You can get any part you want for it, up to and including a brand new, off the shelf frame. Anything and everything is available for it to fit any budget, and a big block literally bolts in.

The only real problems are the stock trans, if they're the metric ones, are made of glass and need to be replaced. You might get lucky and find one with a TH350 already in it, which isn't a bad trans, but if it's all stock, chances are you'll want a new trans. On the plus side, you can typically find a 454 paired with a TH400 for $1500 or less, and the TH400 is pretty well indestructible.

Other problem is the stock 10 bolt rear end is also made of glass. Hook hard on slicks at full weight and it'll be time for a new one. A ford 8.8 will bolt in with the right parts, you could probably do it for under $1k if you didn't rebuild it before you put it in.

> so old it's got 4 eyes
> 230k miles I believe (5 digit odometer)
> Good for a northern car means there is still rust here and there
> Polished turd interior
> 20 footer paint job
> Truck tier 4-speed

> Stiff as a board
> Cammed, carbed H.O. swap with headers
> "Not a Mustang"
> $1,500

Been pretty happy with it as a backup / investment / project / weekend car

Why is the 4.6 better than the 5.0?

I'm a 4Th gen camaro guy who has always had a sweet spot in my heart for Fox bodies.

What makes the 4.6 better? I've always been under the impression that you avoid the 4.6 if possible and get the 5.0.

Never lost a drag race to a 4.6, but those 5.0s seem to give me a lot more trouble.

>fox body mustang
>cons

A 4.6 is better stock for stock just like he said
its a stronger block
it revs higher

only downside is the size and weight

pretty much everything is a con

there isnt many pros

Jaguar XK8. Just as cheap as the foxbody and has a reliable V8.

Pic related, not mine but very similar.

Got one 4 years ago for £2500 and I've done most of the maintenance myself. Car has never once let me down and has an exhilarating V8 sound.

20 footer paint job = only looks good from at least 20ft? never heard that lol

All of my want. I didn't realise these were so cheap until I looked them out.

>reliable

Hahahahaha. OK Nigel.

That user had theirs for 4 years. What personal experience do you have of one?

Damn benchracers.

It's summer, what do you expect? Bench racers everywhere!

kek!

Cobra R's come in 4 lug.
These were the standard 15 years ago. Actually kind of glad they're not on every mustang now, still have mine.

Hello.

I knew a guy named lee like 16 years ago and he had a fox body 5.0 red with white stripes and he told me for a ride and he smashed the gas and Dan I was hooked. The power was amazing. Nothing I felt before. It felt invincible. Like you could fly anywhere.

So yeah they are awesome.

Correct. Takes a good photo though. The guy I bought it from picked a great color which in addition to it being a Capri really initially got me watching his listing (started at $3900). Then when I finally got it down enough for me to go to WVa to look at it the quality of the paint was one of the minor cosmetic issues that brought it down to my final price. The guy was cool about it though even gave me the paint can he used with all the info for me to match it in the future. I think I may have already resolved to keep it out of the rain and towel it dry after washing because there's already some bead bubbles appearing on the roof.

That's what's on my Capri. Wish I could get cougar center caps.

Yeah but you try to find a 17 inch slick. Or a set of drag radials that will actually stick on 4k clutch dumps

Yours have ugly ass rivet holes in them.

Post yours then, faggot

I know it's the same engine in the Lincoln LS and those break down all the fucking time. I'm glad you're enjoying your stay on this website though. Just please clean up after yourself when summer's done.

>3rd gen camaro gross
>4th gen camaro looks okay

You're a straight fucking crack head. 4th gen doesn't even look like a fucking car. It looks like an catfish abortion. 3rd gen ain't no 1st gen but it looks fine for an 80's muscle car.

>*pre -87 tail lights.
OMFG!. Tell me about it.

Bought an 82 GT a few months ago and the seller managed to break the RS taillight in the hour between striking the deal and my returning with the money. He took a couple hundred off but just finding a lens worth a shit has been a total pain. All that I've looked at have had one problem or another and they still want $100+.

Yes they are small and light. Thats the main reason why people drag race them. If you can get a highway patrol car version they have no power anything and weigh

>Hey guys GM fanboy here tee hee
>just buy an older gm shitbox that is already half apart and will continue to fall apart
>do a complete swap of the entire drive train because the one it came with was shit
>have a "great" car after you sink 40k into it and years of your life
>still slower than a 25 year old fox with 10k in it.
GTFO of this thread and suck off your cousin faget.

>Jaguar XK8
>reliable
nice bait but, you cant seriously be this retarded.

>strut tower rust
Not economically repairable and probably never will be for any Fox since there are no extremely rare versions like COPO Camaros and the like.

Not only is the rust at the base of the strut tower it also compromises the subframe rail that the tower attaches to at the bottom. Even if there isn't any visible rust perforation of the tower on the engine side you have to check the suspension side for rust on the subframe rail at the bottom of the strut tower. The rail and the tower form a shelf on the suspension side and dirt builds up, keeping the area moist. Pic is from the engine side but you can see that rust has completely compromised the frame rail and probably extends down into the torque box area to the right in the pic.

its a wonderful car

do yourself a favor and but a supercharged one with Apillar reinforcement if you want a good one

they run from $9,000 to $15,000

on average look to spend between 11 and 12

God, I've been looking for a fox in the gulf coast area for almost 6 months now. Way to much garbage and way to many retards wanting 8k for their basically stock vehicle that's going to probably need a rebuild soon. The few I do find, the retards don't list a number and never respond to emails asking to see it and that I have asking price in cash.

I would buy that today if it was near me. Whatever they say for the odometer, add another 100k on it.

>sc400
Go for an ls400 from 92 or earlier, same motor but with thicker rods.
They're known to hold up to 600hp on stock internals

The seller's given me a lot of one-word responses but he says it's been repainted, has 1986 taillights, and he doesn't think it's been in an accident. For whatever that's worth.

Its slightly bigger than a 240sx, however they look really small in pictures.

Buy this instead: hartford.craigslist.org/cto/5652044486.html

...

No one's ever gonna make a small muscle car again, are they?

Not with CAFE regulations no. I4 turbos will be the best you'll get in light cars with short wheelbases.

>one word responses
You're dealing with the typical fox body hick. Prepare for a pile of shit that he knows what hes got cuz its pure american muscle buddy.

With crash tests getting stricter every year, I seriously doubt it

I love me some Foxes, but they're typical 80s/90s Ford and absolutely riddled with electrical problems, far worse than any New Edge. I've never owned a car that blows fuses faster and suffers from more electrical quirks than all of the Foxbodies I've owned.

Owned my fox for years and years and never had any of those issues. Perhaps you should take care of the things you own.

Eh I like my SN95.

GM is far more notorious for wire rot and foxes are much easier to run new wiring in, especially carbed ones.

I have a couple older style lenses.
You need driver or passenger side?
Post a pic and I'll see if I have a match.

I was trying to look at the pictures for some sign of rear end damage.
I do see something weird bewteenbottom rear corned of passenger side quarter glass and wheel well. In both pictures of passenger side.
It might have a slightly outward bow- if it does that's a sign of being rear ended.
Its also missing the trim/rub strips between wheel wells, both sides. That's 6 pieces- one for each door, one small piece on fenders. and another on rear quarter panel. Those are getting more difficult to find used.
I still think its been in an accident. Virtually nobody would take off the 87-93 lx lights.

Bumpity

How is this for body?

losangeles.craigslist.org/lac/cto/5641207147.html

It seems pretty decent from the pictures. I am leaning towards a 4 cyl for the gas mileage.

I also found a cobra on copart for only $2500 with the rear and engine intact. How blasphemous would it be to junk the cobra and stick all of it into a fox body? Cobra is probably repairable ( front end damage)

>I am leaning towards a 4 cyl for the gas mileage.

Dude what. Fox bodies aren't good cars. If you buy a Fox body it's to have a lightweight V8 platform. If you're buying a 4 cylinder you'd get more power and better handling from a Civic/Focus/Corolla/whatever.

Foxes are a wonderful introduction into the world of muscle cars. They apease to beginners and diehards alike. They're what got me into cars. Pic related is my project. Really gonna get into her guts and fix shit up next week. Got a whole week off

Ever seen a fox on Centras

get a Civic

itll be faster handle better look better get better mpg be more reliable and be better for modification

It would definitely would be a better 4 banger option. I'm not sure why anyone would get anything less than a V8 fox. The new ecoboosted engines are an exception

>I'm not sure why anyone would get anything less than a V8 fox.

I dont even like foxbodies and have an exception to that

D-dude why those wheels?

Or he could not buy a shitty ass old meme boat and have a decent car.

Idk why people on here recommend fucking lexus all the time, they're garbage.

>m-m-muh 2jayz
>m-m-muh vee8
Both of those engines are shit compared to an sbf/sbc/ls.

nigel pls

How big is your mullet, Cletus?

FOHD PIU-MAH

I'm a ford fanatic ™ and even I'm not going to go there.
Only reason to buy a 4 banger is for a non fubar'd shell to do a v8 swap.
Pot leaf headliner.
Aftermarket steering wheel (illegal to sell a 90' mustang with no driver side airbag)
Driver seat is beyond done.
Hid headlights (look up "mustang hid fires")
Mismatched rims.
I'd give him $1,000 if its straight and rust FREE (note, not to be confused with slightly rusted)

Well, the cobra donor car would have the IRS, 4 way disc brakes, and the supercharged engine is probably also swappable. Although I was leaning more towards a 4 cyl ecoboost if I could do the swap.

I was reading up on a project called ugly horse although it was never completed or fell off the map.

I thought so too, but upon closer inspection they appear to be palm trees. No airbag? Who cares. They dont do vehicle inspections in commifornia

Try to buy a fox with some mods atleast, exhaust intake stuff like that, you can get into rebuilt motors for like 8k where i live

Even a salvaged cobra , with a good rebuild, is 7-10k
So at 2,500 I'm guessing its a hard crunch.

Fuck it, I'm bidding on it. Although I think it is a steal even at $2500, but shipping will cut into that.

The cobra IRS is worth $1000-$1500. And the engine may run if it gets a new radiator. I don't have a dealer account and havent deposited money, so my max bid is only $1k. I would buy it at 2.5k now if shipping wasn't $1.5k

Fox body here I come.

copart.com/us/Lot/27952696

I like the fox platform, but Mustangs never really sparked my interest. As far as American/Euro motors go, the only thing in my experience that can top the 302 aftermarket parts availability is the LS family (Have mo experience with Japanese V8s).

Im a bigger fan of warm/hot sedans so I went the far less traveled Foxbody 302 path. I picked up an LTD LX. It's literally a 4 door mustang (with a very cool back story).

Only issue I have is those misc parts that go bad that arent made anymore (e.g. rub rails, weather seals, and interior bits...).

Guilty as charged :-\

I picked up a 1990 Lincoln Mark VII Bill Blass edition with 33,000 miles on it for $3200 from an old lady.
I've been repairing little things that have either warped or became non-functional under heat.
It hasn't really been that hard.

I even put a big fat 4 core radiator in it in under 30 minutes, literally.
They're great cars, and this one has barely any rust underneath and the shock towers are great.

I'm split between keeping it in a nice stock condition and maybe doing some longevity mods and making it into my first drag car with stroker kits through a 351W.

They're honestly good cars, all foxes are, but don't start believing the 5.0 is actually easy to fuck with. I was actually a little annoyed with little things my 4.6 didn't have problems with. But that was a towncar, and a lot larger engine bay.

Here's the condition I picked the car up in, and it's recently becoming my little success story.
I'm very happy to work on it, and playing in the fox aftermarket while also trying to get them to work in the mark vii is actually kind of fun.
I've got a little special snowflake car that's my new financial mistake and money pit.

Getting a work in progress fox platform isn't bad, just watch out for the key problems and make sure that drivetrain is fine.
If you're going AOD, like I was forced to, watch out for the overdrive band. I'm rebuilding a secondary transmission to put in now because of that.
If you lose overdrive your transmission is basically just a C4, so it aint so bad either.