grindman620

Hey everyone,

I am a newbie to this forum, I actually have been on the Mustang********** forum for about a year now, so I am pretty familiar with the forum setup. Anyways, I have a 2008 Black 4.0 Pony that I picked up last year and I love it to death. My only problem is that its a 4.0 lol. I wanted a V8 of course, but being a college student cannot afford many aspects of it (gas, insurance, etc.). So I think the next best thing for me to do is buy a used Fox Body Mustang and work with that.

My questions for you guys is really going to help me with my decisions on buying one sometime soon. So I appreciate all types of feedback!


1. I have noticed that on a lot of websites that sell products for the 5.0's that most of their items are for "87-93". What about for example the 86 models? It seems like there is a lot less options for those years. Do you think I should stay with an 87+ Fox? I just want that availability for myself.

2. I am on a budget of course, but I am looking for the "cleanest" stang. Besides the obvious rust, or body damage and a clean engine bay, what else would you guys say is important to look for in shopping for a used Fox?

3. I have the option of possibly buying a used 1986 Mustang that started life out as a 4 cyl. , but now has a 302 in it (not sure exactly what year). Do you foresee any problems that may need to be addressed right away before I start to mod it the way I want to?

Well that's all the questions I have so far, so hopefully you guys can help me out here! Thanks a lot.

Shelty

2. check torque boxes, interior, rocker panels, mileage, and the general used car items... keep in mind, even a clean fox will have its gremlins and problems, they arent getting any younger, even the '93s are "old" in todays market...

also check for cracks in the floorpans, evidence of accidents, look for shoddy repairs, etc... like I said, typical used car stuff, take it for a test drive, listen for clunks, rattles (the interior will squeak and rattle lol) look for odd smoke, idle problems, etc...

grindman620

Yeah those are pretty much what I thought to look for. Thanks anyone else????

mstngsule68

if your interested in that car with v8 swap, make sure they upgraded the 7.5

DeltaElite121

check for rust under the back hatch as that's a common place for it, as well as everywhere else you'de normally want to look. I have no problems with swapped 5.0 stangs, but take a look around and make sure the swap was done correctly otherwise something is bound to give if it hasn't already. Get a mass air car if you can, as that will be easier on you (engines 89 and up had these, 88 and prior has speed density or carbureted). Mass air responds much nicer to modifications as opposed to it's speed density counterpart.

Just a few other things I can really think of in terms of value... T-top cars are great, just look for signs of leaks and all that, as well as fitment of the t-tops so nothing weird is going on there. LX's are awesome, GT's are too.. Convertibles are much slower because of design differences (obviously) and additional weight.

If it's a 5-speed I would definitely drive it for a bit because T-5's (the stock transmission) aren't THAT strong, and can blow up fairly easy if you're not nice to them and you're dumping the clutch and banging on it all the time.

grindman620

So one of the more important issues to check with a swap stang like that is for the gears to be up to par? Anything else guys??? lol

What about the availability of parts for the 1986 Fox? Has anyone found this to be an inconvenience or do most 1987+ work for the 1986's???

grindman620

Thanks for the info and help DeltaElite121 I appreciate it!

Timspony

Take the car out for a run an make sure the runs well, has good engine power and check to make sure everything works...plenty of OEM and aftermarket parts for the '86 Coupe...I just sold a '86 converted Coupe!

DeltaElite121

No worries Oh, and don't be afraid of the older model mustangs. STOCK they have less horsepower, but since you're planning on modifying the car anyways that makes little difference. Just buy what you like. If you like fuel injected, buy an 89-93. If you like Carbureted, go older. If you can score a nice T-top car, I'd grab that. You don't see them often, and if you really wanted to you can make the older style 80's models look like a the late style 80's and early 90's since most of the parts are interchangable.

Either way you'll be happy with your purchase. I came from chevy, and while I still own all my cars - my mustang is definitely unique. You can spot a 5.0 from half a mile away without even having to see it. Just the sound is a dead give-away, and it's always a nice feeling when you have something very distinctive

btw: welcome to the forums. Hope you like it here, as there's alot of useful stuff on this site and alot of nice people you can meet on this site.

grindman620

Timspony thank you for the info! And DeltaElite121 thank you for the warm welcome! See I guess my main concern is just finding parts that will work with the 86 Fox. Just from lightly looking at the different online vendors I see mostly "87-93" parts.

And I have an update btw! The guy that might be selling me his 1986 5.0 did not do a conversion. I had him mixed up with another guy I was talking with. So this is what he said:

"the v8 is the stock engine from 1986... it is all orioginal has 45k miles ont he whole car... this is not a swapped mustang. the gears are whatever they came with stock in 1986. 2.73 i believe or 3.07's and it does have the factory posi."

The body looks like its in excellent condition too. I will be checking it out soon hopefully. And he is going to send me some shots of the interior and engine bay. I will keep you guys posted. But how does that sound? Seems like very low miles!