why is that? what did they do in 85 that is an upgrade?

 

roller motor, more power, WC t5, but! it still had the weak 7.5" rear end so I would probably look at swapping that out with a newer '86+ 8.8"

 

i have my 28 spline 8.8 rear from my 04 sitting in my shed with the facory gears...if i just swapped in some like 4.10s would the 28 spline 8.8 be able to hold some DR's, or do u need the 31 spline to really launch like in my New Edge...

i still dont know wat this t5 is...is that the tranny? lol..and if i bought an 84 id want to convert to a roller motor...is it expenisve to convert to a roller?

 

It is a Borg and Warner T-5. They are rated somewhere around 235lbs of torque I believe, maybe a little more. The WC t-5 in my 93 is rated around 325.

I am not sure on the flycuts on the pistons in the 84 models. I know on the 85s and 86s most aftermarket aluminum heads supposedly can't be used.

The roller cam is a more desirable cam than the flat tappet. Still doesn't mean a flat tappet can't be made to run good.

If you want to be ahead of the game a bit, I would look into a 93 cobra. Only downfall is the pistons are not forged.

 

from the gathered information so far, it looks like maybe i should just pass on this and keep my eyes open for a deal on something a little newer? it just seems like the 84 is a little too much to get caught up to the other foxes, even if the mileage is extremely low... i guess i should seek something newer with the world class tranny unless anyone has anything good to say about this 84?

 

Yeah T-5 is the transmission.
Please keep it a four eye
Roller motor is more desirable: less wear, can rev higher...
The 8.8 out of your 04 will bolt up but the axles will be 5 lug while the foxes have 4 lug. Thats ok though becasue 5 lug swap is a common mod. However, the axles are slightly longer than the fox axles so they will stick out a little. Also it probably has disk brake which is also an improvement, but it will require a bigger booster.
Aftermarket heads can be used with pistons that dont have valve reliefs just have to be careful with ptv. Still choices out there though.