Why The 1982-1993 Ford Mustang GT Never Reached Its Full Potential
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 พ.ค. 2019
- The 1982-1993 Ford Mustang GT was one of the great performance cars of its era. Not only did it provide great performance at the time but it did so for such a reasonable price. However as great a performance car the 1982-1993 Mustang GT was for the money, it unfortunately never reached its full potential. Here are the reasons why the 1982-1993 Mustang GT was never able to reach its full potential.
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That car's shortcomings were an aftermarket supplier's dream.
Still are.
There were a few Mustang specific magazines, including two I remember devoted to late-model Mustangs, 'Muscle Mustang and Fast Fords' and '5.0 ...' (can't remember the full name). The amount of aftermarket parts was astounding, and they were even street legal (many in California). So, Ford saw fit to offer the Mustang as a proverbial blank canvas, leaving the price low.
@@culcune Agree, I respect Ford's decision to keep the price affordable and the weight low. And I don't think there was a single year where the Camaro outsold the Mustang so it's a bit misleading the treat the car as if it was a failure.
I completely agree, maybe Ford learned something from the 1960's.
Ford cars were a little more expensive than the competition but you could buy any conceivable performance part over the counter. SOHC 427, Tunnel Ports, Cross Boss, to virtual tunnel rams, superchargers, everything a gear head wanted. Chevy none. The aftermarket did not compete with Ford so no parts were developed. When Ford quit racing, there was nothing but left overs. The aftermarket had filled the shelfs over at Chevy. In the 70's Chevy took over even though Ford had Bos Hemi's etc., but no aftermarket. @@paulfrantizek102
To this day.
those fox body had the best looking duel exhaust with the sound to match
Yeah i have an 88 GT now with low miles and stock exhaust, and your right it has a sound of it's own. But 🇺🇸 MERICA
🇺🇸
The LX , my gt had those stupid bent pipes under that horrible body kit
FACTS!!!
The exhaust note of the 5.0 liter Mustangs was absolutely distinctive. You knew exactly what type of car it was without even seeing it.
fox body stang with flowmasters, one of the best sounding motors ever made
rob duncan I had a neighbor that had one when I was a kid, that thing was hog Heaven to the ears
Yup I gotta agree. Always loved them and I am a Chevy guy.
My 88 gt had BBK headers, h-pipe and two chamber Flowmaster mufflers. It was awesome. Especially with the Crower cam with a built motor. Sounded fantastic.
rob duncan I had Dynomax Super Turbo mufflers on my 1990 GT. Also had the BBK equal length headers, B303 cam and GT40 intake and later the Dart heads. Fun!!😁
I had a black 1989 5.0 LX convertible with flowmasters, probably the only one in Germany at that time. Mustangs were not sold in Europe back then, so I had to import one from the US.
I had a 1992 GT and sold it for pennies on the dollar - one of my biggest regrets. After doing a head/cam/intake swap it never ran right and never had the power it should have. The timing would jump all over with the spout connector out. I chased this problem for 2 years and got so mad I sold the car for dirt cheap because I just wanted it gone. Sold it to a local mustang forum member and he sent me a message 3 days later saying they found the problem and a wire was grounded in the wrong spot and it was running a lot better. Biggest kick in the nuts ever.
You shouldve taken it to someone who knew what they were doi g
That $8,300 price in 1982 is equivalent to less than $22,000 today. For a GT!
My dad paid 8 grand for a 1981 Mazda 626
That shows how weak the dollar has become.... and greedy car companies are ...
Patrick Achord He's probably kicking hisself now lol
REDVETTExxx Yes, the fact that used cars are so expensive here compared to Europe is sad enough
If I had money, I'd buy one as a long term store of investment money. One that has not been customized. Pure stock, numbers matching model.
Back in my military days I had a cherry red 93 GT hatch. I kept the car looking stock on the outside. I modified the brakes, rear end, headers exhaust, shifter, cooling, and the 302 quite a bit. That car would absolutely pound the ground, and man was it a chick magnet.
Nobody cared about suspension and brakes back then. They just wanted to see that 5.0 on the side...
A few four-lunger owners got a 5.0 sticker to slap on...not much they could do about the single soda straw under the rear bumper. But the Fox Body came out pre-Pro Touring, and was aimed at former muscle car owners who went in a straight line. The Mustang was a cheap blank slate--pay the dealer to put on GT-40 parts, leave it stock, ditch the air silencer and bump the timing, it was up to you to make it what you wanted, just like the muscle cars had room to improve.
U got that right Greg as ling as I had a radio and a few bucks for burgers n 92 octane gas with can of 108 I was good o o n seat belts for safety 😜
So true...we only addressed these cars as "5.0" whenever we talked about them vs a Camaro or something.
Actually a lot of prople cared about brakes, suspension, and handling "back then". They are the people who bought sports cars.
Uh... un-true statement- those of us that wanted a well-rounded car bought a TPI 3rd Gen F-body. A hair slower stock vs, stock... but stopping and handling seemed light years ahead. I owned several of both brands BTW. Both were a blast to drive too!
Bought my 1992 Ford Mustang LX hatchback back in August of 93. Still have it with very minor modifications. It outlasted the wife.
Most cars last most wifes
Man in 10 years I got divorced twice yet my mustang still with me ❤
Lol
Question: How do you turn a FOX into an Elephant?
Answer: Marry her !!!!
Lesson: Marry your car !!
I had a 88 lx 5.0 and a 93 lx 5.0. And both were great cars. 373 gears with a 5 speed manual 😎
Hard to believe the stock HP was 225 when there are many v6 and 4 cylinder engines now that produce more. That was THE car to have in the late 80's with maybe only the Buick Grand National or Corvette (the yucky C4). Of course if one had the money, the 911 was dope and the supercars kind of go without saying...but I said it anyway (?!)
boy, 3.73 gears...that'll make 1 st gear a wall-crawler :) A lot of people and some dealership special models just swapped in an automatic's rear axle for the 3.27 screw. As for the HP rating, yeah, no one back in the day would imagine a naturally aspired V6 making 300 hp. Of course, the Windsor's secret weapon wasn't HP, it was torque. Small port heads, smaller valves than a Chevy small block, and those long runners that ran out of breath after 4500 RPM but pulled that lightweight car from off idle to mid 13 seconds with a supertune.
LX 5.0 coupe was the wolf in sheep's clothing. Low profile
@@Bonzi_Buddy Cars werent about the HP it was the put u in the seat tourque these things made were why u didnt want none from a stop
I had a 1990 LX 5.0 with manual. Once I put 3:55's in the rear end, I was getting 3rd gear wheel spin. Fun times!
Had a 89 LX 5.0 manual at the age of 19, amazing im still alive to talk about it!
PatientMental 👍🏼 Me too. Mine was a 1990 GT
88lx notch.. at 19 years old....can't believe I'm alive.
@@zimmzttocs I know man, i went thru a fence, spun around on a narrow bridge, buried the 140mph speedo on many occasions on bald tires! Best days of my life lol
Ford didn't spend much money updating the Fox Mustang's performance in the early '80s for one simple reason: they had planned to kill the Mustang as a rear wheel drive 'pony car' around 1986. It's replacement was to be a Japanese-sourced two door coupe with either a 4-cylinder or a V6. There was public outcry from enthusiasts...including me. When I read about Ford's plans for the Mustang, I sent them a letter begging them not to 'kill' their pony car. I was 12 years old. Much to my surprise, Ford sent me a letter back...along with a little Mustang t-shirt! Of course, Ford eventually changed their minds. The replacement for the RWD Mustang was too far along in development to be terminated, so it was sold alongside the Mustang. It was known as the Ford Probe.
Since Ford had not planned to update the Mustang's platform, the old platform soldiered on until 1993. Every time I see a new fire-breathing Mustang rumbling down the street it makes me smile. I like to think 12-year-old me had a tiny part in that car's existence!
It really soldiered on until 2004. The SN95 was just mildly refresh of the Fox platform. There are plenty of mechanical bits on a 2004 Mustang that will fit a 1978 Fairmont.
@@FoDaddy Very true!
I'm glad I enjoyed owning two Probes, an 89 LX NA 4 banger and a 90 LX with the 3.0 Vulcan V6. Totally different car than the Stang of the time. With wider 215 60 14s, those Probes handled like they were on rails. I'm grateful the Fox platform lived on long after Ford wanted to kill it off. My 04 Screaming Yellow vert wouldn't be here today. Peace, John
Rolling in my five point O with my ragtop down so my hair can blow.
Ah yeah
Vanilla .... ice , ice , ice baby
Cheesy. A 302 GT deserves something like Judas Priest. Foot down, driving hard. Not some wanna-be in his fugly modified whip just to preen his ego.
The girlies didn't stand by waiting just to say hi... did you stop? Nope I just drove by.
Back when we had hair....
I had two fox Mustangs back in the early 90's and 86' LX and an 89' GT convertible, both were good cars. I'm more of a Trans AM guy but I do have a soft spot for the Fox Mustangs.
I had a 91 formula 5.7L new...walked all over 5.0s stock...and the foxes...always seemed busy at speed...constant steering corrections...that said owned 67, 95 gt's and 97 gt conv
As "The History Guy" would say, "Then this is the channel for you!"
My father still has his 86' GT and his 89' GT, I grew up in those cars as a kid. It wasn't until he showed me his first Brand new car a 80' Firebird Formula. From there it was Pontiac love since
@@johnhull6363 My 5.7s would walk all over a stock GT also, wasn't a race! Thank you buddy
Yeah, my first car was a 67' Mustang 289 Coupe, I got that car at 15 in 93'. Plus my moms first car was a 67' Mustang coupe too. So there may be some sentimental association with Mustangs, however, I can remember the first time I saw a used Trans Am in an Auto Trader, it was a white 77' and that was it. I thought that was the best looking car. Then, about a year later I saw Smokey and the Bandit, and It was Pontiacs, more specifically Firebirds that were #1 for me. lol
I still have an 88 LX 5.0 that I bought new in 1988. Garage kept and well taken care of. So glad I kept it.
Swing it
I remember the Connecticut state police using the 5.0 LX in the 1980's. What a great looking car. Enjoy!
I have a 1991 Camaro RS 305 in the garage. 63,000 miles, Only comes out on nice days. We need to keep these old cars on the road.
Had a 1990 Ford Mustang LX 5.0 notchback. It was my very first new car. It had a Strawberry Metallic Paint Job. And I bought of the show room floor. Couldn't stop
driving it. Loved hearing that 5.0 V8 run. At the time I had mine North Carolina State Troopers had a few of them.
Yeah I was a sometimes victim of those NC troopers. One lived across the street from me that had one of those for a while. He wasn't all that neighborly when I smoked tires in the neighborhood...lol
I think Ford was more concerned about sales than performance! Aftermarket companies can modify a 1982-1993 Mustang GT to make well over 300 horsepower (in some cases, over 400-500 horsepower)!
I’ve had 7 Fox bodies, 6 verts, 1 hatch. 5 speeds were always better to drive. Nothing like dropping the top and cruising. And everyone is right, the sound was/is the best sounding V8.
I’m a proud owner of a 90 LX Hatchback 5.0 and in High school I owned a 79 Notchback👍
1979 The Indy pace car.
@@zzygyy Did you have one? I had a turbo 2.3 Ghia notch. Never got it running right. Also had a 79 Ghia 5.0 notch :)
Its called a coupe .
Don’t ever sell it. You’ll regret it trust me.
E. P. I know I regretted selling my Notch back
Thanks for this video! Love the 80s-90s comparison's!
You give such well organized and very well-researched commentaries.
I had an ‘86 turbocharged SVO with the 5-speed back then. Man, did I love that car.
I had an 86 SVO too. It was so easy to tack another 50 HP onto those SVOs. I think I bought a junkyard T-Bird intercooler, an adjustable fuel pressure regulator and a 25 cent aquarium air bleeder valve. Turned the boost up to 20 PSI and I had a whole different animal that ran dead stock when not under boost
Nice was wondering if you would do this one! Makes me miss high school!
When I was a kid that was the car (or the much lighter LX) to have. Bolt on a Paxton supercharger and hit the strip.
Stormin’ Norman Gray anyone?
I remember him, used to read about him in Muscle Mustangs and Fast Fords/5.0 Mustang magazines in the 90s early 2000s.
In the first few years (87-88 I think) you could get the LX without A/C and hand crank windows. The Notchback so equipped was I think 120 LBS lighter than a GT if I remember correctly.
Stormin' Norman Gray was one of the leading 5.0 racer 1988 and 1989 the White GT convertible . Other Racer was Nitrous Pete Misinsky, Ronnie Crawford, Gene Deputy owner of Texas Turbo , Steven Grebeck and many other who I fail to mention these guys took 5.0 performance to hold another levels . The 5.0 is one of the most modified cars in history . I had a 1989 lx hatchback the first year with mass-air flow and the high back bucket seats . One of the best car I've ever owned . Hate I sold it .
@@fstblack1229 Yeah those guys were fast. But Norman was cool. And that's more important. 😁😁😁
@Herbert Wingfield I grew up with a guy that had his stripped LX heavily massaged by L.W. "Knot" Farrington. That car was so ridiculously fast it could run with a lot of cars today. I don't know the power but I do know that it kept blowing built Ford 9" rear ends. GOOGLE L.W. "Knot" Farrington. He had more land speed records that I can count. When I was a kid his shop housed a dozen or so of his streamlines. He'd occasionally fire one up for us and set off every car alarm for blocks.
The Mustang of my youth. there were so many of these parked in my high school parking lot, mine included. Despite all of it's shortcomings I will always love the fox body Mustangs(GT or not)
Great car ; 93 LX 5.0 373 Electric Red.
Just like a Jeep , a Harley etc ...... an after-market dream
I loved these cars my dad got one for a rental in 1990 when his GMC truck was stolen from work we both failed in love with the 5.0 Gt"✌👍😎🤘
I think the Fox body Mustangs were just fine the way they were. Love these cars!
You would be in a very tiny minority. Ford has to sell these cars in volumes of thousands for the vehicles to be profitable. It costs the same to operate a metal stamping machine for one set of body stampings as it does for thousands, so Ford has to spread the development costs over thousands of vehicles. You're also overlooking the fact that car shoppers were also cross shopping the Mustang against newer cars, whether or not they offered a V8 or rear drive (not going to put out the list here, too many cars were comparably and in the Mustang's low to mid-teens price point). It should also be noted that the Fox Mustangs tied the Chevrolet C3 Corvette and the 1973 - 1988 Chevrolet C/K truck for production longevity, exceeded only by the Ford "bullnose" pickups/Bronco (1980-1996) and then only exceeded by one model year. Despite the car's obvious advantages, primarily performance, low cost and a better interior in the last production models, these cars were seriously outdated. Competing vehicles don't remain static, and buyers notice. Change is inevitable, even if it means keeping an aging platform in production with a heavily overhauled model. In fact the SN95 fourth generation model, on a heavily revised Fox4 platform, isn't really an all new car, but an overhauled car with an all new body and interior, and a minor change in the wheelbase. At least Ford put the Fox body out to pasture with a bang, referring to the one year only '93 Fox Mustang Cobra street car and Cobra R race car.
Back in the 90's I had an '84 ex hwy patrol with the 5.0 H.O. and a 5 speed and it was one of the funnest cars I ever owned.
I had an '85 ex-CHP; however I had owned an '86 Capri 5.0/5-speed, and when I bought the '85, had a '93 GT; the '85 felt archaic in comparison mainly because of its carb and the low-grade seats which were very uncomfortable as compared to the '86 and '93 seats. Don't get me wrong, it was a good car, and one I should have held onto (same with the '86 Capri, and '93 GT), but I was already spoiled with the 'upgraded' Fox bodied cars.
@@culcune Yeah, there was just something fun about the pre 86 carbed ones, even though they weren't as fast as the later 80's and 90's ones. I was 19 and it was plenty fast enough to get me into trouble haha
@@ssimon64 great car, but got spoiled with my '86 Capri. I actually liked my Capri better than my '93. I should have bought a crate motor and supercharger for the Capri and played around with the cop car, but I was young and dumb!
Yes I remember Jay Leno having one of those on the show and it was specifically made for CHP And had a 5.0 before the production models I think
@Mike DeMarco lol...what I said!
Still driving my 89 :)
Hindsight is always 20/20. I had a '92 GT 'vert w/a 5 spd & most of the bolt on goodies. I still miss it.
The foxbody actually came out in 79.
The '79 was actually designed and built by Ford in '74 but wasn't put into production until 1979.
True, but this guy is talking specifically about the GT. Even though the 79 Pacecar had the same (similar) air dam and 302 V8.
GT
Kyle White pace car hood is a cowl type hood this is a reverse cowl
Watch the video dummy
I had a 91 GT back in highschool. Graduated in 94. Car was awesome. Threw on some heads, steeda #18 cam, gt40 intake, long tube headers, staggered skinny up front weld wheels and 3 autometer gages set in chrome cups on the hood. Brings back so many memories of hanging out at checkers on PowerLine Rd, then heading out to Lester's to find out who was all talk.
Nothing on earth like a foxbody
I think you should make a Vlog in response to this video. 👍😁
Eddie Z I should..... 🤔☝️
Best model look of mustangs period!!!!! Still love that look and the 05 to 09 look 💯 👌
i have a 07 ragtop love it has 34k on it im the second owner i live up north this car never seen snow and as long i have owned which is 4 yrs now no rain either once the top goes down stays down until i put it away for winter
I love this Mustang Fox Body. SVO 1985 and 1986 is my favorite and dream car and Mustang GT 85, 86, 87, 88 and 92 is my year favorite
@@ironeagle2526 Nice👍💯 I got a 06 gt 2nd owner and it has 109 k PLUS miles great classic look!!!👍💯
@@fernandorocha6486 mine too same years💯👍 my FIRST car was a white v4 91 lx automatic mustang i fixed it up made it look like it came out the dealership SUPER CLEAN it had 144 k miles when i had it use on 02 great car for a fresh just turned 14 year old kid!!!
Got my first '83 GT in 1993 when I was 18.
Bought an '89 GT in '98.
Then I got an '07 Modular Powerhouse Series 1 in 2010.
I bought an '82 GL early last year and an '83 GT that I own now. It's my daily driver. We make a 560 mile round trip every week for the last 8 months.
Between ages 16-20 I owned 3 fox body Mustangs. 2 GTs. 1 LX. Bought them all with my own money... I still love those cars.
Late 80's and early 90"s the only cars that scared me were the Grand Nationals, you had no clue till the race was over
Joe G yep I had a 5.0 89 and my friend bought a 87 Regal T-Type even more Undercover and he dusted me long story short I got a Grand National
Your videos are great! Like a stroll down memory lane!
My 92 Gt Vert still Turns Heads at every stoplight,, Foxbodys are fun to drive and sound beastly with Flowmasters or Slp 1s
SLP 1 is too loud
If it reached it's full potential I might have been typing this comment to you on the back of a ouija board 🤣 Thank u man for another gr8 video
Lol..that was good 😂
Knew a guy in the early 90's who had an LX model with a 5.0 and some goodies done to it. Pretty quick car and a real sleeper, took the 5.0 tags off the side and painted the tail pipes flat black.
You can beat them up on the 4 lug all you want but it was still a better rear then Chevy had. Basically the same as a Chevy 12 bolt and the studs were an easy fix. I ran 5/8 studs and never had a problem. The stock axles would even break before the stock studs would.
It was an easy 13sec car stock if it was a 5sp. Set of gears, tires, short belt, and few basic bolt on's and they ran low 12s if you could drive. Do a head, cam and power adder on the stock short block and you had a 9sec car and drive it anywhere. Those cars have hurt many feelings over the years lol.
Forget about it fully modified. Mustang vs Buick and Mustang vs Camaro were good times back then. Although it was mostly gen 1 and 2 Camaro's you had racing back then. There were so many mustang's they had to add Firebirds in with the Camaro's to even out the field some. Just a crazy time. So popular they had their own events the like FFW, WFC and NMRA which is still going on for about 20 year now.
The fact that it was a four lug wheel had three limitations: 1) they were weaker for high performance applications. These were fine for the street, but many owners took these drag racing and when you put too much power on these axles, you're luck if you just lose your wheels or your axles. Losing control over the rear wheels could result in disaster for the driver and anyone near the vehicle. 2) the four lug wheels limited your wheel options, especially if you wanted to go up a larger wheel size for better braking and handling. 3) the smaller wheels limited your rear brake options, especially if you wanted to put larger discs on all four corners. Some big brake kits required you to upgrade to a larger wheel size in order for them to fit inside the wheel. Even GM and Chrysler recognized the limitations of four lug wheels for their sporty subcompact products and eventually upgraded those cars with five lug wheels. Meanwhile Ford stuck with four lug wheels for all Mustangs except for the SVO, even going with rear four lug drums for the GT.
I had a 89with a built five point o and it was wicked!!!!!
I’m still daily driving my 1989 Mustang GT and continue to beat pretty much every car at the stoplight in stock trim with 175,000 miles!
Thanks for the insight on the return of the Mustang GT. I like how you credit its significance and lead us to the alternative possibilities. Great Video!
Ford Fox Body was a Great car much better than it's competition the IROC Z28 ….. Irocs had had valve guides and smoked from the Factory, prematutre fuel pump failure , Electric Fans...the list can go on Forever.
Yep... and OF COURSE...the Gov't Bailed THEM (GM) out...
I was always a big fan of the 5.0 coupes. The GTs and especially the GT convertibles were cool but I never liked the ground effect body panels and the turbine wheels. (Michael Douglas' character in Basic Instinct drove a burgundy color GT convertible.) I just always like the stripped-down look of the 5.0 LX coupes with the alloy wheels.
The wolf in sheep's clothing Mustang.
mindeloman Alloy wheels? The turbines, ten holes and ponies are all aluminum. The turbines are hard to keep clean so I swapped '91-'93 ponies on my '89 GT.
Mike Demarco The LX debuted in '84. In '82-'83 it was called GLX. In the old days you could get Hi-Po V8s without having to pay for a GT or whatever "package."
This car was a straight line killer
My 86 LX notch fox was my first car, and I'm slowly gathering the parts to do a 93 suspension swap with a built 69 351W a built T5 and posi 8.8 with 373 gears. I expect it give modern Mustangs a hard time.
These body styles grew on me as decades zoomed by 👍🚗
I've own mine for 21 year's. It's more reliable then my 01 Blazer.
Lol.
Those blazers are junk
Brings me back to college in the mid nineties. The big thing on campus were 87 style Mustang GT's. The roar of Flowmasters were everywhere.
I remember when the California Highway Patrol used the 5.0's.... Awesome vehicles!
J P: Popular Mechanics magazine had a story about the California Highway Patrol Mustangs. I think it was printed some time in the mid 90's.
So did the FHP, today they use 5.7L Chargers.
You invest in some upgrades in shocks and control arms, a rear disc brake conversion, larger front discs, I/H/E, and some bigger, better tires, for just a couple thousand you have turned this car into a serious performer. It’s light weight, easy to work on, easy to modify, and parts are cheap.
What’s not to like?
I still love my '83 Mustang convertible and it always draws a crowd but the quality is abysmal.
When I had my 5.0 4 speed Pace Car in the late 80’s there was a limited number of aftermarket wheels available for it because of the 4 bolt hubs. The Mark 7 was built on the Fox platform and was built with 4 wheel disc brakes and 5 lugs in 1984. I wonder how many of those parts interchanged with the SVO?
Bought a used 89GT Convertible from a lawyer guy in Louisville Kentucky for $5400 back in 99. Only had 64k and he wanted it gone because he had 2 new Mercedes Benz and needed the parking space ! Had BBK short headers installed and 17” Ford Racing Cobra R satin wheels and BBK underdrive pulleys ! Also had a late 89 140mph speedometer to replace the stupid 85mph one !!! That car was awesome !
Yep, still my favourite opening titles of any Tube channel.
Stephen Brady ...I always look forward to it. It puts you in the right mood to look at the classic iron.
yea dont want those 4 lugs flying off from that amazing 157 BHP
Hah!, My Fairmont straight six has 72 hp.
157HP was '82 only which only had a 2V carb and it made 12 more HP than '82 Camaro with a 4V and was quicker in the quarter mile.
These 5.0 were underrated.
I had an '88 for 25 years: it was my first new car. What a great car that was: yes it was quick and nimble, but it was also easy to live with. With the EFI and the overdrive manual, it got decent gas mileage: mid twenties on the highway, better than many much slower cars back in that era. It was extremely reliable: I drove it almost 220,000 miles and it was only on the hook once, well towards the end. It was great out a long trip: out on the highway it made a lot of miles without working very hard. Not the best choice in a snow storm, but I knew that even before I ordered it.
Love these Mustangs. I have an 89 Iroc 5.7, but had I found a 5.0 in the condition of my Iroc... I may have bitten.
Great channel, you do nice work....your perspective is always right on...please continue! Stay lubed and torqed
Thanks! 🇨🇦
Ford was winning the sales race so they didn’t see the need for the 5.8. Also the hood on the 87-93 were too low and would require a raised hood (I believe this was one concern).
I also wish Ford would have added the 351 to the T-Birds during those years. Maybe that will be my next project
The author of the video does not get into it, but when the 87 5.0 and later became the rage, all the owners did the "10 minute tune up" on their car. That was removing the intake silencer in the fender, which made it breath better, and increase the base timing to 13 degrees(they called for 10 degrees advanced from the factory, but allot were only set to 7- 8 degrees advanced). What a difference those changes made(for the time). Guys would go further with a K&N air filter, a "short belt" which bypassed the power steering and smog pumps, underdrive pulleys, and Flowmaster mufflers(I ran Walkers on mine to be different). The LX was the way to go over the GT thanks to less weight with all that body cladding. Badass little cars, and 13 second quarter mile times became common. The "Godfather" of the 5.0 Mustang movement was Tony Defeo. He was a writer at Cars Illustrated magazine, a Mopar lover by trade, who bought a stripped 87 Mustang LX 5.0-just the 5.0 option, no air conditioning, no power windows, zilch! He got his car into the mid 13s by some of the above stuff, and disconnecting his front sway bar for weight transfer to the rear wheels for a harder launch. Powershifting the manual T-5 was mandatory! Cars Illustrated gave rise to Muscle Mustangs and Fast Ford's Magazine which sold until just a couple years ago and is only an online magazine now. I did forget one other popular upgrade, the ring and pinion gear. The Mustangs in manual form came with a 2.73 or 3.08 rear axle ratio. 3.55 or 3.73 gears helped greatly. Later on, the supercharger craze took over with Paxton, Vortech, and others fighting for your dollars. Ford offered a ton of parts to hop up your car from their Ford Motorsport catalog, and a ton of other aftermarket companies responded making everything for the cars, from heads to exhaust upgrades, intake manifolds etc. Relatively inexpensive new, a teenager could afford one, and a ton of support from Ford and the aftermarket made those cars legendary.
My 1993 svt cobra with a 15 psi Procharger with intercooleer outperforms most other cars!
How dare you molest a 93 cobra !! Lol
Very interesting video, but you need to learn about brevity :P you don't need to say "the 1982 to 1993 Ford Mustang GT" every 5 seconds, we know what you're talking about if you just say "the Mustang" or "the fox-body GT"
and he whispers just his style
Nikki Wright couldn’t agree with you more.
Facts
That's right girl you tell them mustangs forever lol hahahaha 💍 by the way will you marry me😌
Had an 88 GT 5 speed. All the factory options you could get. Bought it from the original owner. Loved that car. Solid performance all around. Enjoyed the versatility of the hatch. Kept it completley stock.
I have 92 LX Convert Auto 3:27 and 93 GT Manual 3:08 both low milage with every factory option available, bought many years ago. Every time I take one out to drive someone puts there business card under wiper blade wanting to buy. NEVER! So much fun to drive.
I love my 91 Foxbody GT 5.0
Um, the Mustang fox platform actually ran from 1979...to 1993.
And yes, the 4 lugs were a disappointment, but there is no evidence the 5 lug set up, is better than the 4... accept for maybe rim selection..and I guess rear disc brakes.
J PP I was waiting to see if somebody else would point that out. 79, indeed. Haha
He's talking about the GT version. Not the anemic base model. Duh.
Soooo they nvr made a gt before 83? Duh! Lol
@@lokisgodhi yeah, I guess he DID say the GT....duh!
I still stand by my 4 lug comment though.
Actually 78 was the first Fox body platform on the Fairmont
I had a 93 5.0. Amazing factory car that was ready to upgrade.
Purchased an 88' GT new back in May of 1988.$13800 with a 5speed.Loved that car!
E Meyer I still have mine, black on black conv. 5 speed
It’s my second favorite mustang after the original . Today you get that kind of power from a 4 banger my wife’s Kia Optima is 185 HP
A stock Fox Mustang could get smoked by some newer minivans. As far as power goes, these are the good old days. The new Mustangs have so much power, that it isn't even usable without getting yourself locked up. The days of really being able to wring out your car are long gone when a stock muscle car can hit triple digits in 10 seconds.
But I bet the Kia doesn't make 300ft-lb of torque @3200 RPMs. 😉
Funny!I had an 88' GT back in the day and a 13' Optima that I just got rid of.
Eddie Z not the optima, but the Stinger puts out 376 ft lb at 1300 rpm.
Age and Treachery No minivan does low 14 sec 1/4 miles.
Well.... honestly... it was a modder’s dream! What’s the point in offering good stock parts when they are going to be dumped in nanoseconds for what was one of the biggest aftermarket markets in automotive history.
WoW ! What an idea ! 260 cv in the 90s would have upped the muscle car world big time. Those are 2000s numbers. You said they were selling more than Camaro, there was no need to change anything, they had hit the jackpot all ready.
Great video. One must remember that Ford is in the business of selling cars. Their cars have to appeal to as many people as possible and they have to be profitable and conform to safety mandates. Only a small segment of the public would have been clamoring for 5 lug wheels, rear disc brakes and the 5.8 liter engine. Add to that the fact that many engineers felt that 300 lb-ft of torque in a small car like the Fox body Mustang was dangerous enough. I think they felt they had a hit, don't mess with it.
My best friend got a brand new ‘91 GT 5 speed, blue with grey lower rocker panels during the summer between our Texas junior and senior years in high school....AMERICA RULES.
by 1993 the F-BODY cars were blessed with a 275 horsepower LT1 V8,and 6-speed gear box.
Was the 6 speed out that early?
Time flies I guess but I thought it was later in the 90's for the 6 speed.
@@PsalmFourteenOne 1993 was the first year for the Camargo and t/a. the corvette had it in 1990
I had 5 brand new Mustang Gts and was completely satisfied with them all! Who needs more that 225 hp??!!
Dennis Bowers idiots!
CC Ryder buy you a new one! They offer a lot more power!
CC Ryder I really don’t care lol
Finally a honest assessment on. The fox & Camaro ! I had a 82 gt 2bbl 5spd that beat camaros's 5.7 & dusted the 5.0 ! A few vettes got shamed too
I never could understand why so many people purchased those over the Capris.
They were too upmarket. Defeated the purpose of the fox
Cheaper.
Alot of people don't like the Capri grille - I never hated the grille but I've grown to like them more over the years. They also don't like the rear of the '83-'86 Capri - the bubble hatch doesn't bother me too much but the '83-'86 taillights and rear bumper cover just don't do it for me. Mustangss were more aerodynamic as well.
I'm building an '83 Capri now, putting on '79-'82 Capri taillights and bumper cover, though.
Fox body: started in 1979.
Yeah, Mustang Fox Body 1979-1993. The best era of Mustang
1978 Ford Fairmont was the first FOX.
Jeff Francisco The chassis was designed for the Mustang first but the Fairmont/Zephyr came out a year earlier. I think it was something like they redesigned the Mustang BODY that caused the delay.
@@foxfordcatguy2283 What was great too, you could get a Fairmont/Zephyr, and swap the 351w/ c-4 from a Granada /Monarch from the mid 70's. Bolted right in, drive shaft was the right length.I used a 1983 7.5 inch posi w/ slapper bars.( The car was a 4 cyl.) I guess you need motor mounts from a mid 90's F-series to swap a 5.0 into a straight six Fox.
@@foxfordcatguy2283 Oops, the 5.0 Windsor.
Have any 3rd gen videos?
Had a 93 GT with Hurst shifter - oh what a car!
We have an 82 GT and it's still a fun car.:-)
You are talking old-school there! That's great.
Wish he referenced the car as a 5 liter mustang instead of 5 liter GT
He was specifically only talking about the GT for some reason. He was comparing them to F-bodys of various "trim levels" so why not include the LX or Cobra?
@foxfordcatguy-because the guy that produces these videos doesn’t do a whole lot of fact checking. Probably goes by Wikipedia or google, instead of legitimate printed material of the time (magazine road tests, performance data, etc).
@@foxfordcatguy2283 yes cobra seem the top
That's what the aftermarket is for. I had an '88 GT hatch, white with red stripe around the middle.. to this day, the most fun car I ever had. It was light, had tons of torque, sounded like a beast, and it was even practical due to the hatch. You could fit so much back there.
Very nice video! I love them old fox bodies!
I always thought the styling was a bit drab and generic compared to a 3rd Gen Firebird although I read that the Mustang was a better car to drive,lighter and better handling.
It was much lighter .
In the mid 80s, the Dodge Omni GLH was faster in the 1/4 than both Mustang and Camaro. Think about that
K ris funny u mention this. Had a 1989 LX 5.0 back in the day. Car was quick. Would run away from Camaros and could even hold its own with a vette once in a while. Raced a guy in a GLH and could not get in front of him from 0 to about 85 mph. Once we hit triple digits he was done but that little car was a rocket out of the hole.
Alan Mckinney all other things equal, ya can’t beat cubic inches in the long haul. Had the GLH used an engine bigger than a 1.6 turbo they could have possibly. But the point stands. I love those little Omnis. But they weren’t made for more than 1/8 or 1/4 mile at best.
it was that little Turbo it look like a little family car but that thing was flying I watched it in a video beat a few cars
john jones you’re right. I’m thinking they all had the same base power plant the NA models used with a turbo added
Yeah not many people wanted to be seen in a glh tho
I'm glad someone said this out loud... Ford really went cheap on the Fox body cars...
But it did create a "huge" aftermarket
I love the intro music with the engine revving sound
The video forgot to mention that the lx 5.0 were slightly faster in the quarter mile then the heavier GTs...
the GT added almost 200# with all the glass and plastic. LXs were tough on my Chevelle
@William Schwartz It was the skirts, the front valance with the GT foglights, the rear wing, rear bumper valance, and probably the stock OEM gt wheels. 87 non-MAF cars were actually slightly faster in stock form, but the 88(ca) MAF cars-93 cars were more easily modded. From what I remember stock times for a GT were 147-14.9. Lx's were 14-5-14.7. This is all bases on personal experience (I owned a couple of GTs and one LX),
Cobramanphil The GT fog light bar is probably a good twenty pounds.
I've never weighed them but just by feel the turbine wheels seem lighter than the 10 hole wheels. I have 10 turbines, about 6 10 holes and a few ponies in the basement, I'll have to weigh them sometime.
@@foxfordcatguy2283 Memories for me:). My first real cars...the GTs ugliest attribute were its "spider web" webbing on the rear tail lights...a lot of people swap them out to lx taillights.
Just one fog light and metal bracket are 5 lbs (not the whole bar that runs from one light to the other).
Ford did compensate it's called a Fox coupe the 55 Chevy of the 80's
Imagine if ford had a cobra notch back in '93, and lost all the silly ground effects, fog lights and the wet noodle handiling found on the hatch?
@@darkcam6768 How bout all the above with capri rear quarters and front fenders be pretty freaking sweet
Great info.
My time behind the wheel was in a 86 Porsche 944 turbo, 220 HP , great suspension, aluminum A arms and rear trailing arms, 4 wheel 4 piston brake calipers , leather interior , don't get me started on quality comparison! ! Oh yeah I drove my car at 165 MPH
But I completely agree with your opinion that it was under engineered at the time...
I think Ford now has the Mustang built the way it should be
It's a shame that they spent all of the "tech " know how on the SVO, and not their most powerful model. Imagine what the GT/5.0 could have been with 5 lugs and 4 wheel discs from the factory. When they discontinued the "experiment " SVO, at LEAST they could have transferred the good stuff over to the V8 cars. I will never forgive Ford for taking the cheap way out, even though I love my car..
@@patsfan8057; I know what you mean. But remember, Ford was buying up failing European brands. And I mean Billions of $$$$$$$ spent.The "Fox" lived from the fall of 1978-1993. I think Ford could've saved Mercury if they'd introduced a retro Cougar and drop the suv's. Ford introduced a cheap knockoff of a typical Japanese design, front wheel drive cougar in 1991? RIP Cougar and Mercury. :( The Thunderbird was all new in 1989. It was the most bland car ever. And that went almost unchanged through 1999. The new retro 2 seater T-Bird was the 1st car where you could reverse the headlights/taillights, spin the interior around and it would look the same. You didn't know if it was coming or going.
@@cobracharmer6178et al - sales of the v8 Mustangs forced Ford to fire sale Escort 4 cyl to keep the CAFE rating down - good plan as it made either model hard to beat
- the Fairmont-Zephyr was just a long wheel base Mustang - they could have come up with new front clips etc to make Cougars ... and T-birds with fins
That's exactly what they had Saleen for. Since the musclecar days, Ford has always offered its best on the high priced models. Also, Ford was looking to replace the Mustang with their world car, the Escort's 2 seat version the EXP (and Mercury's LN7) and when even a turbo version didn't fly, they took the Probe from Mazda's 626. It was always about saving a buck.
@@albertgaspar627
Man am I glad that didn't happen. Are there any Probes still running?
The fact was, if you owned one of these, you saw yourself at every street corner. They were everywhere. There was no need to do more when they were selling so well.
I had a 86GT. What a torque monster. Just a few mods on those cars made a tremendous difference in the driving experience. I never had a issue with the 4 lug wheels and I did endless burnouts, 1st to 2nds and 2nd to 3rds. Glorious times.