Still Surprised By The Foxbody Enthusiasm

So we've had our 90 LX Mustang for six months and I am still surprised by the enthusiasm.

Saturday we were at the Las Vegas Region SCCA annual tech day. One of the guys walked up and asked "whose Foxbody?"

Same thing several weeks ago I was at shop I use for jobs I don't want to do and customer walked in and asked about the Foxbody Mustang. This is a Datsun / Nissan shop.

On the way back from tech my son remarked everywhere we go someone always asks about it.

I have to admit I am still taken aback by enthusiasm for them.

In reply to Tom1200 :

That's awesome; nothing more fun than a fun car that brings other enthusiasts out of the woodwork and starts a conversation! I'm not too surprised; it is iconic, approachable/realistic for most, and not something you see everyday anymore. I hope you are still enjoying it yourself, and it continues to cause others to reach out with their enthusiasm. 😁

100% would own another one not for the attention, they are just fun to build.  They are bad stock but every change makes a noticeable improvement which makes all the wrenching rewarding.      My current Mustang gets a bit of attention at track events and around town but nothing like the 92 I had.

The Fox body reignited the horsepower wars. Once Ford proved out that hp and emissions could coincide "peacefully" along with easily upgradable components... it's the first gen Camaro of the the 80-90's.

They're kinda a rare car these days and have a really unique shape.  I'm always surprised when I see one driving around in nice shape.

Is it because all of the Nissan 240SX chassis are trashed so the enthusiasm moved over to the next most affordable/compact RWD chassis from that generation? 

A light car with a V8 engine that left a lot of its potential on the table from the factory. This makes them rewarding and relatively inexpensive to modify to suit your kink. Plus they draw a lot of attention cause every punk kid had one back in the day and has a story.

Give me a black, bone-stock looking notchback with a 6L LS  and a TKX 5 speed please. Oh, and ALL the suspension mods, cause Ford did not do suspension back in the day.

I'm tripping down memory lane and recalling how breaking 200hp, from the factory!!, was a big deal back then.  Those cars were almost a license to print money at Ford.  

An '85 was the first truly new car my dad ever bought.  All of us rug rats were out of the house by then and we convinced him to finally treat himself to something nice just for him, and not a "necessity car," which was long overdue.

He died in 2015 and he still had the car.  

DirtyBird222 said:

Is it because all of the Nissan 240SX chassis are trashed so the enthusiasm moved over to the next most affordable/compact RWD chassis from that generation? 

Fox bodies have always had a huge following. 

z31maniac said:

DirtyBird222 said:

Is it because all of the Nissan 240SX chassis are trashed so the enthusiasm moved over to the next most affordable/compact RWD chassis from that generation? 

Fox bodies have always had a huge following. 

Sure did/does.  And it was like the aftermarket just exploded with products overnight.  Chassis/suspension, intake/exhaust, bolt-on cylinder heads (from one of the 351's, Cleveland, Windsor, or maybe both...I don't recall now), forced induction, everything.  That model was crazy-popular and easy/relatively inexpensive to upgrade.

Don't forget the SVO versions.  Faster Foxbody in the initial Fos Body Line Up.

akylekoz said:

100% would own another one not for the attention, they are just fun to build.  They are bad stock but every change makes a noticeable improvement which makes all the wrenching rewarding. 

I bought mine because I got a deal on it. They are silly fun to drive and have unbelievable aftermarket support.

To me they are a good looking car but there are body styles I like way more.

I knew they were popular but had no idea just how popular they are.

On the way home I rounded a right hand corner and the back end squirmed around under power (2nd gear) on exit. It was totally unintended but also totally controllable thanks to the suspension upgrades. This probably explains why the cars are so popular. 

The Cobra brakes arrived and I'll be installing them next. My buddy has the chassis braces in his shop for it, so they will be done right after the brakes.

I'll eventually get to the motor; the goal there is 275-300hp.  At that level the car will be fun but not over the top. I want to keep the RAD Era feel to the car.

We are getting older and the younger enthusiasts now remember these cars over say a Modal A or a VW beetle like we did. 

I am amazed at the positive reactions I get to my Prowler. People have stories about seeing them on the road and in magazines. Its really only the older guys that remember my stuff from the 20's-60's. There are some guys in their 20-30s like I did building them but they are a very small proportion. 

Fox bodies still look the business, thats why you see them around.  Properly done up, they are such a purposeful car.  No frills, just right.  

Very similar to a C5 Corvette.  When they are done up, a C5 looks much more purposeful than a C4 or C6

Other than a C5 and a Fox body mustang, I cant think of another chassis that says "I did not come here to fool around" when you see a properly set up version.  

In both cases, the later ones were better, but who cares?

Fox Body Mustangs will always be cool. They were cool when they were new, they were cool 20 years ago when I was in college because they were the epitome of cheap speed, and now that I'm in the "target demographic" for nostalgic car purchases, they are cooler now more than ever. The "Rad Era" is in right now, so all the hero cars of that time period are beloved, and the Fox Body Mustang is high up on that list. 

They were/are very popular and are really rare to see these days. Especially in good condition. 
They're pretty cool to enthusiasts and to people that remember when they were new. It's a sweet spot 

I've not had mine out much, but it's gotten decently diverse attention when I've been out with it. 

Tony Sestito said:

Fox Body Mustangs will always be cool. They were cool when they were new, they were cool 20 years ago when I was in college because they were the epitome of cheap speed, and now that I'm in the "target demographic" for nostalgic car purchases, they are cooler now more than ever. The "Rad Era" is in right now, so all the hero cars of that time period are beloved, and the Fox Body Mustang is high up on that list. 

For me it's probably a case of I never ventured into that universe as a Japanese car guy. 

As for the Rad Era having graduated high school in 1980 I am the demographic.

I also find the cars flaws to be endearing; especially the oh so 80s interior, it's hideous and I love it.

I'd love a Fox body, but clean ones are more than I'm willing to spend. Same reason I haven't got another E30. Or a couple of other late 80s/early 90s cars I'd love to have. 

In reply to Tom1200 :

If I may suggest on power adders.  Just change the heads to a small chamber aluminum head, 75 horse right there to put you at 300.  It will still run exactly like stock with more.  Fuel system and everything will be fine.  I put in one of those piggy back tuners, with four settings on a switch in the glove-box, it helped wake up the bolt on stuff, intake, exhaust, ram air.  Setting 0 was car will not start, 1 stock, 2 street, 3 race.  2-3 wasn't much difference but 1-2 was.

I sold my 350 horse top end kit that was designed for the car, freshened used AFR heads, custom cam ground to the head flow specs and car specs, 1.6 cobra rockers.  Guess what it did, 350hp that felt stock in delivery just MOAR.  This was with an Edelbrock Torqer 2 intake short headers and 19lb injectors.

In reply to akylekoz :

I've got a list of bolt ons stuff that you've pretty much included. I am purposely setting the target low

What I am trying to do is keep the modifications sort of "back in the day" so it will get heads and an intake.  

I actually want it to drive like the 1990 car it is, so I won't get to wild with it.

Right now it's on H&R springs, with Steeda bars, Koni shocks, headers, CAI, catback, 5 lug conversion and soon to be installed Cobra brakes as well as chassis rails.

I have been looking for a 94-95 Cobra intake for my Torino for a while and mostly find the Fox counterpart.  I always wanted a 5.0 notchback, but ended up with a T-bird.  I'm surprised the support for Fox Mustang is still so strong.

In reply to Apis Mellifera :

You might still be able to use the fox cobra one with an adapter for the throttle body. I know they used to be buyable  around 20 years ago. 

Growing up a ford fan, the early mustangs were high on the list, although I'm a cougar/comet/falcon fan, cause I like being different. Was ok when the 'stang got a s big as the 69/70, but threw in the towel at the bloated 71-73, and everyone gave up when the stretched pinto got the name. When the fox came out, it was a breath of fresh air!

The only problem I had with them during their heyday, was their inverse relationship with a porcupine 

That type have moved on, so now when ya see one, you know the odds are,  the guy is a down to earth car guy!

Even with prices on the rise, still a inexpensive platform to have fun with. 

I had a student with a fox-body Mustang GT on a Griggs Racing suspension at Calabogie a few years back. I was shocked by how good the handling was.

Just adding this awesomeness to the conversation.