Best "Oh crap" moments with your fox body Mustang!

    Modding a car is just asking for trouble. Now granted thats never stopped any of us from diving head first, wrench in hand, to mod our fox. However, with the fun of the mods, comes those "oh crap" moments where you almost wished you had just left the damn thing stock. We came up with our best five, but we are betting you have some better ones. So without further delay, here they are! 

#5 That moment you are at the track trying to wring out some extra E.T, so you are trying to check the timing on the car but damn if it won't keep moving around. Then you have that "oh crap" moment when you realize the spout connector is still plugged in. 

#4 After all the time and money you sunk into your new Trick Flow cylinder heads, you finally reach the moment when you can fire it up to see how she runs. You turn the key, and she fires right up! Success! But then you realize you have a horrible exhaust leak, and remember those little plugs for the back of the heads that you were to cheap to buy. Oh crap!!!

#3 When you are cruising along in your fox body Mustang which is looking ultra smooth because you yanked the wiper blades off. Then what was supposed to be a sunny day turns into a monsoon! Oh crap, I forgot to throw a wiper arm in the hatch. 

#2 The moment of triumph after you've just installed your first short throw shifter. Oh yeah, we are about to do some power shifting now! After of few miles of banging gears, your shifter handle flops over like a wet noodle. Oh crap I forgot to tighten the shifter bolts down tight!

#1 The mother of all "oh crap" moments. You finally did it! You just installed your 13" Cobra brakes, and new five lug rims. Every part was double checked and she's stopping on a dime now. All is bliss until that moment you have a flat, and realize that your spare is missing that fifth lug hole.......oh yeah.......and it won't clear those fancy brakes either! 

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So there you have it! Some of our sad but true "oh crap" moments for all the world to see! What are some of yours? CR

Could project "Road Warrior" really be out of commission?

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    Say it isn't so! Our long term project fox body Mustang out of the game for quite a while? That would totally suck! Why though, theres so many events it needs to be at, how on earth could it be torn apart for six months or more? Before you go thinking that our beloved '92 LX is wounded, she's not. The little 302 between it's fenders is rock solid, and laid down 320/352 thanks to an SCT tune from Bob Kurgan. So why then, what could be the reason? Read on foxbody Mustang faithful!

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    For a long time, we at FCM command central have been contemplating the move to coyote. The firestorm of coyote swapped fox body Mustangs has been wreaking havoc in our brains, and we are succumbing to the trend. The simple answer? It just makes sense. While we are SBF faithful for life, and will always have some pushrod soldiers in the stable, Ford did themselves proud with a nasty little 5.0L that can best a full boogie 347, motor for motor. Check all of the top engine builders like DSS and Bennett, a forged 347 is not cheap, and neither is a coyote. However, prices have begun to fall, as the coyote nears it's sixth birthday, and trust us when we say that we have been watching prices very closely. A truck engine can be had for the paltry sum of $2200, and will lay down damn near 400 to the tire, with headers, cold air, and tune. The numbers don't lie, the little 4Vs are animals, even out of a truck. But if you are reading this, you don't need me to tell you that. 

    So all that is left to be decided is if we should pull the trigger, and get busy. Being right at the beginning of the 2017 race and show season, we really don't want to take the car off the road, that is problem number one. Problem number two is what engine should we go with? Truck motor, 11-14 motor, 2015 and up motor, crate motor, etc. What trans should we run? Our T5  is already on borrowed time, so the price will add up quickly. What do you think? Anyone need a stout HCI 302?

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looking to buy a fox body mustang? Read this first!

    If I had a dollar for every email and message I get from people wanting to buy a fox body Mustang, I would be typing this post from my private island. Not even close to kidding. When I (as the commander in chief of Foxcast Media) can't tell them where a clean coupe is for sale, they seem justifiably bewildered. In all fairness, if anyone should know, it should be me. Truth be told, I really don't know many times. I will get owners letting me know cars are for sale here and there, but they sell fast, and I can't keep up. There are a lot of super nice cars out there for sale, but you're timing has to be perfect, you better have a fistful of Benjamin's, and be ready to travel. 

    The articles and videos on how to buy a fox body Mustang are a dime a dozen, I've read and watched all of them over the years. While they all had their good points, telling me that the ashtray doors tend to fail is leaning toward Captain Obvious. Yes, they tend to rust on the hatch area near the blue oval, and yes of course the driver seat will get the "lean". Noted. Being a bit frustrated with what is out there, I decided it was high time I took the bull by the horns and tackled this subject, Foxcast Media style. 

#1 Have a solid plan: When you go trotting off to buy anything, you have a specific purpose in mind, whether it's toilet paper or a lawnmower. You have to know what you want from the car. If you plan to build an all out race or show car, then you really don't need to worry about much other than the structural integrity of the car (i.e rust). Think about it: if the whole car is going to be gone through, who really cares that the rear main is gushing 5W30 faster than the Hoover dam. Your plan will tell you what matters and what doesn't. Not only that, but shortcomings in the car that don't matter to you, can also be used as negotiating tools to score a deal. Don't go divulging your evil plan until after the money has changed hands. 

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Clean, survivor cars are pulling big coin these days. Be ready to pay for the honor of owning a mint foxbody Mustang.

#2 If you are going to be picky, be ready to shell out the cash: True story, I was contacted by a "serious" buyer looking for a Reef Blue notch with black interior. Yeah, me too! I had actually been made aware of one in Kentucky that was possibly for sale, and I put him in contact with the owner. The car was mint, and stock other than a five lug conversion and Bullitt wheels. Later that week we spoke again and he had passed on the car because the owner was asking too much. Here's the thing: they aren't making any more of these, and with a car like that, it is a sellers market. Be ready to pay for it. 

#3 Know your limitations:  If you are not very mechanically inclined, don't go buying a car with a big turbo and Dart 363. Even if the ad says the car needs nothing, you WILL be working on it. There are two limiting factors you have to take into account; the first is your ability to work on the car, or ability to pay someone else to work on it. Getting in over your head will not make for an enjoyable ownership experience. 

The trained eye can spot a low mile car. Tight seat bolsters, good leather on the steering wheel, pedals that aren't worn, stock radio, etc.

#4 Hunt, hunt, hunt: The trick to finding the right car is going to take some leg work. Be ready to pound the pavement and the keyboard for that perfect fox body Mustang. Ebay, Craigslist, Forums, Facebook, Autotrader, and others are good places to monitor daily. Car shows and cruises are ideal also, don't be afraid to inquire about a car, you never know if the owner is ready to move on. 

#5 Know what you are looking at: If you have been in the game for a while, then you know what to look for. If you haven't, take someone with you to look at a car. There is no shame in admitting you don't want to lose your hard earned greenbacks because the current owner got over on you. Ask for receipts, test the owner's knowledge, ask for time slips, look at the fluids, etc. If the seller tells you it has a 5k paint job but it looks like they painted over the bugs on the front bumper; run.  Engines are tough, as you can't see if the block was machined and it actually is a 347 stroker, and you have no way to tell if the heads have a thousand dollar port job. The right seller will have pictures, receipts, dyno numbers, time slips, etc. Trust but verify. 

    I will expand on this in future posts, but I hope this offers a solid basis for a good fox body Mustang buying experience. Have a plan for what you want to buy or build, know your limitations, search, and don't get screwed. Happy foxbody hunting! CR

Why bandwagon brands left the fox body mustang, and now want to come back.

    A new movement is fast on the rise, and gaining steam everyday. The movement is the fox body Mustang. Plain and simple, there just isn't anything like it. Look anywhere you want in the automotive sphere and it is pretty obvious. At shows, the races, everywhere: a clean fox body Mustang will draw larger crowds than a new GT350. Just facts, and trust me when I say I have tested that theory more than a few times. Which is not to say I don't enjoy the newer cars, and appreciate them for what they are, but they just aren't a fox. 

““From coyote swaps, to full suspensions, to built transmissions; fox owners aren’t just buying catch cans””

    To prove my point even more, there's the alternative foxbody that is also taking off in a big way. I have seen and wrote about several Fairmonts, LTDs, Thunderbirds, and so on that are getting coyote swaps, and full restorations. The "fox body" is not just the Mustang; it's a generation of several different cars that make up the most popular chassis to date. 

    Ever since FCM posted a few months ago about the top five reasons to buy a fox body now, several large publications have echoed the same points. Sure FCM is a small media company, but the larger organizations see the trend as well. With each passing generation of Mustang, many organizations left their reader base for the newer models. In a world of "right now" information and content, enthusiasts simply do not have to sift through cars they don't care to see, to get what they are looking for. Targeted and socially integrated media is the future, and we at FCM know this. 

Front to rear, top to bottom, fox body Mustang owners shell out big bucks to build their cars.

    The aftermarket has done the same. Many brands have totally abandon the 87-93 cars thinking they should focus on newer cars. Big mistake. Let's be real here: some guy with a 2014 GT may buy a programmer and cold air intake, but a fox body Mustang  guy will buy a crate motor and built trans. Tell me again why you don't even carry fox parts? 

    Not only that, but the quality of parts is, for lack of a better word, crap. Companies selling off-brand parts that DO NOT WORK, and just expect us lowly owners to buy them, need a wake up call. We aren't buying your crap any longer. The fox body Mustang owners are grown now, with plenty of cash to spend on quality parts, and will spend it. On any given day I get messages from 3-4 new guys starting coyote swaps, wanting info and parts ideas. That doesn't even touch how many built 363 strokers, and total suspension restorations I see every single day. 

    The writing's on the wall, any brand who cranks out good quality parts for fox body Mustang owners will enjoy very loyal customers. Customers that aren't looking to buy catch cans, and billet oil caps. The messages we receive daily across our social media pages about who makes this, and where can I get this, and who works on foxes is all the proof we need. All those "latest and greatest" brands take note: WE WANT NEW PARTS.