1986 Mustang SVO Overview 

The SVO is a underappreciated car. It predicted the future where turbo charging is a now a normal thing.

A friend of mine had a silver one, a 1986. His parents bought it for him for high school graduation. He was a spoiled ungrateful rich kid lol. He put a sound system in it right away. He was the only friend I had who was a regular pot smoker and always had weed. We would ride around on the backroads for hours listening to The Cult and Aerosmith’s new albums.. .. on cassette of course. Everytime I hear Lil Devil or Hangman Jury I think of that car. I loved it. I was two years younger, easily influenced kid from a broke ass family. Lol… good times. Love the SVO. Great video.

My dad bought a 1984 Mustang SVO new in 1984. There was nothing like it, it was so rare! It had some super cool factory parts on it (Recaro seats, Hurst shifter, 4 wheel disc brakes (on a Mustang!), and adjustable shocks. I was only 13 at the time and it was like riding in a super car. I love the Mustang SVO.

I loved my SVO when I had it. I purchased mine new, a 1985.5 Black SVO that I owned for about 5 years. The car was so much fun to drive. I took mine on a cross country road trip from Connecticut where I purchased it to San Diego, CA with a stop in Colorado to pick up my brother for my road trip to California. We both had a blast driving it taking turns :) Very nice video!!

My brother was selling Fords then when they were new I remember riding in one. It was exciting

Very nice, I have a white 1986 mustang GT that I purchased in the summer of 1986, I have a really incredible and unbelievable story to tell, this is only a very quick summary of my journey. The car was completely rebuilt with a donor body after the speed shop in NJ totaled it while street racing without my knowledge. I've replaced the engine twice, the last time with a new ford Gt40 short block. The car sat in my garage from 2006 - Feb 2022, when I sent it to a local NC speed shop for a complete upgrade. My experience with the shop left me questioning why I kept the car this long. When I did drive it briefly at the end of last summer the car got lots of attention and many thumbs up from passing cars. It still needs some minor work and has not been driven much. I plan to work on it in the spring and take it from there. After watching your video I know exactly what you went through and how you feel. Classic Cars...... sometimes you love them, and other times you want to use them for target practice with a main battle tank. I still love my car I just wish the journey was less painful and less Expen$$ive

I had an ‘86 silver SVO in the middle 90’s. I loved that car and had a blast driving it and basically beating the crap out of it.

O, how I miss my 86 SVO.. I bought mine in 1987 with 9,000 miles on it (Just graduated college and could afford a car, and I wanted one since I first saw it in 1984).. I put 140,000 miles on it, and then in 2003 I parked it as it blew a turbo.. I let it sit for a couple years always wanting to fix it but never did, and finally a kid from up the street came to my house (15 years old).. He said he loved the car and wanted to buy it, I told him it didn't run well, but he had that love in his eyes like I did.. He said he and his father wanted to fix it up.. I gave it to him with the promise that after he got it back on the road he'd give me a ride.. 2 years later he stopped down with the car in tip top shape and gave me a ride.. he and his father had completely re-built it, he obviously had his drivers license and that was his daily car.. I miss it, but it went to a good home of someone who could appreciate it.. And it sounds like you have your own love-hate relationship with it :-) Good luck!!!!!

How GR8 YOU ACTUALLY USED IT!!! DROVE IT ON THE REG ...90+50+= 140+ MOMENTS!

Wow! You are obviously a perfectionist (and I mean that in a good way!) and pretty doggone talented wrench! Thank you for a real documenting journey video, not a "brag-about-my-car" torture video.

Beautiful car bud, thanks for sharing your story and grief. Other than my first car (68 Camaro) I have owned nothing but Mustangs. I daily my 1997 Cobra except in snow and the only trouble it has given me is bad alternator. I have gotten my son hooked on Mustangs as well, we have just pulled a 351 roller motor for his 89 lx.

It was always my understanding that if you have a spun bearing, the block is ruined and should be discarded. Likewise if it's a spun rod bearing, definitely toss out the rod at issue as well. Even factory branded replacement automotive parts don't seem to give near the longevity of the factory original equipment ones, and too often no matter how meticulous a rebuild we find ourselves involved in yet another premature do-over. Doesn't matter the car make or engine. Fortunately the old 2.3 is a relatively simple motor, parts are plentiful and reasonable in cost, making it ideal for d.i.y. engine work. My brother and I autocross modified 2.3T fox Mustangs and absolutely identify with the rewarding highs and discouraging lows you have experienced. Keep the faith with your beautiful SVO.

Joe, I always wanted a SVO. I always thought it was the Best Looking Fox Body (especially the 86' with the flush headlights). I want to find one with a blown motor and put in a 5.0 V8 and maybe IRS.

love your Mustang SVO! Thanks for sharing your story with us!

Awesome video Joe. Keep em coming!

Love your commitment to this unique car 👍 so cool, great job

I have a 1983 930 turbo. Your story of love and hate is an all too familiar feeling. The SVO is a car from my 90s youth and I always wanted one. Whether I can handle another emotional investment car is another story!

Enjoyed the video. Beautiful SVO.

Thank you for sharing your SVO's story Joe! Absolutely love those cars!

Hi Joe great video documentation as always. I hope to make a similar video with my SVO journey.

Enjoyed the story of your SVO Joe. Hope to see it in person soon.

I was fortunate enough to drive these cars when they were new. Had a manager at a grocery store I worked in college who bought a brand new 1986 Black SVO. He let me drive it a few times. It was a thrill. Of course when I got out of college a few years later it was no longer in production so I went with a fox coupe and enjoyed that car for 17 years. I have special memories of the SVO and may one day look to add to my current mustangs…great video

New subscriber. Excellent work brother!

Great video, have always liked the SVO and would love to buy one.

Love that car, and your perseverance. It's the genesis of what we have now. The new SVO is the Ecoboost premium Mustang with all the track bells and whistles. Better in every way. I don't wont be tied to nostalgia. Now is the true Golden Age of performance cars, but it won't last much longer. Mustangs forever.

I had a 1986 the same car and color SVO. Bought it brand new when I was 20 yrs old. I miss it.

Very cool video - love going on a time machine! Im sure its been done, but a 2.3 Ecoboost SVO would be very neat.

Great story Joe! I just got my 86 1C back on the road this year. You might remember me (moby) from 4eyed pride, SVOCA and the Mustang Unlimited shows. Hope to see you next season!

Makes me miss my white 86 SVO. Did a few tasteful mods and added about 50 HP. That thing was a blast.

Love, Love, did I say LOVE them...

Thank you for taking us on a journey with you through your rebuilding your Ford. It is a wicked video. I loved the idea of the early domestic cars taking inspiration from Europe. 4 cyl turbo is basically the whole world now. I love it.

I always loved these, subtle difference in looks are great and this from someone who is not a hatchback fan. If I owned one it would probably see a modern day turbo swap. Glad to see them around

I love these still want one🔥🔥

I'm a life long Chevy fanboy/enthusiast. So I should never let this text escape my phone: That damn Stang on the Foxbody platform was better most Camaros ever made. It really was "The Little Engine That Could".

Owner of 2 Aero nose GT’s , ive grown to love the 4Eye specialy a 86 GT wit the upgraded heads from the Ford 150 truck line up n etc but i also learned to love these SVO’s aswell specialy the 85-86 nose, 5 lug n all Disc brakes n a decent healthy 4cyl intercooled Turbo,… ahead of the game for that Era nd ❤

Great looking SVO...always liked the. I owned two 5.0 GTs back in the day (an 89 and 92) and they were great cars. You have far more patience than I do...

Love these cars. They were actually ahead of their time. I almost bought a grey SVO in85/86? I test drove a GT also and was sold on the torque.

Problems...problems!!!! Nothing but for my brand new 1986 SVO. I actually failed my first semester of college because the car was in the shop so much. I also had to drive around with an extra alternator in the back and do roadside swaps because it would eat them up on a stock car. Finally my AutoZone lifetime warranted alternator...not so much. They gave me my money back on both alternators and told me pound sand. I actually had both the phone number and home address of my service advisor and would call on him to let him know what issues to expect when I bring the car in, even went by his house Saturday/Sunday to talk to him about it, I think he regretted this when I dropped in on Superbowl Sunday. It was a nightmare car that I still loved. I did discover that it got 45 miles to the gallon at 90 mph, so there was that.

Love it

It looks amazing, I’d love to have one, but I did a Thunderbird SC engine swap on my SN95 and that has kept me busy

Love or hate it, as time passes the car becomes part of you.

Sorry you had so many issues I had a 1986 SVO also which we purchased new. I drove that car through high school and college and beyond at over 150,000 miles with no major issues besides one head gasket and a couple turbos. Ran mobile one since new and changed every 3000 miles

Clearly in the right hands. This car has a following among those who know what it really is. It was and still is the best performance Mustang FORD ever sold. It was the Father of all performance mustangs FORD sold since. Not a Shelby not a tuner but FORDs own SVO first and only .. the creator of SVT, FORD Racing/Performance... It should be coveted by collectors far more than any other..... awesome car....great to see it.

Now I want one

Nice car

I think it would have been funny if the 3rd time you dropped a Coyote eng in it, and brought that to the SVO events. 😁😁

This is my dream car.I have always loved the SVO, I feel its Fords greatest achievement. Everyone was looking for bigger displacement for more horsepower, Ford took a step back and got massive HP out of a 4 cylinder 2.3 engine.

Thanks for making the video. I've owned several 5.0s and 4 cyl foxes. How does the SVO compare? Do you miss the torque of the 302? My 89 4 cyl is noisy and rough. The 93 8 plug 4 cyl is better. What about the SVO? I'm tempted to get an SVO.

I had an ‘84 identical to yours when I was 21 in 1989. It was a fun car. I really loved it but a tree fell on it in a storm and it was never the same after the insurance company “repaired” it. I wish I had it and my Yamaha RZ 350 still. 😩

Beautiful SVO! I have an 85.5. What front bumper lower lip do you have on it?

The best part of being a ford lover is the rich history of off-set ground crankshaft possibilities. It keeps my mind sharp with math of deck height, rod main diA. Ford put bigger rod main diameter bearing than most other motors other 426 Hemi or International H. Light trucks. Sorry for rant: ford stroker kits of 2.5 liter & 2.850 are available for a replacement for your 2.3 liter

Over 20 years ago I bought an 83 Mustang GT Turbo. I am surprised at the number of people that didn't know that those cars exist. I have only seen 2 that I could touch. Mine is black on black, Ford says the HP is only 145 but I believe that it is closer to 200. What do you think is "eating" the bearings?

Love it! I'll take a SVO over a GT any day!

My 1986 GT 5.0 could barely take the SVO! Buddy of mine had the SVO but I always pulled 1/2 to 1 car length on him each time. I had an AT and every time he shifted I pulled ahead. Good times!!!

is that guy Fez from the 70s show?

what did you make the lip out of?

I can't fathom why you did all of that work to the motor and then put a cheap FRAM oil filter. Oil filters matter and you can find sources that open up multiple brands and show the cheap or quality materials used for construction.

What turbo ya using air research my turbo rs broke now I gotta garret them ar we're junk

5:30 what kind of oil and weight was you using?

Lack of oil?

I liked this version of the mustang....but I thought the 2.3 turbo was not the best design of engines The 5.0 was much more reliable in the long run (I put a mild built 5.0 in a Datsun 200sx 1984) but they should of offered the suspension of the SVO on the 5.0 cars I hope you finally get some good luck with that 2.3

I feel a sad connection with this car. I got a bought a mint condition flawless 86 gt 5.0 same color scheme as this car 5speed a serious mint condition not a flaw on it very very strong running i loved that car had it 4 years and wrecked it. Sold it totalled out. 20 years later 4 mustangs later now i have a 88 LX im restoring. It was red, i had it painted black. Bought new wheels tires exhaust glass trim and all new rubber gaskets. Only thing i dont like is its a sunroof car. I recently reworked the sunroof with new hardware and seals. Everything on the exterior is new looks great now im turning to the interior. If you've ever had a mustang and enjoyed it like i have with a strong connection you can never get em out of your blood you just have to have one.

soooo why where you eating rod bearings, twice, sounds like a oil starvation to the rod bearing, ive been there also with my 351w turbo fox my engine came out 3 times in 4months time trying to get it right i had a tunning problem and timming issue breaking ring lands.

Wow out if all the SVOs ive owned including a brand new 85 1/2 comp prep ive never seen so much trouble in an SVO. These cars are beloved by owners...so many times i hear damn i never shuda sold that car....miss it so much. You will be one of those guys, enjoy it youve earned the hard way which in some ways is incredibly self gratifying!

Rims n motor worth

Chasing him in my 82 GT on the Georgetown parkway he attacked the Corvette and kicked his ass

Upgrade that turbo!

Friend had but not the rims n didnt run was hi mile

That was a painful experience. I don’t know if I’d had the stamina for it. I went through one engine failure and rebuilt and I know the pain!!

Well it is no 1988 Thunderbird Turbo coupe

bonito auto, hubiese sido mejor; dejarlo original

Sounds like grand national ownership…

You got to learn how to drive a turbo kid

That is not a 86 the 86 had 4 headlights