Buying a Fox Body Mustang? Here's What You NEED to Look For! 

IMO a few other things to consider. The HO5.0 has forged internals and so high miles are easy to obtain, even with moderate abuse. 200k is nothing to a stock motor. An automatic will have less abuse, and so in many ways a better foundation for a project. Often overlooked especially for modified car with severe abuse like drag racing may show in cracks across the top of the a pillars with body twist. If you see a crack at the top of the a pillar, presume too that the torque boxes are going to be twisted as well and that its had a hard life with too much spent on slicks on a sticky surface. Check for these things even if its 'stock'. These cars have history and it may be stock now, but may not have been so its entire life. If your going to modify be careful of the the 86. Its the first year of EFI, and it is a one year only head and piston combo. This means that most 'top end kits' won't fit without changing pistons. Roller cams were available first in 85. Mass air (89-93) takes to mods (bigger heads, intake, etc) like fish to water, but not the same for vs speed density found on 86-88, and if you upgrade to mass air, you have to replace the computer as well. 79-85 cars do not have an 8.8 rear end. Last point, 91-93 has slightly wider fender opening at the bottom, which makes it easier to have larger wheels. This makes 91-93 cars a premium, so expect to pay more. Deals can be found in older years but at a cost to modify, and keep your eyes peeled for Lincoln Mark VII, as they have the same HO 5.0 as the mustangs and make great donors and rarely live a life of abuse we see in the Mustangs...and yes those comfy seats in the LSC Lincolns do fit!

My favorite part is when you said "Now it's not hard to fix, you gotta pull the transmission..." -_-

I am the original owner of a 89 GT convertible, Cabernet Red, white interior and white top 5-speed. It has 51,000 original miles. It is bone stock. Has not been in rain since 97. I have the original sales brochure for 89 Mustangs and the window sticker for mine.

Check for a gap between the top of the fender and the lower windshield molding on the passenger side. If the gap is noticeably larger than on the driver's side, the car has been launched hard repeatedly, twisting the subframe. A small difference is no problem but if you can get a matchbook under there, the car should spend some quality time on a frame machine.

I bought a 79 5.0 4 speed Indy Pace Car in 1987. It’s floor cracked below the driver seat in 1988. It’s a fairly easy weld with the seat out but Ford was just being cheap with the design of that floor pan. The 1979 model had more engines than mentioned in the video: 2.3 normally aspirated,, 2.3 Turbo,, 2.8 V6,, 3.3 inline 6 which was 200 cubic inches and the 302 V8. Ford ran out of the 2.8 V6 before the end of the 1979 model year and started installing the 3.3 inline 6. The pros on this Mustang is its light and a lot of aftermarket parts are available. The cons is that they are not a strong body in a crash. I would consider a roll cage for one if I can ever own another one. The guy in the video didn’t mention the 79-81 2.3 Turbo’s which often didn’t make it to 100,000 miles. The 80-81 Cobra was a nice looking car especially the black one with green stickers. One of them used to show up at the Dairy Queen I worked at in 1987 and 1988. I’d love to find one with the V8 and either sunroof or standard roof,,, no T-Roof because they leak.

Exactly the video I was looking for being in the market for a Foxbody! Thanks CJ Pony Parts. I see you guys have a lot of parts for these cars too!

Fantastic video! I've owned 4 Fox body's so far, and again am looking at another one lol even after owning 4, I learned alot on this video, keep up the great work guys!

Super pumped to start my fox build. Been a long time f body guy since I was 16 but always had an itch for a fox. Finally sold my 2001 Camaro SS and am starting a new journey.

My father just gave my 13 year old son a 87' convertible GT 5.0 liter. Originally bought by my brother in law and given to my Dad when the head gasket blew when they were moving out of state. So the car is awesomely solid. No door dings and well maintained. It mostly needs a super cleaning, little fixes and some customizing. The only rub is it doesn't have AC. He bought it up north and then moved to Alabama. So, how hard will it be finding a junked one with AC to add it to the car? I look forward to working on it with my son. In the early 80s my Dad and I build a 65' for me. My Dad gave it to my son while under hospice care. I learned a lot building a car with my Dad and its and experience that I will always cherish.

This vid was really helpful. I just purchased a 91 Stand LX 5.0 Convertible. Fortunately I was able to watch this vid before I purchased. Thanks for the help.

Foxbodies are still kings of outlaw, no prep and 1/4 mile drag racing. Any engine/trans/boost combo you want, they can take. Dont forget, first mod needs to be subframe connectors!

Really solid video on what to look for .. Thanks guys !

" Best bolt on car of all time"

Recently inherited one of these, all original not bagged. These vids help thanks

Good video! I have owned about 40 fox bodies over the last 20 years and I love CJ pony parts videos. We did not have internet in our pocket back in the day and had to learn all these little tricks and tips the hard way. There was only one thing he missed, due to the unibody sometimes the car will have been flexed and you can feel it between the hatch and the quarter window. If it feels like it is sunken in a bit the car has been driven extremely rough for a long time

This video helped a lot. I’ve been thinking about getting me a foxy body convertible for sale. About to go see the car myself and look through the car details 👌🏽👏🏽

I think CJ Pony is very underrated. Thank u for yalls services!

Great and very informative video! Thank you.

Great vid!

They do make a replacement steering wheel. it doesn't come with the airbag and horn/cruise buttons though.

aero all day, but what about a video about the SN95 ?

I think the SVO would make a great classic/collectable car as well

Awesome video bro I’m about to buy my first foxbody and this is so helpful

Ive had 3 and have a full bolt on 87 gt currently. My first hatch fox,i had 2 notches but i still love notches more.

Most important thing.... don’t accidentally buy an Escort GT!

Great info!! Long live the foxes!

Excellent video !!!

I bought a 93 and spent many paychecks on it. I didn't even know that car was in a severe wreck. Don't make the same mistake i did.

As a GM guy i must say.. im a proud owner of a '92 LX convertible that had no rust anywhere and already modded slightly with the cervini hood and saleen decals and paint.. only thing i hate is the horror story about how the HO engine and trans got snatched from the car so now i have to find another power plant to throw in it.. idk if thats a good or bad thing as far as opportunity goes... i was told it was a real saleen.. but im i doubted that as soon as I heard it lol.. plus if it was, nobody in their right mind would snatch the drivetrain out.. I've beenwatching plenty videos to get more familar as i begin to figure out which way to build... especially since I get offers to sell everyday

Thanks for the video, very useful

Also check where clutch cable goes in firewall.They crack around that hole.

A lot people leave out or forget to mention under the cowl vents. A very notorious place to have rust.

Thanks! GREAT video!

Yeah, he nailed the top 3 in my opinion. Cracked strut-towers, rusted out floorpans, and ripped torque boxes. Good luck finding one that has none of these issues unless it's been a garage queen since birth. He's actually missing another issue. The leaking windshield. Also, in the bottom corners of the windshield, behind the plastic speaker-grills, if you remove them, you can look at the sheet metal panels here also. These tend to rot fast. Just before I sold my 1990 LX, I checked mine and they had dry-rot. I had fun with the car, but since selling it back in 2009, I don't miss the car. I would never buy another either. My advice to anyone here, unless it's a car from Arizona, you'll never find a mint Foxbody unless it was torn apart and rebuilt correctly. I read articles when these cars came out they had already started rusting in the dealers lot. Most I'd ever spend on one today is $5000 USD for a mint specimen.

Should make more fox videos it was good vid easy to follow. Do easy lite mods like most first time buyers do. 86 mas conversion would be a great first video to start with. I am sure I will be ordering a lot off you guys this winter up here in Boston. Got to stay building even when it's cold and snowing out.

My 93' Reef blue 5.0 notch is in resto-mode. Great informative vid.

Bought a 84 1/2 GT way back in 86. The heater core was already leaking. Did handle better than the earlier models with the 4 strut rear. The EFI was trash though.

88 hatch 5 spd for $500. Car came from Michigan Rust Bucket. I still had fun it it.

Still seeing a few Foxes on the road mostly highend , But the 4 banger Always makes an easy v8 swap , I went 5.8 And am building it myself by watching videos like yours , I will be watching this channel now I Found it .

89 gt was my daily knew a friend who had a 90 gt. Fog lights would cut out the headlights randomly, not fun to have your headlights/foglights shut off doing 60 mph on a country road at night. Guess the switches are bad. Don't ever rage punch the horn in a pre-airbag fox. I did, the horn got stuck on and I had to drive like an idiot for a mile before I pulled over and pulled the horn fuse.

1° Gen Ford Mustang and Foxbody's are The Best 😍😍😍 *FULL* *TIME* *BADASS*

Notchback is so badass

Get yourself a 89-92 5.0l truck block out of an f-150. It's a roller block and some even had the galley tapped for the dogbone tray. Mine had 88k on it and almost no wear.

86-93 cars are the best from an out of the box standpoint - 8.8" rear, 10.5 inch clutch, fuel injected 5.0 engine. 1986 is the last of the Four Eyes and has most of the good stuff from later models. In 1987 you get valve reliefs on the pistons for bigger valve/cam clearance and better heads to match. In 1989 Ford moved to a MAF setup for the ECU, which happens to work better with aftermarket cams and other mods. It's worth discussing pistons on the stock 5.0 engines. In 1986 you get forged flat tops. These pistons don't play nice with most heads and cams, but you will have a lot of clearance with Twisted Wedge heads from Trick Flow, so they are still worth using if you have them. From 87-92 you get forged pistons with valve reliefs to match the new E7 heads. These are good pistons and work well with all sorts of heads and cams, AFR et al and are generally the best ones to have from a head and cam choice standpoint. In 1993 Ford introduced a hypereutectic piston to replace forged pistons. This new piston expands less under heat than the old forged pistons and were cheaper to produce, but they are considered inferior from a hobbyist standpoint as they don't handle boost and nitrous as well and are somewhat more vulnerable to detonation than forged pieces.

I love foxbody mustangs !

He didn't even mention a ASC McLeran mustang, Very rare. A friend of mine had a red convertible one when I was younger

Love the foxbody mustang..i have a 1985 4eye modified..as for a foxbody..now looking for a foxbody station wagon ltd or something in the fox family..so i can put a mustang front clip on it...family car

Good helping video. Going tonight to look at 86 four eye. I know little rust on hatch and driver's side rear quarter very little damage. Only thing it's a automatic. And it's bone stock 110k on it. He wants 6k I have 5k in my pocket fingers crossed I hope I can score because I am 45 I owned 2 before this but this will be first one I will be completely restoring from ground up not even going to put it on road straight to my empty garage where my tools await. Thanks for videos

thanks man...just starting to look for a 88-92 mustang foxbody 5.0 convertible. good tips

Had 84 mustang 5.0 4v HO 5Gear poss.traction wicked

Honestly my 2.3 l mustang is one of the best cars I've ever owned probably my favorite

Just gonna throw this out there it's been awhile living in my Mustang life but time to get back at it.... Great videos.... I have a1983 mustang GLX Convertible... 5.0..5spd Manual.... White exterior black stripe up hood... With hood scoop...Interior all black....78,000 Original miles... Only thing not original are the rims.... Was told came factory with hubcaps. Years ago when I was researching I could not find one like this... Was told by the car dealer that the guy that owned it before me ordered it out... I'm thinking I might have 1 of 1.... Open for any comments... Craig R. Olson

I have 3 in my garage from when I was 19 I have a 89 90 and 91 2 have 25 anniversary on them the one is built up well 373 gears tremec tko 3550 trans the 5 liter is stroked gt40 head b303 cam it hauls ass no cats bbk h pipe and headers upper and lower intakes are hand made subframe mounts strut tower brace rear sway bar I like it alot I wouldnt take any under 89 the fuel injection 5 litres is were it's at.

🐎 1982 Mustang GT / Turbo GT = Collectible

Thanks for the video...good info. I have to point out that as an owner of a 1983 GT...bumper covers are NOT available for the early Fox. I looked for over a year for a rear bumper cover and it took me that long to find one in good enough shape to use. Used only...nobody makes them new yet. I think the fronts are the same but there are still some NOS out there but rear covers seem to be almost non-existent. Perhaps you could bring this up with your supplier to repop them? Thanks.

Keep up the fox vids!

I like the notchback

There was a few things he missed like the hatch locks normally either rust shut or rust open and there is a inertia switch behind the tail lights if something bumps you from behind or you take the lights out it sets the button off and the car wont start easy fix but I had no clue it was there and the firing pin in the ignition I've seen a few cars where that went bad my car was like that and I'd have to roll start it until I found out it's a $10 fix overall though my mustang was the easiest and cheapest car to maintain

They also respond really well too simple bolt ons like a chip an ignition underdrive pulleys throttle body flowMaster hi flow cat headers centrifugal Paxton super charger, some chassis items from steeda and you have a capable daily

Speaking of buying one, I know somebody selling one in the WPB area of FL

i like how the heater core problem is glossed over as a "time consuming repair". i replaced 3 of em in 2 different cars. basically ya gotta take out the interior except for the rear seats. you could do a motor swap in half the time. them fox bodies like to eat em up. yum yum. they are thinner than tin foil. Be very ginger with the inlet and outlet hoses under the hood. also, LEAVE THAT FLOW RESTRICTOR IN PLACE!! If ya took it out, ya know what will happen...

Mustang Fox bodies still run the 1/4 mile tracks around me.

i have a 1982 ford mustang. she ran good, 3.3L straight inline 6 hatchback. i bought it from facebook marketplace. she ran alright but she got some issues going on. i just need her to cruise.

If the bolts and the plate on the trust tower are rusted, is it safe to say the rust traveled down? Would you see that through the wheel well?

So make sure it's not rusted out. Same advice applies for all cars. The steering and fromt suspension should be checked too. They tend to be sloppy after 30 years and 200,000 miles.

Wish i would have known about the torque box. I snapped my rear right control arm support from the frame doing 65-70mph 😂 believe me was not fun 🤦🏽😂

What about a nice cruder, something with a little get up and go but still quiet enough and not smelly, so girls still want to ride in it, thinking convertible

5.0 is literally bulletproof. I had one. Never leaked or dripped one single drop either.

on my 83 convertible, the window is unsealed in the bottom half and you can obviously tell that previous owners tried to fix it with flex seal and it was crap, do you guys have a video on how to fix this problem, I would really appreciate it

Had so many foxes im over them i want a new edge with a 4v 4.6 or new 5.0 coyote

Forgot to mention the bottom of the cowl rusting out.

I just want to know where to get ground effects for a 4 eye..I don't like my front end but want to keep it as a 4 eye.

Just graduated high school and gathered a few to buy a car. A foxbody coupe or a c10 ?!? IDK

I want this horse

IIRC Saleens were not around until 85. First handful of them were known as "big wing" cars, and I saw a big wing t top saleen go for more than I've ever seen even a Cobra R go for. Haven't watched the whole video so you might mention it, but the M81 McLaren's were also worth big money. They only ever made like 11 of them.

I like how he made it seem like you are just going to find a dang near perfect no rust foxbody for a good price smh like the issues that he mentioned cant be fixed

Nice video..thanks. You mention the coupe, or "Notchback" as they are also known as, are more rare. How much more rare? I have a 91 in green with a 2.3 automatic. Got it for $100. Vacuum leak was all was wrong...mint car.

On my 2nd hatch , always rust

i myself prefer the coupes

what about the Mercury Capri?

Where can I get quarter inch spacer that will fit a fox body four lug n can I run a 235/50/16 front n 265/50/16 rear on a 1987 gt with 16 inch pony?

The easiest car to steal I miss mine

Don't forget the ACs McLaren mustang

literally just bought a convertible for dirt cheap(i knew what i was getting myself into) and this video popped up. thanks for the useful info, helped to make my checklist a bit more useful

Always remember theres the gt and the gt 5.0 and the lx and the lx 5.0

Keeping my h-pipe on my 1989 5.0, man it's sounds mean with that h-pipe tho

If it gets the gangster lean you just have to get to the inside of the seat under the skin and re weld the broken spot weld, done by a professional it shouldn’t take more than a hour with the taking off and putting back on the skin taking up the most time

Nice video. Can you tellme what wheels you have in that car. Looks nice. Thanks

What about the covertable 2 seater version McLaren?

wish I watched this before I got mine lol but I did get a 4cyl auto so I think its life was easier hopefully but I've found some fishy things with my car.

I only really want the 5 speed manual transmission out of an 84 model to put in my 65. What do I look for other than rust or obvious signs of damage?

I was thinking about buying a Fox body mustang to turn it into an electric car I’d obviously do this to a 4 cylinder because i would never do that to a V8

Four eye all day , everyday !

What do you guys at CJ Pony Parts think about this Mustang Mach E SUV?

How about a baldwin motion and or a yanko camaro and the original copo camaro.

Would it be smart to buy a 4cyl foxbody that was converted to a 5.0? I can get it REALLY cheap but It just dosen't seem like a honest car to me. It's a 1992 black convertible and it's rust free. I just don't trust that it was put together well. It runs and drives for $1500

Lower radiator support dented = hold my beer while I connect the two rope to yer car to tow it.

If your "dream car" is a Fox body Rustang, you need to dream bigger!

Looking at a 93 GT Auto. VIN number about the windshield is crowded quite a bit I can't make it out other than like three digits. Is this common.

Hey man I got an 89 Gt convertible with a 302 carburetorated engine what do I do about the throttle sticking? I'm not a cat guy but I love this car