The Most Satisfying Automotive Experience I've Ever Had - Lessons Learned With A 5.0 Mustang 

This is why I watch. It's not how fast you go, it's how you go fast.

Tony, the mustangs and Cars Illustrated were responsible for the west coast magazines changing their attitudes, killing the Pro Street fairgrounds cruiser movement and began to do stories on realistic cars that actually ran.

The BOOMER Chair 👍👍

And this is why I watch your channel there’s still people that are grounded like you showing the everyday blue collar person how to have fun with cars without killing your wallet I commend you my friend 👏🏽

Did anybody else think the work David Vizard was doing on the rods and crank was something beautiful ❤️? 😢

When Uncle Tony brings out the boomer chair, you sit down and listen because you know its going to be good

You weren't selling the new parts which is what Ford wanted.

I stand with Uncle Tony and his automotive experiments

That's how it was for many of us that just didn't have money - the 'credit card kids' had the latest, name brand shiny, and those of us that had feels and no money worked hard, spent time finding out what worked and how to do it in the garage Friday night. Used parts helped out too, I had a mentor who lived a couple blocks over that showed me quite a few tips, and sold or gave me his retired parts. I did far better than average out on the street, some nights being the quickest car out - and this was long brfore the 5.0 Mustang had been born - back when there were NO performance parts for Fords. So the original premise of 'Mission Impossible' really had my interest.

12.99 would probably be 12,999 nowadays. I loved those magazines.

12.99 for $12.99 was/ is still one of my favorites. RIP Cars Illustrated.

Tony was the King of the hill! Beating engineers at there own game. Satisfaction to it's core. IT'S NOT HOW FAST YOU GO IT'S HOW YOU GO FASSSSSSTER!

I’m looking forward to this build. Please do not let outsiders take control. Do it yourself. Loved the nostalgia. Thanks Tony.

I still have my copy of that issue. I was 17 when it came out and used it to convince my mother to buy a 1989 LX 5.0 in the same year as she had bought a 1965 289 mustang brand new in late 1964 and drove it til 1975. She had well over 250K miles on that LX when she sold it and bought a 2001GT Mustang. Her favorite car was that 1989 5.0 LX.

MuscleMustangs&FastFords was my car bible . I couldn't wait for every new issue to come out. My '91 AOD hatch(later converted to 5sp) and "89 5sp notch were my labors of love.

I still have those 80's Cars Illustrated magazines. Valid then, valid now. Tony 'get's it' and I am glad he's sticking to his principles. Any schmuck with a checkbook can buy go-fast parts and bolt them on, especially these days. To blueprint factory parts and tweak the most performance from each to work as a whole takes talent and intelligence, which is why we enjoy this channel so much. 42-year retired mechanic here, and Uncle Tony is right, IMO, about 99.9% of the time. Keep up the great work, Sir!

Cars Illustrated is the best automotive magazine of all time. I was still in school in '87, but bought a brand-new black 5.0 5-speed notch as soon as I could save up the money. Tony and Neil were 100% responsible. Ford should have paid them a commission.

My '89 GT is *finally* coming back out this Spring after a 3 year hibernation and I'm going nuts with anticipation. The Foxbody is my all time favorite Mustang and no Mustang will ever be cooler to me than my 89. Granted, it was my grandfather's so that plays a big role in my love (obsession) with it.

UTG hasn't lost a viewer to Mission Impossible. Neither has David, Charlie and Unity Motorsports. Adversity makes us better.

I love Mission Impossible. The project may have strayed from Tony's vision, but I think it's really cool and follow it closely. I also was aware of Tony back in his Mustang days, but really didn't follow that closely due to the fact that I was working with a 1982 5.0 Capri with a carb on it. Strangely enough, I had a buddy with a Buick Grand National who followed the adventures of Tony, Steve and Neil. I remember my friend showing me a magazine that had either Tony or Neil on the cover pulling one front wheel off of the ground with a nearly stock Mustang. Those guys were no joke. And there were no aftermarket parts for EFI Mustangs in those days, just as Tony says. I think it was 1990 or '91 before any heads or intakes became available. Those were the days though. As far as street racing went, nobody knew what 5.0 meant, and that was a good thing. God, I had fun.

I haven't been this eager to see something be revealed in years! Yogi Berra wasn't lying when he said "the future ain't what it used to be." So when something like this comes up, it reminds me that I'm really not dead yet.

Your philosophy speaks to me in a foundational way. Grew up with a Dad who built & raced stock cars.

I have followed you for years I have that magazine in my collection Great work man keep it up

I bought an '89 GT with a manual. Great car, and had a 3.08 gear. Had it a few years but wanted a more sleeper looking Mustang. Then got an LX with a manual. It came with a 2.73 gear, LOUSY. No low down torque. At the time the magazines were coming out with all kinds of parts and mod ideas. I had the local dealer put in a 3.55 gear, It was still under warranty and wanted it done right with Ford parts. Wow what a difference. Made it a whole different car to drive. Seemed the 2.73 gears was wasting the low end torque. I also snatched out the airbox silencer, which did give a you a little more engine noise, and went with the K&N air filter that made a difference. Fun cars to play with.

I learned from experience and being a cars illustrated junkie .. my wining moment wasn't the street Races i won with my junk used parts camaro but the street races where the fastest car in my area refused to race me.. He said he never accepted a race he knew he couldnt win .. That was my biggest victory. That was also in 1987. Pretty epic moment for me who was a 17 year old kid who did all his own builds . .grest days . Uncle Tony youre contribution to cars illustrated changed my future for the better.. This 53 year old man who's still that 17 year old kid at heart couldn't thank you enough Uncle Tony.

I'd still love to see the 318 be built. Definitely mission improbable using stock parts. Joe Sherman did it to a 302 and got 400 hp. Thank you CarCraft!!!

I owned that magazine and I might even still have it in a box somewhere. I remember reading the 12.99 for $1299. If I remember correctly it came out of a junkyard.

So acknowledge, Ford played a part in your passion Fox body’s arguably started the aftermarket revolution which all car enthusiast should acknowledge They weren’t the quickest cars, but they had much potential and that potential is what drove the second muscle car era.

This is the reason I am a long time fan. The Philosophy of Hot Rodding in essence of working with what you already have and improving it. It's not even about certain topic but all and how you approach them. Not about taking 100 pounds off from one spot but taking a few pounds off here and there where it isn't needed will add up. Minus weight equals running faster. The little differences keep adding up. Whatever it is. To knock over a half a second off an E.T. is pretty significant in the end.

One of the Most Satisfying videos I’ve watched! I graduated high school in 1994 and had a 1987 Mustang, what a fun car at the time.

Me being an old Street stock guy I know about trying to go faster with stock parts. Looking forward to this.

I Blame you U.T for my obsession with the Foxbody Mustangs. Thank you sir .👈💯

I was a senior in High School just a few miles from Deer Park Avenue on Long Island in 1987 and still have every car magazine Tony wrote for. I spent every weekend cruising DPA and Hempstead Turnpike. Great times. The best days of my life. I have the issues preserved in plastic and they were my Bible back then. We love you Tony!

I mentioned it a few years ago in one of your videos’ comment section, but this is 100% truth. I picked up that issue of Cars Illustrated after being set on buying a 350 IROC. The Mustang hadn’t completely flown under my radar but I had every intention of buying the Camaro. That issue, and your brand of automotive journalism made me question my decision. I read it over and over again, and I began to dig that little bomb, lol. I think by May I was looking for any excuse to buy the Mustang. In mid-May I got it. The local Chevrolet dealer still had not gotten a 350 in yet. As luck would have it, the usual two or three salesmen I bs’d with weren’t there. I was greeted by an older salesman that questioned why I kept coming there looking for something I couldn’t afford, and wasting everyone’s time. I was blown away. 30 years of my family owning GM vehicles ended right there. Now we didn’t own Fords but we happened to have a long time family friend that owned a Ford dealership. I drove straight home from the Chevy dealer and called him and told him exactly what I wanted to order. Two weeks before I graduated high school I ordered Black LX hatch with the 5.0. The only think they botched was forgetting the 3.08s. The car arrived the first week of August. I got a ticket for racing the first night I had it 🤭 I became much more careful and managed to keep my drivers license. In August 1987, 5 Liter Mustangs were still not that common in small town Florida. There were a few GTs but only a handful of LXs. I did all your tricks because at 18 all my money was going into car payments, gas and Dairy Queen specials. I am so glad mods weren’t readily available. It taught me how to get the most out of what I had. The car became a local legend. Everyone wanted to take their chance against it. By mid-89 Mustangs were coming out of the woodwork here. I would say I was responsible for at least twenty of them. You were responsible for thousands!

Tony, you are the Henry "Smokey" Yunick of Mustangs and Mopars.... keep up the fun!! I hope the "mission improbable" is an AMC of some type.

When we say good old day’s of cars and modifying the stories like these is what we mean. Budget hot rods are special

The 5.0 single Handley saved the American muscle car.

I really, Really get it. This mentality is the essence of hot rodding.... It's fundamental foundation. Thank you !!

..I'm pretty sure we're here for the 'yap'. Bro..TY

The foxbody is an addicting car. My first car was an 86 GT convertible. That car literally made me a Ford guy after growing up in a Chevy house. All of my car guy friends know that I always find a way to bring Foxbodies into the car conversation somehow.

In '71 I had a "65 Plymouth Belvedere 1. Bought it at a government auction for $386.00. It had over 99,000 miles, slant 6, automatic, posi rear end. I raced it OFTEN ! Took home some trophies in U stock, and some running the E T brackets. That winter, after reading an article in Hot Rod magazine, I went to a junk yard and bought the turbo assembly off a Olds Rocket, I got that car down to an ET of 10.38. MAN THAT WAS A FUN CAR! A real sleeper as it was my daily driver. Neet to get that much speed for a total price around $75 and a lot of my time.

The BEST UTG story ever. I always wondered about your Mustang days.GREAT story!

I know exactly the feeling you're talking about. Beating insanely huge budgets and experts on a shoestring is priceless. My first experience with getting canceled.

Late 80's no internet no big national parts stores, we were all flying by the seat of our pants, mixing junkyard parts, trying to go just a little bit faster. The muscle car era was behind us, the ugly cars were in the car lots, we bought old Plymouths and Studebakers and hot rodded the heck out of them. It was a time..JC Whitney was the go to, but it took weeks to get parts.

I remember that mag and 2 years later I got my own 5.0! I dragged it, autocross, track days...everything and it was so fun!

truly the coolest youtube hot rodder i know!

I like the ramble, I don't have enough true gearheads in my life these days, when you ramble I get to go back to the 80's when all my friends were total gearheads. Keep up the good work.

Tony i can never decide weather im a bigger fan of your history episodes or your mad scientist ideas

Bought an 89 lx coupe 5.0 5-speed when I was in college working on my undergrad. Added Trickflow heads, stage 1 cam, track heat intake, 3.73 gear, and all the bolt-ons. Ran 13.40s @ 107 spinning through first on drag radials. Still the most fun car I’ve ever owned, which includes a 2015 Challenger Scat Pack with 8-speed auto. A late model Mustang with o/r H-pipe and 2 chamber Flowmasters is still my favorite sounding exhaust of all time. You could hear it from blocks away and it was so distinct, you knew exactly what it was. I really miss that. There’s just something about those cars that Ford got right, which you would be hard pressed to say about any of their vehicles today.

My boomer chair is a recliner that is comfy enough for a great nap .

The gracious way you bowed out of the hijacked Mission Impossible project shows how much CLASS you have. There are those who could learn from you.

Bravo Tony! I'm loving hearing about a snobby guy complaining about how well you go fast!

Pulling on my heart strings. Still have my 88 lx. 20 years now

Funny you hear more of these type of experiences with the foxbody mustang than with any other car.

Looking at the front page of that magazine… I lean more towards the red GTA. Still running a turbo ‘90 GTA, but sadly Atco and etown are gone…

The mission impossible 318 inspired me to research what could be done with my 70 Dodge W200 on a budget. I settled on KB pistons, 302 casting head's, early bottom end. I have 4 intake manifolds to test on it. Single plane 2 barrel, dual plane 2 barrel. Thermoquad 4 barrel with adapter and AVS2 Edelbrock carb and finally a TR5 tunnel ram with 2 AVS2 carbs on top.

I bought a brand new 89 5.0 LX Hatch 5 speed. The first year the LX's had the GT upgraded seats and the last year of the Fox body with tilt wheel. I am so sorry that I ever sold it at 12K miles, I was getting into Harleys and the wife at the time convinced me that I did not need the Stang. I really think this is why the 1989 5.0 was the best year of the Foxes.

Super ford weekend at maple grove was the bomb…I went for five or six years starting 1990…..but I had pinto w/351cleveland…..lol

Uncle Tony's Car Restorator Gig...oh yeah

I remember a guy back in early 90s with a 5.0 coupe no options 5sp. On a set of M&H slicks running 8.10s .He did a lot of what you did and also took off the belts. He never tore into engine . Couldn't figure out how this guy was beating my 66 Malibu with a hot 350/turbo400 3.73 posi on slicks. I WAS running 8.30s.HaHa. I'm a Chevy guy but I've always had a love for those cars. Thanks Uncle Tony!

this is why i have followed you since 87.

Great Stang story! Can't wait to see what you bought (not an SHO is it?) I actually had a 1990 SHO I bought in 1991. My kids were getting too big to fit in the back seat of my 87 Iroc convertible and I needed to find something bigger for them. What a fun sleeper! Loved it! I got pulled over many times but back in the day I was a young hot thing so cops gave me verbal and written warnings. I drove the SHO for 10 yrs, the Yamaha engine and Mazda trans were wonderful, the Ford part not so much. I gave it to one of my sons and I bought a 2001 Trans Am WS6 6sp since my boys were grown and didn't need to fit in the back of an f-body.

Cars Illustrated (and your articles) was awesome.

I remember you also spoke to going fast in that Mustang was also about being willing to speed shift. You were talking about being on the order of half a second quicker with speed shifting. I put that to the test when running down a mid-80's Mustang convertible in a '85 300zx turbo. Every time he granny shifted, I gained ground, and when I ripped a gear she just kept on pullin'. By 3rd gear I'd passed him and he was flashing his lights demanding to know what chip I was running to make it do that. He refused to believe it was stock, but it was.

This comes down to the butt seat. Dino and gentleman like yourself Mr. Tony. This is why I forever watch your videos the knowledge

This is what I love about your channel. Mission improbable . (it's about what I do with my car),not how much money I can throw at it

I love those types of stories! Another excellent video Uncle Tony. I’m Australian and back in 2009 I started drag racing for the first time and got hooked. I had a 1994 Commodore Ute with the injected 5l (304ci) Holden V8. One of the best sounding V8’s in my opinion but it’s a bit of a wheezer as it only produced 220hp with a breathtaking 8.5:1 cr from the factory. When I started it was running high 15’s almost 16’s. I never touched the engine bar for a good set of headers and exhaust system, had the 4l60e rebuilt because it lost reverse gear, mini spool after the crown wheel wanted a divorce from the pinion gear. I enjoyed the challenge of getting it down to a best of 14.6’s with a low compression, worn out 210,000 mile car and engine. Oh and it still had 3.08 rear end ratio too. Looking for to Mission Improbable…. Love this channel 👍

I miss those days, with elbow grease, determination, stubbornness, creativity, and willpower. you could put/fit almost anything into those 80 & 90s cars. I even remember guys port & polishing 4 barrel carbs just to squeeze out a little bit more power, just to gain to few milliseconds.

Its all true, and i lived through those times. There were no aftermarket parts then. I worked in a sports car shop just blocks away from Kenny Browns shop in Omaha Nebraska, this was like 1985-90 ? Watched many 5.0 Mustangs blast by, they all had the cats off and big loud exhaust. Many were cutting the stock intake manifolds apart to hog them out, and weld them back. Then people starting using modified truck intakes. They had to do these things, because the aftermarket for these cars didnt come on til 88, 89 ?. Like Tony said, the B303 cam came out, and the tube GT40 intakes. Ford came out with those, then the aftermaket parts starting coming out fast and many... Uncle Tony, you are my brother from another mother !

Tony.great petrol head anecdote,please keep them coming. And taking it to the man ! cheers

I bet improbable is a 4.0 rwd XJ. Cool drag car

I remember sitting in Jr. High and Highschool with Muscle Mustangs & Fast Fords tucked inside my school books, so I could study while I was "studying" :D Too bad I threw aways boxes of those magazines in the early 2000's. Wish I had held on to them now.

You three created the 87-93 Mustang movement.

And this is why your channel is one of my favorites. Thanks Tony. :)

Love hearing of your experiences! Have to admit, you had my undivided attention. I was and am still racing Pontiacs. Back in the late 80s I picked up a Dodge Omni GLHS that was a toy. I tweaked that thing while keeping it as stock looking as possible. The camero and mustang boys didn’t know what to think when I was actually contending with and beating them with a 2.2 turbo four cylinder four door hatchback. Yes, I De badged it so it looked innocent.

All talk in this garage, history lesson

Its either a 5.0 Truck or a Wagon , cant wait to see.

I like your way to go about things, Tony. There are an abundance of channels where expensive parts are bolted on new engine blocks and whatnot. Not all of us can afford that stuff so it's fun and interesting to see how you can improve the performance with stock parts

13.43 is ripping!!! Wow they must have been so mad!! They should have offered you a job!!!

Ooooooooooooooooo The suspense! LOL! Love it Tony.

You got me anxiously awaiting the unveiling of Mission Improbable. Your recollections of your Mustang experiences got me. I’d been following the 5.0 evolution since Ford brought back the Mustang GT in 82. I finally bought a new LX hatch 302/5-speed/3.08 in 1992. As it was my daily driver I was somewhat cautious of what I did to it, but it got a K&N filter, Flow Master American Thunder exhaust, JBA 1 1/2 inch shorties, Hurst shifter, JBA subframe connectors and Koni struts and shocks. Probably the mods that provided the better bang for the buck, however, was removing the silencer and advancing the timing. The Hurst was a smart thing. The subframe connectors got welded in before the the Konis and made all the difference in the world with the stock 16 inch rubber, at least on clover leave freeway ramps. Instead of the exhaust, I should have spent the money on a four core radiator as the 302 tended to want to run very hot at anything over 120 - but I digress. Worst thing I did was a 160 degree thermostat as it knocked my gas mileage down during daily commuting and I didn’t feel any improvement. But yeah, a couple of the mods you mentioned I tried. I was living in SoCal at the time and what I did always passed smog. Mobile One - I became a user after MM&FF demonstrated quarter mile gains using the 10W30 synthetic. The Mustang is long gone, unfortunately. The old computer on those mass air motors could compensate for about anything. The new stuff is fast, but I don’t have much interest in it as I do seeing something with pushrods and a carburetor - even an inline six.

Bloody good stuff mate! Pioneering imho, can't wait to see the new project!

Yeah I loved the "Hotrod on a budget" days too Tony....

I just discovered you were THE Tony of my youth with all those magazines...

Every time I go to Cracker Barrel and see the line of rocking chairs outside, I instantly think of Uncle Tony. Never change, UT.

Thx Uncle Tony😊

Hook line & sinker, who shot Jr you got us waiting

The suspense is going to kill me! What is it? Turbo K car? Cavalier Z24? This mission improbable content can't come out fast enough.

This video wasn't "too long" by any means. I enjoy these long videos, and always watch them to the end. Long and "rambling" Tony is good Tony. 👍 But your idea for the Mission Impossible build, and now Mission Improbable, is EXACTLY the niche kind of thing that I watch this channel for. I'll be looking forward to this series. By the way, if Mission Improbable is an AMC Gremlin that'd be hilarious. lol

quickest i seen Mustangs get down to was 12.2s before heavy modifications at Captitol raceway back in late 1980s . each Mustang owner would gather together and discuss what little things they did to their cars to get quicker. last big mod was people would take off Bumper and remove a crash bar or something and put back on to race. also plenty of seats would be sitting in the pits

Tony, I have in my hand 2 issues of Street & Strip Supercar and 1 of Hot Street & Strip Cars you were Editor of. I thought your magazines blew away Hot Rod and all the others. Your mix of old school cars and modern tech cars was perfect. Even Buick Grand National stuff which helped me get my 98% stock GN down to 11.90's on slicks and race gas. I foamed at the mouth for new issues and searched all the stores here in Tulsa but they disappeared. You were the best.

Mission Improbable...love it already! Going to fun watching Venus turn into Medusa.

Oh I can't WAIT to see this! I love surprises and I know you always have some fun project up your sleeve.

The most satisfying experience I’ve had in a car was when I dragged raced Tony F in Mt Morris NY on river road, I had my 1988 Monte Carlo SS and he had his 1979 Monte Carlo with more HP, after I beat him the entire town was happy because half the folks didn’t like him, I was getting congratulated for many years after that. We met up at midnight and it went around town so when the clock hit 12 many people were watching, we even had a rematch but I beat him again racing down a hill and I launched my car in the air over a huge bump destroying all 4 shocks.

Mid 70s nova with the 262 smallblock ...

This is the same concept I’m applying to my 81 Malibu, I bought the car to do the lemons rally this year and due to time constraints I wasn’t able to. So I decided to just get it running as best I can with what’s in it all while fighting my friends on not doing an LS swap. They just can’t seem to take a project back to our roots when we were young and didn’t have a lot of money.

I used to cruise town in 1987 in my '77 Delta 88 corporate car, outrunning all of you Mustang guys, and having a laugh! ha ha ha!!!

Love how excited you are about this!

Great stuff Uncle Tony! I wish I was more coherent back in the 5.0 days!

Hey Tony, Tim here, yea, ur Mustang was kickin some serious butt, to bad stupid cooperate folk gotta call it fake......i know it aint.....argued a bit with Charles and Co on Mis. Impos. But got no where, just attacks, and i wasnt attacking, just tellin facts of the original concept......Lets see Mis. Improbable......i bet it'll take some time, but i've followed you long enuf to know, it'll kick some butt!!!..THANKS for another GREAT vid......and i'm with you on ur mind set..... my brother ALWAYS kicked but with stock stuff.... asked, and learned......i will be watchin....PEACE my brother!!