5.0 majority

[strtrcr50]

Oh man, how soon we forget. That's pretty much all I remember from the 5.0&SF or MM&FF during the mid/late'90's and early 00's when the Fox’s were popular. Even now the most recent issue they're doing stock rebuilds for the 5.0L and testing GT40X heads and Typhoon intake that have already been on the market for years. I mean....how many times has that stuff been covered now just to appease the few who refuse to accept the reality that its just a rehash of the same old stuff?

Face it, they've pretty much run out of good performance oriented tech stuff for the 5.0L market. How many different versions of a Flowmaster muffler do you need to dyno test before people get tired of it and recognize it for the "filler" it is? What they should be doing at this point is restoration articles, since most foxes are in worse need of TLC rather than the same hop up stuff. Which I've actually noticed a lot more of lately.

I also don't think its a matter of downplaying the Fox body itself, or not catering to them anymore, but in the old days there 5.0L was the main bread winner and the aftermarket hadn't really yet opened up for the 4.6L, so the tech stuff was plentiful. Now that the aftermarket caters more to the new stuff, there's really only so much you can do to keep the old guys happy. Its not like the Fox has been forgotten in all this, its that the need to recognized the SN95/New Edge (both pushrod and modular) as well the S197 deserves just as much, if not more recognition since that's where the money is to be made now?

What seems to be your issue that I'd rather purchase a magazine produced quarterly that covers what interests me? I'm not really bashing the current productions, but I'm certainly not buying them either. With your opinion above, do you also feel that magazines specializing in the 60's cars should get with the program and cover the new stuff too?

FWIW, what section of stangnet has 65k more posts than the second place section?

 

[riceslayer302]

The first thing that jumps out is the fact that you don't have a 5.0. You may say you did, at one time, but you don't now. You don't know, then, either how many of us owners there are driving, or racing, though either is readily apparent at any strip, or just going to the gas station to fill the 4.6 you do have. You also must not be aware of how many of us that want to keep doing that. We would just like for the companies that made any adjustments to your 4.6 car possible, to pay some attention to those of us that made your car even happen, given that Ford wanted all of us to be driving a Probe, and it was us Fox buyers and owners, and our habit(that hasn't waned in any way, shape, or form) of spending LOTS of money for the last 20 years on this hobby, of which we are still, and will continue to be, a mainstay. Again, feel free, before you dismiss our compliant, to look at any time of day, or year, at how many of all the groups are viewing. Yet again, there are more Fox guys than any group. 2 and 3 times as many. So we should read all about the minority that they want us to? Thats why MM/FF or Supposedly 5.0 has a continuingly shrinking market. Most of us don't care for their irrelavent babblings, they don't apply. Previous posts indicate we're not interested in the rehash of info we've had for 15 years. That does not mean we're out of things our 2.5 million cars need at 20+ years old, and even a quarterly publication to tell us about them would be nice. Muscle Car Review has great stuff, and stated in 1989 that people would be restoring Foxs' one day. I still have the issue.But they concentrate on the older iron. We're kinda in the middle, perhaps an untapped market. We could get 5.0 Resto, Year One, Mustangs Unlimited to put up articles on restomod stuff, they all have mule cars. Anybody wanna start a magazine with me? Uh oh, here comes Suzy...I'm gonna get in trouble for that idea...

hahaha

 

[FastDriver]

Should I ban him for not accepting the fact that 5.0s are still the coolest, fellas?

j/k Brian

 

[Gearbanger 101]

With your opinion above, do you also feel that magazines specializing in the 60's cars should get with the program and cover the new stuff too?

Not at all...the Classics are the classics and deserve to be in a category of their own. I too hope you would consider the early classics a completely different breed altogether than the anything build after them, or before 2005 for that matter. Never mind that there was a 6-year gap between where the classics died off and where the Fox bodies started that the Mustang had all but lost all popularity at all (Mustang II). Aside from pushrods under the hood and the name sake alone, what do the classics have in common what so ever with the Fox's?

Then take a look at the other side of the coin. Aside from some different sheet metal, a different power plant and various upgrades made to the interior, what's basically changed from 1979-2004?

The SN95 no matter what engine is under the hood and what skin its wearing or how fancy the interior has gotten is still basically just a rebadged fox body. So do you honestly think the '79-'93 Fox's deserve their own based on so few changes over the years? I mean.....if we're only wanting Fox bodies 5.0L's as part of this publication, why not include the kissing cousin Fox bodied Fairmonts, T-Birds, Cougars and Lincoln Mark VIII's in that list as well. Why should they get left out?

If anything in this comparison, it’s the S197 that deserves its own publication in all this, not the Fox and SN95. It is after all the only Mustang built since 1964 that’s started its existence from a clean sheet of paper?

Should I ban him for not accepting the fact that 5.0s are still the coolest, fellas?

j/k Brian

My Ban stick is still bigger than yours though, Chris.

 

[wythors]

Never mind that there was a 6-year gap between where the classics died off and where the Fox bodies started that the Mustang had all but lost all popularity at all (Mustang II).

Your grasp of Mustang history is lacking.

The 1974 Mustang II sold 386,000 copies. That is over three times what sold in 73, the last year of the "classic" Mustang and more than any year since 1966 at the time. Hmm... Also more than have sold any one year of the S197, IIRC. Just because you don't like them, doesn't mean they weren't popular in the day.

 

[Strippt88]

Should I ban him for not accepting the fact that 5.0s are still the coolest, fellas?

j/k Brian

Right? No, no bannage necessary, as with our country, our differences are our strength. Brian brings valid points to the arguement, but the publications ignore the rebirth that ocurred in the 80's, that some of us were present for. From the tape sticker cars of the 70's, to cars that learned it was ok to perform instead of look like they did, an entire movement that still exists was born. My magazine might be just like Musclecar Review, 80's style. Anybody remember how one had to sit up straight at the stoplight, when those particularly intimidating GN headlights appeared in your mirror? My magazine would have Monte SS's, Formula's, GN's, all our best and worst, but available choices. We were the same as the 60's, but different. Maybe even those little turbo'd Omni's... then again...

 

[strtrcr50]

Not at all...the Classics are the classics and deserve to be in a category of their own. I too hope you would consider the early classics a completely different breed altogether than the anything build after them, or before 2005 for that matter. Sure, but everything that could be covered has been covered already. Never mind that there was a 6-year gap between where the classics died off and where the Fox bodies started that the Mustang had all but lost all popularity at all (Mustang II). Aside from pushrods under the hood and the name sake alone, what do the classics have in common what so ever with the Fox's? Small block ford engine?

Then take a look at the other side of the coin. Aside from some different sheet metal, a different power plant and various upgrades made to the interior, what's basically changed from 1979-2004? The fact that any article on engine performance from 96+ is useless.

The SN95 no matter what engine is under the hood and what skin its wearing or how fancy the interior has gotten is still basically just a rebadged fox body. So do you honestly think the '79-'93 Fox's deserve their own based on so few changes over the years? I mean.....if we're only wanting Fox bodies 5.0L's as part of this publication, why not include the kissing cousin Fox bodied Fairmonts, T-Birds, Cougars and Lincoln Mark VIII's in that list as well. Why should they get left out? In addition to trying to convince MM&FF to continue to produce a magazine, I have also advocated buying the magazine they DID produce. This would show that it's a viable product. If you recall, Vinnie Kung(MM&FF) did a 10 sec Granada. I read all those articles because knowledge learned from that was useful on the mustang I owned at the time.

If anything in this comparison, it’s the S197 that deserves its own publication in all this, not the Fox and SN95. It is after all the only Mustang built since 1964 that’s started its existence from a clean sheet of paper? That would be ok with me too. That means it wouldn't have to take up most of the pages of the magazines I want to buy but has very little that is relavant to me.



My Ban stick is still bigger than yours though, Chris.

 

[Gearbanger 101]

Your grasp of Mustang history is lacking.

The 1974 Mustang II sold 386,000 copies. That is over three times what sold in 73, the last year of the "classic" Mustang and more than any year since 1966 at the time. Hmm... Also more than have sold any one year of the S197, IIRC. Just because you don't like them, doesn't mean they weren't popular in the day.

Perhaps sir, it is your Mustang history that is lacking.

Despite initial sales success of the ealry II's, the mid/late 70's proved to be the demise of Muscle in Detroit and the worst era ever for the American automakers. And the Mustang II also turned out to be the furthest thing from performance oriented if you'll recall. With soaring gas prices, Lee Iacoccaa had turned the car into an econobox....a far cry from the sports oriented car that it was originally. And having the whole thing being based on a Ford Pinto really didn't help matters either. Hardly performance worthy and certainly made no waves or strives into any sort of aftermarket performance territory.

You also fail to realize that their competition in the 70's was next to none. America hated anything made in Japan, so their only real competition was from Dodge and GM. That's not the way things were in the late'-80's where the Japanese market really started taking off and today the American auto industry gets to play second fiddle to the import market.

So how do you explain the success of the II....well, when there's nothing else out there, you're gonna buy something. But I ask you....where are they now? Hell....where were they 10 and even 20-years ago? It seems the II's were all but forgotten by the mid-80's. Not something you can say about the classics, or anything built since the fox era.

Its got nothing to do with my personal taste on the subject, its cold hard fact....deal with it!

 

[FastDriver]

My Ban stick is still bigger than yours though, Chris.

Well, I heard your girlfriend say that it's not the size that counts

Do I get a time out for that? If so it was worth it:SNSign:

 

[Gearbanger 101]

Well, I heard your girlfriend say that it's not the size that counts

Do I get a time out for that? If so it was worth it:SNSign:

Are you kidding....I'm just relieved to hear she was talking about me at all. She usually hides her face in shame when someone mentions us together in the same sentence any other time.

 

[Strippt88]

Unquestionably, every Mustang has a niche. The entire point is that, as arguably the largest, most dedicated niche(dedicated meaning we haven't, and wouldn't, replace ours with the next "big" thing Ford handed us, which would be a loyalty matter the newer owners can only hope to match, and older owners have already shown), we should be represented in the publication world. MCR does a great job with the originals, like that. As previously posted, not just for all the things we did, but for what we still continue to do. Our time is still now, though others have joined us. My 1988 5.0 LX hatchback is still a member of the family, like my neighbors 69 Mach, and my coworkers 03 GT. Its sort of annoying to have the newer generation garner the rewards of joining a club we helped create, and brush off the contributions that gave them the world they take so easily for granted. We run just as hard, and did it first, with less, and for less. I just wanna read a GOOD Mustang story again, one that has friggin pushrods, and no $5K blower. As it was in the beginning. We earned the respect of the founders, under hoods, at strips, on streets, and don't need to repeat it for the newcomers. They have to catch US. What are the spoils? To read a useless article about things that are irrelavent? I can get that at the dentist.

 

[FastDriver]

ROFL @ both of you!