Fox 89 5.0. Where Do I Start With Mods.

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sreinicke128

New Member
Jan 13, 2015
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#1
I got it about 7 months ago, and it came with lot done to it, but nothing was really for power.
anyone recommend anything?
i was thinking about heads, but dont know anyone that has experience. reccomend anything?
long tube headers?
offroad x pipe?
what are some bang for your buck ways to add hp.!!!!!
 
#2
welcome- tell us what mods are aleady done, what the current setup of the car is, what your goal and intended use is, if you plan on doing the work yourself or not, and what your budget is.

This is my recommendation which normally is not what newbs want to hear. Before you start to upgrade these cars with any engine mods, you first need to address things like

  • Suspension- subframe connectors, checking the torque bozes, control arms, sway bar links,
  • lower rear end gears stick 3.55 aod 3.73
  • Brakes- at a minimum adding stainless steel caliper bushings, brake lines and better pads and shoes,
  • Charging- 3g alternator upgrade
  • Shifter- stick pro 5.0 or Steeda
@jrrichker has an excellent writeup on different HP builds and what to expect.
 
#3
Ha damn it man, I was about to type the same sht. But yeah man pretty much what he said. If you have a pretty good platform to start from and wear items have been replaced/updated ie brakes, shocks/struts etc and the motor is in decent shape then look into a Trick Flow Topend kit. You don't necessarily have to use their "kit" but it'll give you an idea of items you'll need to make power. If the motor is tired and the suspension is lacking address those issues first. Stay away from under drive pulleys, think long n hard about long tube headers (if budget is an issue) and cold air intakes are mostly for looks.
To answer your question directly you need a better set of cylinder heads to achieve anything worth while.
Enjoy
 
#4
 
#5

Totally in agreement. Those are the first things I sorted on my car as it was being built.

I'm curious as to what the alternator upgrade is for, though. Especially in a car like mine with no HVAC and electronics besides the lights.
 
#6
Welcome to Stangnet. Also as far as suspension goes I highly recommend Maximum Motorsports,TeamZ motorsports,or steeda. For struts/shocks I like Strange engineering adj or Koni. Make sure you address the sub frames and check the torque boxes(these are located in the rear of the car where the upper control arms are connected to the car). If you plan on drag racing at all make sure you reinforce this area(they have kits for this).
 
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#7
Repeat of past thoughts on the subject...

Far too many people put a dab of this and a dollop of that, and then wonder why the car doesn't run worth beans. Then they think off the shelf computer chips will fix their mismatched parts problem. It won't You have to have a plan for what kind of performance you want: Hot street. Street/Strip, Pure strip, Autocross or Road course. Each one requires a different strategy and a different set of components.. Mismatch the components and you’ll have a car that falls flat on its face when you demand performance.

Everyone thinks HP! HP! HP! and thinks that peak HP is what they need. Peak HP is great for a drag strip car when it has the proper gears and tires to get the car up into the high RPM range where it develops that high peak HP near the finish line. On a street car, that strategy will have Honda Accords outrunning you, because you will never get the engine RPMs high enough without running over everything in your path.

Here’ the strategy: Always remember that there are some tradeoffs in any engine combination. Most of us don’t have enough money to “have it all” as if it was possible by some masterful combination of parts and tuning.

The following recommendations are for 5 Speed Manual transmission cars without NO2 or pressurized induction, stock short block.

1.) Hot street: Broad flat torque curve, high velocity airflow in the intake and heads for best throttle response. Gears suitable for reasonable gas mileage and long road trips without excessive engine RPMs. Stand on the gas pedal from a rolling start to squeeze into that gap in traffic in front of you, and it jumps quick and hard to get you there. Max RPM’s are 5200-5500 RPM for best power. Lopey cams may sound cool, but run poorly in a low RPM street environment.
Use stock cam, stock, GT40 or mildly ported stock heads, Cobra or Explorer/GT40 intake, advanced timing, stock 19 lb injectors, stock fuel pump. Use some good 1.6 or 1.7 ratio roller rockers for extra punch. Use a King Cobra clutch, with stock iron or steel billet flywheel. MAF cars can use a 65 MM TB from the Explorer intake manifold and a 70MM MAF from a 94-95 Mustang. Drive train: 3:55 gears with soft tread compound tires. Use some Ford Racing unequal length headers, stock 2 1/4” cat pipe and some mufflers that don’t drone or get too much attention from the law enforcement or neighbors. The stock computer will handle all this with no problems and doesn’t need any help in 90% of the cases. No skinny or grossly undersize tires for the front: remember you still have to stop quickly in traffic. Make sure all the rubber bushings in the front and rear suspensions are in first class shape. Leave the emissions equipment intact and working. Removing or disabling it won’t get you any more HP or performance. Do not convert to carb or remove A/C: either one will reduce the resale value. Carb conversions cannot be titled for street use or get tags in some places. They definitely won’t pass smog inspections.

Street/strip: A little more slope to the torque curve with a gently sloping peak. Use slightly larger port volumes on intake and heads for more peak HP. Uses 3.55 or 3.73 gears to get the RPM’s up into a higher range quicker. Be prepared to sacrifice some low RPM throttle response in exchange for high RPM power. This by necessity will be a Mass Air or Mass Air conversion on 86-88 5.0 Mustangs, since stock speed density will not run well with the changes in engine airflow. Don’t get too crazy on any one engine part since you still have to drive the car on the street, and a mismatch can make street driving miserable.
Use stock or mild aftermarket cam, Ported GT 40, or 165-180 CC port volume aftermarket aluminum heads. Use a Trick Flow, Edelbrock Performer or equal intake manifold. Take a 73 MM aftermarket MAF calibrated for 24 lb injectors, and 24 lb injectors, 155 LPH fuel pump, Kirban adjustable fuel pressure regulator. Be prepared to shell out some $$$ for a custom burned chip using data gathered from a dyno run. Mass market chips will not get the job done. Use some Ford Racing unequal length headers, aftermarket 2 1/2” cat pipe and some mufflers that don’t drone or get too much attention from the law enforcement or neighbors. Drivetrain: expect the stock T5 to fail, so save your money for a super duty 5 speed trans. Tremec 3550, TKO 500 & TKO 600 are the best choices. Different gears in a stock T5 case work for some, but there is only so much power you can pass through a T5 in race mode before it breaks, even with stronger gears. Next are the Chassis mods: full length subframe connectors, different springs, different shocks, aftermarket lower and upper control arms with rubber or urethane bushings. Buy all the parts from someplace like Maximum Motorsports, Griggs or Steeda as a kit so that you know that all the parts fit and don’t argue with each other. Carry spare tires and wheels for the drag strip: skinnys for the front and drag radials for the rear. No skinnys for street driving! Over 85% of the breaking power is generated by the front tires, so skinnys won’t do the job in a panic stop situation. Disconnect the front anti-roll bar at the strip; reconnect it before you drive home. Leave the emissions equipment intact and working. Removing or disabling it won’t get you any more HP or performance. Do not convert to carb or remove A/C: either one will reduce the resale value. Carb conversions cannot be titled for street use or get tags in some places. They definitely won’t pass smog inspections.

Strip only: High RPM, High flow heads (185-215 CC port volume), wild cam, high flow intake manifold, 70 MM or larger TB, 80 MM or lager MAF, strip everything out of the car that doesn’t make it go faster. Carbs are OK if that’s what you want, but remember that as the temp/humidity/ barometric pressure/altitude changes, you have to re-jet and readjust the carb. EFI eliminates most of that with its built in compensation or you can tune of the fly with a high end Motes or Tweecer system combined with a wide band air/fuel ratio meter. Use custom headers, dumps and minimal mufflers. How fast you can go on 5 liters is a function of the skill level of the driver/mechanic and the size of your wallet.

TRAILER the car to the race track since it won’t be legal to drive it on the street. Drag slicks in the rear, skinnys up front, use 3.73 or bigger gears (4.xx) in the rear axle. Since you won’t be driving on long trips, the big gears with work with the high RPM power curve to get the best results. Drivetrain: TKO 500 & TKO 600 are the best choices. Different gears in a stock T5 case work for some, but there is only so much power you can pass through a T5 in race mode before it breaks, even with stronger gears. Next are the Chassis mods: full length subframe connectors, different springs, different shocks, aftermarket lower and upper control arms with rubber or urethane bushings. Buy all the parts from someplace like Maximum Motorsports, Griggs or Steeda as a kit so that you know that all the parts fit and don’t argue with each other. Remove the front sway bar, put an airbag in the rear spring of the side that spins the tire the most. Plan on a roll cage if you are truly serious about going fast: most strips will require it once you get to a certain ET range.

Autocross is a combination of Hot street engine and street strip chassis prep. The engine must accelerate quickly from low RPM and needs a broad, flat torque curve. Next are the Chassis mods: full length subframe connectors, different springs, different shocks, aftermarket lower and upper control arms with rubber or urethane bushings. Buy all the parts from someplace like Maximum Motorsports, Griggs or Steeda as a kit so that you know that all the parts fit and don’t argue with each other. Most of the time you’ll never hit third gear, so some 3.73 or bigger gears (4.xx) may help a lot. You’ll have to spend some more money on brakes since it kills brakes quickly. Rear disks, larger rotors up front, stainless steel brake lines, different brake pads. A 87-88 T Bird Turbo Coupe or SN 95 rear axle will be your best bet. Autocross will severely strain 1st & 2nd gears, so your T5 may take a premature dump. Save your money for a super duty 5 speed trans. Tremec 3550, TKO 500 & TKO 600 are the best choices.

All out road race is the most difficult of all: an engine that will run at high rpm hour after hour and never fail, yet pull hard out of the hairpin turns that will require a lot of torque at lower RPMs. In my opinion, guys that can successfully build a winning road race engine are the cream of the crop. Top this off with a chassis built for strip only duty, but with changes to the settings of springs, tires, roll bars brakes and shocks. It’s a whole other world of racing.
You’ll have to spend lots more money on brakes since it kills brakes quickly. Rear disks, larger rotors up front, stainless steel brake lines, different brake pads. Air ducting to cool the brake rotors will be a must. The brake rotors of cars on a high speed road course glow red after several hard laps of racing. Drivetrain: TKO 500 & TKO 600, and T56 close ratio are the best transmission choices.
 
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#10
Shoomakan said:
Totally in agreement. Those are the first things I sorted on my car as it was being built.

I'm curious as to what the alternator upgrade is for, though. Especially in a car like mine with no HVAC and electronics besides the lights.
Click to expand...

IMO the stock alternator wiring is a fire hazard and that alone is reason enough to swap to a 3g. I have seen far too many foxes have engine fires and other electrical problems due to the wires melting.
 
#12
mikestang63 said:
IMO the stock alternator wiring is a fire hazard and that alone is reason enough to swap to a 3g. I have seen far too many foxes have engine fires and other electrical problems due to the wires melting.
Click to expand...

Got it. Thank you.

Did some reading. As I'll be using a 1998 Exploder motor for my build, I think I would already have the 3G alternator. FWIW, the car is fully gutted and will only have a simple radio with 2 speakers to keep me entertained when I'm stuck in traffic. So I don't particularly need it anyway... good thing it's free on the motor.

Nevertheless, thanks for the heads up.
 
#14
Sharad said:
Here are the first mods I made to my street strip 89 5.0. I ran 12.91 @ 103.7 basically stock. http://www.mustang50magazine.com/featuredvehicles/m5lp_0812_1989_ford_mustang_lx/index.html
Click to expand...

I've read that article before. Blew me away.

How stock is nearly stock? It has an intake, MAF, exhaust. Any timing? It's picked up almost 7 mph at the quarter with no engine upgrades. That's insane!

My stock E34 540iT/6 ran a 14.6@99mph stock. After I gutted it and tuned, the best it could manage was 13.1@106.8mph. But I tuned it and upgraded the exhaust. It's insane how much faster the Fox got after a small diet in comparison.

You mind sharing how much weight you shed? I had to shed ~700 pounds from the BMW to get it to where it was!
 
#15
a gutted/street strip car. Kinda an oxymoron
 
#16
Now I never got my fox that quick in n/a form(12.9) but with a completely stock(tires,motor,suspension nothing modified) 14.8 et cut it down to 13.8 with just off road h pipe and mufflers,gears,pulleys,lca,bumped timing,air silencer removed with k&n filter,and a bias ply dot legal tire. With a good suspension,and light weight wheels/skinnies/drag tire stock foxes can run mid to low 13's and some have gone 12's. Without touching the h/c/i.
 
#17
90lxwhite said:
a gutted/street strip car. Kinda an oxymoron
Click to expand...

I thoroughly enjoyed driving it. Deal with no defrost in winter was a real adventure, but that car gave me memories I'll never forget. Besides, as I've said before... I have more than 1 car. If the weather was bad I'd fire up the Jeep. Also, the sheer performance gain outweighed, to me at least, the loss of creature comforts.


Hence my surprise at his post, dude. You have/had similar or more mods done and his car was still almost a second faster! I was thinking it could be because he gave the Fox a heavy diet, but the article didn't really delve into the weight reduction besides the smog pump and a couple of other things.
 
#18
Umm he took out p/s,a/c,smog,lighter alt,battery in trunk,and an elec wp just to name a few. Also ran welds etc. he lightened the car and did more mods than I did. There were plenty of cars in the early 90's running right around his numbers but it was quicker than most. Just sayn'
 
#19

Fair enough. I'm still new to all of this and didn't know that those numbers were average.
 
#20

It had a Cold Air intake, but the engine was stock from the throttle body to the oil pan. Stock. I took a lot of parasitic drag off of the engine. Base timing was 10° and I used the PMS to add timing. It dynoed at 236hp/303tq to the tires.



I posted a picture of every part I removed. I never weighed the car in that form, but I would guess it to be around 3000lbs. It still had power windows, locks, mirrors, fuel door, trunk release, etc. It wasn't what I'd call "gutted." I really don't want to come off as arrogant, but driving is a factor as well. I've been racing fox body Mustangs for over 20 years.

Here's a video for reference. Those BFG DRs are SUPER finicky. This was actually my worst pass of the day, but it's the only one which made it to video. I annihilated the tires and spun to a 1.97 short time. So this was only a 13.31. But you can see my driving. The last pass of the night was a 1.69 60-foot, which gave me the 12.91 @ 103.7.

 
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