Fox Best First Mods For '91 Lx?

[Eric Armstrong]

Hi all,

(i'm new here)

I have been dreaming about getting a fox body for a long time now and finally came across a 91 lx 5.0 5-speed i'm interested in. I am hopefully picking it up this weekend. It already has shorty headers and an aluminum drive shaft.. aside from that (to my preference) its bone stock.

I am planning on modifying this stang and was wondering if anyone had suggestions for the best first mods for it (i'm on a budget, so nothing crazy View attachment 122303 ). I've looked into SF connectors and 5-lug conversions already, any more suggestions?

 

[90lxwhite]

Save for cylinder heads. But 1st I guess if its in decent running condition I'd get some sort of high flow mufflers so you can at least have a lil rumble and sound fast

 

[mikestang63]

Hi all,

(i'm new here)

I have been dreaming about getting a fox body for a long time now and finally came across a 91 lx 5.0 5-speed i'm interested in. I am hopefully picking it up this weekend. It already has shorty headers and an aluminum drive shaft.. aside from that (to my preference) its bone stock.

I am planning on modifying this stang and was wondering if anyone had suggestions for the best first mods for it (i'm on a budget, so nothing crazy View attachment 122300 ). I've looked into SF connectors and 5-lug conversions already, any more suggestions?

Welcome Eric. This subject has been covered about 100000 times over the last 20 years. You are going to get some varying opionions on what you should do.

First thing is to decide what your goal is and how you are going to use the car. There is a direct inverse relationship to the driveability and amount of modifications you do to a car. Your car probably idles smooth, drives very cushy, and is very mild mannered. If you like it that way and want to keep it a DD , I'd recommend not going to crazy with the mods- just some bolt ons that will improve the performance, safety, and handling. Before you do any mods make sure everything is in good working order- brakes, clutch, cooling, etc., Then do a tune up- make sure the basics are all covered. Plugs, rotor, wires, filters, oil, fluids,etc

Then do a search for Bob Cosby's 12 second recipe. It is a proven checklist that contains some free HP things to do. Over the years I've found the following mods a good starting point.

New parts
suspension- subframe connectors are a must- I prefere MM full length
Gears- probably the best SOP bang for the buck. With a T5 go with either a 3.55 or 3.73. FORD gears only.

New or used
exhaust- you already have shorties. a good cat back system will wake up the car
shifter- TKO or Steeda

Used- junkyard horsepower- cheap
Alternator- 130 amp alternator from a 94-95gt or 90's taurus . The stock 75 amp alt is terrible as is and is a fire hazard
Electric fan from a mid 90s taurus
Explorer intake and 65MM throttle body
70MM MAF from a 94-95 Mustang Gt
5 lug/disc brake swap from 94-96 mustang

Most of these junkyard swaps have been written about many times. Do search on the boards and you will find some good writeups as well as classifieds.

 

[Grabbin' Asphalt]

for that 5spd - 3:55 gears for a DD, non-DD 3:73 + higher

 

[A5literMan]

Mike said it very well. OP check the most common questions thread at the top of this forum. There is a lot of good info there

 

[madspeed]

A little homework on your end will go along way. As stated, this question has been asked a whole lot, so you'll get all the info you need just browsing around here!

 

[tpstang]

I agree, with gears and exhaust. You can go crazy but those are good places to start.

 

[mikestang63]

I agree, with gears and exhaust. You can go crazy but those are good places to start.

Damn, you waited 2 years for that post?

 

[tpstang]

Damn, you waited 2 years for that post?

haha, well I had forgotten that I signed up and luckily remembered my password. been around mustangs a lot but haven't been around forums too much.

 

[Sharad]

Here's what I did when my '89 5.0 was basically stock. It was a lot of fun!

http://www.mustang50magazine.com/featuredvehicles/m5lp_0812_1989_ford_mustang_lx/index.html

 

[Eric Armstrong]

Thanks guys, sorry it's been a while. It's definitely going to be a weekend only car, probably for some fun drives and racing I definitely want to do a 351w swap eventually, so I think i'll do basically all of the mods you listed first as well as some other supporting mods and do the engine stuff last. Aside from anything the car NEEDS right off, I think i'm going to do 3.73 gears first.

 

[A5literMan]

Thanks guys, sorry it's been a while. It's definitely going to be a weekend only car, probably for some fun drives and racing I definitely want to do a 351w swap eventually, so I think i'll do basically all of the mods you listed first as well as some other supporting mods and do the engine stuff last. Aside from anything the car NEEDS right off, I think i'm going to do 3.73 gears first.

Fwiw. Definitely do the engine upgrade last. If you are fairly new to fox bodies and racing in particular I highly recommend doing all the supporting mods first. Get lots of seat time and get familiar with the car. These cars aren't the most powerful in near stock form but can still get you into trouble real quick. IMO spend all your time making sure all the brakes,suspension,safety items are up to par first. Then worry about performance upgrades. Then you can really enjoy the car IMO

 

[Eric Armstrong]

Definitely. I plan on doing the 5 lug disc brake conversion at some point before the engine, as well as suspension, panhard bar, and any other necessary mods to keep it planted.
What else do I need to do besides brakes, gearing and suspension?

 

[A5literMan]

Are you planning on road racing? Drag racing? Or just driving it on the street?

 

[Eric Armstrong]

Are you planning on road racing? Drag racing? Or just driving it on the street?

I was planning on doing mostly street, maybe dabble a little bit with drag but nothing serious

 

[A5literMan]

FYI I think a panhard bar rear suspension is overkill on a street car. Just buy some good rear upper and lower controll arms. Have your torque boxes(where the controll arms attach to the body) reinforced(they have kits for this). The very first thing you need to do is put subframe connectors in. Get some good shocks/struts/springs along the way and enjoy!! Some company's I recommend for suspension is (in the order I like best)TeamZ Motorsports ,maximum Motorsports,UPR,orBBK.

 

[Eric Armstrong]

FYI I think a panhard bar rear suspension is overkill on a street car. Just buy some good rear upper and lower controll arms. Have your torque boxes(where the controll arms attach to the body) reinforced(they have kits for this). The very first thing you need to do is put subframe connectors in. Get some good shocks/struts/springs along the way and enjoy!! Some company's I recommend for suspension is (in the order I like best)TeamZ Motorsports ,maximum Motorsports,UPR,orBBK.

Thanks for the advice. I've been looking at weld-in connectors and I think I'm going to go that route in the near future.

 

[Duc_Stang_95]

Fwiw. Definitely do the engine upgrade last. If you are fairly new to fox bodies and racing in particular I highly recommend doing all the supporting mods first. Get lots of seat time and get familiar with the car. These cars aren't the most powerful in near stock form but can still get you into trouble real quick. IMO spend all your time making sure all the brakes,suspension,safety items are up to par first. Then worry about performance upgrades. Then you can really enjoy the car IMO

Agreed. A little bit spent on suspension and brakes first will make you a lot happier than blowing money on an engine you're going to replace anyway. I'd start from the back end; grab a 5-lug rear end with 3.73 or higher gearing that you know can handle some power. Swap that in (preferably with some nice strong control arms) and replace every rotted rubber suspension bushing you can find with some nice new polyurethane pieces. Add sway bars if they aren't already there, and weld in some subframe connectors as already mentioned. If you must buy exhaust, make sure it will mate to whatever headers you'll eventually be putting in with the new engine. This is where I'm at with my '95 v6 and it already feels like a race car compared to a bone stock Mustang. Get the entire chassis sorted before you put a powerful engine in it; remember it's more fun to drive a slow car fast than it is to drive a fast car slow. (If you're into drag racing disregard everything I just said.)