First fox, Now what route do I take?

[Canadian5.0]

Hey everyone just got ahold of my first fox a 1981 Capri! Has a 5.0 with an Edelbrock Performer RPM intake, Holley 750, crane cam (unknown specs but it's not huge) Crane roller rockers, GT40 heads, and an unknown bottom end. A 5 speed with Hurst shifter and a posi with 4.11 gears finishes it off.

I've had some quick cars in the past, 2011 Mustang GT, 2017 Golf R that ran 11s, Datsun 280zx with a 6 litre LS1 and as much as I love my new fox I find this thing pretty slow.

So now I'm wondering everyone's opinions on where to go next. Would like something that could hang with my old golf and run low 11s high 10s at least. My thoughts are the following

1 - Compression test the 302 and see where I'm at, If everything checks out good throw some aluminum heads and a bigger cam at it. Issues would be if I'm still not happy with it now I just spent more money on something I'm about to ditch.

2 - 351w stroker, pretty much drop in, obviously more money and power then option 1

3 - 460, aluminum heads, intake, and cam so it doesn't weigh a ton, there goes my handling and braking though.

Some pictures of my new to me fox!

 

[Gs1987GT]

Nice congrats!
I like the capris..
You know the adage... money buys speed. How much do you want to spend?

460 would be cool but it'd switch to automatic if you go that route...

If money permits and you want to stay 5 speed, I'd go with a stoked 351w.

But understand getting a fix into the 11s is not going to be cheap and you'll need suspension upgrades and a cage probably

Good luck!

 

[General karthief]

This is where I would start:
Swap the 4:11 gear for a 3:73 or maybe a 3:55, probably the 3:73s
You could try a taller rear tire to off set the gear but that would be experimental.
check the condition of the engine, compression test, timing, plugs, and carb. Speaking of the carb, it's likely kinda big, you can work with it if it is a vacuum secondary, the crutch here is you have no info on the cam so some of this is going to be a guessing game.
Another thing is going to be the heads, you need good heads, if a head swap can be done then plan a cam swap to better the combo.

 

[CarMichael Angelo]

id fix the wrong stuff before I started adding the right stuff. Especially if you just gotta have a car that's going to have to make 500 hp. ( what it'll take to get into the high 10's) Stock brakes of unknown condition, a chassis that hasn't probably had its suspension bushings dealt with in years, and various loose ends that are just hanging out all over the place in the pics.
( missing oil cap,..what's the crane thing on the firewall, gauges that are hanging out of the dash, and a car that needs hours of tlc inside and out)

Get it safe, get it tolerable to drive, and get it reliable before you worry about going fast,..or the only thing that you'll do fast, is start to regret your decision.

After you've upgraded the suspension, after you know you can stop, and after you spend some money bringing an almost 40 year old car up to a standard where it'll tolerate the power,..then focus on that.

It wouldn't hurt to spend some time on the body, paint, interior, and upgrading those awful wheels and tires either.

 

[Canadian5.0]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

The car is obviously getting brought up to standard before dropping any kind of power into it. Not thinking I'm just going to drop an engine in and run to the track as is haha. I agree on the wheels, not my taste in the slightest.

I'm leaning towards the 460 and an auto (for now) but also will give the 302 a good once over and see how I feel once it's running at top shape. I do like the manual aswell which is why the 351 is still on my radar. Have a close friend trying to convince me to LS swap it but not sure if I want to go down that road haha

 

[General karthief]

No offence but tell your friend LS this.
it don't belong in a ford.

 

[Deleted member 215073]

Capri's are super cool. I also like the '87-93 quarter windows in that car.

Start with brakes, suspension, and chassis (not necessarily in that order). I'd also stick with a small block Ford engine for a powerplant. There's already too much chevy junk in Ford's anyway.

 

[Steel1]

I've always liked that Capri body style.

If the engine is in good condition why not put a quality set of aluminum heads/intake and matching cam then
supercharge it. Imo this is the most budget friendly way to get some good power, fuel system will need to be addressed.

I also like the 351w stroker option , a well built 408w should make the kind of power you're looking for and in a
package that fits. The swap is pretty straight forward with minimum modification.

460 would be different, I'm not familiar with that engine platform but I would think size/weight would be a
drawback as well as aftermarket part selection.

As already stated sort out the suspension and brakes first, seems like you already know that though.
Good luck with it should be a cool car.

 

[90sickfox]

I had a 460 in an 87 of mine. That car handled like pure booboo on the street. Had to swap to manual brakes and the thing would push through corners because of the added weight up front.

My car was a death trap though....I was young and stupid. Still had the 4 banger brakes and suspension. I did ( however ) learn that bigger isn't always better and it dang sure isn't cheaper.

I'd build a 351 stroked to 393...and supercharge it. Can throw some efi at it too. Carburetors are temperamental on the street with what you want.

A 460 will drain your pockets...for all that put a Cadillac 572 in it.... I'm just sayin'

If you've got the money to do a proper 460 build you should get a Dart block 302...bored and stroked to a short stroke 347. Put a cheap turbo kit like on3 on it with decent heads and turn the boost up to about 13 psi. Should get you around 600hp. All normal 302 5.0 stuff will bolt up. No special engine swap parts needed. Can turn the boost down and drive it to get the groceries. Could even keep that awesome stock sleeper hood. That saves you 500 bucks over the 351 and the 460 right there...not to mention the swap headers...manual brake swap parts, oil pans, flex plates, beating the trans tunnel with a BFH, the BBF needs BBF specific parts. At the end of the day...a guy with a stock 5.0 with an ebay turbo kit can get out fast enough for you to sweat trying to catch him on the big end. He'd have 6k in his whole car....you'd have ten times that in yours.

I've got a turbo 331 and the pull is crazy.

 

[Canadian5.0]

I never thought of going the forced induction route, that is another avenue to explore for sure and the ~$1000 savings just on the basic swap parts makes it right even with initial costs.

Pulling the trigger on some BBK upper/lower control arms and new shocks for the rear first off since everything back there is pretty beat, thing wheel hops like crazy even with the (probably blown out) quad shocks.

 

[Gear grabber]

If you plan on making some power, forget the BBK uppers/lowers,you will oval the soft bushings .

 

[Mustang5L5]

What's your skill level and budget?

 

[JD1964]

I agree with the 351 stroker; fuel injected and supercgarged. 500 hp should be easy

 

[Canadian5.0]

If you plan on making some power, forget the BBK uppers/lowers,you will oval the soft bushings .

What ones would you recommend?

What's your skill level and budget?

I've built a handful of cars from the ground up (pretty much every nut and bolt) same with engines where I've done everything but the machine work. This is my first real venture into the muscle car pushrod V8 world though, my previous experience is trying to squeeze ever last HP out of old Datsuns which gets expensive quick.

Probably going to get bashed but I don't really have a set in stone budget. I just choose what I want and slowly purchase everything I need as I save up. Had over 20k in my last Datsun 510 but it had full Wilwood brakes, dual 45 Weber carbs, full aftermarket adjustable suspension and a fully built bored and stroked engine that would go to 9000rpm with a single overhead cam.

 

[General karthief]

Datson 510 brings back memories, there was an old mechanic where I grew up had one with a itty bitty hair dryer on it, it was a giant killer, ahhhh good times, anyway the present subject.
stock upper control arms and what ever lower MM sells.
my mind is clouded with images of that 510, forgot what we are working on.
continue please.

 

[Gear grabber]

Extreme Duty Control Arms

I use maximum motorsports extreme duty lower control arms. (solid)
Along with solid adjustable uppers,with solid bushings on the diff.
This is a bit much for the average street car.

I would suggest welding in torque box reinforcement plates.
And a good set of weld in frame connectors.

 

[CarMichael Angelo]

Now....once all of that stuff is sorted out...

I’d find myself something that has a 460 in it, do a stock rebuild excepting the pistons. ( forged) Put a flat tappet solid lifter cam in it, Put a carburetor that sat on top of a big shot plate nitrous system...

And revel.

I’d revel in the fact that I just built a 10 second drag car for a fraction of what I would’ve had to pay for something ( no, scratch that,...ANYTHING) smaller.

Of course that’s just me...speaking from experience.

Which is what I do........

 

[Canadian5.0]

Extreme Duty Control Arms

I use maximum motorsports extreme duty lower control arms. (solid)
Along with solid adjustable uppers,with solid bushings on the diff.
This is a bit much for the average street car.

I would suggest welding in torque box reinforcement plates.
And a good set of weld in frame connectors.

Perfect thanks I'll look into them! Car actually already has the welded in subframe connectors so lucked out there! Been looking at the torque box reinforcement plates too and figured I'd probably need them.

Got ahold of a bare 351 Windsor block (non roller) that popped up on the local classifieds for $50. Stock bore, minimal cylinder wear and no visible damage to anything. Figured for that price I might as well get it cleaned up and even if I decide on another route $50 is nothing.

 

[Potomus Pete]

@ $63 Canadian Good luck good job .

 

[Canadian5.0]

@ $63 Canadian Good luck good job .

Got it local to me here in Canada so $50 Canadian or $37 for you Americans haha. Just deciding how big to go with the stroker now. 393 or 408