First fox... she needs help.

Thanks guys for the input.
Found the o2 harness plug under the MAF pedestal but none of the harness after that as of yet.
Mid pipes have Allen drive plugs installed and the cats were recently cut out and pipe welded in. I don’t mind the lac of cats but want the o2’s back. Will check to make sure I have the stock 5 speed computer before I order the harness and 02’s.

cleaned the throttle body and MAF and it seems to run better. Still need to clean and oil the filter and replace the plug wires.

last mod for now is either going to be cheating the stock quadrant one click or installing the firewall kit. My clutch isengages right off the floor and is annoying in traffic here. I know about the pull up on the pedal auto adjust but I would like a little bit higher pedal.

thanks for the info guys! These are cool fun cars and I can’t wait to clean this up while I drive and enjoy it.

with so much support and good used parts it could be easy to dump a whole bunch of cash into this car... but need to keep it a function right now
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
  • Sponsors (?)


Are you planning to daily drive this or a weekend cruiser?

this is my daily driver.

To give you some background on myself and my ability. I I have been messing with cars since I was about 12...32 now. First daily was a1977 Chevy stepside that I later diesel swapped, manual trans swapped, axle swapped... on and on. Today that truck sits on 39 inch boggers and I am the one of the only people in the NYC Area that drives something so old on a daily basis Or so it seems. the newest thing I have owned is my 95 dodge dually but did find parking here was a pain.
Just stating that to explain for me this is a newer fancier ride then most of what I have and that I can turn a wrench. Stopped going to shops when I was 16 unless it was for alignment or inspection or dyno tuning . I do all my own work because I don’t have the cash to pay others and I enjoy the challenge. Have also had to do crazy roadside swaps and crazy fixes.


All that said I like learning and am up for a challenge. Just working on stuff here in the streets is a struggle. But looking forward to this adventure.


I plan to continue to daily drive this car but need to adress some of these issues ASAP. My daily work commute is normally 30-40 mins with a 500 mile long distance trip twice a month. I have been doing that in the 77 Chevy for years and am sure once the fox is sorted it will have little issue doing the same. So not planning to go crazy with the build more of a fun driver that will see the track once in a while in the summer. Engine will be kept mild for reliability. Initialy got this car as a fun toy until I finished my c3 corvette but I really like driving the mustang and plan on keeping it.

so that’s the plan
 
Last edited:
last mod for now is either going to be cheating the stock quadrant one click or installing the firewall kit. My clutch isengages right off the floor and is annoying in traffic here. I know about the pull up on the pedal auto adjust but I would like a little bit higher pedal.

I had the engine out of my '86 last summer/fall, and when ready to put it in I added a new CenterForce clutch kit. Stock clutch cable and quadrant had 98,000+ miles and I'd never been all that satisfied, so once the install was done, I added a new clutch cable, firewall adjuster and quadrant. Man, I couldn't believe how much better it was. Go ahead and replace your stock quadrant!
 
It looks like the car also has explorer fuel injectors. Probably came already installed on the lower intake when they swapped it out. Supposedly they're better than the mustang ones with their 3 hole vs single. I put some on mine and didn't notice any difference in performance or drivability whatsoever.I haven't driven it enough to tell if it gets any better mpg out of them though.
 
this is my daily driver.

To give you some background on myself and my ability. I I have been messing with cars since I was about 12...32 now. First daily was a1977 Chevy stepside that I later diesel swapped, manual trans swapped, axle swapped... on and on. Today that truck sits on 39 inch boggers and I am the one of the only people in the NYC Area that drives something so old on a daily basis Or so it seems. the newest thing I have owned is my 95 dodge dually but did find parking here was a pain.
Just stating that to explain for me this is a newer fancier ride then most of what I have and that I can turn a wrench. Stopped going to shops when I was 16 unless it was for alignment or inspection or dyno tuning . I do all my own work because I don’t have the cash to pay others and I enjoy the challenge. Have also had to do crazy roadside swaps and crazy fixes.


All that said I like learning and am up for a challenge. Just working on stuff here in the streets is a struggle. But looking forward to this adventure.


I plan to continue to daily drive this car but need to adress some of these issues ASAP. My daily work commute is normally 30-40 mins with a 500 mile long distance trip twice a month. I have been doing that in the 77 Chevy for years and am sure once the fox is sorted it will have little issue doing the same. So not planning to go crazy with the build more of a fun driver that will see the track once in a while in the summer. Engine will be kept mild for reliability. Initialy got this car as a fun toy until I finished my c3 corvette but I really like driving the mustang and plan on keeping it.

so that’s the plan
I bet you're a Roadkill fan!!!
 
No idea why someone would want to remove o2's and their harness unless the car is tuned that way. Eitherway before you can add the harness back on the car you need to pull the passenger side kick panel and see what model ecu you have because if your o2 harness doesn't match the ecu you'll damage the ecu.

Because back in the 90s people said it made the car go faster. You know how it goes. One guy unplugs his O2 harness, it has a fluke fast pass, and all of a sudden it's a legend. I knew people who did it in the 90s. Keep in mind, hardly anybody got a tune for their car back then, which is now considered essential.

Kurt
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Guys a thanks for the input.

sure roadkill is cool and all but I just prefer the old stuff. I would love a newer scar oak challenger but it’s not in my budget. This will work ! Honesty just happy I could aford such a rust free shell.

I suppose this will turn into my build thread. Cosmetics will be last so if you are looking for pretty this is not the build.

thanks for the support guys! I know this is rough now but little time and a bunch ofsweat and this will be a cool fox
 
Okay so pulled the kick panel and the comp is a A9L so going to order the 02’s and harness.

Speaking of ordering parts, been looking at different venders and came up with a list. Most mechanical but a few interior parts because well they just annoy me and daily driving the car I want some of this stuff right.

Mechanical:
Wires What angle boots do you like with shorties? 135’s now seem to be getting melted)
Cap
Intake gasket Repaint and check underside)
02”s Motorcraft? Looking at a kit with harness)
O2 harness
Oil and filter
Air filter service
Clutch cable and adjuster. ( like MM but prob go With let unless there kit is junk?? It’s about half the price. Summit and BBK both have mixed reviews...

Interior
Armrests ( gonna go black)
Door handle drivers side
Hatch weather strip
Grip tape instead of pedal pads

For interior parts I was looking at LMR and NPD. I also looked at CJ and some others but as we all know most of these are made by the same manufacturer.

Would like any feed back.
 
I bought armrest from LMR a couple of years ago. They seem to be good quality. I also bought new weather stripping for the hatch from LMR. No complaints with either.

A member here did a deep dive study on door weather stripping and concluded that the Daniel Carpenter products are the best. I would think the same would hold true with the hatch seals. LMR and other sites sell DC stuff, but you have to be careful and they are usually re-branded and it can be hard to tell what you are getting. You might want to call or message the place that you decide to buy from to confirm.

Here is a link to the thread I mentioned.


I run synthetic oil, 5 W30, and a WIX filter.
 
Avoid CJ at all cost. They've got a bunch of bad reviews. I used to really like them but they've burned me too many times.

Never a problem with LMR or Summit.
 
LMR is very fox focused and does a great job. NPD is still the gold standard. They don't play games with pricing and have customer service second to none. I struck up a conversation with Rick, the owner on a classic Mustang site and he offered a tour of his collection. He has over 200 fully restored cars. The crown jewel of my trip was a picture of the first and last fox body to roll off the line. Sadly, it was a casualty of a bad hard drive or I'd share it here.

Found it! It came out a tad blurry.



FirstAndLastFoxBody.jpg
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 4 users
Anyone used the Quadra int and firewall adjuster from LMR? 5.0resto


Again about half of MM. I know it’s probibly not as good but seems better then others.

Anyone tired it?


MM quality is top notch and the closes you'll get to factory quality. The adjustable cables are ok if you adjust them properly, and install them properly ie routing them. I've had my fair share of t hem through the years and honestly last few years I've been rocking the $29 autozone cables on my cars with zero issues.. maybe it's the steeda quadrant and firewall adjuster with my awesome install skills
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
I was thinking of keeping my stock replacement cable and just buying the adjuster and quadrant. Cable looks fairly new. My stock plastic quadrant seems to be having issues. Steeda is only a little more then the 5.0resto ones and have good reviews. Just trying to best spend my cash and not do things twice.

Been reading a lot. Pretty cool how much there is about these cars.
 
Last edited: