Foxbody For First Car?

KTMrida4life

New Member
Aug 6, 2012
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So I am very new here, but not new to forums or cars.. I am 18, I will be 19 in a week. Right now I am driving my uncles 1995 Nissan 240SX (dare I mention it here) and its great to drive, it handles great, but its terribly slow and there is only space for 2 people and some stuff in the back seat + trunk.

I want something quicker with more space, and no trunk. I want to try a hatchback... and I think a foxbody 5.0 would be a pretty good choice. My parents have both agreed to help me buy my first car. Unlike alot of people, Im not so sure I want to buy something that runs right off the bat. Looking on CL all I can find for 5k~ are fox bodies that have 150k+ miles on them and your typical mods. I dont like the high mileage, and I dont know who did the work or how well they did it or if it was even ever performed to begin with.

I can work on cars, I have tools, and Im willing to learn. I dont know my way around a mustang in particular, but I have worked on many cars on all sorts of stuff. No suspension stuff yet, but alot of other things. Biggest project I have taken on was rebuilding a Jeep 4.0 inline 6, which was a fun project.

I dont care so much for a spotless show car interior and exterior (it can always be cleaned up/fixed) as I do for something that drives/runs excellent. They said that $5,000 is my budget, and I figure I can come up with another $500 or $1,000 of my own. So figure a budget of around 6000$ for now. I dont have the cash now, so this is just talk for right now.

I have a question for everyone.. with my budget, what am I able to achieve out of a fox body?

Im not looking to build a monster (well I am, but I cant on my budget, and this is a DD), but if I could get 300 RWHP out of it with my budget that would be awesome. Thats twice what I got now with twice as many cylinders and about 500 pounds less weight. I dont know if that 300RWHP out of the 5.0 is possible or not on my budget, Ive never ventured into car performance.. so I am asking.

Thats what I am looking for though. I want to buy a mustang GT (running or not, but has 5.0) and do all of the good stuff (subframe connectors, 5 lug conversion, rear disc brakes, H/C/I, exhaust, CAI, short shifter, etc) and achieve that 300RWHP. Is that possible on my budget?

I am in NC, so for anyone who wants to help me a bit and look for a good starter car for this project feel free to look.. I found this.

http://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/3163240998.html

Heres a link to one that I found. 800$.. missing a few parts.. whats everyones opinion on that? That would leave me with 4700~ to play with for goodies. Is that enough to do what I want to do?
 
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Ha, I'm in Raleigh and looked at that same car last week! Deff project car, but if you are really looking for a project, the price is right. The only thing I have to say really is be careful if you build a 300+rwhp fox, it is gonna break loose every time you punch it. Believe me, these cars were the car to have while I was in high school, and I've seen so many of them wrecked at 100% stock.
 
I dont think you would have any trouble meeting your goals. You can find one already finished for 6000 bucks and get a lot more value for your money. You will never get back what you put into it. The only down fall is you dont get to do the work yourself. Here are a few just to give you an idea.
http://charlotte.craigslist.org/cto/3180454487.html
http://charlotte.craigslist.org/cto/3126755142.html
http://greenville.craigslist.org/cto/3136033968.html

Those are all very nice! I forgot to mention 2 things. I do want a hatch, and I want a manual. I really like that first one, too bad its not a hatch. Their all carb'ed too, Ive never had a carb car... is EFI more difficult to tune?

If I get one, I probably wont get rid of it for a while. By the time I did get rid of it, getting all my money back wouldnt matter so much. I just dont know if my budget is enough cash to get it done. It doesnt have to all be done at once obviously.. but IMO the motor comes first! Motor/rear end/gearing/brakes/suspension. Other stuff can wait.
 
Ha, I'm in Raleigh and looked at that same car last week! Deff project car, but if you are really looking for a project, the price is right. The only thing I have to say really is be careful if you build a 300+rwhp fox, it is gonna break loose every time you punch it. Believe me, these cars were the car to have while I was in high school, and I've seen so many of them wrecked at 100% stock.

Thats a coincidence! I am looking for a project for sure, dont plan on driving it for a while. I assume by breaking loose you mean traction.. its a light car with a lot of power, I guess thats to be expected. Ive never driven anything that quick, but Ive screwed around a bunch in my lil 240 and been sideways more than I can count :X

Ill be careful for sure, well, at least what I consider careful. I get most of my "speed fix" from motocross.. actually right now Ive been out of commission for the past 2 1/2 months because I broke my leg riding.