My new Fox

rangerboy101 · Oct 11, 2011

My parents picked up an '88 a few months back for me. I haven't even gotten to see it yet because of other projects I have going on. Here's a list of everything that's been done to it:
Lowered
saleen wing
308
10:1 compression
Trick flow stage 3 cam
Ported and polished gt 40 heads and upper and lower intake
24 lb injectors with matching maf sensor
Cold air intake
Taylor made 10.4mm wires
Msd 6a ignition box
Flex fan
No ac
Offroad h pipe with flowmaster 40 series
Bbk equal length headers
Short throw shifter
Adjustable clutch cable
King cobra clutch
3:73 gears in rear
Sub frame connectors
Rear sway bar
5"monster tach
And oil pressure guage, temp guage and amp guage in center of councel
New radiator
New speed sensor
New fuel pump
New fuel guage
New fuel pressure regulator
New spark plugs
New battery

Problems:
speedometer doesnt work but i do have the cable to fix it and will go with the car
doors do not lock
primed in color

That was just copied from the CL ad. You guys see anything particularly wrong with what's been done? I'd say the Stage 3 Cam is a bit much but like I said, I haven't even seen it yet. I'll be sure to post some pictures when I bring her home. In the meantime, here's the only ones I do have of it:

rangerboy101 · Oct 11, 2011

Also, a couple people I've talked to said I should run Premium in it because of the 10:1 compression. What do you guys think?

LarsD · Oct 11, 2011

Definitely run premium in it. Ditch the flex fan for a Taurus fan or clutch fan. Those flexies are dangerous. Looks like a good canvas, welcome!

5.0Torx · Oct 11, 2011

If this is your first fox, welcome aboard!

That being said, I would say you're buying someone elses project, so beware. Hopefully the previous owner / owners for this car hasnt totally run this thing into the ground. When I bought my '93 LX, the P.O. made no mention of the fact that it was actually the front half of one fox welded to the back half of another. Cheers!

And yes, run premium fuel because of the compression ratio and, more than likely, highly advanced timing.

rangerboy101 · Oct 11, 2011

LarsD said:
Definitely run premium in it. Ditch the flex fan for a Taurus fan or clutch fan. Those flexies are dangerous. Looks like a good canvas, welcome!

Yea I planned on that. I have a Taurus fan in my garage that was going to go into my Ranger but I think this needs it more haha

5.0Torx said:
If this is your first fox, welcome aboard!

That being said, I would say you're buying someone elses project, so beware. Hopefully the previous owner / owners for this car hasnt totally run this thing into the ground. When I bought my '93 LX, the P.O. made no mention of the fact that it was actually the front half of one fox welded to the back half of another. Cheers!

And yes, run premium fuel because of the compression ratio and, more than likely, highly advanced timing.

Thanks. Yea I'm going to have to go over it really well to see what all has been done. Im not a fan of finishing other people's projects but I got a decent deal on this thing.

rangerboy101 · Oct 22, 2011

Little bit of an update:

I've been working on fixing all of the little problems. I've fixed most of the little electrical issues. All the lights work now, signals work, hazards work, and the only thing left is to get a bulb for the dome light and get the gauge cluster lights to work. Once I get a horn wired up, she'll be ready for inspection and be getting tagged.

LarsD · Oct 23, 2011

Looks good!

rangerboy101 · Oct 23, 2011

Thanks man. I need to get some new suspension under her soon though. I found out they cut the factory springs up front to lower it :/

danond · Oct 23, 2011

Not a good sign. Stay on the lookout for other corner-cutting mods!

Have fun. Foxes are like legos for big kids.

--
Dan in ND

rangerboy101 · Oct 23, 2011

danond said:
Not a good sign. Stay on the lookout for other corner-cutting mods!

Have fun. Foxes are like legos for big kids.

--
Dan in ND

I've gone over the whole car and that's the only thing I could find.

Boosted92LX · Oct 23, 2011

Nice starting point. I'm blind, but to me the gray looks like primer. Any plans yet on a paint color?

Oh, and hit me up if you wanna part with that intake later on.

jdwyer25 · Oct 23, 2011

Looks like a solid project.

stang&2Birds · Oct 23, 2011

Nice find!

What State are you in, and do you plan/need to drive it during the winter?

IMHO, a few things:
o ALL 5.0's must use premium gas. Don't even think of being foolish and trying something else. The 5.0 does not have a knock sensor. So, lower octane gas can mean big problems.

o Cutting the stock spring is no worse than using the "B" springs. And, in fact, it's better because it increases the spring rate a little. The POS B springs lower the car and are too soft and too low. Lowering a Fox is fine for looks, but lowering a Fox more than ~3/4" hurts handling a lot. Also, Qtr mile times are worse.
So, it depends on why you want the car lowered. It's your car, not mine, not some other person's on the forum. Lower the car for the reason you want, not what other want.
FWIW, for better handling, you have to go up to at least a 600 lbs/in spring.

o The flex fan is scary. That shows that who ever did the mods didn't have a clue about performance. The stock thermal clutch fan is MUCH MUCH better than any flex fan. In fact, other than an electric fan setup, the stock thermal clutch setup is the best you can have.

If you drive the car in the snow, then you'll need real snow tires. Get them mounted on separate rims. Rims for the 5.0 are dirt cheap.

For wiring diagrams, TMOSS did a lot a nice diagrams. They are at:
Mustang FAQ - Wiring & Engine Info

Good Luck!

LarsD · Oct 23, 2011

SSeater said:
Oh, and hit me up if you wanna part with that intake later on.

I have one on my shelf I'm not using.

FastDriver · Oct 23, 2011

stang&2Birds said:
o ALL 5.0's must use premium gas.

very false.

Aside from that, great post!

rangerboy101 · Oct 23, 2011

SSeater said:
Nice starting point. I'm blind, but to me the gray looks like primer. Any plans yet on a paint color?

Oh, and hit me up if you wanna part with that intake later on.

The car is prime red. I plan on ditching the GT bumper and Saleen wing and getting LX stuff. Also want to get a new hood as this one has been cut up for hood pins. In spring I'd like to paint it black.

jdwyer25 said:
Looks like a solid project.

Thanks

stang&2Birds said:
Nice find!

What State are you in, and do you plan/need to drive it during the winter?

IMHO, a few things:
o ALL 5.0's must use premium gas. Don't even think of being foolish and trying something else. The 5.0 does not have a knock sensor. So, lower octane gas can mean big problems.

o Cutting the stock spring is no worse than using the "B" springs. And, in fact, it's better because it increases the spring rate a little. The POS B springs lower the car and are too soft and too low. Lowering a Fox is fine for looks, but lowering a Fox more than ~3/4" hurts handling a lot. Also, Qtr mile times are worse.
So, it depends on why you want the car lowered. It's your car, not mine, not some other person's on the forum. Lower the car for the reason you want, not what other want.
FWIW, for better handling, you have to go up to at least a 600 lbs/in spring.

o The flex fan is scary. That shows that who ever did the mods didn't have a clue about performance. The stock thermal clutch fan is MUCH MUCH better than any flex fan. In fact, other than an electric fan setup, the stock thermal clutch setup is the best you can have.

If you drive the car in the snow, then you'll need real snow tires. Get them mounted on separate rims. Rims for the 5.0 are dirt cheap.

For wiring diagrams, TMOSS did a lot a nice diagrams. They are at:
Mustang FAQ - Wiring & Engine Info

Good Luck!

I'm in Winchester, Va. The car will not be driven in snow but I will run it every now and then during the colder months just for the hell of it. and I want to change the springs because the car sits way too lowcas it is now. I'm tucking about 1/2" on 245/50's right now and it scrapes the pipes pretty bad on certain roads in my area. I bought the car basically for a toy. I wanted something that I could drive everyday if needed. I've got a Ranger as my DD.

Flossy · Oct 23, 2011

Ill buy the Saleen wing off you if it is in good condition.

rangerboy101 · Oct 23, 2011

It has a chip/small cracks on the left hand side. Other than that, it's in decent shape. Just needs a decent coat of paint.

RAYZEN CAINE · Oct 23, 2011

rangerboy101 said:
The car is prime red. I plan on ditching the GT bumper and Saleen wing and getting LX stuff. Also want to get a new hood as this one has been cut up for hood pins. In spring I'd like to paint it black.

Thanks

I'm in Winchester, Va. The car will not be driven in snow but I will run it every now and then during the colder months just for the hell of it. and I want to change the springs because the car sits way too lowcas it is now. I'm tucking about 1/2" on 245/50's right now and it scrapes the pipes pretty bad on certain roads in my area. I bought the car basically for a toy. I wanted something that I could drive everyday if needed. I've got a Ranger as my DD.

I'm near Winchester and if your looking for a LX wing I have one in perfect condition for $30 and a stock hood for $20. If you're interested just shoot me a PM.

rangerboy101 · Oct 23, 2011

RAYZEN CAINE said:
I'm near Winchester and if your looking for a LX wing I have one in perfect condition for $30 and a stock hood for $20. If you're interested just shoot me a PM.

Consider them sold man.

My new Fox

rangerboy101

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rangerboy101

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LarsD

5.0Torx

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rangerboy101

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rangerboy101

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LarsD

rangerboy101

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danond

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rangerboy101

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Boosted92LX

It's only an inch or two. What's the big deal?

jdwyer25

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stang&2Birds

LarsD

FastDriver

I was uncomfortably high & wearing a helmet

rangerboy101

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Flossy

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rangerboy101

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RAYZEN CAINE

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rangerboy101

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