My Fox Mustang project.

[donsrods]

I thought I would bring this old thread up to date. My intention was to build this one as a daily driver with a few upgrades, but I haven't done anything with it since I got it from my Son Don. So one night we were at the shop working on Don's Capri, drinking a few beers, and Dan started saying how he wants to start looking for a Mustang to build as a strip/street car.

I thought it over for a while and said to him "Why don't you take the one I got from Don, you can have it free." At first he resisted saying that I should finish it, but I told him my heart wasn't really in it and that it would take a lot of money that I just don't have right now. He uncovered it and we found someone has been inside it snooping around because the drivers door was open a little. ( I found the bungee cord that holds the cover on loose a week earlier but figured the wind had taken it off.) There was nothing to steal in it, but we moved it into the shop anyways after that.

So, long story short, I gave the car to Dan and he is already knee deep in subframing it. He is running some 2 x 2 box tubing between the subframes and is tying it into the 14 point cage he is building. Dan can't do anything half way, so he has it pretty stripped and is also going to tub it for some 12 inch wide wheels out back.

I am going to sell him the 351 roller cam motor for the money I have in getting it machined, and also have an Edelbrock Performer RPM intake that Don gave me for Christmas that I will regift to Dan. Don has a D and D tubular front end he is going to give Dan and I have those coil overs and 5 lug spindles that I will give him too. That will get him a pretty good start.

I haven't seen Dan this excited about building a car for a while, and once we got it stripped down we realized how perfect the body is. There isn't a spec of rust anywhere, except the rear hatch, and I have a perfect one in our loft that I put there about 8 years ago.

I will post some pictures of the subframe connectors he is making when I get to the shop and take them tonight.

Don

 

[sgtpontiac]

Sounds like you made somebody's day!!!

Wish Dan my best on his build....but sounds like he's "butt deep to a tall indian" into it already.....[P

 

[donsrods]

Yep, he is, Sarge. Tonight I shot a couple of pictures of how he is doing the subframe connectors. Not really a lot to see, but it took him a couple of days to get the floor neatly cut out and to figure out how he was going to tie everything on that side together. Here is the tubing in the track he cut out.

Don

 

[Neverdone]

Wish somebody would give me a fox body mustang...............

 

[sgtpontiac]

Have you been a good boy lately?????

If somebody gave me one, I'd donate it to you.....lol...as I don't get into them....

 

[donsrods]

It's like everything else, not all of us like the same things. Some guys don't get Pontiacs either.

Dan has made a lot of progress on the subframe connectors. He really has no timetable and is enjoying the build as much as wanting it done. He likes to fabricate stuff. He got the back part of the connector welded to the flat plate that is going to go up against the rear seat support, and capped it so water can't get into it.

Then he drilled a bunch of holes in the original subframe so that when he slips in the connector he could rosette weld all the holes up and give the connector some additional support. It is also fully welded down through the channel he cut above the old subframe, and he also welded all around the flat plate, so the rear part of the connector is now a part of the car. (He didn't take any pictures of the top welds, but here are some pictures of the subframe with the rosette welds.

Don

 

[donsrods]

I took a couple of pictures tonight of the way my Son Dan welded in the rear part of the subframe connector on the passenger side. It won't be moving any time soon ! Now he just has to fully weld the long front part into the floor and then put sheet metal back over the areas he cut out.

Here is the way he welded in that stub that was in the previous post pictures. He got a full weld on both sides of it so it is now a permanent part of the rear subframe.

Then he fully welded this plate to the front of the back seat riser. It extends to the rocker and will eventually tie in to the front part of the subframe connector and also to the roll cage.

Don

 

[Hollow65]

I know it's a really old thread.
It's my cousins car. Supercharged 351. Track car. Fast fast fast. If I could post videos I would show you that car crushing vipers and vettes at Sears point. It's stupid fast! My favorite body style.

 

[donsrods]

That's a really cool looking Mustang and I bet with the blown 351 it hauls ! My Son is on the fence about what motor he is going to run, it might be a 351 bored and stroked to 427 or it might even be a Chevy LS motor. (His Brother says he will disown him if he puts a Chevy in it though. )

I went to the shop tonight to feed our resident stray cat and while I was there I shot a few pictures of where Dan's Mustang is now. He is almost done with the cage and is going to put it back on the rotisserie and finish welding up the underside.

This is the cage from the rear:



Some inside shots:







And he extended the cage into the engine room to reinforce the front end. While he was at it he welded up all the holes in the fender panels and firewall and boxed the front frame rails:





It should be a pretty strong setup now with all the extra support.

 

[440Clark]

I really dig the way he tied those front bars into the inner fenders. Very nice work indeed. Motivating me to want to finish mine up.

 

[Hollow65]

347 Strokers are awesome lil fords. My buddies fox body goes 6.2-6.3 in the 1/8th with his 13:1cr 347. Were heading to Fontana on the 30th this month for the summit series.

 

[89johnny]

I love the fox chassis. I have two myself. An 82 gt and an 89 gt. I'm gonna start on my 89 soon. Good project keep up the good work!

 

[donsrods]

Thanks, guys, I'll pass along the nice words to my Son. I agree about the 347 engine, I have a 331 in my 27 and it makes more power than I can get to the ground.

He is on the fence about what engine to go with, he wants about 700 or so hp and we have a newly machined 351 roller motor in the shop that was going to go in this car when owned it. I sold the motor to him and told him I will give him all his money back and buy it back from him if he doesn't use it. I would use it for some project down the road.

He has to make up his mind pretty soon about what motor to run because he needs to do the engine plates and all of that for whatever one he goes with.

Don

 

[donsrods]

Dan spent the past two days adding some additional gussets to the halo at the roof. It's starting to look like a funny car chassis ! Thought I'd post some more pictures.

Don

 

[Dr Crankenstein]

Thanks for the recent pics... very nice work and talk about a "fat" chassis. [cl

As you may know, my son and I also have a Fox project... though we're not going to this extreme, I'm lookin' to pare some weight and find the rear hatch "quite" heavy. Have you got a 'glass hatch and Lexan? Just curious and thanks again for the updates!

.

 

[donsrods]

I didn't know you guys had one too. Are there some pictures you have posted ? I'd love to see them.

Don't know what his plans are for the rear hatch, but I know he is talking about a wing and parachute mount on the back. I sort of think he will use a stock steel hatch because I have a mint one in our loft that I saved when I was buying Mustangs a few years ago to part out.

Don

 

[Dr Crankenstein]

Don; I've posted a pic here and there, no thread on the project but maybe I should start one.

My... pardon me, OUR plans are to have a decent street sweeper and if my vision comes to fruition, a clean little bracket car, nothing more, nothing less. (I've spent my time and money in "serious" drag racing.)

Anyhow, here's a couple shots...

First, when we got the basket-case running well and standing one legged on the original 7.5'' rear, smog motor inclusive...

... it's a '79 and we've done some work since the above photo. I built subframe connectors, found an 8.8 "traction-lok" and a C4. I put a kit in the C4 and it ran strong but the smogger developed a rear main leak, which became, uhh, severe. (Think scared dog.) Long story short, the smogger needed more than a seal. I found a '69 351W locally, rebuilt, never started, clearances and specs check out, bought an Edelbrock manifold and a friend gave me the "Cobra" headers... hoping to screw it in before the snow flies...

... I'm optimistically thinking low 12's with the aforementioned weight loss, some chassis tuning, a cam swap and likely a converter. (I'm quickly running out of summer, however. )

Thanks for your interest, Don. I look forward to Dan's final product and please keep us posted!
.

 

[Hollow65]

This is my buddies 347 in his early 90's stang. Would the mounts for a 347 be the same as a 351? I don't know ford blocks. I have video of this car but my phone won't let me upload them for some reason.

 

[donsrods]

Dr. C, that is going to haul with the 351. Low 12's should be no problem at all. Nice car.

Hollow, yes the 351 will bolt right in where a 302/331/347 goes. Same mounts.

Don

 

[Hollow65]

I love the older mustangs. Fun fun cars. My lil brother had a 96/302 with a t5. Minor work and it was in the 12's and it's 700# heavier than a fox body. Gears, 1.6 rockers, headers, exhaust, stock 2.95 final gear. Went through the traps in 3rd at 108mph. 12.8 was his et. You guys have fun and be safe.