by "Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa)
Published 02/20/2017 at 11:42
by "Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa)
Published 02/20/2017 at 11:42
No Tags
STARS: 10
In the automotive world the term “V6 automatic Mustang” is often a four-letter word. I should know, I’ve owned one. Two now that I have this 1986 banana yellow example of American ingenuity platform prostitution at its finest.
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The fox body itself is a good looking car, and the quad-headlight notchback is my personal favorite variant of the bodystyle which is why I lusted over this particular car for going on three years now. My reason for liking it so much is that it looks the least like what someone expects when they hear the word “Mustang” or, to those remotely familiar with them, “Fox body”. The notchback is the lighter variant of the breed sporting a usable rear seat with lap belts and a completely useless trunk. The four sealed beams out from do their best to poop out light onto the road in front of you. The two-tone black and faded yellow paint job is not original to this car, as hints of blue and red are visible in places where paint has been flaking off. Peeling paint and scratches cover the whole car, though it remains impressively dent free. Some very attractive 14" five-spoke wheels round out the ensemble mated to beefy tires.
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Motivation for this cocaine-era mode of transportation (of more cocaine) is provided by a 3.8 liter Essex V6. In later years the Essex developed a notoriety on par with the Northstar V8 for blowing headgaskets, especially in the 193hp/225lb*ft version in the 2001-later Mustang and the 210hp/315lb*ft version in the Thunderbird Super Coupe and Cougar XR7. Blowing headgaskets is bad, but those numbers are good! It comes as bittersweet, then, that this particular Mustang is bestowed with the far more reliable second-generation Essex which features 120 horsepower and 205lb*ft of torque, throttle-body injection, and fairly good reliability. As far as motivation goes the Mustang is very adequate. Nothing more, nothing less. Real-world testing reveals it to be slightly slower than my 2002 Mazda Miata in a straight line. The engine is torquey, however, which leads to the always-fun sensation of the car rocking sideways when you take off from a stop.
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The 3-speed automatic in the Mustang is like the engine. Adequate. Kickdown isn’t fantastic, but it’s not the worst. It shifts through the gears in a timely manner and the torque converter has taken the years in stride. Far from the worst automatic car I’ve ever driven (glaring at GM 4T6xx).
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Honestly this car sounds far better than it should. V6s usually sound like complete garbage but the Essex in this car does an admirable job of sounding like a big-boy motor. This is possibly due to it having a similar relationship to the 302 V8 as the 4.2 liter GM V6 has to the 350, wherein it’s the same as the larger engine just with two cylinders lopped off the end. Other noises you get to enjoy are:
Wind
Rattling catalyst
Suspension creaking
Noisy-ass speedometer cable
The pained screaming of an ancient accessory belt
The bitching of your significant other (jk she loves this car)
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None of them work. Except for the dome light and windshield washer.
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Seats are comfy front and back. The buckets hold me in place nice and the cloth keeps my butt planted through corners. Everything is spindly and wonderfully 80s. Headliner isn’t sagging. Once I get a decade’s worth of sitting-in-a-field-without-a-driver-window grime out of the car it should clean up very nice.
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This car drives way too nice. No car from the 80s should drive this nice. No car bought this cheap should drive this nice. No car this beat up should drive this nice. It makes absolutely no sense and I’m calling shenanigains. Body roll is present but very controlled and almost unnoticed in corners. Turn-in is slightly sloppy in a traditionally American way though there is impressively little play in the steering. The balance between comfort and handling is struck almost dead perfect. It handles exactly how a Miata would handle if it was build by Americans in the 80s.
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Fox bodies are fun. Go drive one. This is basically the worst imaginable fox body and I enjoy it, it can only get better from here.
"Laurence" (mrlaurence)
02/20/2017 at 11:51, STARS: 1
I love how this looks - certainly not for everybody, but the world needs more yellow cars
"Grindintosecond" (Grindintosecond)
02/20/2017 at 12:00, STARS: 1
I want to see you slip a sn95 v6 in there. I wonder how bolt-up/in that would be with the mounts and tranny bolt pattern.
"kanadanmajava1" (kanadanmajava1)
02/20/2017 at 12:05, STARS: 1
I like Fox body notchbacks. But a V6+automatic combination is terrible. Something like this followed by a manual trasnmission should make it more interesting.
"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa)
02/20/2017 at 12:15, STARS: 0
That would certainly be interesting. Want to fund it? ;D
"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa)
02/20/2017 at 12:16, STARS: 0
Probably fine, but I’d be trading reliability for a little power and the wiring would be an utter mess.
"Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection" (itsalwayssteve)
02/20/2017 at 12:20, STARS: 0
3 speed auto? Are you sure it’s not the AOD?
"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa)
02/20/2017 at 12:48, STARS: 0
I’m honestly not sure.
"CobraJoe" (cobrajoe)
02/20/2017 at 12:50, STARS: 1
I had an ‘84 Mustang with the 3.8L V6, it had a C5 automatic.
That’s basically the 3 speed C4 with an added lockup converter, it was a pretty good match for that torquy but low revving V6.
"kanadanmajava1" (kanadanmajava1)
02/20/2017 at 12:55, STARS: 1
That idea is tempting indeed. How loud exhaust it would need so that I could hear it here too?
"punkgoose17" (punkgoose17)
02/20/2017 at 13:06, STARS: 0
I’d go with a 4.2L Essex from an F150 :)
"RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars" (rallydarkstrike)
02/20/2017 at 14:21, STARS: 1
I can’t imagine getting the clock working again would be too hard. If not, plenty of cheap ones on Ebay!
"NJAnon" (NJAnon)
02/20/2017 at 14:39, STARS: 0
Enjoy it. I hope a repaint will happen (yellow isn’t bad when its clean yellow :P)
"Grindintosecond" (Grindintosecond)
02/20/2017 at 14:50, STARS: 1
would it? I would suspect the engine EFI wouldn’t be that much different as far as connections to it’s brain between the later model...it is the same engine with minor changes through its life. My suspicion would be that it might be closer to plug n play than thought because the differences between an 86 fox, and a sn95 which is mostly a fox as well,.....well..... That’s the uneducated me talkin’ though.
"Grindintosecond" (Grindintosecond)
02/20/2017 at 14:53, STARS: 1
additional remarks about the handling. A big reason is that the engine is nearly 5 inches shorter than the 5.0 and is at least 100 pounds lighter, so your total package is actually very balanced due to the moment of the engine moved much farther back. IE: compared to a 5.0, the CG has actually moved enough you can feel.
"MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner" (montegoman562)
02/20/2017 at 15:07, STARS: 1
My fox body is one of the most fun vehicles I’ve ever been in.
It feels like an over grown go-kart with a roof and a stick.
Welcome to the club my friend.
"Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection" (itsalwayssteve)
02/20/2017 at 15:31, STARS: 0
I had an 87 Cougar with the 3.8 TBI/AOD. I didn’t know how they matched up.
"Sovereign, Purveyor of Coupes" (sovereign-automotive)
02/20/2017 at 15:33, STARS: 0
That would be an abysmal work - gain ratio.
"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa)
02/20/2017 at 15:34, STARS: 0
Unbolt the manifold and run open... heads...
"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa)
02/20/2017 at 15:35, STARS: 0
A fox body with 250hp and more modern crash safety/amenities is basically my ideal car. Like a coupe version of an NB Miata. Yesss.
"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa)
02/20/2017 at 15:35, STARS: 0
Primer white coming this weekend if it’s nice out.
"MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner" (montegoman562)
02/20/2017 at 15:37, STARS: 1
You have the right platform, you can make it happen. There’s an unbelievable after market for these cars.
Stop out to Michigan if you want to see how the Capri 5.0 4 speed moves.
And in regards to the little computer thing (which mine has from 82, probably because Mercury) It constantly says low fuel (even with a full tank and an accurate gauge in dash), i have no idea if the other lights function lol
"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa)
02/20/2017 at 15:45, STARS: 0
Haha, accurate gauge in dash. My speedometer is 15mph fast and the fuel gauge went from 1/2 full to empty in 10 miles and has been slowly falling past empty since then. It’s amusing. Need to toss a gallon in the back and run it out of gas to figure out where empty *really* is
"MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner" (montegoman562)
02/20/2017 at 16:36, STARS: 1
Haha safe plan on the gas. My speedo is off by about 8 mph, but I’m sure that’s a tire adjustment as it has some oversized rears....and will only get bigger soon.
The gas was funny on the ride home (I looked over the car, test drove it, forked over the cash and then promptly drove it 150 miles home. I’m apparently as crazy as you). So we were cruising on the highway and I had a walkie talkie to my buddy in the car we drove there in and I was like, man we’ve been going for about 40 minutes. It’s a 5.0 V8 with a 600 holley on it. Gas needle has BARELY moved. We gotta stop for gas I don’t trust this thing. So I filled it up from about that half a tank or so I had remaining, total gallons pumped in made sense and sure enough it was full when I restarted it.
Apparently 4th gear on the highway it just sips gas. I don’t know how they pulled it off with a 600 on it but damn is hwy mpg friendly.
"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa)
02/20/2017 at 16:56, STARS: 0
Trade ya engines. I wish manuals weren’t so damn hard to find for these. The only one for sale in my area is for two thousand fricken’ dollars for a T5, and I’d still have to get clutch, flywheel, pedal box, etc.
"MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner" (montegoman562)
02/22/2017 at 17:01, STARS: 0
I’m a 5.0 guy so no thanks lol. Montego had a 5.0 too.
My requirements this time were 5.0 and manual because I’m going to Rally it and hanging out in 1st and 2nd gear will be drastically better than an auto during racing.
Could you find a 302 or 351 to swap in? Maybe rob an explorer even? Not sure if the trans lines up on the explorer.
"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa)
02/22/2017 at 17:03, STARS: 0
Not sure. I’d have to get a trans as well to replace the C3 that currently resides in the car. Honestly getting a manual trans would be a priority over an engine swap. And some reasonable rear end gears.
"MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner" (montegoman562)
02/22/2017 at 17:05, STARS: 0
I’ve got plans for a whole rear end swap. I hope to get disc brakes and 5 lug with an 8.8 diff. Of course I’ll want to swap the front axles then as well lol.
"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa)
02/22/2017 at 17:32, STARS: 0
I want an explorer rear end but i love my 4 lug wheels :(
"MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner" (montegoman562)
02/23/2017 at 09:39, STARS: 1
Sounds like you get to keep them then, the Explorer rear end is NOT compatible with the mustang. Pumpkin is off set a tiny bit to account for a potential transfer case up front, it’s only a couple inches but I think we both know a couple inches in the driveline is like a mile.
You can get 8.8 5 lug from Mustangs from late 80's and up all the way to I believe 97 or so despite that not being fox platform anymore, I hear they bolt right in still.