"-Amateur" (amateur)
09/03/2013 at 10:04 • Filed to: RIVALS
1
16|
"-Amateur" (amateur)
09/03/2013 at 10:04 • Filed to: RIVALS | 1
| 16 |
Your birthday is coming up, and instead of buying you another tie that you're never going to wear, you're wife is secretly going all out this year with either a Fox body 'Stang or a 3rd gen Camaro. What car do you hope to god she chooses?
Last weeks rivals saw 67% of the voters opting for big American muscle over the smaller, lighter European offerings...The wildcard Honda Odyssey surprisingly was met with zero love.
She's looking at the original Fox bodies that roamed the Earth from 1979-1993. She could care less for the Fox-4s that was an updated Fox that came later (1994-2004) since she thinks those are too feminine for you.
Your wife notices this 1979 Mustang Craigslist ad that says it's a "One-Owner, Minor Water and Fire Damage, Ran When Parked, No Title As-Is"
She decides to back off and do her research first. These 'Stangs were the jack of all trades. They came in notchback, hatchback and convertible forms. They also came in a slew of trims that hurts my eyes when I look at them all, but notably she's looking at the GT, SVO, Cobra, and Cobra Rs.
The 1984 SVO
This Mustang is Bad-Ass. It was a rebel without a cause. Forget the V-8 and give me the straight-4 turbo stat! All 2.3L worth cranking out 207 hp and 248 lb ft of torque. It weighed roughly 3093 lbs and could haul ass to 60 in a repectable 7.7 seconds. She likes what she sees, But a Cobra R is also for sale in her area.
1993 SVT Cobra R
This car was the Boxy Mustang's last hurrah. It came with a modified 5.0L V-8 and a slew of upgraded chassis components and drive-line bits. This pony had 235 hp with 280 lb ft. It weighed 3255 lbs and hit 60 in a quick 5.7 seconds. It gripped at .85g on the skid and had a top speed of 140 mph. The seller is selling it pretty high, so she looks at one more car.
1985 Mustang GT
What catches her eye is the T-top. Say it out loud, T-tops are and will always be cool . The GT has the venerable 5.0L V-8. It makes 210 hp and 270 lb ft for 1985. 0-60 came at 6.3 seconds with the quarter in 14.9. The owner is selling it cheap as he's moving out of the country, something about a mafia hit being placed on him for snitching.
She clears up the weekend to look for 3rd Gen Camaros. Her dad had one and so there's a nostalgic force at play.
She narrowed down her search to an early Berlinetta, an IROC-Z and an RS.
1990 IROC-Z
The epitome of the 3rd gen Camaro. This car liked to beat some ass and drink Crystal-lite...and it's all out of Crystal-lite. It was named after the International Race of Champions...which actually wasn't very international. This model has the 5 spd 5.0L 305 V-8 engine. It has 230 hp and 300 lb ft of sweet torque. The automatics had the more powerful 5.7L 350 block but it can go screw itself... for now . Your wife is going to persuade you to do an engine swap if she picks this up for you. 0-60 came at 5.7 seconds with the quarter at 14.2 seconds. Its priced at market value, so this car is a strong contender in her eyes.
1985 Camaro Berlinetta
This one has a little rust but otherwise pretty solid. It has a 2.8L V-6 with an automatic. It runs around 135 hp and 165 lb ft of torque. 0-60 is a painful 10.7 seconds with the quarter at 17.9. It idles rough, but the owner is selling it really cheap. Your wife comes to her senses; she doesn't say another word to the owner, gets in her car and drives away as quickly as she can. On to the last car on her list.
1992 Rs
She went out of her way to find a convertible RS. She drives an Mx-5 and just loves the open air. She figures this will be a nice car for you to just cruise around with. It has the optional 5.0L V-8 305 with 170 hp and 255 lb ft of torque. 0-60 came in at 7.6 seconds with the quarter at 15.7 seconds. It's in mint condition and the seller has already received two offers for it.
Now, she's committed to buying one of these cars and has pulled out the money from the bank for it. You don't have a say or even know that she's buying you a car for your birthday, but if you were imparted with this knowledge, which way do you hope she swings?
!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!
RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
> -Amateur
09/03/2013 at 10:12 |
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The Fox is 80s in a way I can tolerate, the Mulletmaro less so. If I'm going to drive a slightly goony Camaro, 2nd gen all the way, or opt sideways and get a third gen Firebird. Third gen Camaro no me gusta.
Plus, I'm slightly more of a Ford man.
GhostZ
> -Amateur
09/03/2013 at 10:18 |
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Get a 1964-1967 first gen straight six Mustang. If you can't find a fastback body, look into buying fastback fenders/hood (they still make production body panels from Ford). They cost around $10,000 for a running example. -10,000
Sell straight-six. (+200) Buy Fox Body donor car. (-3000) Put 5.0 with good flowing heads and cam (good for 300-350HP) into the super lightweight first-gen Mustang. Sell the Fox Body shell. (-2000) total: 11800 + labor
Be the most badass manly man your spouse could ever want.
.
.
.
BUT, in all seriousness:
If you want to mod for straight line: Fox Body 5.0.
If you want to mod for handling: 1984 SVO
If you want straight-line stock: IROC-Z
If you want handling stock: IROC-Z
If you want something that will appreciate in value: SVT Cobra R
If you want reliability: Hahahaha (Honestly, the 5.0 Fox body would be the best, because it has probably the cheapest parts supply, but rust and age will get you somewhere no matter what)
I still think getting a Fox 5.0 donor car and something to swap it into is your best best, both for cost and badass-level.
William Byrd
> -Amateur
09/03/2013 at 10:20 |
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Notchback 5.0 Fox for me please. I would get to work doing track/autoX prep on it and be very grateful that she was so thoughtful. :)
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GhostZ
> RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
09/03/2013 at 10:22 |
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This. The 3rd gen firebird looked quite a bit better. I really never got into the Fox Body though. I like the SN-95 (owned one even, and the body style grows on you a lot) and even the Mustang-II (they looked like underdog sleeper cars, if only they were as light as they appeared...) but the Fox seemed to me to be too boxy and barely designed. The early 80s 4-eye ones weren't so bad, but the late-80s/early 90s still stick out to me as the ugliest mustang ever built.
Nibbles
> -Amateur
09/03/2013 at 10:28 |
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Had to vote Camaro because IROC (and my first car was a 1985)
Sparf
> -Amateur
09/03/2013 at 10:32 |
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As a Chevy/Pontiac guy, I must vote for the Camaro. I'd prefer it if the third gen Firebird (or more specifically the Trans Am) was included in the poll, but the Camaro will do.
BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast.
> -Amateur
09/03/2013 at 10:45 |
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I'd take the SVO or the 85 GT t-top you pictured there.
hollanddjw 1
> -Amateur
09/03/2013 at 10:53 |
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SVO, then engine swap a la Project Ugly Horse.
Grindintosecond
> -Amateur
09/03/2013 at 11:08 |
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85 or earlier fox notch-back. Lightest version of them all at about 2700 lbs. (300 less than the hatch style) and smaller than the camaro. You can do anything with the fox body. Rally it even. The camaro? not so much unless you want to run a truck chassis underneath. Drag racing? Eh, either one...But I'd rather have the Fox body because of its competition /street cred history.
CobraJoe
> -Amateur
09/03/2013 at 11:12 |
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As a former owner of a mid 80's Fox, I can give a few tips:
1: 5-speeds were stock starting midway through '83, the 5.0 wasn't even an option in '80 and '81, fuel injection didn't start until '86 (also the first year for the third brake light for an easy identification), '87 had better heads, and '89 got mass air fuel injection. So, if you're going for cheap and reliable power, try for an '89 and up with the fuel injection still on it, (though the speed density setups aren't bad and can be converted to mass air with some parts and an ECU change.) There was a CFI fuel injection option available on '84 and '85 automatic GTs, but it's not a very good system.
2: Get subframe connectors, especially if it's a t-top or sunroof. Weld in connectors are better, but even the bolt on ones will remove a lot of the squeaking.
3: High torque and light weight doesn't make for a great snow vehicle, but some snow tires and weight in the trunk will really help.
4: Try to avoid cars that were converted from fuel injection (carbs are easy to swap on, but hard to tune correctly, and who knows what else was removed), cars with bald rear tires (the Fox can easily handle hooning, but it will wear things out that would otherwise last forever), and cars with a salvage title (it's easy to tweak the frame in an accident, and it won't quite drive the same afterwards).
5: If you want cheap performance, there's plenty of junkyard options. Heads and an intake from a 5.0 Explorer can make some great power (they're equivalent to GT-40 heads on that Cobra), but will require a bit of adapting to work correctly. The stock cam is actually quite good, so don't rush to put in an aftermarket one. 5 lug conversions can be done with junkyard parts, and you can upgrade to SN-95 spindles and brakes (up to 13in front rotor from Cobra or Mach 1, but will require 17in rims). A better flowing exhaust won't give you much more power, but it can make it sound amazing, which will feel faster.
There are many, many different ways to build a Fox. That's why I enjoy them so much.
Matt Hardigree
> -Amateur
09/03/2013 at 12:15 |
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I think you mean "your" wife.
boxrocket
> -Amateur
09/03/2013 at 12:15 |
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Mustang because it's not a mullet-magnet POS. Sure it's a tin can on wheels, but at least it has some appeal. Cobra R or one of the factory 5.0s would be my preference, although if my wife were to ever buy a Mustang, it'll be either a 1967, or a 2005-2008 (until we know what the 2015 looks like). She's Mustang gal, so she knows better.
IHEARTVTEC
> -Amateur
09/03/2013 at 12:22 |
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3rd gen camaro. Because LS engine swap and MSD atomic EFI. You can build a decently fast fox cheap, but if you want a killer fast street car on a budget you cant beat the LS/LQ9 engines for aftermarket efi choices and other performance goodies
Cloud81918
> -Amateur
09/03/2013 at 12:35 |
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Fox Cobra-R.
But I'd also like the SVO or the IROC Z. Something about a LS engined IROC make me tingle down their.
But I wouldn't throw the 94-2004 cars under the bus. They are great cars. They have far better ergonomics. They have orbited the sun fewer times and turned their Odos a bit less. As for them being feminine? Maybe, but a lot of the best looking cars are style after female dimensions. I like the hips on the 94-ish cars (can't recall when they got more anglely). I also love those gun port hoods.
Here is one a friend of mine bought a while back and showing of some of the deals you kind find on those "feminine" 'stangs. It is a Cobra that had a whole Roush upgrade set done to it with the "Roushcharger" supercharger, suspension, side exhaust and whatnot. My friend got it for under 14K with something like 32K miles on it from the original owner. The car was upgraded within a week of being bought new and has a full service history. My friend had it dynoed at over 400 to the wheels. Really these types of cars are a in a sweet spot right now if you are trying to get something really good for the money.
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-Amateur
> Matt Hardigree
09/03/2013 at 23:04 |
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The reality: (I'm Milhouse's dad)
magman007
> -Amateur
09/04/2013 at 14:16 |
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mustang, if only for the fact that you can pick up someones 80% complete project for dirt cheap. The great thing about the fox, is 95% of the ones on the market are someones failed project. This is a good thing. The reason being, is most of the owners have sunk the money into the motor and gave up once they got to the interior or exterior. This is awesome. Acquire mullet, and drive it like you dont give a damn.