FoxBody 82 Mustang GT Build Thread Profile - Fox Body Mustangs

[Mjschneidy]

This is the Build Thread for 82 Mustang GT. Reply below.

 

[Bill Pemberton]

Cool looking Fox body and you mentioned it has a measly 607 HP and I have to ask .....................flywheel or at the rear wheels? Looks like you co-driver is getting close to the age ( or is already there ) to play with you on track and is the " Beast " hard to hook up on the Continentals since we have all run them and they wear like iron, but they are 3-4 seconds off of most competitive rubber. Impressive data and enquiring minds need to know more. I know many of us had an early Mustang, or other machine, that we held onto , so congrats on all the great years that lovely lady has given you.

 

[Mjschneidy]

So I didn’t realize posting in the member cars section would generate a build thread, wasn’t my intention but what the heck….

Here’s how it all started back in 2000. I bought the car about the same time I was doing a rotation through Vehicle Dynamics at at Ford. I’m actually retiring from Ford Product Development end of this month. It been a wonderful career, would do it all over again in a heartbeat. But anyway, bought the car as a roller for $1200 bucks and then went on the road doing work related testing so I was acquiring parts while away.

 

[Mjschneidy]

Cool looking Fox body and you mentioned it has a measly 607 HP and I have to ask .....................flywheel or at the rear wheels? Looks like you co-driver is getting close to the age ( or is already there ) to play with you on track and is the " Beast " hard to hook up on the Continentals since we have all run them and they wear like iron, but they are 3-4 seconds off of most competitive rubber. Impressive data and enquiring minds need to know more. I know many of us had an early Mustang, or other machine, that we held onto , so congrats on all the great years that lovely lady has given you.

Thanks! It’s flywheel hp. So yes my son is 17 now and plan to get him on track next summer. I picked up a 2021 Mach1 from an insurance auction which we have mostly back together, plan to put him in that on track. The 82 is fun but no ABS or electronic assistance, and it’s a bit of a beast if you’re not used to a small dia race clutch and a cam that really doesn’t like to idle around a paddock.

The car was quick back in the day, usually top 3-4 at most event, however not so much anymore. The S550 chassis stock is so much more advanced than a modified fox. The biggest tire I can get on it without major surgery is a 275, the Mach1 has a 305 on the front stock and can fit more. The body is so clean I can’t bring myself to cut it up. I had a floater 3 link axle ready to go at one time but just couldn’t cut the hole in the tub for the link.

I’ll post more details and photos over the weekend.

 

[blacksheep-1]

I love that color, almost bought a 80 turbo 4 Capri with the same paint. I wish I had.

 

[Bill Pemberton]

Get him on auto crosses courses too, the early seat time pays off for young drivers, my son started there and advanced to racing on Road Courses quite easily, but then I also took him to a Driving School as a graduation present ---- it was with a group I raced with so more like going to NASA and starting HPDE training. Later we went Bertil Roos and Panoz Racing School and he was racing with SCCA at 19.

Best times you will every have, playing on the track/autocross , with your son. Thanks for posting .

 

[PatrickStapler]

Love it. Had a ‘83 GT. Cut my teeth at the local autocross and then onto open track. Were it not for the T-Tops, I would probably still have that car.

 

[Rbrey381]

Beautiful car and build, love the photo of you standing in the engine compartment surrounded by goodies.

 

[fairlane68]

Sweet Fox! We have one that I literally drug out of the woods behind the seller's house, and we recently got the Marti Report for it. Ours is an '83 GT T-Top car that was special ordered with the 4-Speed transmission. No motor or trans (of course), so it'll be a restomod and track toy like yours. Good luck!

 

[Dave_W]

Not sure if it was still active in 2000, but in the mid-90's the Fordnatics email list had a poster named Skod (IIRC, Scott Griffith at Sun) that had put together an ebook called Building The Perfect Pony. It was a compendium of all the best go-fast parts for a roadrace / HPDE Fox body at the time. Wondering if you remember coming across that when planning your build.

 

[TYancy]

I like your style! Mine is mostly stock on the inside and outside as well. I've installed Recaro seats and an '89 tilt column with a Sparco Ford Performance steering wheel and that's it so far.

I wish I had taken my 2017 PP GT to Road Atlanta or Barber so I could compare track times to my fox mustang before I got rid of it. I suppose I'll just have to take the fox to NCM since that's the only track I took my S550 on.

On another note, how do you like the torque arm and panhard bar combination? The rear suspension is the area that needs attention (other than seat time for me). I did AutoX the car two weeks ago and was less than a second off of the winning Z06. It was 29 degrees that morning and didn't get over 40 all day and I just could not get any heat in the tires. My last run was what my first run should have been.

 

[Mjschneidy]

Not sure if it was still active in 2000, but in the mid-90's the Fordnatics email list had a poster named Skod (IIRC, Scott Griffith at Sun) that had put together an ebook called Building The Perfect Pony. It was a compendium of all the best go-fast parts for a roadrace / HPDE Fox body at the time. Wondering if you remember coming across that when planning your build.

I do remember Skod from Corner Carvers and Corral, didn’t know he produced an ebook. Wonder if some of my stuff got in there. Much of my fox chassis research and mods got posted on those two forums back in the early 2000’s. I posted as ‘Toys’ on both.