Matt Buys A Fox Body Mustang
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- čas přidán 6. 09. 2024
- Matt picks himself up a mega-clean 1988 Mustang Notchback (Ex-CHP!) project car. Over the next few months we're going to turn it into a canyon and track monster with the help of some friends, but in this first video Matt takes you through the car to see what it's already got and why it's so perfect for our needs.
These cars are becoming much more rare nowadays. I remember 10-15 years ago they were everywhere for around 5k but nowadays you are lucky to find one in decent shape that hasn't been beat to hell. I still have my foxbody from 1990 and everyone knocks on my door wanting to buy it and it doesn't even have a for sale sign on it? Bottom line if you have one in good condition I would hang on to it because they are defiantly starting to go up in value nowadays.
I still see them going for about 2.5k here in Ohio, but nobody wants to own a mustang in Ohio because of the roads
Matt really nailed it when he said that it was everything he wanted in a Mustang when he was in high school. Exact same here. I would have killed for a black notchback lx in high school. I got a GT after graduating but always wanted that black notch. Grat's Matt looking forward to the build homie.
best car you could ever buy! the foxbodies are legends!!!
my brother had that same car many many years ago. he invested thousands into his car making 500hp at the wheels. that is a gem find keep it for life and never stop modding it.
Nice buy, Matt. I wouldn't even paint it. It's perfectly ugly. No show, all go. Put the paint money into the suspension and brakes.
Im not a mustang guy at all but Matt I love it, i just do
Is this going to be another delorean project style where we get the odd update than the finished product, or can you make this into a "tuner" series where you show each upgrade.
congrats Matt! I have a 95 GT that I converted to a cobra. I've been wanting my 95 since I was 16 years old and it took me 17 years to finally get into it. as you can imagine I have too many mods to list here, but everybody loves the sounds my mustang makes and I do too. the body is a rust bucket, so I have on a rotisserie a pristine 1995 V6 carcass with 75,000 original miles on it, not rust, no accidents! I will build this body like a saleen road race car and transfer all my goodies into it. should be fun...
SSP (Special Service Police) models are the Notchback LX coupes to get... awesomeness!
sweet car!!!!!!!!!
Nice choice Matt... I've had fox body mustangs for 20 years now and can't ever get enough of them. Great car to mod.
yes, i love it! then again, with a 83 mustang and an 87 tbird turbocoupe, i am a bit of a fox fan
Alex Douglas What do you mean?
i have an '88 TC. Love the car to death.
your all bastards :D fuck all o you
I had a notchback when I was 20, now ten years later and I always think about having another one. Good memories
The highest profit projects always starts with I wanted this in high school
but he's not doing this for profit
Awesome.subscribing. my 90 Notch is in my garage as a long term projec. Going all out with it. Don't care about the money just love me a Fox. Yeah I'm a Gen x'r..:)
Mine too! Raising kids takes priority for now. Besides, it'll be more rare in a few more years.
Anddddd now I'll start searching Craigslist for fox body's....thank you Matt farah
front big brake kit, rear disk conversion, change to an IRS from a SN95 cobra, 5 lug conversion, chassis bracing-as much as you can get, coilovers, and hard wire in a V1 baby! nice ride Matt!
Lol I'm seeing a trend of "Matt buys..." here on this channel. I'm pretty excited for this build.
Sweet!!! Looking forward to future episodes -- can't wait to see what you do to this car!
If you do 5 lug go get a 03-04 Cobra IRS. They bolt right up to the fox platform perfectly and handles beautifully. My dad did it on his '93 Convertible.
Great car, I bought a 1991 Florida FHP car in 1996. I kept it 3 years and had a lot of fun in it. Not sure how the CHP cars were but the 1991 for Florida was the only year available at the auction that had the power windows and mine had an AM/FM radio and Air condition. But I'm more into top end so I kept the 308 gear in the rear. Also I noticed this car's speedometer goes to 140MPH, mine went to 160MPH. But it's cool to see the differences, and like I said their great cars....Thanks for posting!
CHP notchback Mustang with a new crate engine? Score! Sounds like you'll have fun with this one. The small proportions and light weight should prove to be..... intoxicating.
That thing must be decently fun to drive even as-purchased. Congrats on you super clean Fox.
It honestly drives great now. Put about 100 miles on it so far, and it really rides and drives beautifully. I want to turn it into a monster, but a little part of me wants to leave it as is, clean up the body, and have a great collector car too.
It's only missing a pack of Marlboros.
Awesome! My dad has an 80's model 4 banger notchback t-top. I have my first ever new car, a black 89 GT factory GT with less than 3K miles on it that needs to be cleaned up and put back on the road. Garage kept but has original everything and a rusted fuel pump.
Man you lucked out. I want to build a fast fox one day. They're so light!
My '89 Notchback was the most fun car I've ever owned. Junkyard twin turbo, built 331 making 600+hp, for less than 5g's.
I don't care what anybody says...the Fox Body is awesome. BTW....I never knew any cop car ever came with a manual!! Except for maybe some Sheriff's Jeep in Alaska. Siiicckkk.
The CHP ran Mustang GT's for years,and were mostly 5 speeds. Had the pleasure of riding along a couple times in them (as a passenger!) For a cop car they were pretty damn fast!
+Oldbmwr100rs STRANGE! I have never ever seen a cop,or h.p. mustang that was a GT..... only LX. rather SSP. INTERCEPTERS WERE BASE LINE RIDES DUDE, WITH A FEW MODS TO ACCOMMODATE THE LAW ENFORCEMENT REQUIREMENTS.
Oh yeah, the CHP ran police LX's sure, but they were manuals, at least every one I saw was,and that was more than a few. The cops I talked to about the old 'stangs mostly really liked working with them. I was working on CHP BMW motorcycles for years, so got to talk to lots of cops about their favorite police motor units.
Oldbmwr100rs Yeah for Sure they Were all 5speed's, the autotrans for the Mustang was awful,even ford knew it. The HP guys are no dummies. 5.slows were dogs without the t5.
well he did mention it was a chase car
Enjoy- I was just talking about my '87 stripper hatch over the weekend. The things that caused me the most issue were the IAC motor (doubt you will have that issue with the new motor), the knobs on the AC/heat, and the center console latch. The knobs and the latch were just such cheap plastic they broke off. I ordered the knobs from Ford direct and bought them in bulk :) One of the most fun cars I ever owned (only one I lost my license in).
Nice pick up!
I've always liked the notchbacks. With that new crate engine in there, it's a great place to start. Should be cool to see it come together.
Can't wait. Get the Bassani Xpipe and Flowmasters; I put those on my 99 4.6 and it sounds great. #mustang #Fordracing
Lex Selfmade Life x pipe sucks on a push valve motor . H PIPE ON A FOX NUB
I had an 83 5.0 .I bought it in 96 .It had only 104 000 km (62 400 mil).I put 5000 km (3000 miles) on it in about 4 days.I drove it from Calgary AB to P.E.I.It was a long ride that's for sure.Driving through the prairies it was so flat that you could see your dog running away for 3 days lol.I wasn't a huge fan of the 87-93 fox bodies but I would still buy one at the right price.Whether or not you like the 5.0 it was easy to modify and wasn't all that expensive to do it.The 5.0 h.o. engines were one of Ford's best engines they ever built.I think so anyway .Have a nice day everyone!Peace.
why do people prefer the notchback? i'm a fastback fan myself
...the same reason you prefer the fastback..personal preference...
tighter
It's lighter
+colenbrak people prefer the notchback for frame rigidity. all these people who have no clue lol.
+Bigboomer k
Wow! I've always wanted an '88-'93 notch-back all-black 5.0 'Stang just like this. I hope Matt doesn't go overboard with the mods.
i'm friggin' psyched!
no problem. i'm not even a mustang fan...much. nor am i one especially of that era. but u can't deny that killer combo of power and weight. such potential. WANT.
Mr. Matt Farrah I just. Want to say how much I enjoy you and your shows I admire you because your how I want my dad to be but he's not into cars...
Im not a mustang guy, but thats clean! What does something like that run in a part of the country where sports car prices arent inflated?
depends on everything 1000-8000 dollars. I figure they paid around 5-6K.
HackoDis
Holy crap! Thats cheap!
My 97 cost me $5800 with 84k original miles and it was garaged its entire life. This was in Virginia.
Matt, I bought an '88 Ford Mustang LX 5.0L stripper model last year from a family friend. Never seen a winter only has 104,000km, Canadian model. No A/C, wind up windows, exactly like yours. Mine has a 3.08 rear end and a K&N filter and yes it is like reliving highschool again. I can't wait to see what you do with yours. Mine is setup to run FS street in autocross with 16" rims and RS-3 rubber. Not the fastest but sure is fun.
Wow, absolutely stunning condition. Let us know when you sell it. I want to buy it.
Needs some Strange Engineering coilovers Matt.
I grew up turning wrenches on my dad's 1984 GT350. We rebuilt it head to toe including a built ford racing 302, Holley 700, upgraded tremec T5, MAC stainless exhaust, offroad H pipe, BBK headers, reinforced subframe, 4 wheel disc brakes, eibach springs, strange engineering single adjustables, roll bar with harness bar, sparco harnesses, and a giant panhard bar. The thing was a absolute animal in the corners.
Cant wait to see this project.
No burnout? Has Matt gone soft?
Thanks for the help, the price range I gave you was what I had now I'm expecting around 4500 when I get a vehicle, but I really do appreciate the help!!!
wait...mustang on the smoking tire and NO BURN OUT!!! WTF!!!
Great Car Matt, I still to this day love the Fox Bodies, especially the notch backs.
Cheers and enjoy!
What the newer generation doesn't know about the Foxbody cars..
God saw an ugly car with a mediocre suspension, flimsy frame, and a decent engine. He saw the Chevy's and Pontiac's had bigger engines and more aerodynamic bodies. So he said 'Fuck the haters, I'm rooting for the underdog!' and sprinkled some magical fairy dust on all the 5.0's. The end
I wouldn't call a fox body ugly
Wow can’t believe this video is 6 years old already! I remember watching it when it came out really excited to see what he would do with it!
If the paint is shitty you could wrap it/repaint. I personally would go the PlastiDip route (out of a HVLP gun, not the rattlecan bullshit) so I could change it whenever I want.... Believe it lasts about as long as a Vinyl wrap as well, and is quite a lot cheaper. Albeit it might be a bit "low class" for a car of this caliber.
Just my opinion, I love these cars. As soon as I can sell my Rx8 I hope to get something like one of these. V8, smoking tires, and torque are what I crave. The rotary is fun but damn does it take its time spooling up sometimes.
I reserached Plasti-Dip. It seems you need a good, even clear coat base to get the dip to stick properly, which I do not have.
TheSmokingTire You don't need a "good" clear coat, just no peeling and you are good, orange peel won't hurt the finish too much, just might have to do a 1 or 2 more coats than normal to get a smooth finish.
TheSmokingTire
Plasti-dip screams I dont have any money. I have the same car but a 93 with a modular swap. My Cervini hood is white (car is black) and even I wont lower myself to plasti dipping it. Save money, paint it properly.
TheSmokingTire just leave it looking like a beater. supercharge it and sleep it up!
TheSmokingTire Interesting, I was under the impression that all it took was a good thorough clean with no peeling clear. Had no idea that it was ill-advised to use it on uneven paintwork. Could just primer it I suppose, haha. Or just leave it as it is and don't worry about it.
The thing I love about this video is you can just tell how excited Matt is about this car. The car turns out spectacular when it is done. I would love to have it in my stable.
Matt You even have viewers in Poland lmao. Me and others...
Prawda!
Damn, I'm 6 years out of high school and super jealous of that car lol. Excited to follow the build.
No don't swap an LS into it. Swap a coyote into it.
nah, I'd keep that 5.0 in it. It's got enough power, I'd put the money into brakes and suspension to make it a fun car to take around corners and not just in a straight line.
rawsketch i imagine Matt has pretty well rounded plan.. the old 5.0 is a good motor but honestly a coyote would make this car a real fighter..
nah an LS7>coyote.. Mangobrain82
Mike Cid lol. NOPE. im not hating LS motors but i just think its just proper to swap a coyote into a fox body.. its been done before and its a beautiful thing..
get forged internals and slap on a Vortech
Congratulations on the new buy, Matt!
could you have waited 5 minutes to finish your coffee before you made this? It was kind of annoying for you to have a coffee cup in hand every shot.
Ikr
You can't be a real car guy. I barely even noticed he had anything in his hand. I'm not even a ford guy. But I did want to known what they were starting with, Maybe i was more focused because I like the show and Matt has an every guy vibe I like and a true enthusiast which gets you points in my book, every time; plus I like the project name "The Five Liter Heater" is both clever and unique. Also just got thru watching the Motor Trend Build of an E-Rod LS-3 93' 240sx vary cool. So looking forward to this build to see where it goes. Again the coffee cup REALLY!! That's what you take away from this intro. GO WATCH A CUTE CAT VIDEO YOU GOOF!!!!!
My dad had one of these when I was younger. Amazing car. Obviously, it didn't have the engine like the one yours has. But it was an amazing thing.
how do people hate fox bodies!
Well, let's see. It's a shoebox on wheels that handles about as well as a Ranger pickup truck.. The term "Rustang" arose from the fox body era, and they have a tendency to fall apart piece by piece..
That being said, they are light, and can handle the torque of a big V8. So when properly set up, they can be pretty quick! In a straight line anyways.
bliglum JUST LIKE A LANCIA
bliglum
Shoe box? Don't see it.. Scion xb is a shoes box.
My name Xb is a COMPLETE shoe box.. Xb is what a 6 year old would draw if you told them to draw a "car".. But the fox is still a box. A slightly more streamlined box, I'll grant you.. But a box none the less.
Lol I just don't see it, maybe you're trying to say a shoe box meant for vans or chuck taylors.
Love these cars. I just sold mine with a fresh rebuilt 306 all forged internals a couple weeks ago, got a mint 96 Z28 6 speed camaro now.
So heres something curious, you want your mustang extremely lighweight.... but you sir are like 100lbs overweight..
Really? You had to go there. Can't just enjoy the video and the beautiful notch
I love strippers! Yes, both kinds ;-)
TheSmokingTire
If you are in southern ca I have a PERFECT shop for this car. It's B&D racing in Van Nuys. The owner "Brian" has been making bad ass fox bodies since the late 80s. He has a dyno and most importantly fox bodies are his specialty. Even if you already have a place in mind, trust me it's at least worth a call to speak with him.
UGGGGLY!
That thing should have been burnt and left in the 80's...
its a classic and its not meant for looks.
William L
You have a warped definition of "classic"
I know I do. time goes by fast though
Not ugly at all, specially when done up right. Not everyone can afford a roadrunner or cuda.
Perfect definition of a sleeper! I hope you are able to keeping looking "stock", but additional engine mods and suspension upgrades may force your hand.
How much power are you looking pull once you reach a happy point in the project?
How much power do you think that chassis can take and still carve canyons?
I sware to god I was born in the wrong era.
i "sware" to god you cant spell lol swear*
no biggie
WTF? I don't understand the current generation's humor anymore.
Matt made a great buy. Those stangs are as light as honda civics. Mods: suspension, wheels and tires, sway bars and a Turbo charger I hope are on the list.
if you want to weight reduce your car it would help not to be fat
And if you want to leave comment worth reading it helps not to be an ass or idiot . Sorry you missed on both counts. But being stupid you won't even be embarrassed that everyone thinks your an ass. Like the guy in the 1St post who complained about the coffee cup. GO WATCH A CUTE CAT VIDEO AND COMPLAIN IT HAS TOO MANY CATS.
Nathan DanielNo really. My biggest reason for how much weight I've lost is so my car doesn't suck so bad in the turns.
He can lose weight, but you can't get a better personality!
Honesty
I have the exact same car here in KS that I am putting together. I is sitting with a Kenne Bell Twin Screw, cage, race seats, and complete aftermarket suspension. Cant wait to see how this goes.
Great Find Matt! I built one these up from an original 4 cylinder car a little bit after I got out of high school. I still have the car, it just needs a few things before I put it back on the road
An absolute classic! Nothing cooler than a well-done notch.
The Cobra brakes with drilled rotors swapped in notch backs work great. Not to mention how badass the Cobra logo looks on the calipers.
Welcome to the club! I have a similar motor in my Fox, and it rips through the canyons of Northern California just fine. Once you change out the seats, and do some suspension/ chassis stiffening upgrades it becomes a completely different car.
Great purchase my fav of all mustangs, this exact model the 5.0 cars are awesome.
Congrats on the new car, Matt. This brings back great memories for me, I bought a decommissioned 1988 X-FHP Mustang in 1993 and owned it until 1995. The car was a blast. I hope to buy another one one day.
An interesting fact, there is actually wiring for fog lights already ran in the car, at least there was in mine. All you have to do is buy a GT headlight switch (there should be a harness plugged into the dummy lower switch on the headlight switch assembly) and there are two round harnesses beneath the front bumper which two male blade connectors inside. You can plug a regular female blade connector to each. I used these old bullet-like projector fogs on mine and it looked pretty sweet.
It is amazing how great those old fox bodies aged. They look as great today as they did when they were new.
I hope you enjoy your new ride!
I've just really gotten in the details and specs of cars. Can't wait to see your project unfold.
That's awesome having a first impression that you bought a real load to start with that thing already looks like it'd kick ass.
I'm a GM guy but this looks like a great starting point for a nice project car. Lighter and simpler is always better!
I had a 80's fox Body Mustang a long time ago......I remember the engine felt like a jet engine when I gave it throttle (heavy/massive V8) ...what a rush....I think the downside was that the back skidded too many times due to the bad weight distribution.....very heavy in the front and very light in the back........I really felt it going downhill on SF streets! Have fun!
I had a 88 notchback when I was in high school. It was silver with a 351 windsor motor. I loved that car until it was stolen from right in front of my house. Still miss that car.
There is not enough love and attention for the fox-bodies any more. Excellent pick up there Matt! Believe us, the mustangs from that era instill a love that is hard to get rid of!
Great find, Matt! Who didn't want one of these in high school? The LX 5.0 was significantly lighter than the kitted-out GT of the same era (I think it was a couple hundred LBs less.) Can't wait to see where this build goes.
My cousin had a ex CHP fox coupe back in the day. Was a wicked little car. Still has the original roll bar that came with it if your interested.
This Mustang is perfect ! Ex CHP, stripped out, basic, very very clean and with 5 speed manual.
Looks like Latemodel Restoration is going to be getting some big business from Matt! Awesome buy!
Awesome car. This was one of my high school dream cars too. Looking forward to watching the build.
Nice find Matt. I love Fox body's. I had two of them myself. 84 and an 85.
Well played sir!! I've been kicking myself for the last 15 years after I got rid of my notch ... I couldn't find a decent one around here so I ended up buying a 95 Steeda - last year the of the 5 liter mill.
Can't wait to see more on this.. I remember seeing those f bodies on the streets when I was a kid.. I thought they were the coolest thing ever heh.. that noise, that stance, the fat tires on the rear, the hood bulges, huge tach's on the dash loved all of it Lol.
If I was mechanically inclined I'd buy one today...
Fox body Mustang with crate engine, 5 minutes of video, not one single burn out.
Com'on Matt! : D
In a big empty parking lot angle the left outside mirror so you can see the left rear tire. Do some hard right, then left turns at 40 mph or more and notice the lateral movement of that LR tire & wheel. It moves a good inch each way plus there is some yaw too. Installing harder rear suspension bushings and/or a panhard bar to keep it under control. My 1st car was a 79 5.0 4 speed Indy Pace car Mustang. The 1st owner raced it in the SCCA showroom stock series class A. I enjoyed mine but couldn't afford it on a Dairy Queen income,, so I had to sell it after 2-1/2 years. I want to buy another 79-82 Fox Mustang but don't have the $$ at this time.
Nice score. I wouldn't image most of the viewers of this channel understand the significance of this car though. The 5.0 Mustang was the king of the road in the late 80's and early 90's.
As I'm sure you know by now Griggs Racing makes some great suspension parts for the Fox body, and their back yard is pretty nice too! I know you've already traded messages with Zach Bowman about the IRS options.
I drive a red '92 5.0 coupe, other than color, looks identical to yours. Don't change the looks to much, I get compliments regularly from people that love how mine is stock looking without tasteless wheels, wing, body kit, or any other bolt-on fluff.
Congrats Matt, looking forward to the build. Next to a '95 R model Cobra you got one of the best '80's-'90's Mustangs
its a great example of fox body stang,matt
i love light cars simple basic relible would prefer new 5.0 in it but glad u happy
cant wait too see progres on it
Hell yeah!!! Congratulations Matt! I am looking forward to this build.
Nice buy Matt, looking forward to the build
I have a 90 LX 5.0 myself and I absolutely love it, plus I'm going to be doing similar mods to mine so I can't wait to see how yours turns out.
Matt, I'm sure people have said this already, but in case you're curious, those two blanks are (left) Fog Lights, which you couldn't get on an LX model, and (right) rear window defroster.
ah, thanks.
Sweet car Matt! I had an ex CHP 1993 5.0. The only difference between yous is that mine had A/C. One of the best cars I ever owned. Can't wait to see how yours turns out.
Mine originally had AC too. The previous owner did AC delete when he did the engine swap.
I had the bbk cold air kit and bbk exhaust on my old '87 and it was a great mod.
Score! That's awesome you found one with no A/C. Love the lack of electronic crappola.
A friend had one of those in HS, he was the man!