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I've been wanting to get an older Fox Body Mustang, or Mercury Capri and put a new 5.0 Coyote engine with a cobra IRS, beef up the rest of the suspension
Sister had an 81 Mercury Capri hatchback with the classic Ford 200 CID inline 6. She hated the car. I can't write here what she called it. Let's just say she called it "piece of it". I tried to talk sense into her. Told her it wasn't a bad car because that engine never broke. Her future husband tried to blow the engine so he could drop a 302. He couldn't break the engine. Her next car was an Oldsmobile Cutlass Calais with the infamous Quad4 engine. It was a quick engine,...right up until you blow the head gasket. Her husband was regularly replacing that gasket until she learned to stop slamming the gas pedal.
I've been wanting to get an older Fox Body Mustang, or Mercury Capri and put a new 5.0 Coyote engine with a cobra IRS, beef up the rest of the suspension
That's my dream right there.
I have an '88 Fox 5.0. One of the things I did was ditch the 1960's/1970's crappy disk front and rear drum brakes. 4-wheel disk was a must. Now working on the ABS retrofit.
I'm generally not a fan of Restomod cars because the builders sometimes try to make them "too" modern. I like an old car with some modern amenities, like discs, a/c, newer engine and transmission, etc., but that still look fairly stock.
I think highback seats look like hell in an old car, makes it look like the builder couldn't find any good ones so he just went to a junkyard and grabbed the first set he could find. I also have some strong dislikes when it comes to wheels on older cars, I HATE modern 17's/18's and all of those type wheels. If Chip Foose ever Overhauled my car I would love it but the first thing I would remove would be the wheels he puts on them.
So for me, I only want upgrades that either blend into the era of the car, or are hidden. We are going to be doing a 46 Ford that we have stored somewhere in the future, and it will remain pretty stock outside, but will have a modern rear with parallel springs, independent front end, sbf with an AOD trans, a/c, but that will be about it.
If I had the money I would restomod a 1995 Buick Roadmaster Wagon. Stock this car does most things quite well. Decent mileage on Expressways, back road cruiser and amazingly quick slider on dirt. It can also haul more stuff or people than you really need.
So why rod it? Well to make it better at most things.
Refined suspension: Stiffer progressive rate springs, stiffer but not poly bushings, thicker sway bars, bigger front brakes and disc brakes on the solid rear axle, tow package for motorcycle trailer
Engine and tranny: LS3 or 4 engine with hi po converters, 4 speed Auto tranny with stiffer shifting and real overdrive, LS Differential
Boxed and rustproofed frame
Stock body with longer front air dam, deflector in front of the essential roof rack (it is a wagon after all)
Somewhat concealed roll cage, Comfortable cloth seats, new stereo,
It would be used as a travelling machine as well as a sleeper at the local stoplight drags.
What new modern features would you add and how far would you go? I'd try to get four wheel disc brakes, high back bucket seats, and a resto looking modern stereo.
What new modern features would you add and how far would you go? I'd try to get four wheel disc brakes, high back bucket seats, and a resto looking modern stereo.
The best part of the older cars was the styling. Everything else from engines to transmission to brakes are better on modern cars. I would personally love to drop an old body on a modern chassis. When I had my 2004 GTO I always joked with my dad that I was going to steal his '67 and put that body on my car. He could keep everything else...I just wanted the look.
At an absolute minimum, the drivetrain, brakes and suspension should be swapped/upgraded. The engine and trans out of modern cars are better and more convenient. The brakes are better as well for the most part, especially if we are comparing drum to disc. The suspensions aren't too bad (from a street rod sense), but could certainly use some help from modern bushings, shocks, springs, bracing, etc. The tires go without saying.
I've been wanting to get an older Fox Body Mustang, or Mercury Capri and put a new 5.0 Coyote engine with a cobra IRS, beef up the rest of the suspension
It sounds cool, but why?
The 5.0 Coyote is a good motor, but they're expensive to buy and require a decent amount of fabrication to mount it in a Fox chassis. On the other hand, a 351 is cheaper, can easily be made to produce as much or more power and is pretty much a bolt-in.
Considering that pretty much everyone who has a Cobra IRS is trying to get rid of the Cobra IRS do to the fact it was such a compromised design I would just stick with the 8.8" solid axle and do the extensive suspension upgrades to make it handle the way you want. Basically buy out the Saleen, Roush or Steeda catalogue and call it a day, lol.
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