Looking at a 86 5.0, needed some input

[Choke_A_Cola]

Hey guys, new to the forum. I used to own a '03 GT a few years but unfortunately had to get rid of it. Now I've found a nice 86 5.0 with a ton of mods, but that I honestly know nothing about. It's a good deal, just wondering if these are good mods, maybe a horsepower estimate if possible, as he has never dyno'd it or taken it to the track. Heres what he told me it has:

Typhoon polished upper and lower intake
MSD cap and coil
Bosch 8mm wires, autolite copper plugs
GT40P heads
shorty Headers, off-road H-pipe, Dual Flowmaster 40s
8.8 rear with trac lock, 3.55 gears
steeda weld in subframe connectors, air shocks rear, eibach lowering springs all the way around
brand new fuel filter
BBK 70mm throttle body, BBK throttle body spacer, BBK cold air intake, stock 19lb injectors
adjustable clutch quadrant

Honestly I'm no expert, but from what I understand some of these are the "go to" mods for the 5.0, any help/input would be appreciated, thanks.

 

[stang&2Birds]

First,
Welcome to the forums!


As I've said many times, '86 GT's with their stock POS 10" brakes are good for the following:
1) Upgrade the brakes to make the car safe.
2) A parts car.
3) Junkyard crusher food!
IMHO, the stock POS 10" brakes make the car a deathtrap!


As for the other mods,
GT40P heads won't work on a stock '86 block with their flat top pistons. So, either the pistons/block have been replaced, or someone is really asking for a massive amount of hurt one day when Mr Valve and Mr Piston get in a HUGE fight over occupying the same physical place at the same time. Mr Block and Mr Head are also often innocent victims.


As for lowering an '86, that gets into a massive p*ssing contest!
Plain fact, any mod on an '86 for the suspension, tires, etc means there is a very good chance of interference issues over full suspension movement. Even with the 100% stock setup and tires there is minimal clearance. Hence the fender and liner changes over the Fox years until 93.


IMHO, subframes are the #1 mod for any Fox stang (after brakes for the pre87 GTs).
Is the car still SD or does it have a MAF in it's intake path? With different pistons, GT40P heads, and stock cam, staying SD would likely be fine (without the need for a chip).

**Check the strut towers and the front side frame rails for rust. Also, under the door inside where the skins meet. And, of course, a general look over for rust.


FWIW, my '86:
http://www.veryuseful.com/mustang/tech/misc/Mustang1986_with_Mach1_springs/

 

[2000xp8]

Those are the minor mods made.
Me personally, i put little value in any modification that doesn't include one of the better sets of heads or a supercharger (from a purchasing standpoint) they all matter, but i wouldn't pay any extra for any of those you list.

IMO the most important things when purchasing a car are items like body condition, frame and torque box condtion, no rust, good paint and an interior that doesn't need a ton invested in.

Engines and transmissions are a dime a dozen at this point, consider that the heads you say the car has come off explorer engines that you can get the entire engine for $500. Body work on the other hand is very costly, lowest quote so far to paint my car locally is $3500.

Brake upgrades are fairly cheap, so i wouldn't worry so much about that, in due time you can compile parts to upgrade.
I also believe there is no worry using gt40p's with an 86 as long as you don't mess with the cam.

If you 4 eye's are your thing, the 86 is the way to go. Make no mistakes, i like 4 eye cars, you just have to plan on spending money to get things newer cars come with from the get go, like mass air, piston clearance for heads with a cam, slightly better brakes.
If you are more into mods i prefer the 89-93.

Power estimate is probably somewhere in the 240 range to the tires

 

[Choke_A_Cola]

Well in that case, there is another 94 5.0 the body is in excellent condition but is mostly stock, and its cheaper, perhaps ill go that route and have fun doing the mods myself, thanks guys

 

[Mustang5L5]

Buy the car...not the mods


Sent from my iPhone 4S using Tapatalk

 

[stang&2Birds]

quote="Choke_A_Cola, post: 8574325, member: 182579"]Well in that case, there is another 94 5.0 the body is in excellent condition but is mostly stock, and its cheaper, perhaps ill go that route and have fun doing the mods myself, thanks guys[/quote]
Night and day between a fox and sn95. Especially if it has ABS.

But, also be aware that the hack engine mods that people get away with on a Fox will not work on a 94/95 because of the more precise EEC (engine computer) software. Both the 94 and 95 5.0 V8's are still OBD-I, so that may or may not be important depending on your local smog laws.

It all depends what you want the car for, and why you want it. My 86 is my summer, and good weather, daily driver. But, I have two other cars to use for when I have to fix something on my '86 that fails with little or no notice (like the power steering pump last year).

The only heads that are safe for an 86 with stock pistons are E6 (stock) and a few TFS heads. All other heads are betting on tolerances, no valve float at all (not realistic in the real world), etc. People run E7 heads and some get lucky. Of course, many are not lucky. Hmm, put some head on the engine and hope that it works. Sorry, my engine, parts, and time are worth more than that.

Also, it can be very hard/impossible to get some parts for an '86. For example: Fuel tank gauge, good inside body panels for the back, heater hoses, EGR solenoid, etc. And, some parts listed for an '86 are for an 87-93 and will not fit correctly (like heater hoses, etc).
A good/bad thing about an '86 in good shape is that it gets noticed more.

 

[2000xp8]

But, also be aware that the hack engine mods that people get away with on a Fox will not work on a 94/95 because of the more precise EEC (engine computer) software. Both the 94 and 95 5.0 V8's are still OBD-I, so that may or may not be important depending on your local smog laws.

What exactly are "hack" engine mods?
Having had 2 94/95's in our family, neither took to modifications any different than a foxbody.