I'm looking to put a 32V in the fox soon. Any tips?

[SlowFoxGTvert]

I've got a REALLY slow but pretty straight 1989 GT convertible right now. I've become interested in a story that I saw on Stang.net (I think) about a guy who dumped a 32V cobra motor in his '93.

What got me more interested is that the local tuning shop said that was not real difficult and it's also reletively easy to stick in the Cobra's IRS.

I was wondering why anyone would do it, but then I saw how cheap you can actually get the parts if you look hard eneugh.

Also, The fox body's weigh less. With a T56, this could be a rippin' car. (and not nearly as embarrassingly slow as it is now)

Any thoughts? Is a 32V IRS fox body vert an original thought or has someone already done one? Either way I'd jive on the advice.

[BLOCKER]

why don't you order one of those new 5.0 mod motor crate engine from ford, you would still be driving a 5.0 but a fast and tech. advanced 5.0

I think that would be cool.

I have seen the mod motor in older foxes it can be done!

[Tim89LXvert]

I am not sure who does them, but I am 99% sure you can get a tubular K-memeber that will mount a 4.6L into a Fox.

Sounds like a great project!!! You will have a very cool ride!

Good luck!

[SlowFoxGTvert]

Thanks for the input guys :-)

I've seen the FR100 crate engine and from what I hear, the price is just a little out of my reach (to the tune of many thousand dollars.)

Here's some stuff I'm in the works of accumulating:

2003 IRS
Carrier: used (but straight)
1/2 shafts: Used (but only slightly)
Diff pumpkin (used & leaks)
-$700 + shipping

2001 Driveshaft $80 (Looks OK to me)

T56 Tranny and mounting brackets:
New: $2700 (OUCH!)

Motor stuff:
Block:
New 32V aluminum
$300
Bottom end internals for bottom end: $2900
(from www.vtengines.com) (Seems like they use only the best parts and it saves me from having to source the stuff individually)

Top end of the motor: Well, I haven't got that far yet. Gotta wait for a couple more paychecks

The main concern is that I don't get killed on labor once I've accumulated all the parts. Also, I've heard that the computer gets all outa whack when you try this.

There's still more stuff that I need, like clutch, pedal assembly and shifter and other what-nots, but still, hopefully it will be finished in time to drive it around brick yard 400 time. Alot of people have stressed the issue that my old chassis and suspension are not up to the task of dealing with the extra power, but I'll tackle those hurdles along with the brakes towards the end of the summer.

As always, any input on the build process or leads on a cheap 32V top end would be appreciated.

Thanks

Will

Originally posted by SlowFoxGTvert
Alot of people have stressed the issue that my old chassis and suspension are not up to the task of dealing with the extra power, but I'll tackle those hurdles along with the brakes towards the end of the summer.

Get some good subframe connectors & maybe a 4 or 6 point cage...and your chassis should be able to handle all the power you can throw at it.

[Tim89LXvert]

For subs and chassis braces, I would highly recommend Maximum Motorsports. I have their full length convertible subs on my car. They are beefy and made a HUGE difference in rigidity.

More difficult to instal than most, but worth it.

[Dark_5.0]

I hate to bust your bubble but I dont see the point. Your convertible is every bit as heavy as a cobra.

You keep talking about how slow your vert is, well the IRS rear isnt the best way to go if you are looking for speed.
The IRS gives a nice smooth ride for everyday driving, but on hard launches the wheel hop will rattle your fillings loose.

A have both a 5.0 and a 4.6 cobra and my 5.0 is faster than my cobra with relatively mild mods.

I wish you the best but I still think the good ole' 5.0 push rod power plant is the way to go.


Later,

[SlowFoxGTvert]

Thanks again guys, for the pointers.

I didn't know that the fox verts were as heavy as the cobras. I saw that the '03 was tippin' the scales at like 3800 lbs or more for the coupe. I imagine the '03 vert weighs close to 2 tons.

about 8 years ago, I had an '88 LX 5.0 vert and took it to the truck stop and it tipped the scales at something like 3600 lbs. I don't remember the exact number, but it was pretty close to that.

I guess I was sizing up the '03. I wasn't thinking about the '01 which had an aluminum block and a lighter 5 speed than the new one. Oh well, probably won't get the weight advantage that I thought I'd get.

Still, when comparing the prices, I'm still going to go with building the 32V. For one thing, if I stuck with the 302, I'd have to get a blower or really trick heads and intake and exhaust to make the type of power the 32V makes. I want to stay NA (after blowing up 2 turbo's in previous jap cars), and I really do like the feel of DOHC motors. Between the mustangs, I had a couple of late 80's toyota supra turbos and a '90 300zx NA. They feel a little lazy down low when compared to the 302, but I'm not a real "drag launch" kinda driver. I'm more into the 2500 - 5000 rpm area of the engine when I'm getting my fix. I might be wrong, but I think this is where the 32V would draw an advantage.

What I mainly do with my car is spirited drives around the lakes and out in the country. Not Crazy trackstyle type driving, but definately enough to get pulled over for. I'd like more power and a more flexible engine, but also this is a street car so ride quality and drivability are a little important. (I'm mean it's a convertible, so my backs already against the wall in terms of all out performance, so I might as well keep it daily driver comfy).

I have heard alot about the wheel hop in the IRS. I also heard that the heavier axles in the '03 reduces it somewhat. To be honest, if the car does wheel hop, I'll be ecstatic, because that means I actually assembled the drivetrain correctly! :-)

In terms of chassis and suspension, Kenny Brown Performance is like 20 minutes from my house, so I'll probably go with them; they've got a good reputation and they're local so that would help if I have any issues.

Well, hopefully this project produces a unique and enjoyable car with cobra-like performance and not just a collossal waste of money and resources.

Sorry it's so long again and thanks for the input and info guys,

Will

[Dark_5.0]

The 96-01 cobras weigh 3400 lbs. The 99-01's make 320HP and 317TQ. The 4.6 cobra's rev to 7,000rpm's.

Do yourself a favor and stick with your stock GT rear end. Keeping your stock rear will really cut down on cost.

The 32V 4.6 is a very smooth running engine compared to a 5.0. The 2 engines are totaly different, the 5.0 has tons of low end power and the 32V4.6 really comes alive in the 5000-6800 RPM range.

With the money you would save using your stock rear you would have a good chunk of cash to put towards a supercharger. 4.6's with forced induction make gobs of power.

Not to mention that the IRS rear end weighs 70 lbs more than a GT rear end.

Later,

[Tim89LXvert]

It sounds like a great project.

DOHC aluminum V-8, 6 speed manual, IRS Fox. Very cool!!

That said, if you are tight on cost, I agree that a nice built 4.10 geared live axle may be a good place to reduce the cost and complexity. Keep an eye out though, I know that occasionally guys are looking to replace/trade/sell their IRS from their Cobras to go drag racing with a live axle.

With some of the suspension systems available for the live axle Mustangs, you can hook pretty good without going to IRS.

Good luck and keep us posted!

[SlowFoxGTvert]

7000 rpm??!! stock? Now that's what I'm talking about. I love revving stuff up and this just gets more enticing the more I look into it.

I didn't know that the IRS weighed 70 lbs more. So far, cost on the IRS hasn't been much of an issue, plus, my 8.8 has 130,000 miles on it. I'm finallizing with the seller on $700 for a slightly used '03 IRS. I'm not getting the shocks, springs, or control arms and bushings. But, those are all peices that I can replace with quality aftermarket components. I think that's what the current owner did and has probably already sold them. I think he switched to a live axle. I'm going to talk to him tonight.

So far the big expense looks like it's going to be the 32V top end. The only aftermarket parts I sourced are the FR500 parts from FRPP and they are wicked expensive. Throw in labor and they'll cost more than the whole rest of the project.

I'm still holding out on finding some stock parts from an '01.

The guy on stangnet who put the 32V in his '93: His engine bay looks awesome. I can't wait. If I can finish this in the next 5 months, I'm going to be a very happy man.

Well, Anyone looking for 89 GT take-off parts including the whole drivetrain (AOD), I'll have them available (hopefully) real soon.

Also, I was just informed that the '03 is a five bolt pattern. I already knew this, but it slipped my mind. So it looks like new rims and tires (at least on the back) are in the cards earlier than I wanted. If the budget permits, I'll do the front hubs and wheels at the same time, or it's going to have to go mismatched for a while. Then of course there's the rear brakes issue. fun, fun, fun...

320hp... 7000 rpms... dang, I wish there was a smilie symbol for drool. (note: the bottom end internals I'm getting are a 5.0 kit for the 32V) I'm interested in how much power I'll pick up with the extra displacement.

Will

[bigdave]

Instead of swapping in a 32V 4.6, you could build a 32V 351 with these heads: http://www.araoengineering.com/
More power and not as big as a modular. They are expensive, though, at $5000+, but can easily make more than 500 hp. Someday I plan on building a 351 with these heads.

[SlowFoxGTvert]

Those 32V windsor heads look awesome and they claim that they can produce 100 hp more than even the best 2V heads on the market. Thay's pretty cool and a great way to make blower power while staying NA. But, at $5000 they seem a little out of the projected budget.

Plus, using the entire drivetrain from a cobra means (to me at least) that everythings going to line up and bolt together with no big problems. As far as I can tell the only slightly difficult part of the conversion I'm doing will be mounting it all.

Still, I can see the beauty in a 351 32V. Especially stroked and blown... then nitrous...