85 5.0 Mustangs

[west coast]

Yes I was referring to the 87-93 mustangs. they are quite economical to start in stock. 87-93 all are the same spec in the guide except for the hp rating, 1988 is the best hp rating. go through the NHRA guide there are lots of combos of this car, LX,GT, hatchback, notchbacks trunk cars and convertibles. There are quite a of use racing them on the west coast here at least a couple at each race. If you all ready have a car check your option on which year is the best for you. I was only a couple grand into a car, most for the car with a stock cam and could run under the index. the rest of the money was spent on rear end and trans-converter. Slickfoot what division are you in, most mustang guys are really helpful.

[Slickfoot]

I'm in div. 1 , I have talked with Shawn Allsup from Calf. he was very helpful about his K/S fox . We talk about the rear end and contol arms.
I just finsh the rear axle on my car , I thought it would be a good place to start befoe I put slicks on it. and start breaking stuff.

[ALMACK]

^^^ And if someone wants a different bodystyle, a '87-'88 Thunderbird can run Stock with the same year Mustang 5.0 engine. (auto only)

[7423]

The best part is you dump the race gas, fill it up with pump gas and bracket race it every weekend.....................love my 5.0L. The best race car I ever had.

[Notch1320]

Originally Posted by Slickfoot

Thanks gentlemen I'm enlightened. I'm building a 89 L/S , comming back into drag racing after 43 years. I better look for a diff. class.

Don't get discouraged! Assistance is just a phone call away.

[Slickfoot]

Thanks Shawn

[Sean Marconette]

Originally Posted by ALMACK

^^ Marty Buth does well with the 83-84 Mustang 2.3 Turbo. ( Auto trans tho)

83-84 CFI 5.0 automatics are way over factored. Too high for that tiny CFI throttle body.


1985 4 bbl Mustang 5.0 combo had the hydraulic roller cam and the heads were better than the 83-84 4 bbl Mustang.

Mark Walton ran the 2.3 stick combo in both a T-Bird and an 83 Mustang and set a few records.

The 83-85 heads, intakes and carbs are all the same except for casting numbers.

As for the author of this thread, everyone is here to help.

What trans and clutch are you going to run? Sorry if I derailed your post.

Sean

[Slickfoot]

The trans. is a stock T5 and the clutch as well. I'm leaning towards a C4, looking for a good price for a complete package. I'm still open to a stick package also. I put this season's money in the rearend.
I had fell off the roof of my Airstream in June and broke my left foot, the Doc. would not let me drive the Mustang , that's why I took the time to do the rear part of the car. I did race a Hemi quadcab and a Civic Si all summer just to try to stay sharp on the tree.
Jim

[Dan Fahey]

Originally Posted by Slickfoot

The trans. is a stock T5 and the clutch as well. I'm leaning towards a C4, looking for a good price for a complete package. I'm still open to a stick package also. I put this season's money in the rearend.
I had fell off the roof of my Airstream in June and broke my left foot, the Doc. would not let me drive the Mustang , that's why I took the time to do the rear part of the car. I did race a Hemi quadcab and a Civic Si all summer just to try to stay sharp on the tree.
Jim

Ouch !! on the foot !!

[Rory McNeil]

Originally Posted by ALMACK

1985 4 bbl Mustang 5.0 combo had the hydraulic roller cam and the heads were better than the 83-84 4 bbl Mustang.

Like Sean said, the 85 4 barrel heads are esentially the same as the 83-84 heads, in fact the same D8 heads were used on 302 2 barrel from 78 until Ford stopped making them. The only change for the 85s E5 casting was to add a clearance notch to allow the removal of the taller hyd. roller lifters without needing to remove the heads.
As for running a stick trans, I would not waste my time with a stock T5. When I first started running my 85 Mustang, I too thought it would be much cheaper than buying a good trans, by the end of that first year, I had 2 broken T5s, and a bent mainshaft that was replaced1/2 way thru the season. I put a Jerico and McLeod Soft Lok clutch in the car in 2004, and other than changing the trans oil occassionly, I have not touched the trans since. Same thing with the rearend, the stock Traction Lock and axles are not up to the task with a stick, although the axles would likely live with an automatic, the Trac Lock will let you down, and NHRA mandates aftermarket axles with a spool. Best to get some good pieces from the start.