Third generation Mustang or third generation Camaro? (manual transmission, tire, best)
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The problem will be finding one that hasn't been ragged out by some punk teen.
How much are you wanting to modify one? If it's going to be extensive you may be better off finding one that needs some engine work to begin with.
Biggest challenge may be finding one without rust, mine was an original Louisiana car so it wasn't a problem for me, but I have seen some northern ones that are ate up with it. Some of the rust you can't even see because it gets under the ground effects.
This was a pretty good post, but there are a few points I wanted to correct and a couple to add.
thanks, man.
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- The Mustangs have 8.8 inch rear ends, which are very stout.The F-bodies 7.5 inch rear end is very weak by comparison.
but adequate for street use, i would say.
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- Upgrading the brakes on a Fox Body Mustang is really not the big of a deal. Several vendors sells complete kits to upgrade to the 1994-1998 5 lug disc brakes and the cost is not that high.
you may be right - provided you have this knowledge ahead of time. in my case, i bought the car for 1600. it badly needed new tires and the factory 10-hole wheels looked all "crusty". the first thing i did was pay 200 to have the wheels sandblasted and powdercoated. then, i wanted 265/50/15's for the back - 225/60's for the front. the only company that i could find that made the 265's for a 15 inch rim was Cooper. i had to order the front and rear tires from two different sources. it came to more than 600 for all four tires.
so now i've spent money on the wheels and more money on rubber. so i was a little bit locked in to the 15 inch wheel/4-lug set-up. and brake kits for a 4-lug set-up are very limited and not that easy to find. i ended up getting the SSBC 4 lug kit for the front (73mm single piston calipers vs 60mm stock) and rear drum to disc conversion.
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- You can still get good 15 inch tires. Weld Draglites which are 15's and very popular with fox body owners.
sounds like your talkin drag slicks on the back though.
one more thing - and this relates to manuvering in and out of parking lots. the Fox Body Mustang literally has the turn radius of a Peterbuilt pulling three trailers. a very bad, very anoying flaw for such a small, nimble-looking vehicle. otherwise, still a great performance value.
I owned a 1987 IROC-Z a few years back and really regret selling it. It was a factory 350 (5.7) car and had a 3.42 posi rear end. I wound up redoing the engine so it wound up becoming a 355 with 10:1 compression, and a lopey cam. I had a Hypertech computer chip that was matched to the engine as well as some other modifications. I also owned a 1988 Mustang and out of the two I enjoyed the Camaro much better. The Camaro was quicker than the Mustang before I did the modifications and of course it was much quicker when the modifications were done. The handling was much better on the Camaro but keep in mind that it was an IROC which came with a better suspension than the other Camaro models.
Basically, the things I am mentioning are all opinion based other than the Camaro being quicker stock than the Mustang was stock. Both had been taken to the drag strip and although I do not remember the exact times I do remember the IROC being a little faster than the Mustang. Modifications to either car are extensive and either one can be made to beat the other depending on how much money you are willing to put into it. My suggestion would be to look at both and try to drive them and see which one feels better to you. I think the Camaro looks better as well but that of course is a matter of opinion. I never liked the look of any of the Firebirds in those years except for the Formula. I always thought the Camaro was a little meaner looking. Again, I am not trying to start an argument with people, it is simply just my own opinion.
I will suggest that whether it be a Mustang or a Camaro or Firebird, before doing any modifications to the drivetrain put in sub frame connectors to stiffen it up and stop the body twist that all of them are known for.
In my opinion it depends on what your going to do with it. If you want to build a drag car.. go with the Fox body. They are easy to make fast and you can pretty much get them to hook on ice with the stock rear suspension. If you want a good handeling driver go with the Camaro. Now I know there are fast Camaro's and great handleing Mustangs but the Fox is the cheapest way to build a drag car.
If it was me , I'd have to go for the Fox. I'm more of a drag racer... small block with a turbo , Big Stuff fuel injection, AOD .. go 9's and street drive it.
And as far as Camaro's... nothing beats a 1st gen or early 2nd gen. I just can't get into the 3rd's . The picture that comes to mind is a dude with a mullet, wifebeater on, and lot's of gold around the neck in an Iroc with 1.5" exhaust thru glasspacks , lumpy cam and a stock gear and torque converter...
In my opinion it depends on what your going to do with it. If you want to build a drag car.. go with the Fox body. They are easy to make fast and you can pretty much get them to hook on ice with the stock rear suspension. If you want a good handeling driver go with the Camaro. Now I know there are fast Camaro's and great handleing Mustangs but the Fox is the cheapest way to build a drag car.
If it was me , I'd have to go for the Fox. I'm more of a drag racer... small block with a turbo , Big Stuff fuel injection, AOD .. go 9's and street drive it.
And as far as Camaro's... nothing beats a 1st gen or early 2nd gen. I just can't get into the 3rd's . The picture that comes to mind is a dude with a mullet, wifebeater on, and lot's of gold around the neck in an Iroc with 1.5" exhaust thru glasspacks , lumpy cam and a stock gear and torque converter...
i tend to agree with everything you said, except the portion which i highlighted - which i dont exactly disagree with since it is rhetorical speculation on your part - i just have issue with it. those kind of people are no longer Camaro owners for the most part. those cars are all but gone. youre rarely gonna see a 1985 Camaro with Eddie from Iron Maiden air brushed on the hood. and i'm pretty sure that there arent a lot of "guidos" cruisin' around Brooklyn in Iroc Z's. so, in spite of whatever perceptions still persist, ownership of a third-gen Camaro or Firebird is not an idication of inbreeding. the fact is a third-gen F-Body (preferably '87 or newer; especially with a 5.7 liter TPI engine) is an excellent handling platform that makes lots of torque and has legitimate performance heritage and very sleek lines, especially compared to the Fox Mustang.
from what i've seen, the nimrod redneck sports car that in reality fits your perception are fourth gen Camaros/Firebirds and Mustangs with V-6's and Flowmasters. yeah, vroom vroom...
but yes, i agree, for a straight drag car, the Fox Body Mustang is a no-brainer.
I also agree with the Mustang for drag racing. I have seen many of them win at the track. You just have to be careful because I have also seen many of them slide all over the drag strip as well. The majority of the Mustangs I have seen do this have been cars that are in the low 11s or quicker.
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