Mustangs.... Fox VS 94/95

silver95taurus

silver95taurus

Forum Member
I decided not to build my SHO into a roadrace setup as originally planned. So now I am looking to eventually get a mustang to build up into a roadcourse car. Looking for the Pros and Cons of foxbody vs 94/95 GT mustangs.
I like both exterior stylings, so that isn't a factor.

Mods I would do are exhaust, intake, ignition, full suspension, 13" front brakes and I want disc in rear. Which is better to have as a base?

One benefit I see to the newer chassis is that it is already 5 lug. Are there any chassis differences in stiffness. Are they basically the same 5.0 under the hood on the 90-95? or are there power differences?

I know most of you guys are drag racers, but I'm sure some of the stuff still applies.
 
pros of a 94-95

1) already five lug
2) already 4 wheel disc brakes
3) cheaper
4) longer wheelbase (drag car high speed stability)

cons of a 94-95

1) ugly as sin (unless you go for saleen look)
2) longer wheelbase (road course car)
3) slightly less aftermarket for fiberglass
4) heavier


Best of both worlds......99-04
 
94 up have trunks instead of rattling, screwed up hatchbacks (unless you get a notch), interiors are better on the 94 up IMO, basically everything is modernized and generally better build quality than the foxs IMO. It is true they are heavier. This is just my experience from having owned a few foxes and one SN95. The 5.0 engine is the same.
 
I love the 94 95 cars. I don't think they're ugly at all.

You'll also have a much easier time finding a clean 94 95 for a good price than finding a clean fox for a good price, if your concerned about that kinda thing.
 
I have an '88. If I was going to do it all over again, I might go for an SN95.
It already comes with discs.
You can fit larger and wider wheels.
Front suspension geometry is a bit better.
Body part selection is getting thin for the Fox.

A '94-95 is marginally stiffer in torsional and bending. Not enough to mean you don't need SFC's, STB's and a 6 point cage for any serious RR work.

I would go down South and find a clean V6 car. Go Coyote or put a nice pushrod NA motor together, and throw the Maximum Motorsports catalog at it.
For a road race style approach, their bits are prime.
 
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You can also put some wide wheels and tires on the sn95 stock....


I had an sn95 and I loved it, If I did it again, I wouldnt get a fox.
 
Much easier to find a clean sn95. With clean foxes, everyone wants double what they are actually worth even if it's got a bunch of miles/needs work.
 
There is going to be varying opinions, some folks like the Fox, some the SN95.........Personally that SN95 ALL THE WAY......Especially road coarse....The biggest benifit you will get from a fox is it is lighter......SN95 handles better and is already 5 lug......Im not sure why people think they are ugly, but I find them very nice looking personally......Fox I believe would be a better drag car, SN95 a better road car........BUT with that said, if you are going for road racing, there are much better cars then Mustangs out there! I am a total Mustang guy, but they aren't the BEST handling cars in the world...With suspension and wide wheels they aren't bad....But you can get much better balanced cars out there for cheep.
 
The reason behind the Mustang is the availability of performance parts and I'm a ford guy. Plus I want a v8 grunt after having fwd v6 cars thus far. I was also thinking of a Miata but the wife says it is a little too :hay: I don't like camaros, not sure I want a high rev v6 car since it's what I already have.

I also don't want to do a motor swap/rebuild. Just a nice clean chassis to do wheel/tire, brakes, suspension, cage, minor performance upgrades.
 
plus the wife says we aren't "convertible people". so therefore I'm not allowed to have any convert regaurdless of how good it handles a course.
 
If you were going to road coarse a Miata, you would need the hardtop. Decide where you are going to race the car. I guess if it's just a club car it doesn't matter. If you run SCCA in ITGT or something similar, get a rule book. They have a class for Spec Miata. SCCA rules and classes are on line. This way you can set up the car to race wheel to wheel.
 
i prefer the 94+ stangs. cheaper, better interior and all the fox stuff bolts on. the weight difference isnt really even all that bad once you pull out the extra crap they put in to meet increased safety regulations.

the real question is whether or not to go mod or sbf
 
The car would be just for HPDE and still retain part of the interior to be driveable on nice summer days. I don't require a ton of power. But am looking for something that has a good supply of replacement parts and easy to maintain.
I was contemplating an older 3 series but fear it would be most costly to find replacement parts if something decides to break. Along with the s series having a generally higher buy-in price. The mustang I could call a number of local places or summit/jegs and get something fairly quick and not break the bank.
So far the cars in the running are Miata, 3 series, and Mustang. I wouldn't want to do a motor swap right when getting it. But I do have an engine hoist and space if I do decide to later on.
 
I enjoy my foxbody for the fact that I enjoy carb'd cars for their simplicity. There is hardly anything I cannot fix on the car with a simple set of sockets, wrenches, and screw drivers...... Oh, and sometimes a hammer...lol


And I am doing the same thing - HPDE build.

Except my car makes a bunch of power for a naturally aspirated iron headed 306ci motor... 315/320 to the rear tires....and the better part of 2900lbs..




My car is currently under the knife getting 13" Cobra brakes in the front while I try to hunt down an 8.8" rear end that is complete rather than dealing with mine. I currently have 4.10 gears which will KILL my top end on a lot of tracks.
 
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personally hate the 94-98 cars, only looks good if its a cobra and all cleaned up, notchback or 99-04 car is where its at!
 
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