Photo: Classic Autotrader Private Seller
Not every Ford Mustang is a certified badass muscle car that demands respect wherever its driver may take it. In fact, not every Mustang is even all that fast. In some cases, they're downright slow. It's happened more than once in the six-decade saga that is the story of the Mustang. But perhaps never was it more egregious than with the third-generation Fox body Mustang with the turbocharged 2.3-liter Lima-series I4.
But that doesn't mean we can't spot a bargain when we see one. Even if four-cylinder Fox body Mustangs are more of a joke than Diet Coke being healthy, we reckon there's still a use out there for a non-running jalopy four-cylinder Mustang. This particular car comes to us from an anonymous private autotrader.com user out of St Augustine, Florida, and you can kind of tell it's going to need some work even without popping the hood or looking underneath.
Fox body Mustangs aren't the least reliable classic sports cars out there, but especially with the turbo four-banger Lima engine under the hood, these engines can and do give mechanics nightmares and have since the Ford Pinto was still in production. This Mustang I4 Turbo Coupe may sport an intercooler, unlike the SVO Mustang motors from a few years prior. But that didn't stop issues related to this engine's turbocharger waste gate from befuddling four-pot Mustang drivers on more than one occasion.
Forced induction takes its toll over time on any engine, let alone one that's coming up on 40 years old and probably hasn't run in a decade or more. But further inspection of this little Mustang tells us there are signs of life yet. Apart from the non-running engine, there doesn't seem to be an overwhelming amount of rust apart from a little bit on the rear end near the trunk keyhole and a touch of surface rust underneath.
Anyone with a keen enough mechanical intellect should be able to get the driveline out of this Mustang and prep what remains to receive a new engine and maybe a few other items. If poetic justice is what you're after, we can think of no better engine swap candidate for this Mustang than the 2.3-liter Ford EcoBoost four-cylinder out of a modern Bronco, Ranger, and even the spiritual successor to this little Fox body, the contemporary four-cylinder Mustang. We can see the restomod taking shape right before our eyes.
Not to downplay the gargantuan costs and work hours you'd need to pull off such an ambitious build. But when you ponder that the current owner only wants $800 bucks out the door to get this junker off his property, you can at least say the foundations of a potential restomod didn't break the bank.
Fox body Mustangs aren't the least reliable classic sports cars out there, but especially with the turbo four-banger Lima engine under the hood, these engines can and do give mechanics nightmares and have since the Ford Pinto was still in production. This Mustang I4 Turbo Coupe may sport an intercooler, unlike the SVO Mustang motors from a few years prior. But that didn't stop issues related to this engine's turbocharger waste gate from befuddling four-pot Mustang drivers on more than one occasion.
Forced induction takes its toll over time on any engine, let alone one that's coming up on 40 years old and probably hasn't run in a decade or more. But further inspection of this little Mustang tells us there are signs of life yet. Apart from the non-running engine, there doesn't seem to be an overwhelming amount of rust apart from a little bit on the rear end near the trunk keyhole and a touch of surface rust underneath.
Anyone with a keen enough mechanical intellect should be able to get the driveline out of this Mustang and prep what remains to receive a new engine and maybe a few other items. If poetic justice is what you're after, we can think of no better engine swap candidate for this Mustang than the 2.3-liter Ford EcoBoost four-cylinder out of a modern Bronco, Ranger, and even the spiritual successor to this little Fox body, the contemporary four-cylinder Mustang. We can see the restomod taking shape right before our eyes.
Not to downplay the gargantuan costs and work hours you'd need to pull off such an ambitious build. But when you ponder that the current owner only wants $800 bucks out the door to get this junker off his property, you can at least say the foundations of a potential restomod didn't break the bank.
Google News