““When I was building the car, I deleted the rear spoiler. Some people love it, some hate it.””
Back in the day when fox body Mustangs were still rolling out of Ford assembly plants, you could still buy an option delete car. The sad thing is; those days are long gone. These days, if you don't have heated seats, your car is considered low option. Navigation, remote start, factory line lock, traction control and so on are the norm. I personally hate that you can't build a car the way you want, with the options you want. Sure all the creature comforts are nice in your daily, but most fox body Mustang owners like the raw, unpolished driving experience of a fox. Being a true driver's car, all of the expensive and heavy options just represent more crap that needs to go. In my younger years, one of the first things I would do to my past foxes was delete the a/c, sound deadening, and emissions crap. I mean hey; we are trying to go fast here!
In the early nineties, the stripped down LX notch was an absolute terror on the track. Crank windows, no a/c; you could even delete the factory tape deck. Throw some slicks, short belt, and a timing bump at the car to have one killer street brawler. Those were the golden years, and one of the reasons the fox body Mustang has such a cult following.
When Skyler Hardy set out to build his Wild Strawberry '92 LX, he had the bare bones idea in mind. Believe it or not, this car has over 300K miles on the clock, and the previous owner used to tow a jet ski with it. Originally from Georgia, the previous owner moved to Indiana where Skyler lives, and nearly sixteen years ago, he picked it up.
The build began with an obvious choice; the mighty coyote. Having seen and heard what Ford's little wonder motor was capable of, Skyler knew that was exactly what he wanted. Plenty solid out of the box, the motor is basically stock. However, some well chosen additions like Boss intake, TSS crank sprocket, billet chain guides, Cobra Jet oil pump, and Boss tensioners round out the internal mods. On the outside, the little coyote benefits from long tube headers, JLT cold air intake, and gets fed via a 255lph fuel pump.
The supporting cast of the coyote is a simple set-up, albeit a bit more beefy. A Tremec 3550 prepped by Hanlon Motorsports was hoisted into place, and gets power via a Ram Powergrip HD clutch. Continuing down the line, a Ford Racing aluminum driveshaft mates up to an 8.8 rear, with a Pro Tree Racecars custom brace. The rear is also bolstered with Strange 35 spline axles, 9" ends, Strange spool, and 3.73 gears.
The underpinnings of Skyler's LX didn't go overlooked either. For suspension mods, a UPR k member and A arms were employed, and Strange coil-overs round out the front. In the rear, Team Z Strip series upper control arms, and Team Z double adjustable lowers plant the power, with the help of Strange ten way adjustable shocks. Braking duties are handled by SN95 spindles, PBR calipers, Hawk pads, and '94-'95 rotors. Out back, Strange caliper brackets mount SN95 calipers, clamping down on SN95 rotors. The rolling stock consists of SVE drag wheels measuring 17x4.5 in the front, and 15x10 in the rear, with Mickey Thompson ET Street radials providing plenty of bite.
The guts of Skyler's hatch go with the "deleted" theme. The radio, heat, a/c, wipers, power windows, power locks, cruise, and sound deadening all have been removed. The center stack is made up of a custom panel made by Gauge Plates, and house an AEM wideband to monitor the coyote's goings on. The seats are lightweight A4 units from Corbeau, and the door panels were custom made by TMI Products.
We have to tip our hats to Skyler for a truly killer build, and a build that represents what the fox body Mustang is all about. Being devoid of all the luxuries of today's cars, this fox is all balls. Who wouldn't want to kick the clutch on this lightweight fox and let the coyote scream to the redline, smoking the Mickeys the whole way. CR
*Special thanks to: Donathen Racing, Frank Ross, Hanlon Motorsports, Jeremy Ross, Ken Bjonnes for the tune, and the rest of Skyler's friends who lent a hand.