I do not understand, for the life of me, why AeroBird-era Ford Thunderbirds aren’t more popular than they are. All of the ingredients are there. Rear-drive with a V8 option? Check. A racing legacy that can’t be touched? Without question. A platform that is open to modifications without requiring an engineering degree, eight years of electrical certificates and an undiagnosed mental illness? Absolutely. And just in case that wasn’t enough, wrap it in a shape that was super-slippery (the AeroBird body has the same drag coefficient as a Ferrari F50) and give it a relatively cushy interior. Should be a knockout, right? Well…not in reality. Yes, everything I said applies to the Fox Thunderbird. But looking at one and you imagine someone’s single aunt rolling up with her hand-carry dog in the passenger seat. That’s not a good look.
Now let’s swing to the positive side again. $2,000 for a running, driving, complete Fox Body. Three thousand left to spend. What would you do? The old rolling stock has to go in favor of 15″ anything else. The brakes need an upgrade, like any Fox needs. While you’re in the undercarriage, stuff in some Mustang GT coil springs to calm down that super-squishy ride and maybe stiffer shocks and struts too. After that, it’s time for that good old-fashioned cure-all for automotive boredom, MOAR HORSEPOWAH. No Fox body deserves less than 300 horsepower, right? At minimum! So go nuts…it’s a Windsor block, if you can’t figure it out then buy the recipe book. And stiffen the body up too.
Excepting the engine mods, you should be able to get all of that done within the Rough Start budget with money to spare. Now, if you happen to already have an engine that’s ready to rock, well…go for it. You’re ahead of the game!
Had an ’85 elan version. 5.0, AOD, every option you could imagine. Electronic dash, auto dimming headlamps, etc. It was a great car, I had a local shop run dual exhaust off of the dual cats and did a little bit of detailing.
Ultimately, the dash took a dump and would ding constantly when the oil pressure guage would drop to zero, then back to normal.
But, it was a great first family car.
And it’s near me, too. REALLY not the right time for me to be looking for another car – already bought a beater truck, and the Dart’s engine has been disassembled to its individual components and needs to go back together with more boost. And more cam.
I’ve seen a few on CL lastly and the prices are crazy low compared to a Mustang of the same era. Yes Mustangs are lighter but the drivetrain are pretty much the same.
I was a teenager in the 80’s and these cars were everywhere. Always thought they were good looking cars considering the time. Their quality was comparable to GM. I am shocked they are overlooked.
I had a silver 87 base model with the 5.0. I put a Flowmaster system on it with the Mustang LX polished dual pipes that ran along the edge of rear side panels. Sounded incredible. Never got to do more with the engine, as far as, typical upgrades. I had wider 15 inch wheels with the full Mooneyes aluminum snap on discs. Made it look like a saltflats car. Good memories of that Bird…