We found the car in Pasadena, California. It looked at first like a clean ’87 Mustang 5.0, but it turned out to be a four-cylinder car with a ’91 drivetrain and interior. We got it cheap at $2,000 and drove it home.We found the car in Pasadena, California. It looked at first like a clean ’87 Mustang 5.0, "I love my job!" squealed Julia, director of video operations, as she clung to the back of the passenger seat trying to steady the camera while we executed the fifth or sixth smoking donut in Ron Burgundy, our new project beater. The car had begun to fill with smoke and the wipers had suddenly come on. There was a man running along the side of the car. "Who the hell is that?” someone yelled over the screaming engine. It sounded like a girl's voice, but it could have been any one of us. Five more spins and an attempt was made to straighten out the car and get the show going in one direction. Rental cops deployed from the nearby bagel shop, but their golf carts were no match. We were gone, leaving only a swirly, squiggly, tire-tread reminder of Ron's awesomeness. Back in the safety of the Car Craft shop, we decided it was time for a turbo. None of this fun would have been possible if shop metal-bender Grant Peterson hadn't been fool enough to volunteer to buy a beater for us to abuse. After testing himself against the crystal meth tweakers and other questionable types that own said Fox Mustangs in the Los Angeles area, Grant proved victorious by e-scoring an unbelievably minty '87 Mustang notch for only two grand. We high-fived and rubbed it in the faces of the Hot Rod and 5.0 Mustang and Super Fords magazine guys until 5.0's KJ Jones pointed out that it was actually a four-cylinder car with a really clean 5.0 swap. Thanks a lot, KJ. But we didn't care—we added a turbo anyway. Jealous? Don't be. You can enjoy your life as much as we do ours by buying a Fox Mustang and boosting it to the moon. See if you can top our smoke show and send video or a photo of at least 1 mb. Do it now. No one lives forever. 1. The gauge cluster and steering wheel are from a later-model, airbag car. Again, we didn’t care. It was all about the Boogie Nights-red interior.1. The gauge cluster and steering wheel are from a later-model, airbag car. Again, we didn 2. Sign of a swap! A four-cylinder vacuum tree tipped off 5.0’s KJ Jones that our car was once much slower.2. Sign of a swap! A four-cylinder vacuum tree tipped off 5.0’s KJ Jones that our car was 3. The engine is stock—that we know. We didn’t know the mileage or the condition, so we watched for smoke, checked the oil, listened for knocks, and made the deal.3. The engine is stock—that we know. We didn’t know the mileage or the condition, so we wa 4. Since the car was running well, we changed the oil and ran the car on the eighth-mile. The best time was 9.78 at 74 mph.4. Since the car was running well, we changed the oil and ran the car on the eighth-mile. 5. The plan was to install a 62mm Hellion Street Heat turbo kit designed for ’79 to ’93 Fox Mustangs. After our first attempt at an installation, we read the directions.5. The plan was to install a 62mm Hellion Street Heat turbo kit designed for ’79 to ’93 Fo 6. The kit comes with a set of headers that cross under the balancer to the passenger side where both the wastegate and turbo are located.6. The kit comes with a set of headers that cross under the balancer to the passenger side 7. The first attempt at installing the passenger header failed because the motor mounts were trash, causing the turbo flange to hit the inner fenderwell.7. The first attempt at installing the passenger header failed because the motor mounts we 8. We ordered and installed new mounts from Summit Racing and moved the engine to the stock position, allowing the header to clear the inner fender.8. We ordered and installed new mounts from Summit Racing and moved the engine to the stoc 9. Left: This punch is included in the kit. Using a hammer and anger, you must drive this spike into a specified position on the pan to install the oil drain-back fitting.9. Left: This punch is included in the kit. Using a hammer and anger, you must drive this 10. The tap is also included. We greased it up to catch the metal chips. 11. We used Teflon tape on the threads and installed the fitting (also included). This connects to the drain on the turbo.11. We used Teflon tape on the threads and installed the fitting (also included). This con 12. This is a good time to install new spark plugs. We used Autolite 24 per Hellion’s recommendation. We gapped them at 0.028.12. This is a good time to install new spark plugs. We used Autolite 24 per Hellion’s reco 13. This drain fitting is also included. We needed to loosen the clocking bolts on the compressor housing to position the turbo for installation and tighten the fitting.13. This drain fitting is also included. We needed to loosen the clocking bolts on the com 14. This 1 3⁄4-inch hole is for the drain-back line. We marked it by installing the turbo on the flange with the drain tube pointing straight down.14. This 1 3⁄4-inch hole is for the drain-back line. We marked it by installing the turbo 15. With the header bolted on, we mounted the crossover and the wastegate. 1 | 2 | » | View Full Article By Douglas R. Glad Enjoyed this Post? Subscribe to our RSS Feed, or use your favorite social media to recommend us to friends and colleagues!
