Square-Light 5.0s are Getting on in Years. Make Yours Better With These Top-10 Fixes.
"Our initial intention was to do one story on all '79-'93 cars. But after talking with Latemodel Restoration Supply, we learned that the '79-'86 square-light cars have their own set of problems. We thus decided it would be a good idea to split the story into two parts. So, you pre-'87 fans, don't feel left out--we're going to get to you in the not-too-distant future." That's what we said in our October '03 issue when we examined this subject for the '87-'93 "aero" cars. Four months later isn't too far in the future, is it? If you're a square-light Mustang enthusiast and you've been waiting for us to keep our word, we hope this will be of interest to you.
We think all Fox-body Mustangs are cool. So much so that we--and the good folks at Latemodel Restoration Supply--decided it would be a good idea to break the two eras of cars and their foibles into two separate discussions.
As we said in our previous story about aero cars, if you own a square-light Fox, some of what is presented here is likely familiar to you. But if you're in the process of shopping square-light 5.0s, this review will serve well as a checklist for things a potential purchase might require.
So, we'll get started with the help of Latemodel Restoration Supply (a great source for the parts mentioned here) and Ed Quezada, whose eye-catching '84 GT, updated with an '85 front fascia, will be the subject of a feature later this year.