IS THERE A BAD 5.0?
I wouldn't call it “bad,” but ’93
Mustang GTs with hypereutectic pistons,
compared to the earlier cars with forged
pistons, are a little less ideal for making
big horsepower.
If you’re looking to add boost to your
Fox, forged pistons are the only way
to go.
POLICE PACKAGE VS. CIVILIAN 5.0 MUSTANGS
The Ford Police Package Mustangs were no different drivetrain-wise than a standard car. At the police departments — especially in Florida — officers turned in their documentation to get rid of the car at 70,000 miles, but
they’d go to almost 80,000 before being issued another one. The officers were buying the cars used and driving them another 70,000 miles or so. When police departments started getting tight on money in the late ’90s,
they realized that those cars were just as fast with 120,000-130,000 miles on them as they were at 80,000, so
they kept them. The rules and regulations about when to turn in the cars were changed. I think the new turn-in
time was around 100,000 or 110,000 miles. Those cars were bulletproof, and they ran great.
5.0 RELIABILITY
The Fox cars were one of the most dependable, reliable
cars that Ford ever built. That motor would go 150,000
miles with only minor maintenance and oil changes.
The only thing that Ford had an issue with
was the AOD transmission.
If you got 70,000 miles
out of one of those,
you were lucky. The
Overdrive band
would fail.
34 FOXMustangMagazine.com