Fox Mustang Magazine Issue 1 | Page 34

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