Sensible Upgrades: 1984 Ford Mustang GT

It doesn’t happen often, but every now and again, we see a modified car that is seemingly very well done. The right mix of upgrades that speak to the period when the vehicle was new can also have an outsized impact on potential buyers, as it inspires confidence that the builder was selective in what they chose to modify. The seller of this clean 1984 Ford Mustang GT Turbo listed here on Facebook Marketplace started with a well-preserved example of a four-eyed Fox and then made some tweaks that only served to improve its appearance and performance. The asking price is reasonable, too, with the seller asking $10,500 for this manual transmission-equipped GT.

The Mustang has a bit of a Saleen vibe at the moment with those gold mesh wheels, set off nicely with a polished lip. The clean paint looks too good to be original, but the seller doesn’t mention a respray. In fact, he doesn’t talk about cosmetics at all, despite appearing to be quite good. He focuses on the brass tacks of how the engine and chassis have been improved to deliver a superior driving experience compared to how it left the factory, noting the suspension now consists of Eibach lowering springs, welded subframe connectors, a front strut tower bar for additional support, and obvious the fatter wheels and tires.

Inside, we find a clean, mostly-OEM interior with the awesome Flofit bucket seats in great shape. If this were my car, I’d swap in the 3-spoke steering wheel from the SVO, but otherwise, it looks great inside. The dash is crack-free and the seller even replaced the speedometer with a 140 m.p.h. unit. In what appears to be some indication with attention to detail, the seller has recorded the Mustang’s mileage on both the chassis and post-engine rebuild, calculating chassis mileage at approximately 120,000 and rebuild miles at 30,000. While I expected to see a 5.0L V8 under the hood, this turbocharged Mustang is basically an affordable SVO with the right upgrades done.

The engine bay is where the true magic happens with this ‘Stang, with several upgrades noted as part of the engine rebuild: Ported E6 exhaust manifold, roller cam and roller rockers, Esslinger adjustable cam gear, a 3-inch exhaust system with Dynomax glasspack muffler, a Black Magic electric cooling fan, and 3.45 rear end gears. There’s also a Ford Motorsports front-mount intercooler and March Performance ram air intake. That’s a slick package no matter how you cut it, and it’s clear some level of knowledge about the 2.3L turbo-4 engine and the best upgrades for it was involved in this build. The best part is it’s not so overly-modified that it feels like no semblance of the original car is left.