It’s no secret that the 79-93 Mustangs are pretty lightweight and we all know that lighter is better but here’s a more in-depth article about the fox mustang’s weight.

The very first base Mustang was just over 2,500 pounds! Compared to a 2018 GT weighing in at just over 3,700 pounds! But let’s go back to the wonder years a bit…  The 80’s Camaros weigh in at around 3,200 to 3,400 pounds. The first SN95, right after the fox weighed in at 3,380 pounds for a GT manual.

So the lightest fox Mustang is a 1979 coupe at 2,550 pounds or 2,870 with a 5.0L V8 and heaviest is, as you probably already know, a GT convertible with automatic weighing in at 3,442 pounds. The earlier foxes (and I mean the first ones) had lighter K-members and other little tidbits that help make it one of the lightest Mustangs. The AOD accounts for an additional 60 pounds over the T5.

The weight distribution on foxes are generally between 56 and 59% here’s a typical chart for how much the Fox Body Mustang weighs.

Model Transmission Total Front Rear Distribution
LX 5.0 Vert Manual 3238 1870 1368 57.8/42.2
LX 5.0 Vert Auto 3298 1909 1389 57.8/42.2
LX 5.0 Notch Manual 3037 1798 1239 59.2/40.8
LX 5.0 Notch Auto 3097 1837 1260 59.3/40.7
LX 5.0 Hatch Manual 3102 1796 1306 57.8/42.2
LX 5.0 Hatch Auto 3162 1835 1327 58/42
GT 5.0 Vert Manual 3327 1923 1404 57.8/42.2
GT 5.0 Vert Auto 3442 1960 1482 56.9/43.1
GT 5.0 Hatch Manual 3191 1849 1342 57.9/42.1
GT 5.0 Hatch Auto 3251 1888 1363 58/42
93 Cobra R Manual 3143 1823 1320 58/42
93 Cobra Manual 3255 1874 1381 57.6/42.4

Drag Coefficient

The most aerodynamic fox body is a base LX hatchback with a DC of .36 compared to a notchback’s .40 A GT hatchback is around .37.5. The first fox body notchback had a drag coefficient of .46! Comparatively speaking an early 80’s thunderbird had .35. The 80’s Camaro could easily slip through the air at .35 DC. You can improve the drag coefficient by lowering the car, making sure you’re not hanging the exhaust too low and keeping your tire width reasonable (what’s that?).

SlimFox – Shedding Some Weight

Ultimately you want to remove some weight upfront, “quickest” way to do that is aluminum heads, fiberglass hood, and tubular K-member / control arms. Moving the battery to the back helps shift over 30 pounds (but also adds weight due to the extra-long cable you need). Or you could spend $600 on a 15 pound 12V Lithium-Ion Powerpack Battery. You could also remove all the sound deadening (put some dry ice all over it, should crack and come off easily), and thick insulation blankets for about 20 pounds overall.

Below is a table of possible weight savings for some of the most popular things to do:

Part Weight (lbs) Replacement Weight Savings (lbs)
Iron heads 103 Aluminum heads 40-50
Factory K-member 50 Aftermarket 20-30
Factory A-arms 30 Aftermarket 15
Spare Tire 25 Can of fix-a-flat 24
Jack and iron 8 None 8
AC (complete) 30 None 30
Hood 41.5 Fiberglass pin on hood 25.8
Hatchback insulation 10 None 10
87-93 arm-rest 6.9 None 6.9
Driveshaft 19.7 Aluminum driveshaft 6
Tar like sound deadening 6 None 6

Conclusion

The weight (or lack thereof) of the fox body Mustangs is part of the reason of its popularity, if you start with a lightweight notchback at just over 3000 pounds and start doing a weight saving project, you could end up with a pretty light platform to play with. Just remember to keep it safe. I’m not one to recommend cutting up door reinforcements and other things to make a streetcar that much more unsafe. Please share your own weight saving ideas in the comments below.

More links about the Fox Body Mustangs