2JZ-Swapped Foxbody Combines Two Legends in One Drift Machine
We'd never personally own a Mustang with anything but Ford power, but this JDM-powered Foxbody is certainly intriguing, at least.
Going Rogue
Personally, we'd never even think about owning a Mustang with anything other than a Ford powerplant. We generally get a bit nauseous when we see LS-swapped pony cars, in fact. But this wild Foxbody drifter we spotted at Super Street recently is, well, a bit different. Its owner went completely rogue by stuffing Toyota's legendary 2JZ engine in the car, a powerplant that enjoys its fair share of hero-worship in the JDM world.
Photos: Super Street
Different, But Similar
Even Super Street, an outfit that focuses mainly on JDM vehicles, admits that this thing doesn't make much sense on the surface. Even though Toyota's 2JZ is a fantastic engine known for its versatility, strength, and power potential. But the Foxbody has also proven itself to be just as versatile, with the capability of doing everything from road racing to drag racing and everything in between. So perhaps these two things aren't as different as we think.
Photos: Super Street
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Working Together
Perhaps most importantly, the two apparently work very well in tandem. "The car works so well that it needs more fine-tuning," said the owner, Francis Dussault from Quebec, Canada. "In fact, the car actually has too much grip; even with skinny 205 tires, it has tremendous grip." Plus, Dussault has always been a big fan of the Foxbody, which is how this project started in the first place.
Photos: Super Street
>>Join the conversation about this 2JZ swapped Fox right here in the Mustang Source Forum!
Humble Beginnings
It all began four years ago when Dussault started drifting. About a year after that, he realized that there weren't enough Foxbody Mustangs in the sport. "It started simple enough, with this '79 Mustang coupe that was pretty rough, with roached paint and rusted floorpans and doors," he explained. "I fixed the rust, added a simple angle kit (to increase steering angle), and left the 5.0 in it."
Photos: Super Street
>>Join the conversation about this 2JZ swapped Fox right here in the Mustang Source Forum!
Fully Custom
Dussault had quite a bit of success with his new ride right off the bat. But he quickly realized that if was going to take his drifting career to the next level, he had to make some changes to the car. "After the 2016 season, I decided to restart the project from A to Z with the goal of competing in more serious races with something that was also totally unique," he said. "I decided I was tired of building a car to class specs, so I decided to ignore class rules and build the car the way I wanted it, which was as low as possible, so I cut up the stock chassis and built myself a fully custom unit that would let me achieve my goals of building the ultimate drift Fox."
Photos: Super Street
>>Join the conversation about this 2JZ swapped Fox right here in the Mustang Source Forum!
Going Sideways
The most impressive thing about the whole process is that Dussault did all of the work himself. From the chassis fabrication to the paint, the custom motor mounts, and everything in between. The engine itself came from a Supra and runs a mild set up to produce 436 hp and 379 lb-ft of torque. But since this Mustang weighs a mere 2,200 pounds, that's more than enough to make it go sideways around corners.
Photos: Super Street
>>Join the conversation about this 2JZ swapped Fox right here in the Mustang Source Forum!
Ultimate Drift Fox
This unique, ground-scraping setup also apparently translated to instant track success. "The car is really competitive and easily makes work of the other more typical drift cars," Dussault said. "It's super low, which keeps the center of gravity low, and it performs really well despite being so low. It sticks like glue and achieves a lot of angles; you almost can't spin it." Whether you agree or disagree with the choice of powerplant here, there's no denying that Dussault achieved his mission of building the ultimate drift Fox.
Photos: Super Street
>>Join the conversation about this 2JZ swapped Fox right here in the Mustang Source Forum!
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