Fox Chassis Ford Thunderbird - Seeing Red

Ron Barek's Thunderbird started life as a plain-jane V-6-powered coupe, but in its new life packs a stroked 5.0 and shiny PPG Red Hot paint. This neat little T-bird can lay down 11.60s at 118 mph and is docile enough for the street.

Few late-model Fords have been as blessed as the '83-'86 Thunderbird when it comes to having stunning-good looks and a racing pedigree. With its flowing silhouette, graceful roofline, and handsome appearances from all angles, you'd be hard pressed to find one particular flaw in the car's design. In fact, NASCAR driver Bill Elliot still holds the top speed record at Talladega Speedway at 212 mph in a like T-bird. But the cars were more than skin deep, as these "Aero Birds" also featured silky-smooth driveability thanks to a long wheelbase, and with its well-sorted and capable Fox chassis, it was indeed the quintessential complete package-particularly in Turbo Coupe guise.

To nobody's surprise, it wound up being one of Ford's best-selling cars during the '80s. But to the amazement of many-including us-the aftermarket and subsequently its enthusiast base never really caught on to this curvaceous coupe as most efforts were focused on the mainstream Mustang. We figured that eventually these cars would take a bigger place in the Ford racing scene, but time has proven otherwise.

Let's leave the '80s and fast forward to 2001 where we find Ron Barek scratching his head. He's sitting in front of his computer trying to find a new project to build into a street/strip machine, and all he can dwell on is stuffing a 302 into something fierce. His plan is to find a Mustang, but then out of nowhere, his blood starts to pump and his tongue unfurls when he comes across this T-bird. As he explains, "While I was looking for an '86 Mustang GT, I found this car. I ran my eyes across the body and fell in love with it right away. I bought it because it's a Fox-chassis car and different from the average Mustang." He knew not many people chose to build Thunderbirds, but that didn't bother him. As a matter of fact, he considered its rarity an attribute as he chose to be different without veering too far off the beaten Fox-chassis path.

At the time of purchase, Ron knew he had a lot of work ahead of him. With the crusty body in dire need of attention and paint, he set aside his calendar for many late-night visits with his new mistress. In addition, the blown engine would require many more hours of hard work before he could see the light at the end of this T-bird's tunnel. But patience and perseverance slowly began to pay off, as the body was the first item to come together.

Starting with the sheetmetal, Ron stripped off the original paint and installed a later Turbo Coupe hood replete with its functional scoops. He then had his local Maaco body shop in Taylor, Michigan, prepare the body with PPG primer and prep all the factory trim pieces for paint, as he desired a monochromatic look. After the car was masked off and in the spray booth, Maaco technicians laid down six coats of PPG Red Hot paint in the engine compartment, doorjambs, and even the trunk area for a complete makeover. Once buffed and prepped, it was time to move on to the engine.

The 327-inch stroker that sits pretty in this T-bird's engine compartment relies on Canfield heads and a lumpy Camshaft Innovations bumpstump for a big boost in power. A Pro Systems 750-cfm carburetor and Victor Jr. intake inhale cubic miles of air for plenty of fun at nearly 7,000 rpm.

The fully restored black cloth interior shows the street-friendly nature of this ride. With a battery of Auto Meter gauges giving Ron an up-to-date report at all times, powershifting the Liberty-prepped T5 is less of a bore when that shift light gives its blink of approval.

On those Summit aluminum sport wheels are a pair of 28x11.5 ET Streets that work nicely with the 4.10 gears for plenty of get-up-and-go.