Chelsea Denofa's Ford EcoBoost Fox-Body Mustang

Chelsea Denofa has built a ton of drift cars, but this one is special. He's taken the new Ford EcoBoost engine and dropped it into a Mustang Fox-Body. Pairing it with a BMW ZF transmission and a Link ECU, it's probably one of the most competitive drift cars on the grid at the LZ Invitational.
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[@LarryChenPhoto]

Thank you guys for watching. If you guys want a signed print for your wall I print all of them myself from my large format Canon printer larrychenprints.com/

[@Kevinflynn92]

Watching Chealsea drive, it's always so wild how calm, smooth and effortless he just smashes his lines. Incredible driving.

[@Cosm1cCream]

100% actual factual

[@DJ.1001]

That's confidence. Sometimes it bites him though.

[@H1GHD3FF]

I like the creative yet simple build.

[@humbertoluque9678]

Some foxbodys came with 4 cylinders too, perfect engine for them to swap in !

[@idontlikevw]

yea the 2.3l turbo awesome motors came in the turbo coupe 88' t-birds

[@lb9gta307]

A lot came with 4 cyl. Some were turbo.

[@Inweezy]

Chelsea always seems to try new drift stuff that works and I'm here for it!

[@the302ghost]

I had thought of doing this and now seeing how well Chelsea's works I'm even more tempted to do it

[@joelslifeofcars7221]

The run at the start is so epic... The revlimmiter shaking the camera and Nate just pumping smoke ❤️❤️ just looking like proper fun

[@hachirokami]

The Ecoboost also pays homage to the SOHC 2.3 that was in the Fox body SVO of old. That Lima engine was used in a Pinto for drag racing in the late 90's/early 2000's. Esslinger racing specializes in the 2.3, including running snow mobile carbs before fuel injection became commonplace.

[@josephmatuszak3855]

I love that Stang. Really thoughtful build by Chelsea. I now kinda wanna try and do the same with a V6 Ecoboost in a late eighties T-Bird (Turbo Coupe). You heard it here first, so if someone does without me, boo on you!

[@chestrockwell8328]

Go with your idea, those T-birds/Cougars even early 90's are cool bodied Fox Bodies.

[@alexkaligaric2929]

Not as a drift car, but a street car, it has been done with a 3.5 eco boost. There’s some videos online of a white one ripping around. I have an 88 Turbo with 68k on it and I’ve always wanted to swap it. A coyote would be awesome if funding was no object, but something like this 2.3 eco would be plenty.

[@mitchell-wallisforce7859]

_Dewit._

[@paintballpartutd]

Nah, get yourself 300 from the same era f150 and hang a turbo off the side. Could even go with a divorced header and a couple ecoboost v6 turbos if you want a twin turbo 6 cylinder

[@toddthezondalover645]

@@alexkaligaric2929 Coyote isnt cheap, but a truck version has less compression, but its also a lot cheaper. Actually the motor you want if you plan to boost it later on.

[@hdoglesby]

I love how Chelsea's giving off some grumpy old man "kid's stay off my lawn" vibes with all the loud exhaust pops and crackles while he's trying to talk 😂

[@qrtrscale]

Thanks Larry and Chelsea, nice to see an affordable and fun feature! Didn't know those cars could be that light.

[@lucasblanchard47]

It’s like a “modern” SVO, so cool!

[@kskip4242]

The old 2.3 actually sounded good doing it that's the big difference.

[@Justaneon99]

@@kskip4242yeah if you like farm tractor noises lol. I have an ‘85 svo, such a fun car!

[@kskip4242]

@@Justaneon99 I'm just saying the old 2.3 actually sounded a lot better than the newer ecoboost 2.3. I had a thunderbird turbo coupe along time ago for a while and it was surprising on the open road, with a few tweaks I was hurting the old 80's v8 guys feelings on a regular.

[@seancampbell9434]

First… FINALLY. Keep up the great content Larry! I’m sure we’re all excited to see what comes next!

[@shaquilleasia3369]

I love how he did not put burble fart tune on it and sounds pretty awesome too💪🏻

[@erizfolkz31]

I love the ecoboost fox. Just pure excellence.

[@driftmustang]

Vaughn's Foxbody was originally built as a drift car, but I was broke so I also had to drive it to work everyday. You can see the old videos of it on my channel.

[@baldeaglegarage]

Great shot angles and great editing! The car is cool too

[@houdini8o8]

love watching these diy budget builds!

[@bUtMyRiGhTs]

Yeah that's a nice Mazda engine. The 2.0 2.3 and 2.5 have always been fantastic. The Mazda L, MZR and Skyactive variations of this block have been utilized for decades. They are found in many Ford vehicles and Mazda even still makes the block that Ford uses for their EcoBoost motor which is just a different top end at this point. Though I will have to admit that the 2.3 in this engine bay of the video looks identical to my MX5 engine. Ford EcoBoost Mazda L engines are a common swap into Mazdas especially Miatas simply because they are easier to modify with the Ford top end and ECU.

[@easycomeeasygo8901]

Most people forget its a mazda motor, lol. I dont think ford has made a 4 banger since the old 2.3 and 1.9 in the escorts.

[@kellybanks3717]

10/10 this thing was super easy to put together once development on the parts was done. Different but easy none the less. Hopefully more ecoboost cars turn up soon and drive further development 👍🏽👍🏽

[@Skiridr22]

Love the intro on this one Larry 👍🏾👍🏾

[@baylymiley]

Great vid Larry Chen one of these days I'll knock the moss off my notch and maybe take it drifting.

[@jamesoso259]

Love this build

[@thebeattee569]

ive been wondering what motor was in this for the longest time, its so simple but works SO WELL!

[@jamessalter676]

I'm a little biased because I have one. I have the old 2.3 n/a right now and it would be cool to do the same ecoboost swap but I can't bring myself to do it because I want the old pushrod 5.0 in it. I may have to buy another to ecoboost swap it.

[@Kevin-fu4nc]

That control is insane

[@easycomeeasygo8901]

Nice build. Id likely do a sbf NA myself. To each their own. How are these motors with head gaskets? Heard alot of bad things about fords ecoboost 4 bangers with head gasket issues. They had to revise the blocks. Wasnt enough space between cylinders.

[@foxbasher7435]

Now i wanna do this with my notchback, would love to know the specs/process/and parts for install.

[@Wayne_Nero]

Nice video Sr! I enjoyed it

[@musclecargarage8882]

Nice to see another notchback foxbody with a ecoboost swap like mines 👍🏿

[@SayyShhh]

ecoboost are underrated. I have 2.0l big turbo at 400whp with 15k miles on the setup. no issues.

[@kskip4242]

15k isn't shit for miles, come back in another 15-20 and we'll see how much shit is broke lol.

[@_.Mercury._]

@@kskip4242 as long as they don’t get Lspi they’re good.

[@l3wn3ytun3z4]

@@kskip4242why u mad a lot a motor

[@chasebrunner]

That Was A Really Cool Fox Body I Have A 91 5.0 building it to drift

[@jaseindigo]

literally sounds IDENTICAL to my old sr setup lol crazy, i would seriously consider this swap in the future

[@yahkeigejnpierre3183]

Amazing content as always. Where's the feature on the FC?

[@yousmellfunnytoo]

I was always curious when Chelsea was building this as to why not use OEM mustangs 6 speed, and Fords 2.3L control pack instead of ZF and link?

[@ArmandoSanchez-yh3qy]

Good video !!

[@mikeself]

The first?! Are we forgetting about Drift Patrol? lol

[@bennyb.1742]

Not in my area! Fox Bodies are 2x the cost of an S-Chassis at least, and 4x the price of a shitbox Beemer

[@DriveSMR]

Chelsea is always so well spoken

[@MadCowsProductions1]

nice!!! The EconoFox

[@AlteredCarbons]

now THIS is a cool build, notch backs are the better foxbody and the 2.3l is really cool idea. seems smooth and works well

[@Grumpy50]

🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 Build, House of Dula also made a clean Ecoboost 4 eye foxbody

[@dangerdave9377]

Man has a s550 motor, sn95 dash, new edge suspension all in a fox, one sick ass cobbled together mustang

[@rescuedandrestoredgarage]

That's awesome.

[@EDVO34]

Sounds like a great platform But all the 2.3’s are like 4K around me lol

[@bradentokoly]

Really liked that Uhaul livery on that truck.... would have liked to have seen it drifting.

[@dustylittle9584]

What would I need to tune a direct injection engine?

[@shveylien7401]

Since Ginetta started racing EcoBoost engines, mad respect.

[@Natsume77]

🔥🔥

[@mrphil2159]

This and the repurposed NASCAR seems to show what maturing drivers going back to the roots of the sports.

[@joshallen4193]

That’s cool af not a Ford fan but 400 hp and 2400 lbs sounds and looks fun

[@RyanLeBlanc1]

Where do I find an ecoboost motor for $2500?

[@cruisecontrol6938]

Watching the Foxbody drift is like Sliding the Stanza looking car on Grand Theft Auto San Andreas .

[@coryholbrook4643]

I see some others are already saying it, the Fox chassis cars are far from the cheapest base to start from for building a drift car. I went with a 3rd gen F-body (not for drifting) when I started out shopping for a Fox car simply because I could get twice the car for half the money. A friend of mine sold his barely running, floor boards rusted out 2.3L 5-spd notch back with a rattle can paint job for $300 less than I bought a clean, straight, driveable (CCC carb needed to be rebuilt), auto car with a beautiful new interior and perfect t-tops for. Ford fanatics are weird cult with more money than sense often times which makes their popular platforms far from cheap for what you’re getting.

[@NathanaelNaused]

Agreed. Foxes are stupid overpriced. The SN95/new edge is a better platform for this and nearly the same weight

[@sategllib2191]

Not really anything to do with a cult, it's just no one wants an ugly ass 80s Camaro haha. Foxbody weighs less and was the king back then, nostalgia for a lot of people

[@coryholbrook4643]

@@sategllib2191 it’s a cult following because no one but a cult follower would pay the prices those cars are fetching. 5.0 was king of the base 5 liters only. Unfortunately Chevy made more LG4’s and TBI 305’s than anything else. Against the TPI 305 manual cars (because the TPI 305 with an auto got the same pathetic peanut cam as the LG4 that cost it 25hp to the manual) and the TPI 350 the 5.0 Mustang didn’t have a chance. But like I said, unfortunately those were somewhat uncommon thanks to GM diluting the pool with 2 other cheaper V8 options whereas Ford only had the 1. And your opinion on an 80’s Camaro isn’t necessary. I don’t care what you think of the 3rd gen Camaro but spewing it anyways in such a derogatory manner was uncalled for and rude. My car is a Firebird but I’m sure you probably have a similarly asinine comment to make about those. Nostalgia doesn’t make a car cost twice what it’s worth and that light weight came at the cost of a chassis that that was so flimsy it twists in half if you look at it funny.

[@coffelt683]

@@coryholbrook4643 Honestly rolling chassis and shells are still pretty cheap. Its more of the facebook marketplace and auction cars that are expensive. Just follow a few foxbody forums and FB groups and people are selling shells for a realistic price. For some reason a high mileage 2.3 n/a auto car will sell more than a decent roller even though everybody will swap the 2.3 out anyways and it takes more work, the market is pretty strange for these cars. In 2016 I got a clean vert with a 5.0 5-speed 65,000 miles for 4,000$ but those days are definitely gone lol.

[@coryholbrook4643]

@@coffelt683 that’s the way to go if you’ve already got a plan and a means to reach it.

[@joee8795]

“You’ll be able to get parts for these motors for the next 30yrs..” Myself, as an OE Parts Dealer “LMFAO, the fuck you will 🤣”

[@IDlikeanEvo]

Can't believe I was 11 months late on this

[@alexstromberg5865]

My plans to toss thr escape ecoboost from a wrecked car into my focus which is a factory na car and its a factory ish swap to make that 350hp over the factory na 160hp biggest expense is gear box, clutch and hubs now knowing I can go plug in standalone I'm stoked

[@Retiq]

I mean I drift a sn95 it was relatively cheap, the fox market is “cheap” but also going up In price bcz it’s so desirable. Especially if you want a clean enough car… the fox is like the Honda I’m drag racing

[@Sir.VicsMasher]

13:30 "S chassis with a bigger engine" ... All 240's came with a 2.4L hence the name vs 2.3L for this Ecoboost.🎓

[@YoBoyNero]

They’re referring to SR’s not KA’s which everyone unjustifiably through in the trash for a SR just because “iT’s JdM bRo🤓”

[@Tagiau]

A notchback isn't an affordable drift car, but the sn95/new edges are cheap, and essentially the same car.

[@likenem]

The Knotch back is desirable because it's lighter then all of the other mustangs. The v8 is 2600 pounds. The sn95 V6 is 3200 pounds. Fox Body Ford Fairmonts and Mercury Zephyrs are cheaper then notch backs.

[@Tagiau]

@@likenem You can get an sn95 pretty close in weight for what he has all in on the notchback. Really helps when relatively rust free roller sn95s are like 400$.

[@likenem]

@@Tagiau again I would get a Fairmont or Zephyr over the Sn95 or Knotch back

[@ryanfitzgerald1820]

A stock v8 fox isn’t 2600. The floor pans are the same as a sn95. Notchbacks are just slightly lighter.

[@likenem]

@@ryanfitzgerald1820 What is the stock weight of a notch back.

[@boomerpaschall]

None knows the know like Chelsea, dood uses the force

[@xinx-fn8973]

You can get 500hp out of a stock 2.3 ecoboost, you gotta keep it under 400 foot-pounds of torque usually if you want it to be somewhat reliable

[@hoosiernative9668]

Just tune it. It’s a turbo car you can easily produce more horse power and you got to remember weight matters and an ecoboost is so light once your at 400hp that thing flies of the line since it doesn’t have the heavy v8 its more balanced.

[@luissoler487]

SVO comeback 😯

[@gtgodbear6320]

EcoBoost as in 4-cylinder or V-6? Sounds like a 4-cylinder.

[@dirtshart]

A really cool fox body drift car is the #wisefab #wisefox built by Steve Mass he has has two or three different combos now one a hatch and now a vert and compared to most cars id say it's pretty much a all out drift car especially compared to other drift mustangs

[@SturdivantRacing126]

I think he meant 2000s Mustang.

[@tyhyhh]

always wished ford woulda put the ecoboost mustang driveline in a smaller car something closer to or under 3k pounds

[@Gigachad_97]

Focus st owners- “same same, but different.”🤝🤝🤝

[@Not_jxcob]

It somewhat sounds like a SR20

[@Jonathan_Doe_]

May have been cheap at the time he built it but fox bodies have shot up in value lately.

[@kirk0respite]

Have a 22 ranger with same motor and 10 spd auto smoked my dad’s gladiator Rubi moves very quick for a 4 cylinder 4600 lb truck

[@SimonCas]

I mean no one would have guessed his name is Chelsea and probably from PNW

[@hyper8545]

I think the ecoboost could be the next easy swap maybe

[@joeracer302]

For long time the ecu kept people from getting it working. I’m glad that has options that work now.

[@pjrandolph8325]

450? Low power? Damn bro I thought my 1uz Mx83 was low power. Gonna go cry now

[@GolfGunsNGears]

Fox Body and affordable don't belong in the same sentence anymore. Prices on these things are out of control especially for what they are.

[@spannersautoandcomputerser1649]

Mercury Capri is dirt cheap here in Kentucky

[@asylumville8544]

Chevy S10, Ford Ranger......

[@firstprototype]

Looks better in white

[@nickgest9198]

Proximity Alert

[@mrmidnight32]

Unless something changed. Fox bodies are expensive as shit for what they are. Not to mention a yote/ecoboost swap is NOT cheap. Going fox/ford swap is on price with a s13 LS swap. Or a Z 2j/LS. Only reason this is practical is cause he’s sponsored by Ford other than that. This makes no sense price wise

[@Sir.VicsMasher]

Fox bodies are "Cheap" if you dont mind Chelsea Spec.

[@drifterwannab]

People have been drifting fox bodies for a long time lol. Jon Duncan and Steve Mass collaborated to make a badass angle kit for these like 10yrs ago probably. Not hating on Chelsea but Steve Mass fox body is more badass too. Plus notch backs have never really been cheap, they've had a drag race and drift tax on them for a while now.

[@chaseteter]

Is a Fox body a cheaper drift car than a 350z? These ballers might be a tad out of touch with the bargain bin of rwd sports cars.

[@jonnypistolero]

I dunno but here in SoCal Notchbacks are not cheap at all. I’ve seen shit box rollers completely gutted for 5/6K

[@kennethgamble5498]

I sold my fox body running for 1k. My buddy sold his roller fox for 350$. Come to Iowa I guess

[@chaseteter]

@@kennethgamble5498 Definitely, a place with snow salt and rust

[@jonnypistolero]

@@kennethgamble5498 SoCal cars are more desirable being they’re mostly rust free 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@kennethgamble5498]

@@jonnypistolero yeah no I understand that but to say people are out of touch because in your area cars are expensive... is out of touch. The prices vary all over. I've traveled to Texas to buy a car cause it was cheaper there than here. I've also had rust free cars in Iowa. Crazy concept I know.

[@millll111lllI]

Completely re-engineering major parts from multiple cars to work together. Nothing could be more affordable.

[@mryang3644]

Affordable? He'll nah... it's arm and a leg these days.... Even a clean 4cyl Notch....crazy bruh

[@kazihossain4344]

How much do you think it would cost to replicate his setup?

[@jamesjowett35]

Evident Chelsea is really not liking the exhaust volumes here

[@jeinks3249]

Ummm college's car was the fastest and best car at the LZ Invitational

[@driftkouch]

I like how they delete my comment because Chelsea is not the first person to drift fox body mustang. They have been a group of us drifting mustang way before Chelsea even dreamed about getting his pants wet in a mustang. fmc group with Jon Duncan and Steve Mass pioneer a lot of parts in Mustang and me I made some of the first dual caliper bracket for a mustang 79-04

[@drifterwannab]

I'm pretty sure I'm running your dual caliper brackets lol

[@toddthezondalover645]

He is a BMW guy that just so happened to be hired by Ford based RTR. If he was still independent, he would most definitely be in a BMW and would never touch a Ford.

[@nchoonigan]

Foxbody drift cars are rad (obviously)!!! But DeNofa is NOT the OG Foxbody guy (or even close), and his comments at 3:54 do not sit well with the established Foxbody drifting community. Also his build is far from simple, and (thanks in part to the popularity of builds like his) Foxbodies are not cheap to buy anymore.

[@toddthezondalover645]

Yeah but youtube said so! Lol

[@GP-pf9xk]

Nothing cheap about this, not much cool about this, but Ford wants to market the Ecoboost so the 'tubers, drifters and everyone else they sponsor comply. No problem, still love the content Larry, keep it up!

[@Ballsfelloff1998]

What a mid take, reliable 2.3 in a classic car, just sugondeez

[@ChadBroChill.]

10:10 that girl was going to drop a horse pile, probably had to take her shirt off

[@466rudy6]

He should really wear a full face helmet with that bare metal steering wheel.

[@jonnypistolero]

Yeah okay have you seen the price of a Notchback in California?! No way is it super affordable LMAO

[@bUtMyRiGhTs]

Wtf Collete?

[@fastballfilms4214]

duratec is a better engine

[@Powersproductions130]

I mean, this is the worst sounding fox I’ve ever heard, but it works. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@kmonroe5785]

Because the four-cylinder eco-boost sucks ass that’s why nobody does it

[@pokeslim]

If you think a foxbody is an affordable anything, you may have been in a coma for the last 5 years.

[@Jason_Bacon]

Cheap and Ecoboost? That car would have cost 20k less with a LS and be more reliable... Not to mention all Mustangs are insanely overpriced!

[@LukeCannotSkate]

So your're saying this is a 30k build?

[@ep2324]

You think this swap cost Chelsea 20k more than an ls swap would have? Lol

[@UnderwaterAlexJones]

Jason Bacon is a crackhead. Proof: See OP.

[@Eleanor8965]

I question the true cost of the engine and he threw a Link in it too. Id be shocked to find an ecoboost 4 cyl for $2500. The Link was more than that. My guess is that youd likely spend $20k to replicate that car. Realistically. If you could find the engine cheap and the trans and such. Otherwise it would go deep into 20s. Foxbodies arent cheap anymore. The days are gone of commonly finding $1500 foxbodies unless they are rollers and they will need everything under the sun to make them run and drive.

[@fuqqbiden1616]

@@ep2324 Yes, its obvious you know nothing when it comes to price and ls engines.