Complete Foxbody Restoration Montage

Being a red blooded American and living in the UK, I needed an American car to occupy my time or I'd likely go insane here in the land of 4-cyl cars. In early 2018 I found a British guy selling an 1988 Foxbody notchback that needed lots of love. It was pretty worn out so we worked out a fair price after a lot of messaging back and forth, and sharing my desire to restore the car. After vetting several potential buyers he thankfully sold it to me mainly as he did not want the car to be butchered. Most worn out Foxbodies in the UK get parted out as the drivetrain is more valuable vs selling the car complete. I drove it for a short time before things snowballed. Maintenance issues spread to bodywork issues that I could no longer ignore. I ended up spending untold hours and dollars restoring it. Things got a bit out of control and it ended up a bit, "over-restored."
Restoring an American car in the UK is fraught with challenges that takes lots of time and money. Sometimes I would make no progress for months while waiting on parts. The sanding also took me months and when COVID kicked off it seemed I would never finish the car as all of the businesses closed. Some permanently, including the original body shop that I had lined up to paint it. But in the end, I don't regret a thing. It's all about perseverance.
I wish I had my GoPro camera and my KZbin channel up and going at the time. I would have certainly documented the entire build. I must admit that stopping to even take pictures during the tedious nature of a restoration is difficult in itself. I did not get a large amount of pictures, but I used what I had to create this video. This is the channels primary project car so I figured it needed a video unto itself to showcase its roots. All the work was performed by me in my little two car garage except laying down the final bit of paint.
Some of the pictures go by a bit quickly, but you always have the option to pause or go back and review.
Please feel free to ask any and all questions and throw me a "like" if you would be so kind.

[@johnhickman106]

For most, it's hard to understand just how hard a build like this is to do overseas.

[@motownXJdad9565]

and expensive

[@johnhickman106]

@@motownXJdad9565 The cost can become astronomical.

[@hayleyczap6670]

As Mrs Fox’s abroad I have to say I am beyond impressed by the job the hubby did on this one,my fav colour x

[@johnhickman106]

Mike has ability and knowledge beyond most. He's just humble, unlike my dumbass.

[@edweigman9683]

Nice work! I also lived in the UK for three years and I could never get into the British classic cars, I think we naturally gravitate to the cars we see growing up.

[@jjohnson750]

You killed this resto. Just getting started on mine. WELL DONE!

[@dr.curious5136]

Great Job, love to see these get restored, I have a few myself and can appreciate the attention to detail. Enjoy the fox

[@890r6]

Very patient with your Stang. Amazing work, must be fun cruising around Europe in that car. I've had my 87 notch since new and kept it rust free because I don't have your skills to do what I just witnessed. Don't sell it. 👍💯

[@Quest4Unknown]

I have my 92 GT drop sittin in my garage waiting. Thank you 🙏

[@seankantorow2910]

Beautiful car... amazing restoration. Thanks for representing Foxbody's in the UK. I bet you get a lot of compliments / thumbs up.

[@ferdinandcuevas8457]

All so gets THUMBS UP BY ANY CAR ENTHUSIAST 🇺🇸🇵🇷👍

[@100bl]

reminds me of my 91 got new ,Bimini blue sedan 5L , 5spd , no a/c no power locks or windows… and a few mods H-pipe exhaust, pulleys & 3:55 gears… nice build good video 👍

[@farmerjoe8809]

A 1990 strawberry red gt was my first car when I turned 16 in 1992. Been in love with the foxbody ever since. I still have my first foxbody and have owned probably 10 others over the years. Your video and dedication to the foxbody means a lot. Good job.

[@bryanmichalski175]

I very much commend you on the efforts and doing across the pond. Love it 🦊 life

[@RobRacin]

Ef’ing looks killer dude. You got mad skillz. Phenomenal job mate 👍

[@bendirusso3149]

Great restoration

[@skipgumphrey9579]

That’s an awesome “Trunk” you’ve got there, very nice resto !!!

[@OG_FIVEO]

Just stumbled across your channel a couple of days ago, and I have to say I've been binge watching all your videos ever since. Easily one of my favorite Foxbody KZbin channels. I absolutely love your coupe. You really did an amazing job on the restoration. I also enjoy seeing these cars being represented in different countries like the UK. Keep up with the great content!

[@Mike-FoxsAbroad]

Thank you. I appreciate your kind words. I’m not really sure why the channel isn’t doing better. Thinking because I’m not US based and it doesn’t pop up in peoples feeds.

[@christaylor5117]

Thing of beauty Mike,everthing about this is top quality,pictures speak for themselves,result is a proper quick street Fox thats totally useable,magic!

[@jackme-off6690]

Great job, That's one pretty Mustang.

[@sneakingfox5887]

Super sick build, inspirational

[@Mustang8846]

Just Awesome!

[@edgardiaz2361]

EXCELLENT JOB SIR 💪💪💪. Build me a notchback and I pay u for ur masterpiece here in New York

[@gregsimmons6575]

Beautiful car.

[@michaelcoyle1062]

Dream build. Great job. Respect!

[@Coyote_Mach]

Absolutely perfect my man you should be very happy with the outcome,that car is perfect,you worked your ass off 🍻

[@natevizzi2901]

Dude …. Dude. That’s nice.

[@alexdetullio7654]

Just absolutely stunning!!

[@dabish2888]

Simply beautiful work!

[@stevencastillo8742]

Amazing skills and video

[@ojscustoms9251]

Very nice work!

[@ejsvt2956]

Awesome work! She's a beauty!

[@Foxbodychuck386]

Very nice restoration.

[@seantf1414]

I always love seeing your work on these cars and wish I could be closer to where you live. Would love to learn more from you. I’ve followed almost all of your restorations and am always impressed with the outcome. Great work mike

[@ZXDF51]

Very very nice job! 🐺👍

[@lwellsfoxbody6491]

Awesome build bro🔥

[@markweber7275]

Excellent work. Can appreciate a true craftsman.

[@pappageorgio9459]

Great job ,lots of hard labor...congrats

[@brianclifford5881]

Great job 👍👍👌😎

[@mtnbos]

Amazing work 👏 You have the ultimate fox now. Enjoyed your video, thanks for sharing mate 👍🏻

[@paulritchie8873]

Absolutely incredible. nice work!

[@msk3905]

I had that coupe that color but a 1990 with 5 speed, why did I sell that car? Great job

[@johnhickman106]

Mike, it maybe time to drag out the old pictures of your other restos, even the non-Fox ones. Who doesn't want to see a 1966 F100 fully redone in a home garage, TKO, 352-390 transformation and EFI swapped?!

[@twinturbo421]

Beautiful car! Great job 🙂🙏👍

[@ricsha91]

Nicely done!

[@bullsj9432]

Beautiful car. Job well done

[@91MustangLX]

Amazing job!

[@motownXJdad9565]

nicest resto ive seen, love all the period correct parts like the cervini's hood. if i had one that clean id never want to drive it and get it dirty, lol

[@Mike-FoxsAbroad]

Thanks. Yes, much of the year it stays tucked away. The roads here are terrible. The farm tractors tear them up and leave them dirty year round. And in the winter they salt the roads as heavy as any North Eastern US state. One day I will ship it back to the states when my time here is done.

[@motownXJdad9565]

when i saw the other fox body, i kinda wondered if you were an American or Canadien stationed or working abroad. 👍

[@Mike-FoxsAbroad]

@@motownXJdad9565 The green car belongs to another American working abroad like myself. The red notchback in some of my other videos belongs to an English friend that I have known for around 25 years now. I am nearly 50 years old and have been working on fox bodies since before I could drive.

[@motownXJdad9565]

for me its Jeeps lately, but ive had a bunch of fox bodies too, my first was a 83 GT in 1987, i think im getting the itch for another one 👍

[@afdave7]

perfect. Id bet money youre an engineer. A damn good one. Cheers

[@Mike-FoxsAbroad]

I can neither confirm nor deny.

[@kevinskonieczny8174]

Wow... Just wow..

[@dougmorris9107]

lots of hard work, great job! thank you for sharing! ...i have a '86 notchback, but it isn't nearly as nice. :)

[@svtpower03]

You did an amazing job! I bet it was hell getting all the parts shipped over there.

[@Mike-FoxsAbroad]

With delays and the expense of shipping parts, it took me twice as long and cost nearly twice as much as if I'd of restored it in the states. The UK exchange rate didn't help either. But, it kept me busy.

[@Mike-FoxsAbroad]

Thanks. Yes, the ex queen got a lot of my tax money from shipping in parts.

[@elwapohuerta2497]

Very Very nice 👌

[@timothysivyer4996]

Wow looks great only thing i could have asked for was a exhaust clip

[@Mike-FoxsAbroad]

Thanks. I didn't want to get too much into the weeds on the engine stuff. It could have easily doubled the size of the video. Hmm. Maybe this clip will work as well as view some of the other race day videos on my channel. kzbin.infoUgkxx3S8sy89l6o4j_N-cMpwYzLMnWgNyRyS

[@timothysivyer4996]

@@Mike-FoxsAbroad sounds amazing man!

[@zyrabell69]

Everything is perfect in my opinion, from the paint (love the blue), to rims, and especially the way you undertook the restoration process. Your Mustang will be bullet proof now. Would love to hear more about your backstory that attracted you to Fox Body (FB) Mustangs. I presume you're an American living in England as an expat. I also own an overseas FB, 11,000 kilometers away. 1.) Are FB Mustangs more expensive than the US due to being so rare, and how many would you estimate are in England/Europe? 3.) Was it shipped over to a US military base, and/or did Ford dealers sell FB from 1979 - 1993? 4.) What base was it on, what's your car's history please? I'll tell you more about my 1989 5.0 FB where I live. But it's a US military car, plus Ford dealers sold Mustangs here. I previously owned a 1985 GT 5.0 black with T tops that was driven on US bases in Germany plus the Autobahn.

[@Mike-FoxsAbroad]

1) No. I've found that cars are always most valuable in their home country based on the market demands. But at the moment vintage fastback mustangs are more valuable in the UK than the US simply due to Hollywood movies such as Bullitt and the Gone in 60 Seconds remake. 2) I have no way of estimating the number of FB cars in the UK other than a guesstimate of perhaps 200-300 possibly. They are expensive to own and operate here that many are simply hidden away and rarely driven. 3) My FB was imported by an English person from Canada around 2000. Hence the reason it had a KPH speedometer and such a low amount of options.

[@zyrabell69]

@@Mike-FoxsAbroad My issue right now is parts, I see you mentioned some taking (4) months to arrive. But I'm not sure if that's because you chose surface freight due to the size, or also because of the worldwide lockdown etc. I had to order tires for the same rims you have, because they don't sell that size here. The tires cost $700, but the freight forwarder charged me $900 which is just crazy! If you have any suggestions as to a safe and less expensive shipping method please let me know. My mom/brother will visit soon so I'm just getting it roadworthy and looking decent so we can go on some drives together, but later on I hope to do a full restoration like you. Thanks for the information and congrats on your Mustang! It's cool you learned all the skills to know welding, paint/body, wiring, engine and so forth. That stupid sunroof they installed caused so many problems for you. I have a 1989 LX 5.0 convertible with standard transmission. All original to include paint, interior, Ford radio, engine and hasn't been wrecked. I'm in the Philippines former US Navy base, so the sailors/soldiers shipped them over and Ford dealers sold them. After researching FB overseas and visiting many sellers, I would estimate there's around (20) or so in the entire country. Mine was shipped over by the original owner who bought it in Nevada, he was an US AF pilot that worked for FedEx. He only sold it to me because I'm a disabled US veteran and promised to make it look beautiful again. My issue being parts as I said, none here and it costs so much to ship them.

[@Mike-FoxsAbroad]

@@zyrabell69 Yes, big and heavy parts need to come from a freight forwarder. Unless I would want to pay extreme import taxes and shipping fees. In the UK Rock Auto has been a massive help in shipping generic parts quick and cheaply but I'm not sure if they would be available to ship parts to your location.

[@robfeldschun6146]

Amazing. I just did a cosmetic resto on my 93 and this guy makes me look like I barely touched my car 😆 These things turn heads like crazy in North America where they were a dime a dozen. I can imagine it does the same in the UK. What got you into foxbodys, being from the uk?

[@Mike-FoxsAbroad]

I'm an American. I just took a job over here chasing the $$$. I'll be back in the states again in a few years. I've been into fox bodies since 1988 or so when I was getting interested in driving and was nearly 16.

[@robfeldschun6146]

How often you see a fox over there? Bought my first in 92 when I was 15. I’ve lost count over the years.

[@Mike-FoxsAbroad]

@@robfeldschun6146 Almost never. A few come out in the summer but you need to be at the right venue to see them.

[@MetalMachine-wx5eq]

That is an amazing restoration. In the last snap shot of the video, what size rims and tires are you running up front?

[@Mike-FoxsAbroad]

If you are referring to the Bogart D10 drag wheels? They are 15x3.5 and the tires are 26 x 4.0-15 Mickey Thompson bias ply.

[@lucasleonio]

Hey! Pretty good job, i love how it ended! Can i ask you where did you buy the parts that you needed? I'm living in Andorra and i recently bought a 1988 LX 5.0 Convertible that need a little bit of love, i would help me very much if you tell me where you brought the parts! Living in europe it's a little bit difficult to find parts for american cars.. Thanks!

[@Mike-FoxsAbroad]

lmr.com. They do not ship overseas so I needed to use a freight forwarder to get the parts into the country. That’s why it takes months sometimes to get things.

[@ricardocamara1602]

You must have a blast tearing up the the streets in the uk 😂

[@lamaxbell5936]

Hey How you doing , i got a question How did you install the floor carpet any tips, And where did you got to buy the carpet as well?

[@Mike-FoxsAbroad]

Wait until the heat of the summer. Open the carpet and let it try and settle back into its intended shape over the span of a few days. I got the carpet from LRS but they pretty much all come from ACC. They never fit as well as the original. Especially around the rear footwells.

[@mannyinahellcat3573]

Wowwww 😲👍 good sh*t

[@CCWFOX]

So how long does it take to get parts from LMR?

[@Mike-FoxsAbroad]

Small parts I can get in two weeks. Big parts can take two to three months.

[@hkpoweralajmi5170]

Hi is it for sale

[@turboman351w3]

very nnnnniiiiiicccccceeeeeeeeeeeee

[@elwapohuerta2497]

Can you do mine

[@deanstevenson6527]

🥝✅🇳🇿

[@xbox627]

freaking wow....superb paint job....reminds me of my brothers...awesome job overall

[@coletrick8748]

Dream Car!

[@stevepurcell5883]

Awesome! Wish there was more engine content. You called it "bone stock" but with a turbo? There had to be bigger injectors, cam, fuel pump. Did I see the upper intake switch from Cobra to Edelbrock? Without mention

[@Mike-FoxsAbroad]

It is a stock shortblock, just freshened up. There are a lot of supporting mods to the engine for the turbo kit. I didn’t want to go down that road in the montage as I did not really have a lot of pictures showing that portion of the build. It was always a Cobra intake. I may not have had the plaque glued down and was setting it on for some pictures, then removing it so it wouldn’t get scratched until the end of the build.

[@MiturBinEsderty]

No air conditioning and used seats lol all that work

[@Mike-FoxsAbroad]

It’s a factory non A/C car and the seats could pass for NOS. I suspect you live in a southern state.

[@gdb5448]

That is a nice coupe! Get you a set of "halo headrest" from a 1985-1986 Mustang GT or SVO Mustang(also found on Escort GT) and swap out those fat factory ones...it will make the seat look way better and gives it that sporty Recaro look.

[@ricardovargas3412]

Pat your self on the back pal ! Hell of a job What’s your instagram @ ?

[@Mike-FoxsAbroad]

Thanks. But sorry, I don't do Instagram/Twitter or many of the social media outlets. I do not try and make myself out to be a "personality" and am not trying to market a brand or sell any merchandise or any type of subscription. Unlike 99% of the other channels out there that splash their mug into every video thumbnail.

[@ricardovargas3412]

@@Mike-FoxsAbroad I understand 👌