Congratulations this month goes to Chris Miller (FEP Username: Project86GT) and his 1986 Mustang GT Coyote Swap. Chris was able to take the top spot in a tight contest with 4 other excellent Fox entries that include 3 Mustangs and a Capri RS.

Chris has a long history with this Mustang GT that started over 10 years ago. At that time it was owned by a friend whom Chris helped to restore the Mustang. The car then changed hands a couple of times, but ultimately his buddy was able to get the Mustang back trading some Fox parts to make the deal. The GT was just sitting there and the buddy didn’t have time to drive it, so Chris knowing he probably couldn’t find another silver original 86 GT bugged him to sell it. Perseverance paid off and the friend finally made the deal.



The GT was essentially an original car with nothing but a set of pony wheels and exhaust changed out. It was a low option car with just A/C, rear defrost, and only had 87K original miles. Chris had the car for a few years and had started making some significant modifications such as a 5 lug swap with Cobra brakes. He also added several Maximum Motorsports chassis and suspension parts. Exterior wise Chris added SVO sail panels, SVO tail lights, a Steeda Aero spoiler, and the hood graphics. The plan was always keep the stock look, but making the right modifications to make the Mustang a better driver and more like a new car.



The big change began last winter, after tiring of adding oil often to the engine, knowing it would have to be rebuild sooner rather than later. Chris noticed several others swapping the new 5.0 Coyote engines into the Fox chassis and decided that was what he wanted to do. Once Chris has a modification on his mind that he wants to do to the GT there’s almost no stopping him! He immediately began collecting parts and making a list of everything he would need to complete the swap.




With the help of his 7 year old and 5 year old sons they pulled the old tired 302 out of the Mustang and the Coyote swap began. Thanks to a lot of planning and research the swap only took about 5 months to complete, although there were many late nights of wrenching. The Mustang now runs and drivers better than ever. The new Coyote engine is rated just over 400 HP, but Chris hasn't had a chance to strap the car down to a dyno for a final tuning session. The Mustang now has all the benefits of a modern EFI engine with all the style of a classic Fox body. The GT turned out so well that it has already won a few shows including 3^rd place at Fords at Carisle. Chris also gets some great reactions to the car when he pops the hood that included one gentleman refusing to believe that Chris did the work and wanted to know the name of the shop that did.


Congratulations once again to Chris and his very fine 1986 Mustang GT Coyote. What a fine example of what some modern engineering and a classic body combination can be. We wish Chris, his family, and his Mustang miles and miles of fun and thanks for sharing his GT with us this month.