I don't think anybody would argue that the chassis and brakes on the Fox Mustang were adequate - at best - and were not up to par with the 3rd Gen F-body.

Then again...I don't believe we were talking about chassis and suspension. If you'd like to change the subject, we could easily move into the price (new) of each car and ease/availability/price of mods.

 

OK.....but start another thread. This one is getting too darned long!

 

Yeah, and we won't talk about looks either.

Think about it. If some stock L98's did hit 14.1 or even a 14.0 in the later G92 cars, if you took away power everything, standard int. not custom, deleted radio, A/C, driving lights for better flow to the air intake, no T-Tops, aluminum driveshaft, aluminum spare, and so on, why would it not be possible?? A friend of mine knows a dude that has a 92 B4C that ran a 13.9 stock, he added K&N's, Flowmaster 80 Series, and hit a 13.8 without manually shifting. I also know a dude with a 90 1LE and it feels like it could break 13's n/p, he's never lost to any M5 5.0. And he's running those lousy previous style BFG Comp T/A's that spin, which they don't make anymore.

 

"If this" and "if that" and "my buddy's uncle's friend's daughter" just doesn't cut the mustard. No offense.

And that "dude" likely never raced me.

 

Your car is modded.

I'm not saying "if" anything, just stating some of the differences between a regular L98 and a 1LE.

 

LOL! I'm loving this thread!

If you never race anybody, it's impossible to lose!
Racers first rule... "You can't win 'em all."

Back on topic...
I'm gonna bias my engine choices toward the blue oval first, because I am not as familiar with GM's specs as Fords - no other reason.

Fords best engines of the last 15 years...
1) The 5.0 is tops - no question. From bulletproof Mustang racers, to indestructable truck engines, to run4/pump4 air compressors for Ingersoll-Rand, to off-shore marine racers.

2) The Yamaha built SHO engines were simply incredible. I don't know if it's a credit to Ford or a disgrace that Yamaha supplied that engine.

3) The SC 3.8 in the T-bird SC/Cougar XR7s was an incredible performer that didn't have the maintenance probs of the turbo. They offered great longevity and durability, and some have been modded to incredible performance levels to boot.

4) The powerstroke diesel (again, not Ford's, but exclusively theirs to sell. ) This engine is utterly AMAZING. I grew up with 460's in pickups and I thought cubes ruled in work applications - I was wrong. I have had mine for several years now, and done some amazing things with it. Any engine that allows me to set cruise control at 80 in OD while pulling 15,000 lbs and still get almost 20 mpg - is awesome.

5) And my absolute inverted, perverted, unexpected bid...
The 2.3L OHC 4-cylinder (especially the 8-plug unit). Nobody likes them because they are "4-bangers" (me included to a point), but I have got to give credit where it's due. These things are phenomenal in everyday use. They were in everything from Rangers to Mustangs to T-birds to Escorts. They were a peice of cake to maintain, got respectable mileage, and often last 200K miles with just a timing set change at 100K. All the local junkyards have oodles of them on hand and they are crushing them for weight because - get this - there's no market for them! Not because nobody wants them, but because they are not blowing up, heads cracking, manifolds cracking, spinning bearings, cracking pistons, etc. Even the Ford dealer I work with claims they never have much recall or unscheduled maintenence work on those engines - they are true little warriors. (BTW, this is the same basic 2.3 that has been around since 1971, saw the turbo from '79-'83, and was the bottom end of the turbo SVO Mustang and the Turbo Coupe T-birds of the '80's - so a factory turbo, intercooler, EFI, and Boost controller will make you a fine-dandy little pocket-rocket!).

I'm holding out on the 4.6 just yet. I think it has incredible potential, but I don't think it's "legendary" yet just because it started making 390hp last year. So how's that for a warped list of motivators?

I'll take a stab at GM's side as an outsider...
1) Definitely the LS1. I think the engine itself made the F4 cars live as long as they did. And what's not to like about it?
2) The Olds quad-4 was a trend-setting engine in it's day too.
3) The LT1 - it brought considerable performance back into GM's lineup at a time when cubes and pushrods were on their way out of fad. Even Ford was deep into developing the 4.6 mod-motor at that time.
4) The turbo 3.8. As an avid racer at the strip, I raced everything from a heavily modded Mach 1 to an almost-stock '86 LX 5.0, and the only car that really intimidated me at the line in head's-up racing was the GN, because you never knew if it was stock and quick, or modded and surreal! I won a few, but lost more than I won. Despite issues with warranty claims against turbo repairs and oiling, I think these engines deserve legendary status - they are the reason GN's and Turbo Regals carry the legendary status they do, right?
5) And along the lines of my 4-banger for Ford, I'd like to give a nod to the ol' Iron Duke. Of all the GM cars (Camaros/Firebirds especially) that are still doing road service today, how many are being propelled by the sturdy, reliable Duke in stock trim? In 20-years, we'll be going to car shows with 97% of the Camaros having V8's, but the few cars with their original I4 engine will be quite the attention peices. I give them KUDOS and the same to guys who are keeping them stock too.

I wish we hadn't restricted ourselve to 15 years... I'd love to go back to the '60's for a few engines... K-code 289's (ala Shelby Cobra), 406 tri-power, 351 Boss, 428 SCJ, 427 SOHC, BOSS 429, BOSS 302... I could go on and on.

Again, cool thread, and nice job to everyone for staying professional!