Fox Body Goes Sacrilegious with Hellcat Engine Swap
Hoping to grace the floors of SEMA 2021, this notchback Fox Body with a Hellcat supercharged V8 is sure to be a relentless party on wheels.
There is certainly no shortage of wild builds when it comes to SEMA. Even with this year’s virtual overhaul, we have seen some boundary-pushing and mind-melting projects come to light. That being said, nothing quite beats seeing all the action in person. There is a handful of nutty projets we can’t wait to see next year. This Fox Body is nothing short of par for the course, albeit a bit sacrilegious.
Recently, this Instagram account came to light, outlining the start of this outrageous build. The plan? Take a 1988 notchback Fox Body Mustang and stuff it with a 6.2-liter supercharged Hellcat V8. To top it off, the engine pairs with a Tremec T56 Magnum manual transmission. That’s right! This baby is staying manual.
According to our friends over at Autoevolution, this build is the brainchild of Piranha Fabrications of New Oxford, Pennsylvania. A quick glance at their Instagram account shows that owner Joel Piraino is no stranger to crazy builds. Throughout the history of Piraino’s posts, it’s evident that he is not playing games. This is going to be one serious build!
As you might imagine, this Hellcat engine is going to be pumping out a bit more than the good old 5.0-liter V8 this Fox originally came with. Given that information, the modifications to the chassis present in the Instagram posts are plentifully justified. What exactly is Piraino doing to keep this hellacious beast under control?
Perhaps most important to keep this chassis up to speed with its new powerplant is ensuring its agility. From the looks of these custom front steering knuckles, this Foxbody is not a straight line hero. In fact, Piraino claims it’ll be quite the opposite on the Piranha Fabrications Facebook page alongside the picture of the front suspension components.
“Would you look at those…. she’s gonna be a big go-kart for sure,” exclaims Piraino.
With over 700 horsepower and the suspension modifications that have yet to be fully exposed, this Fox is going to be a force to be reckoned with on any track.
While the suspension is a major factor in its handling ability, the grip is important too. Luckily, the build’s Instagram account shows a stack of grippy tires, in which Piraino reveals the Hellfox will run 335 wide in the rear and 245 upfront. Though, we are confident it’ll still do plenty of damage to those rear tires if you want it to.
Keeping safe but not necessarily sane.
Finally, the Hellfox is also in the process of receiving a roll cage. Not only is this going to help protect the driver, but it will also help stiffen the chassis. Again, adding to it’s handling ability.
Overall, this project is one you definitely want to watch. Make sure to follow the build’s Instagram account. We truly are looking forward to the next time we get to step foot into the Las Vegas Convention Center for SEMA once again. This amazing milestone of a Foxbody build being present would be a perfect cherry on top, too.
Photos: Piranha Fabrications/Instagram
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