Four-Door Fox’s Budget Coyote Swap Creates A Fun Family Truckster

For more than two decades, Ford kept the Fox platform going across 15 different models. A Fox is far more than its body, as exemplified by the variety of vehicles that rode atop this legendary structure. While the Mustang is the most famous vehicle based on this storied platform, Ford and its associated brands released a variety of vehicles on this flexible foundation.

The car has really great manners and a smooth overall ride, which I’m pleased with, especially since this is my first 6R80 Coyote swap… — Steve Kurimchak

Among those Fox Fords is the LTD, an upmarket four-door in its day. It’s not the sort of car you might expect to see receiving a Coyote swap, but when the car’s owner is a former Coyote Stock racer, this is his idea of a fun family car. The racer in question is Steve Kurimchak and his path to this project wasn’t direct.

Still in great shape, the factory two-tone paint provides a perfect background to contrast with those black 10-hole replicas from VMS. Measuring 3.5 inches wide in front and 10 inches in back, they wear sticky Mickey Thompson rubber. The four-door Fox rides on a complete UPR suspension as well as Strange shocks and struts. Customized UPR subframe connectors fortify its elongated Fox platform. (Photos courtesy of Steve Kurimchak)

While many gearheads pick up the habit from parents or friends, his grandparents passed down the mechanical predilection, but he didn’t exactly come from a Ford family.

“Strangely enough, my parents aren’t particularly mechanically inclined, which is even more surprising considering I come from a Mopar family,” Steve joked. “Both of my grandfathers were skilled mechanics — one as an auto technician and the other as an aircraft mechanic — so they definitely had a big influence on me. Like most kids, I was fascinated by cars and trucks. I’d start by taking apart my toys, eventually learning how to put them back together. From there, my interest snowballed pretty quickly. I also vividly remember being young and eagerly flipping through Hot Rod and other car magazines, getting excited whenever my Dad would let me buy one.”

Racing Ponies

When it came to appreciating Ford’s finest, it was purely his decision to pursue one of the hottest Blue Oval project platforms ever created. Those were the 1979-1993 Mustangs, which were known for their performance and adaptability.

“Fords were never really a part of our family growing up, and maybe the unknown had an impact on me. When it came time to start looking for my first car, the Fox-body Mustang immediately caught my eye,” Steve recalled. “They were still affordable, being only about 20 years old, and offered decent power. My first car was a gray 1988 Mustang GT — low miles and in excellent condition. I did the usual mods to it and had a great time driving it. Eventually, I sold it to buy my Bullitt, which has since evolved into my race car.”

That race car became a heads-up competitor in the now-defunct NMRA Ford Nationals series. There, it competed in a class with a restrictive rulebook designed to keep the competition tight and the budgets reasonable.

Built using mostly used parts, Steve Kurimchak’s 1984 Ford LTD is now powered by a junkyard Gen 2 Coyote engine that takes orders from a Joe Goodnough-tuned Ford Performance Control Pack from Power by the Hour. The naturally aspirated 5.0-liter engine breathes in through a JLT cold-air intake and out through Kooks long-tube headers and a custom exhaust system.

“…I got my Bullitt around 2008 and enjoyed driving it. Around that same time, I discovered the now-defunct NMRA, especially the Factory Stock class. Given my age and financial situation at the time, I wasn’t able to participate,” Steve recalled. “Fast forward a few years, and with a slightly better situation, I started modifying my Bullitt and racing it locally in Maryland. I eventually got it down to an 11.39 in naturally aspirated trim. During this time, I met some local Coyote Stock and Factory Stock racers like Dan Ryntz, Charlie Booze, and Jason Henry, among others. It became a classic — and expensive — case of ‘monkey see, monkey do.’”

Eventually, life got in the way, and he focused on local competition, but even if he wanted to return to the national stage, that series expired in 2024, meaning he would have to seek other competitive venues.

“The Bullitt will continue to be a race car. I had a successful 2018 season and a solid 2019, but with the 2020 shutdown, my son getting older, and the arrival of our daughter, I decided to hit pause on traveling,” Steve said. “I still race the car locally, primarily in the Nasty 9s Class at Mason Dixon Dragway. It’s a great index class, run by Charlie, Dan, and the track — typically once a month. Right now, I’m working with Booze Brothers on a new clutch package and some offseason maintenance. I also hope to hit a few races that Coyote Stock has been involved in since ProMedia shut down.”

Family Fun

Throughout the evolution of building and fielding a Mustang race car, Steve amassed an impressive cache of hardware. That collection of spares and leftovers was ripe for use in another project, and he had a plan for building something that could easily haul the whole family — and haul ass.

Though he initially set out to build a full-on family truckster in the form of a stout station wagon, he was open to whatever opportunities presented themselves. It turned out that another Fox-platform machine was just what the doctor ordered.

“Honestly, I was on the hunt for a wagon! I had that itch that I’m sure every self-respecting car enthusiast gets,” Steve confessed. “I was looking for something I could Coyote swap, ideally something more street-oriented. I already had the race car, and while I had a blast with it, I wanted something that I could put the family in and cruise around town. So, I kept my options open and waited for the right opportunity to pop up.”

Power exiting the 6R80 auto in the tunnel travels through a custom BBR driveshaft to a well-traveled Ford 9-inch rearend previously run by racers Mike Stouffer and Scott Milhimes. That rearend is fortified with a Strange 40 spline HD center section, Gleason gears, and Strange axles. Those axles are part of a five-lug conversion that facilitates SN-95 brakes at all four corners.

Those opportunities aren’t always clear at first. When someone posted a set of wheels for sale, it turned out that the car they were attached to might just be the project vehicle he was after.

“One day, I was browsing Marketplace when I saw an ad for some black 10-hole wheels. As soon as I saw the fenders and badging, I recognized it as an LTD,” Steve said. “The seller wanted to sell the car but didn’t want to list it, which felt like fate. Even though it was a sedan, once I saw the two-tone paint, I was hooked. After a few months of negotiation, the seller and I agreed on a price, so I drove to Pennsylvania and towed it home.”

The aforementioned LTD was in great shape, and given its Fox-platform credentials, it was an ideal candidate for a Coyote swap. Though Steve wanted something to cruise around with the family, he also wanted a car that was fast at the track. 

Budget Build

“I tried to keep it as cheap as possible! To be realistic, though, once you start shopping for used motors — especially Gen 2 stuff — you quickly realize it’s not going to be inexpensive,” Steve explained. “I was lucky enough to find a decent Gen 2 Mustang engine and a Gen 1 6R80 from an F-150 at what I felt was a reasonable price. I did have to swap the valve body with a rebuilt Gen 2 version, as recommended by multiple experts, but the engine and transmission are currently untouched, with around 100,000 miles on each.”

The latter necessitated a floor-mount shifter conversion, and it sends power via a Performance Driveline Engineering custom driveshaft from BBR to a well-traveled Ford 9-inch rearend fitted with a Strange center section, Strange 40-spline axles, and Gleason gears.

“I reused as many spare parts from my race car as I could, digging into my stash and reaching out to local racers. Stuff like a small radiator, bigger headers, race exhaust, a 9-inch rearend with 40-spline gun-drilled axles, Strange shocks, K-member, control arms—stuff like that,” Steve said. “Anything I didn’t have or couldn’t find used, I leaned on Charlie Booze and Sharad (Raldiris) from UPR to help me source. At the end of the day, though, the car purchase price was very inexpensive, which helped keep costs down. All in, I’m into this project for less than it would cost for a new, sealed Coyote engine and a G101A transmission.”

While the interior remains relatively period correct, one concession was required to conjoin an F-150 6R80 six-speed automatic transmission with a stock converter to the LTD. Secured by a Stifflers crossmember, the trans is shifted via a floor-mount shifter. “The biggest disappointment, though, was not being able to keep the column shifter. The factory shifter is fully mechanical, with levers and rods that contact the back of the head on a Coyote motor,” Steve said. “As a result, I had to convert the car to a floor shift setup, using a cable from a Fox and a lever from Power by the Hour.”

Under the sway of a Ford Performance Control Pack PCM and harness from Power by the Hour tuned by Joe Goodnough, the naturally aspirated 5.0-liter engine likely puts down more than 350 horsepower at the wheels, which is plenty for family fun and the occasional drag-and-drive event. In either situation, slowing things down is important, so Steve converted the car to a five-lug and installed SN-95 spindles and brakes. Planting the Coyote power is a complete UPR Products suspension that works in tandem with Strange shocks and struts. 

“It’s a fun car to cruise around in. I thrashed like crazy to get it ready for a drag-and-drive event, but due to circumstances beyond my control, I wasn’t able to attend,” Steve said. “I still hope to complete a few drag-and-drive events with the LTD, but honestly, I really enjoy just driving it around on nice days. It gets a lot of attention wherever it goes, drawing looks from all kinds of enthusiasts.”

Worth The Effort

Choosing the path less traveled often makes for a more arduous journey, but in this case, the project didn’t require too many detours. Though the nuances of the large Fox-platform machines require some custom solutions, overall, it was a smooth build.

“I didn’t face too many big challenges while building this car, especially since I’d done a few swaps in the past—and the car itself was incredibly straight! There were a few rust spots I had to address, so I relied on my limited experience in bodywork to handle those,” Steve said. “Since the chassis is 5 1/2 inches longer than a standard Fox, I had to extend the subframe connectors and have a custom driveshaft made to fit the 6R80. The rear wheelwells are also a different shape than those on the Mustang, so some tweaking was necessary to fit a 10-inch wheel and a small 235mm tire back there.”

In the end, the challenges were worth the effort, as Steve created a car that is not only a blast to drive but is different enough that it earns the respect of fellow enthusiasts.

“It’s pretty sweet! There’s no getting around how loud it is. Once the exhaust warms up, idling around isn’t too bad, but with dumped MagnaPacks, it’ll never be considered quiet. I did my best to keep as much sound deadening in the car as possible, so the interior isn’t too harsh,” Steve said. “It does get loud at certain rpm, but at wide-open throttle, it sounds just like a Coyote Stocker screaming down the track. It pulls way harder than I expected, especially considering the rear gearing and stock F-150 converter. The car has really great manners and a smooth overall ride, which I’m pleased with, especially since this is my first 6R80 Coyote swap.”

“…It came with a set of four-lug, 15x8 black 10-holes when I bought it. I loved the look, and so did just about everyone else, so I knew I had to keep that style. After converting the LTD to a five-lug with disc brakes all around, I found that VMS made an affordable staggered set of 10-holes—in black, no less!” Steve said. “I ordered them up, and I couldn’t be happier with how they turned out. The staggered setup is functional, too, especially since the car has a manual steering rack and a spool. Anyone who’s driven a similar setup knows how critical it is to have skinny front wheels.”

Of course, no project is really ever complete. The timeline that Steve originally set meant that some compromises were required. We suspect this one will also evolve as time goes on, and Steve seeks more smiles per gallon.

“Since I was rushing to make the event, I didn’t get everything done that I wanted. One of the things I’d like to do is hook up the sport shift function on the 6R80 and possibly use the factory cruise control buttons to control it. I also still need to get my reverse lights working. There’s no dedicated output for reverse lights when using the control pack with the 6R80, so a physical switch needs to be installed somewhere,” Steve said. “I’d love to add A/C in the near future, which would definitely help convince the family to cruise with me during the summer months. Lastly, I want to upgrade the gauge setup — either with physical gauges or a digital dash. Right now, I’m using my X4 to monitor some critical data, but I’m still missing an oil pressure gauge, which is something I’d highly recommend!”

While it is sure to improve like a fine wine, Steve’s Ford LTD restomod is a prime example of what you can do with those spare parts in your garage if you set your mind to it. His primary goal is to keep the car streetable, but we’ll see if he can keep his fun family machine from going full-race car.

More Sources

About the author

Steve Turner

Steve Turner brings decades of passion and knowledge in the world of Ford performance, having covered it for over 20 years. From the swan song of the Fox Mustang to the birth of the Coyote, Steve had a front-row seat.
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