Our Fox Dreams project is all about building the car Melissa Lawrence always wanted. Revisiting the dream car she once owned, she wanted a sharp-looking, modern-handling, big-power street machine that still carries the soul of a 1993 Mustang LX convertible. Big power is planned for this car in the future, but to harness it, we’d need to ditch the tired, overmatched stock suspension. It’s a setup that was passable when this Fox was new, but today it’s the weakest link.
Whether it’s a street cruiser or a professional drag car, you can trust that BMR parts can withstand intense applications and provide you with the performance you need to dominate your competition! — Connor Capar, BMR Suspension
If you’ve ever driven a stock Fox Mustang, especially a droptop, you know the deal. They flex, squeak, float, and roll, but we love them all the same. For their time, the suspension delivered a decent ride and some handling prowess, but even a stock 225-horsepower 5.0 could push the chassis beyond its limits.
“The Fox chassis really bridges the gap between an old muscle car and a modern performance car. While it is lightweight and offers a triangulated four-link, rack-and-pinion steering, and a strong 8.8-inch differential, it is limited in its strength and rigidity,” Brandon Canny, Design Engineer at BMR Suspension, said. “It was manufactured to be competitively priced against other sports cars, and a lot of that low cost comes from manufacturing stamped steel production parts.”
Add modern horsepower, sticky tires, and the desire to carve corners, click off quarter miles, and commute with the best of them, and you’ll quickly find yourself asking the same question we did: Why settle for tired stock suspension? To that end, we called on BMR Suspension for a full suite of upgrades engineered for serious street performance.
Performance Proven
“BMR Suspension has developed a reputation for providing high-quality, American-made parts at an affordable price to racers across multiple disciplines. We understand that every build is unique and power needs vary, so we often produce multiple variations of each part type so you can find the right part to meet your performance needs,” Connor Capar, Marketing Technician at BMR Suspension, said. “Whether it’s a street cruiser or a professional drag car, you can trust that BMR parts can withstand intense applications and provide you with the performance you need to dominate your competition!”
In this latest phase of Fox Dreams, we set out to completely transform the suspension and chassis from front to back using a complete BMR system. Our goal was simply to make the car drive, corner, and stop as well as it would eventually accelerate. BMR’s modular approach to Fox upgrades makes it possible to build a system that covers every weak point, and we went all in. From the K-member and A-arms up front to reinforced torque boxes and control arms in the rear, plus coilovers, springs, caster/camber plates, and even a driveshaft safety loop, the system turns this classic convertible into something that can keep up with modern muscle.
“Using tubular steel, our components offer a massive increase in strength over the factory parts without sacrificing the lightweight performance of the Fox platform,” Canny said.
And to make the most of the upgrades, we will pair the suspension with Toyo Proxes R1R tires mounted on Late Model Restoration’s chrome Pony wheels and new Baer Brakes, but more on that later. With the grip handled, the chassis stiffened, and the suspension geometry modernized, the Fox Dreams convertible finally has the foundation to back up its horsepower goals.
Fox Foundation
Before you bolt on big power, the smart move is always to shore up a vehicle’s foundation. On a Fox Mustang, it is wise to begin by reinforcing the torque boxes. These stamped-steel pockets in the rear floorpan were never designed for today’s torque or sticky drag radials. Over time, they tear, flex, and distort, which not only affects traction but also compromises safety.
“The Fox Mustang was designed and developed around the hard, narrow tires that they had at the time, as well as being very limited on the amount of power they were able to make for a street car,” Canny said.
BMR’s torque box reinforcement kits (P/N TBR004) bolt into place to strengthen the upper and lower mounting points for the rear control arms. We started there because any rear suspension upgrade depends on a solid foundation. Once bolted in, the reinforcements give peace of mind that the rearend will remain planted under hard launches and aggressive cornering.
Up front, the Fox’s stamped-steel K-member was another area begging for replacement. It was built for mass production, not precision or performance. BMR’s K-member (P/N KM734) reduces weight, adds strength, and offers more clearance for headers and oil pans, while also improving geometry for coilover conversion. We paired it with BMR’s tubular A-arms (P/N AA038), which reduce unsprung weight and improve strength compared to factory arms. The package also creates room for coilovers, which are essential for dialing in ride height and spring rates on a car like this.
BMR’s front suspension pieces are built from drawn-over-mandrel steel tubing and feature precise, jig-welded construction. They’re designed to be stronger than stock while also being lighter. That means better response and less flex under load, two things every Fox Mustang needs if you have bigger plans than the local cruise-in.
Attitude Adjustment
The stock Fox suspension relies on big coil springs in the K-member perches up front and outboard buckets in the rear. It’s a simple, inexpensive system, but it doesn’t allow for modern tuning or easy ride-height adjustments. Switching to a coilover system is one of the biggest upgrades you can make.
For Fox Dreams, we selected a coilover conversion system to pair with Viking double-adjustable dampers. This setup not only reduces weight but also allows us to fine-tune compression and rebound damping. Whether we’re setting up for a smooth ride on the street or dialing in for sharper cornering at an autocross, the Viking shocks and coilovers provide adjustability that the stock suspension can’t offer.
“With larger wheels and modern tires, more spring rate will be desired, which will then necessitate more shock damping,” Canny added. “The increased adjustability of BMR’s caster/camber plates, in addition to adjustable rear control arms, allows for a greater range of alignment adjustment, which really helps to take advantage of everything the car has to offer.”
Supporting the coilovers are BMR’s caster/camber plates (P/N WAK731), which replace the flimsy stamped-steel factory mounts. These plates allow us to dial in alignment settings that improve turn-in and high-speed stability. For a car with wider tires and a lot more power, that adjustability is key to keeping everything pointed straight.
Out back, we opted for BMR’s lowering springs (P/N SP029) with a 1-inch drop and a 235-pound rate. They strike a balance between comfort and performance, and with the convertible chassis, we wanted to avoid anything too stiff that might rattle teeth on the street. Pairing them with BMR upper (P/N UTCA014) and lower (P/N TCA051) control arms locks in geometry and replaces the old rubber bushings with modern designs that reduce deflection without adding noise or harshness.
Completing The System
Suspension isn’t just about springs and arms. Small details make a big difference as well. To control unwanted steering deflection, we installed BMR’s bumpsteer kit, which corrects steering geometry after lowering. That means no darting or twitchiness when hitting bumps mid-corner, which is a huge improvement over the vague factory setup.
We also added sway bars to reduce body roll. Combined with the coilovers and control arms, they transform the car’s feel from a wallowing cruiser to a confident corner-carver. Under hard braking, the A-arm support brace (P/N CRB740) stiffens the front crossmember, reducing flex and improving stability.
And because safety matters, especially with our planned 650 horsepower on tap, we rounded out the chassis upgrades with a driveshaft safety loop (P/N DSL008). Required by most drag strips once you’re making serious power, it’s a small investment that could save the car (and driver) if a driveshaft failure ever occurs.
With the major pieces in place, we bolted on our wheel and tire package, which we’ll cover with our brake upgrades as well. The LMR chrome Pony wheels pay homage to the Mustang’s heritage, but in modern 17×8- and 17×10-inch sizes that fill the wheel wells and accommodate Toyo Proxes R1R tires. The 245/45R17 fronts and 275/40R17 rears give this Fox the kind of grip it never had when it rolled out of Dearborn. With the suspension tuned and the tires mounted, the car looks right and, more importantly, is ready to drive like it should.
On the Road
The true test of suspension upgrades is how the car feels. Even just rolling around the block, the difference was immediate. The car no longer leaned over in the turns. Instead, it responded. Steering input was crisp, body motions were controlled, and the ride quality was firm but not punishing. For a convertible that will see both street cruising and spirited driving, the balance feels great.
From a launch, the reinforced torque boxes and control arms eliminated the rearend hop that used to plague the car. Power gets planted, and with the Toyos clawing at the pavement, the Mustang feels ready to put down the power from the supercharged engine we have in mind. Through corners, the coilovers and sway bars keep body roll in check, while the caster/camber plates let the front end bite harder without pushing wide.
What’s most impressive is how cohesive the package feels. Instead of individual upgrades fighting against old parts, the complete BMR system is synchronized to modernize the car’s driving dynamics. It’s the difference between a collection of bolt-ons and a thoughtfully engineered system. And for a Fox Mustang with this kind of power, it’s exactly what was needed.
Project Fox Dreams is about recreating the Mustang Melissa Lawrence longed for, but with today’s technology and performance. Thanks to BMR’s suspension system, we’ve built a car that doesn’t just look the part but drives like a modern performance machine. With the foundation sorted, this Fox is ready to move to its next era.
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