Epic Build Threads: A Wolf in a Horses Body - 89 Mustang LX

"offroadkarter" (04RauderDTR)
10/28/2013 at 21:51 • Filed to: ford, mustang, 1320, fox body, Epic Build Threads

What do you get when you stuff a blown 427 ford based dart engine into a fox body mustang? A car that runs 8 second quarter mile times on 17" wheels!

(This picture was taken during a Muscle Mustangs & Fast Fords photoshoot after the owner won the NMRA true street class at Maple Grove Raceway in Mohnton PA. He drove 150 miles to the track, kicked everybody's ass, had to dismantle the first place trophy so it would fit in his car, and drove 150 miles back home. If that isn't a "true street" car, I don't know what is.)

I happen to be a part of many car forums around the internet, so I get to read about a lot of build threads that people start to show the progress of what they are currently working on. Every once in a while, you come across that car that is just so out in left field, and so extremely out of the ordinary, you have to ask "is that guy out of his mind?"

If this is what insanity looks like, tell me where to sign. The car we have today is a 1989 Ford Mustang LX. Built on the fox platform which ran from 1979 until 2004 (the platform was called the SN95 from 94-04 but it was still heavily fox based), the fox body mustang has always been a very popular platform for people to build off of. To this day, if you visit any drag strip you will see fox bodies all over tearing it up.

Now sure, seeing a fast mustang is nothing new, I mean they've been racing on the streets, the drag strips, and the road courses for years. (I can hear you yelling all the way from Europe "but Mustangs can't handle!", sssssshhh , yes they can!) But seeing a mustang that looks like your average 13 second bolt on street car, and watching it run with stripped out race cars all while having a full interior is certainly not something you'll find on every street corner.

Now, about the engine that motivates this car. Its a 427 Ford based Dart block with CNC'd TFS-R heads, 1.6 rockers, Hooker 2" primary long tube headers (thats massive, the headers on my marauder are 1 5/8" primaries), and 235lb/hr injectors. The engine breathes through an Edelbrock EFI Spyder Super Victor intake and a 90mm throttle body.

(Dem rockers!)

But it doesn't end there! As I said before, this car also comes with a gear driven Procharger F2. For those of you who don't know much about prochargers, the F2 is one of the baddest blowers they sell. It is capable of !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! Can I remind you that this is a street legal car that has never been towed to the track?

Now I'm sure a few people are scratching their heads heads saying "gear driven supercharger? why?" I'll tell you why. No belt slip! When you are running this large of a blower, which flows enough CFM to suck a newborn baby off the sidewalk and through the grille, the last thing you want is to worry about belt slip.

Now, in order to keep everything under the stock hood and not give away that the car is packing some serious heat, ingenuity was used to tuck a giant radiator into the engine bay.

(Look at the giant BOV's on the left!)

I think he pulled it off, this is what the car looks like all wrapped up and put back together.

Closed

Open

(I bet you didn't even notice the 8.50 cage that this car has, go back and look at the A pillar very close)

Keeping with the street car theme, this car still has a full interior with a 10" sub in the trunk. It weighs in around 3600lbs with the driver.

I know we all like proof, so how about an in car video? See, it really does drive on the street!

At the track

9.34 @ 156.30mph

9.35 @ 153.65

Streetfire.net - 8.87 @ 160.77mph

I hope this can be a lesson to all of you that hit the track, no matter what kind of track it is. Never, ever, underestimate the car next to you. You never know what kind of crazy ass shit they have hiding under the body.

Quick Specs:

1989 Ford Mustang LX

Engine: 427 Dart Block

CnC'd TFS-R heads

Harland Shart Shaft mount 1.6 rockers

EFI Spyder super victor intake with custom intake elbow and 90mm throttlebody

Hooker 2" primary long tube headers

Geardriven Procharger F2

235lb/hr Injectors

Sources:

SVTPerformance - 427ci Gear Driven Procharger Engine Build

SVTPerformance - New Personal Best - 8.87@ 160.77

(I hope this all saves okay, kinja sucks so hard when it comes to posting large threads)

DISCUSSION (23)

vdub_nut: scooter snob > offroadkarter
10/28/2013 at 21:55

Makes me think of this bad boy...

Kinja'd!!!

Also, makes me want one of these sumbitches.... cheap, raw power.

offroadkarter > vdub_nut: scooter snob
10/28/2013 at 21:55

that looks wicked

although I wouldn't second guess that cars capabilities at all lol

vdub_nut: scooter snob > offroadkarter
10/28/2013 at 21:57

They way it's lowered, and the fact that it's a notchback, it almost looks.... too thin? Or is that just me?

More Power!!and also some brakes. > offroadkarter
10/28/2013 at 21:58

This is my favorite build thread.

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthre…

TLDR: LSx 427 powered 6 speed E39 wagon. It is an amazing build, this guy went through every detail, it really is a complete build.

offroadkarter > More Power!!and also some brakes.
10/28/2013 at 22:01

thats the kind of LS swap I can get behind. I think tossing a LSx in a fox body is unoriginal, but putting it in a bmw wagon? shut up and take my money

I told my one friend he should build a turbo LSx for his e23 745i if the turbo m30 straight 6 ever dies.

offroadkarter > vdub_nut: scooter snob
10/28/2013 at 22:02

the widebody and bonkers ass paint job might give a hat tip lol

Busslayer > offroadkarter
10/28/2013 at 22:58

I've been out of the 5.0 world for a few years. I hadn't seen a supercharger mounted that way before. It does seem like a good solution when shooting for max boost. I wondered how he was going to cool it. The radiator is nuts. It pulls off sleeper pretty well. You would never guess 8s. I'd guess low 11s/high 10s.

BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. > offroadkarter
10/28/2013 at 23:18

Anybody seen Frank Grimes?

Someone had better check on him, he may be passed out somewhere over this. :D

offroadkarter > BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast.
10/28/2013 at 23:24

He's not passed out, he's Homer Simpson!

offroadkarter > Busslayer
10/28/2013 at 23:26

with the hood shut it just looks like a clean LX with 5 lug wheels. His motto is "It only looks like a 13 second car!"

SPNKiX > vdub_nut: scooter snob
10/28/2013 at 23:46

LINK.

vdub_nut: scooter snob > SPNKiX
10/28/2013 at 23:48

Say the magic word....

Please

Ok,here ya go

http://www.speedhunters.com/2013/01/rollin…

Paul, Man of Mustangs > offroadkarter
10/29/2013 at 00:01

Did he mention what he did to get it to hook? It's not easy to get that much power to stick.

offroadkarter > Paul, Man of Mustangs
10/29/2013 at 00:18

Yeah, he said "proper throttle modulation", all he has for a suspension is just some UPR stuff....

This car is just unreal in more ways than one.

Paul, Man of Mustangs > offroadkarter
10/29/2013 at 00:28

I've heard that the stock geometry is decent for drag racing, provided you get good, bind-free control arms, but I can't imagine that it's good for those sorts of power levels. That he can get the power to the ground is very impressive.

offroadkarter > Paul, Man of Mustangs
10/29/2013 at 00:30

its such a basic setup from what I've read, his rear end is just 33 spline axles and 5/8" studs, I don't know what he has for a diff. I'm sure he posted it somewhere and I missed it

Bluecold > offroadkarter
10/29/2013 at 08:56

"I can hear you yelling all the way from Europe "but Mustangs can't handle!", sssssshhh , yes they can!"

HAHA SILLY AMERICAN THEY CAN'T. HANDLING DOES NOT EQUAL CORNERING. I'M SHOUTING BECAUSE MAYBE THAT WAY AMERICANS CAN HEAR ME SINCE ALL AMERICANS ARE ALSO SHOUTING ALL THE TIME. ALL. THE. TIME. <— THAT'S WHAT AMERICANS DO TOO THEY LEAVE VERY LONG PAUSES BETWEEN WORDS IN THE HOPE THAT WAY THOSE WORDS ARE PERCEIVED AS MORE VALUABLE. TO CIVILISED EUROPEANS, IT JUST SOUNDS STUPID.

offroadkarter > Bluecold
10/29/2013 at 11:13

Kinja'd!!!

SPNKiX > vdub_nut: scooter snob
10/29/2013 at 13:54

pleases and thank youz!

*I just read the post and holy $hit.

Casper > offroadkarter
11/07/2013 at 13:31

That's cool. I love that he spent time with the packaging and it wasn't just a stick things on the car build.

I hoon, therefore I am > offroadkarter
11/07/2013 at 14:27

Harland Shart Shaft mount 1.6 rockers

I laughed just a bit at this.

offroadkarter > I hoon, therefore I am
11/07/2013 at 14:30

HA! I didn't even realize I did that, but now I'm not changing it

foop > vdub_nut: scooter snob
11/07/2013 at 20:16

That's badass, but at that point it's not even really a mustang, it's closer to a race car with a mustang shaped shell on it.