Displaying a top-notch interior is just one part of putting yourself in place to take home a show trophy. The interior of Tom's LX doesn't disappoint either. Corbeau seats, Saleen white-face gauges, and a Kenny Brown Street Cage are just a few of the interior highlights, while a Hurst shifter protrudes from the stock T5 transmission.
But the biggest performance change came in the form of a Vortech S-Trim supercharger. With an eight-rib, 3.33-inch pulley, the S-Trim has been good for 10 pounds of boost. An inexperienced drag racer, Tom has raced the car only once since installing the blower, which was good for a 13.0 at 116 mph on street tires. Once things are broken in more, he's going to give the dragstrip another crack, gain more experience, and lower that time.
The underhood area of Tom's LX screams show car, but his goal has always been to build a car that could hold its own at the track, rip up the streets, and still be able to bring home a few trophies. "So far, so good," Tom says.
Though he would love to add Baer brakes to the car, modifications are currently at a stopping point-at least according to Tom's main sponsor, Holly, his wife. Holly is also sister to the aforementioned Fred Peters. Tom met Holly shortly after joining the Mustang club. They began dating in 1996 and have been married more than four years. Obviously, Ford performance brought them together, so it should be no surprise to hear they have a slew of Ford products at the house. Holly has a 2000 Lightning, while Tom's daily driver is a '98 SVT Contour. "I think it's safe to say," Tom says, "that if I hadn't bought that shiny new Mustang, my wife and I probably never would've met."
Oh, come on, Holly. After hearing Tom say that, how could you deny the boy those beloved Baer brakes?
5.0 Tech Specs
| ENGINE AND DRIVETRAIN |
| Block | Stock |
| Cylinder Heads | Trick Flow Twisted Wedge, FRPP roller rockers |
| Intake Manifold | GT-40, ported lower |
| Camshaft | Crower 15511 |
| Power Adder | Vortech S-Trim, Anderson Ford Motorsport Power Pipe |
| Exhaust | BBK long-tube headers (Jet Hot-coated), Dr. Gas X-pipe, DynoMax mufflers with turndowns |
| Fuel Pump | 190-lph in-tank, T-Rex inline |
| Fuel Injectors | FRPP 30 lb/hr |
| Transmission | T5, Zoom Kevlar clutch, Hurst shifter |
| Rearend | Stock 8.8, 3.55 gears |
| ELECTRONICS |
| Engine Management | Stock |
| Ignition | Stock, Screamin' Demon coil,Live Wires plug wires |
| Gauges | Saleen |
| SUSPENSION AND CHASSIS |
| Springs | FRPP C-springs |
| Struts/Shocks | Koni Reds |
| Rear Suspension | Steeda lower control arms, polyurethane bushings |
| Wheels | AFS chrome Cobra R |
| Tires | Nitto NT555 |
| Brakes | Stock, Hawk pads |