Take a glance at Bill Kaiser's '89 notchback and you'll notice the car has a different look than many that make it to the pages of this magazine. It's a businesslike appearance that stems from a single purpose in life-fast lapping at various California road-race venues.
Building the Mustang for open-track work was a natural for Bill, who until recently operated one of Central Cal's larger Ford performance shops-Apex Motorsports in Santa Clara. While the '89 wasn't exactly intended to be a rolling company billboard, the business connection was there for anyone who cared to connect the dots.
Compared to your average dual-purpose street/track car, Bill's LX inherently displays less flash and more dash, but the latter isn't a result of making stratospheric horsepower. Bill clearly knows the importance of tackling the likes of Laguna Seca, Buttonwillow, or Thunderhill with a balanced approach, where reliability, handling, and braking capabilities are held in higher esteem than pure grunt. That's not to imply the current 351ci powerplant from Riedy's Racing Engines is a 90-pound weakling. To the contrary, the Sportsman-block- based engine makes more than 400 rear-wheel horses and is filled with the good stuff that makes extended track sessions no sweat. Beyond the tough-as-nails short-block, you'll find a 650 Holley riding atop an Edelbrock Victor Jr. intake, ported Twisted Wedge heads from Engine Systems, and Pro-Mustang 171/48-inch long-tubes to name just a few of the contributors.
Behind the tall-deck Windsor sits a Tremec T56, with quick shifts aided by a Pro-5.0 shifter and a dual-Kevlar clutch assembly. Further arrear is a modified 8.8 featuring 9-inch, big-bearing ends; 3.55 gears; a Gold Track dif; and Moser axles. Power gets to the ground via 17x12-inch CCW alloys and BFGoodrich R1s, while all 2,830 pounds of this competitive Fox notch is slowed by Baer brakes with SN-95 spindles and hubs, and Hawk blue pads.
In a classic case of reverse engineering, Bill told us he bought the massive rims from Complete Custom Wheel before he had entirely figured out how to make them fit. Remember, that in this last of the '80s Mustangs, the biggest wheel Ford fitted to its illustrious Pony measured a minimal 15x7 inches, so with the CCWs close to twice as wide as Ford's intent, something had to give. The solution was found at Maier Racing, where the company's fiberglass front fenders and rear flares have a larger radius than stock and add 3 inches more coverage for ultra-wide rolling stock. Now Bill's Mustang gives up nothing compared to the brand-X open-trackers it may encounter, which traditionally had a distinct edge where the rubber met the road.
With the desire to tear up local road courses, Bill turned to his near neighbors at Griggs Racing for a suspension that could make it happen. The list of components reads like a Griggs catalog, with a tubular K-member and adjustable severe duty control arms up front, complemented by a severe-duty torque arm, a Panhard bar, and lower control arms out back. Koni double-adjustables and Griggs coilovers are present at all corners, while the suspension benefits from the consistent stiffness of a unibody modified by Griggs' full-frame kit and a rollcage by Racecar Research.
Bill reports the stellar suspension and considerable rubber contribute to higher performance limits than his current confidence allows, so it seems there's plenty of car left to grow into. In the meantime, Bill takes in open-track events with NASA, Green Flag, and the Norcal Shelby club at a half dozen a year clip. Who knows? By the time he adjusts to the highly capable chassis, we imagine there could be more to be had under the hood. Then there's always more brakes and.
In short, Bill's '89 would appear to be a business venture that will keep him entertained for years to come, and in the end, isn't entertainment what fast cars are really all about?