1995 Ford Mustang GT - Spent Revival

With the basics covered, Summit then ramped up the breathing quotient with Trick Flow's Twisted Wedge Street heads, 1.6:1 roller rockers, and Track Heat EFI intake (which required the SN-95 adapter elbow). To provide clearance for Trick Flow's tall valve covers, a 3/8-inch spacer was used. Back on the dyno, this all added up to 275.7 rwhp and 283 lb-ft-the latter down just a fraction from stock, which is expected given a combo that favors midrange and high revs. The total gain of 79 hp over stock really brings the revitalized GT to life as the tach needle swings to the right.

This buildup is similar to the plan plotted out by typical 'Stangbangers every day. That was Summit's idea: to take a bolt-on and beautification approach to transforming a 13-year-old GT into a Pony of pride-all while theoretically still being able to make mortgage or rent payments and have enough coin left over to occasionally fill the tank.

The next stage of project 5.0 Revival recognizes that Mustangs with more than a decade of "experience"-especially those that have been hopped up-likely have internal reciprocating and rotating hardware that is beginning to succumb to the insults of age and an enthusiastic procession of heavy right feet. So, near completion as we write this is Stage Four: Fox Lake Power Products' (www.foxlakeracing.com) buildup of a 347 short-block using Summit's own rotating assembly kit. The top-end hardware remained as listed above, and it resulted in 311.1 hp and 346 lb-ft at the wheels.

It seems almost odd these days to see a large corporation's project based on a '95 GT, but it's refreshing to see a buildup that's such a rational and useful reflection of a typical Mustang enthusiast's reality. We can't all afford six-figure Mustangs. Ask me how I know.