Inside, we replaced the factory...
Inside, we replaced the factory armrest with this delete kit from Latemodel Restoration Supply.
For the last pass, we set the tires to 12 psi on the left and 11 psi on the right because the car was body rolling with no antiroll bar. I white-smoked the tires to get them good and hot and tried to leave at 5,000 rpm, but I got a little anxious (no two-step) and actually launched at 5,200 rpm. The car dead-hooked to a new best: a 1.69 60-foot time. It pulled hard while I power-shifted as if my life depended on it. The timing board lit up with a 12.91 at 103.70-success.
We're not the first group to put a stock-motored 5.0 Mustang in the 12s and we won't be the last, but that's not the point of this exercise. The project serves as a reminder of what the 5.0 craze is all about. These cars have so much potential. They're fairly quick in stock form and they respond well to minor modifications. This excellent bang-for-the-buck factor is what fuels the Fox rod movement. People like us, who can't afford a new Mustang, can still go out there, pick up a clean Fox for next to nothing, fix it up however we want, then go out and have a blast with it. The possibilities are almost endless.
We don't know what the future holds for this particular car, but I hope it involves boost, 'cause "10-second stocker" has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?
The factory cassette player...
The factory cassette player was a bit dated, so we replaced it with a JVC CD/DVD player from Xtreme Audio. The mounting kit provided the perfect location for the electric fan's toggle switch and LED indicator lamp. Those parts weren't included in the fan kit.
For entertainment purposes,...
For entertainment purposes, we photographed everything that was removed from the car. All of these parts were either removed completely or replaced with lighter components.
With the installation complete,...
With the installation complete, we headed to the track for some testing. Here we are in the staging lanes at London Dragway in London, Kentucky. The result of our initial testing was a 13.29 at 103.2 and some destroyed control arm bushings.
With the installation complete,...
With the installation complete, we headed to the track for some testing. Here we are in the staging lanes at London Dragway in London, Kentucky. The result of our initial testing was a 13.29 at 103.2 and some destroyed control arm bushings.
The UPR Pro Series arms are...
The UPR Pro Series arms are great-looking pieces. They feature spherical bearings in the front and solid aluminum bushings in the rear. Installation was a breeze, and the car was ready for a second shot at shattering the 12-second barrier.
A last-minute decision was...
A last-minute decision was made to install the MAC Air Chamber system before we returned to the dragstrip. In similar weather conditions to our previous outing, our trap speeds increased an average of 0.5 mph, which suggests that the new cold-air/mass air system was doing its job.