The exterior of Jay's coupe...
The exterior of Jay's coupe is different in the fact that it's Calypso Green. The color alone makes Jay's coupe pretty rare. With its Weld Racing Draglite big 'n' littles and Cervini's Auto Designs 4-inch cowl hood, it looks downright wicked. Other than that, there's nothing to see here.
One thing we've learned in this game is that every Mustang is for sale. You may not be driving with "For Sale" signs taped to every window of your Mustang, and even if someone was to walk up and ask how much you want for your Mustang, you wouldn't have a clear answer. As a matter of fact, it would probably take a few minutes to come up with a dollar amount. However, everything has a price, and especially in this day and age, money talks.
Take Jay Willey from Dundalk, Maryland, for example. There's a front- and back-side story to Jay's coupe, so stay with us.
Jay first saw this car while driving home one afternoon. "I followed the car into a gas station," Jay says. "[I] pulled beside the owner and asked if he wanted to sell the car." As Jay puts it, an older gentleman owned the car, and he was used to getting that question. "I get that a lot," said the gentleman. "But I don't really wanna sell it." However, the man gave Jay his number and said to call him in a few weeks if he was still interested in the car. Sure enough, Jay was still interested three weeks later, so he called back, only to find out the owner's in the hospital and not doing well. The owner's wife says the car is for sale for $4,500, and Jay wastes no time in picking it. That was January 12, 2004.
"Since that day the car has been a big part of my life because I'm always doing something to it," Jay says. At the time of purchase, the coupe boasted a Ford Racing Performance Parts E-cam, high-flow catalytic converters, and 3.55 gears. Since then, the little 5.0 gave way to an A.H.M. Performance-built 408ci Windsor backed by a Tremec TKO 600. All the while, Jay made sure to not butcher the car in the process. As a matter of fact, Jay says the 8.8 rear, K-member, A-arms, and subframe connectors were all powdercoated black. He also hid all the wiring in the fenderwells. From humble beginnings, Jay has taken this coupe into the mid-10s on pump gas, but it's equally at home in a car show.
Remember us talking about every Mustang having its price? It seems Jay wanted to go in a different Mustang direction and try an '03-'04 Cobra. He ran across a screaming deal on a Terminator and was ready to pull the trigger, but the coupe needed to be off-loaded in order to make the deal happen. Your author heard from two friends looking to possibly purchase Jay's coupe. First was Tommy Newcombe from New York looking to replace his totaled Fox coupe. Tommy decided to go with a different Mustang since all he really needed was a roller.
The next Mustang freak I talked to about Jay's coupe was Michael 'Geezer' Kangiser out of Acworth, Georgia. Geezer had recently sold his Fox GT and a Z06 so he needed a new toy. Geezer couldn't make up his mind since he was looking at several Mustangs at the same time. In the meantime, unfortunately, the Cobra Jay was looking at sold. For that reason, Jay decided to hold on to the coupe. Even after Jay told me he was going to keep the car, Geezer called me wanting some input. Having seen Jay's coupe in person and not the other cars Geezer was looking at, I could only give him firsthand information on Jay's car.
What's more, the other cars Geezer was looking at bordered on street-tire-wearing race cars-something he didn't need at all. Having been in this Mustang game for several years, I told Geezer Jay's car was perfect for him because it was a car he could buy and drive right now. His former GT was way over the top and not practical on a daily basis. However, Jay's coupe was a car Geezer could jump in and ride out.
Well, Geezer took our advice, and the car left Jay's possession just as he came into owning it. The previous owner didn't really want to sell the car, and the same was true for Jay. The power of the almighty dollar was too much to turn down, so Geezer is the current owner of this Calypso coupe, and Jay is picking up the pieces looking for another Fox.
The underhood area of Jay's...
The underhood area of Jay's coupe is just as understated as the car's exterior. Not much to look at or get overly excited about; just a carbureted small-block. That is, until you find out that small-block is 408 ci of Windsor power, capable of making 536 rwhp and 520 lb-ft of torque, and propelling the coupe to a best of 10.45/131-mph pass at Cecil County Dragway. A.H.M. Performance out of Baltimore, Maryland, built the 408 using a Lightning 351 block, a Scat stroker crankshaft, Eagle connecting rods, and Keith Black forged pistons. Up top resides a pair of Edelbrock Victor Jr. heads with matching intake, and an old Barry Grant 750-cfm carburetor. Relying on nothing but cubic inches, Jay rows a Tremec TKO 600 with a SPEC clutch, and a Pro-5.0 shifter to get the job done
As for Geezer being able to hop right in and go, that hasn't exactly been the case. First off, Geezer is 6-foot, 3-inches, while Jay isn't quite that tall. Well, Jay had installed a Maximum Motorsports rollcage, but one of the bars ran right behind the front seats, keeping Geezer from fitting in the car.
Of course, Geezer can't leave anything alone. Not only is the cage coming out, but Geezer's friend Jason Duggar already has the car all apart. The engine and transmission is out, and the entire front of the car is off. Parts are now all over Atlanta being polished or coated, and boxes of other stuff have been coming in daily containing parts: double-adjustable upper control arms, an antiroll bar, a seat extender, gauges and gauge cages, an alternator, a fan and radiator, back tires, door lock motors, a switch plate for the ashtray, and a nitrous plate kit, just to mention a few.
So much for driving it right now.
5.0 Tech Specs
Engine and Drivetrain
Block
Lightning 351
Displacement
408ci
Crankshaft
Scat
Rods
Eagle I-beam
Pistons
Keith Black forged, Clevite piston ringsCamshaft
Custom grind
Cylinder Heads
Edelbrock Victor Jr., 2.05/1.60 valves, 1.6-ratio roller rockers, Anderson Ford Motorsport Hi-Rev valvesprings
Intake Manifold
Edelbrock Victor Jr.
Carburetor
Barry Grant Demon 750-cfm
Power Adder
No replacement for displacement, babyFuel System
Holley Black fuel pump, 1/2-inch braided fuel lines, sumped fuel tank, Mallory fuel pressure regulator
Exhaust
MAC 13/4-inch long-tube headers, ProChamber H-pipe, and Pro Dump mufflers
Transmission
Tremec TKO 600, SPEC clutch, Pro-5.0 shifter, Ford Racing Performance Parts aluminum driveshaftRearend
8.8, Moser 31-spline axles w/C-clip eliminators, Eaton Posi differential, 4.10 gears
Electronics
Engine Management
In the trash
Ignition
MSD 6AL with Blaster coil, FRPP spark plug wires, Autolite spark plugs
Gauges
Stock, Auto Meter
1993 Fox Coupe Most Calypso...
1993 Fox Coupe
Most Calypso cars we see have a Titanium interior, but Jay's coupe is one of the rare birds featuring our favorite black hides. Knowing the rarity of the combination, Jay kept it tidy and business-like inside. Necessary gauges include an Auto Meter EGT gauge, oil pressure, water temperature, and a Monster tach. No word on if the air freshener is good for a tenth like a 5.0&SF license plate, though.
Chassis and Suspension
Front Suspension
K-member
QA1 tubular
Springs
QA1 tubular
Struts
Lakewood 90/10
Caster/Camber
Hotchkis
Brakes
Stock, slotted rotors
Wheels
Weld Draglite 15x31/2-inch
Tires
Metric 165R15
Rear Suspension
Springs
Eibach Drag Launch with airbag in right rear spring
Shocks
Lakewood 50/50
Control Arms
HP Motorsport Mega-Byte upper and lower
Brakes
Stock
Wheels
Weld Racing Draglite 15x10
Tires
Mickey Thompson E/T Drag 28x10.5
Chassis Stiffening
Maximum Motorsport six-point rollcage with swing-out door bars, Wild Rides Battle Boxes, Kenny Brown Performance subframe connectors