While possessing monster power...
While possessing monster power potential thanks to the twice-boosted 5.0-liter DOHC mill, the engine compartment is finished with a show-car eye for detail. Bill is quick to credit Stan Chorney for a variety of billet trim, and John Dewar at Performance Systems NW for assembly and tuning of the underhood masterpiece. Dewar deviated somewhat from the standard HPP twin-turbo system, employing twin Tial wastegates and blowoff valves, and fabricating most of the cold side himself.
The FR500 theme started with cylinder heads that Bill had installed on his '98, and it became the overall emphasis due to the owner's infatuation with Ford Racing's '99 prototypes. Granted, with the original FR500 being a New Edge model, the idea wasn't to actually replicate the original, but be inspired by it. That inspiration spread from the heads to encompass 5.0 liters of displacement, widened FR500 replica wheels, and the aforementioned body mods. Also of note are the front fascia and hood, obsolete Kenne Bell parts which really look the FR500 part. Decidedly non-FR500 is the twin-turbo powerplant-well, the displacement and the FR500 Four-Valve heads are the same, but not much else.
The original FR500 used a normally aspirated 5.0-liter DOHC, featuring a big-bore aluminum block that would later become available from FRPP. However, the FR500's 415 hp didn't suffice for Bill's goals of 9-second e.t./150-mph trap speed/200-mph top speed. Indeed, it was impossible to achieve such parameters and any degree of civility without a power adder, and in this case, there are two. He turned to HPP Racing in Dallas, Texas, for one of its twin-turbo systems, employing a pair of 61mm Precision T4 hairdryers, a custom intercooler, headers, 3-inch downpipes, and much more. HPP says its system has made over 1,000 hp on a basically stock '03 Cobra, lending credence to Bill's overall goals.
Modular Mustang Racing was tapped to build the engine that would receive up to 28 pounds of boost-in this case, one of its Street Mod 950s, which uses a Terminator iron-block and forged stroker crank to achieve a mythic 5.0 liters of displacement. MMR also massaged the already impressive FR500 cylinder heads and topped it all with a single-plane Sullivan intake. Backing the whole affair is an MMR-modified TKO 600 five-speed, what the company calls its "Pro Trans 900" in deference to its suitability for up to 900-horse combinations.
As described, it's obvious that Bill's '94 will be capable of some pretty impressive feats once dialed in and ready to rock. The ambitious project is on the home stretch, and if it comes up short of his dream goals, it likely won't be by much. Either way, this is automotive nirvana for Bill-a combination of individuality, muscular good looks, and street performance with few equals.
Hey, if you're going to be a dreamer, dream big!
1994 GT
5.0 Tech Specs
Engine and Drivetrain
Block Iron '03 Cobra
Crankshaft MMR 3.75-inch forged
Rods Manley H-beam
Pistons Manley forged
Camshafts Custom MMR Stage II turbo grind
Oil Pan MMR 7-quart street/strip
Power Adder HPP twin-turbo system w/FJO methanol injection
Cylinder Heads FR500, Stage II MMR ported
Intake Manifold Sullivan
Throttle Body Wilson 90mm
Fuel System Summit fuel cell, Aeromotive pump and regulator, Precision Turbo 95-lb/hr injectors, -10/-8 braided lines, Sullivan fuel rails
Exhaust HPP headers, custom 3-inch X-pipe, Spintech muffs, 3-inch tailpipes by Custom Exhaust Specialties
Transmission MMR Pro Trans 900 five-speed, MMR twin-disc clutch, Lakewood bellhousing, Steeda shifter
Rearend Modified 8.8 w/9-inch ends, 3.27 gears, Strange 33-spline axles, Strange posi
Electronics
Engine Management Big Stuff 3, tuned by Jon Dewar
Chassis and Suspension
Front Suspension
K-member Tubular QA1
Control Arms Tubular QA1
Struts Koni DA coilovers
Springs Maximum Motorsports
Caster/Camber Maximum Motorsports
Swaybar Steeda
Brakes Wilwood six-piston, 14-inch
Wheels FR500 replica, 18x9-inch
Tires BFG 275/35ZR-18
Rear Suspension
Springs Strange
Control Arms Team Z
Torque Arm Maximum Motorsports Watt's Link FAYS2
Brakes Wilwood four-piston, 12-inch
Wheels FR500 replica, widened to 18x12-inch by Weldcraft Wheels
Tires BFG 345/30R-18 drag radial