About 10 seconds after discovering Mustangs, the typical enthusiast begins dreaming about turning his car into that one special ride he'd just love to have. It could be anything-a hot street machine, a drag car-who knows? The concept is, our man has an idea of a Mustang he'd like. No doubt you do too.
With that in mind, we'll show you how to draw a Mustang project-car map-or how to get from idea to reality. We'll also look at what's available on the used market as project fodder. While all Mustangs seem alike at first, there are differences. Which Mustang you choose and how you modify it has much to do with whether your idea turns out to be a dream or a nightmare.
Just to make sure no one is missing the obvious, at a bare minimum you must have at least some discretionary income, a few tools, and a place to work on the car. So be realistic-starving college kids sleeping three to a room in a high-rise apartment can't successfully build project cars, and that is simply a fact. But if you are short in one of the must-haves, you can work with trading time and labor for money, or trading parts or services instead of spending cash. Creativity counts.
Plan It
Before anything, you must have a plan. Begin with your idea, your dream. What sort of Mustang are you visualizing? Something shiny and fast? That's not good enough. You need to be more specific or you'll end up wandering into the automotive abyss. To focus your thinking, begin in broad terms and work to specifics. As you progress, write your ideas in your Mustang project notebook. At the least, answer the following questions.
1. Do I want a street car with license plates or a trailered race car?
2. If a street car, will it be a daily driver or a weekend toy?
3. Which is more important, looks or performance?
4. Is fuel economy important?
5. If a race car, what class will I run?
6. If a race car, am I running for a championship or just for fun?
As you answer these questions, your project will gel and take on a specific form. For example, concluding your project car will be trailered everywhere means you can dispense with licensing, emissions, and all creature comforts such as a heater and air conditioning. This also means once you've gone down this path, your Mustang will never be a street car again-and let's hope you have something else to drive to work, a tow vehicle, and a trailer.
Answering these questions should also unveil your priorities. Remember those priorities when standing at the parts counter and temptation rises. Does this part put you closer to your goal? If not, pass it by-if yes, get it even if you have to stretch a bit.
Of questions one through six, all are self-explanatory and should jumpstart your thinking process-all but number four, that is. Is fuel economy important to you? Something of a trick question, it's there to stumble daydreamers who think they want a race car on the street. We've found that asking about fuel economy is a good way for a smart Id to take an overactive Ego by surprise. If you're really interested in racing, fuel economy is a laughable concept. That little bit you spend on fuel is nothing compared to campaigning a race car. And a "yes" answer to the fuel question absolutely means you have a street car and need to stick strictly with street-type modifications. Don't delude yourself, or you'll end up spending a ton of money on a car you really won't like-at least not after the first couple of weeks.
To speed our necessarily brief overview along, and to help you place your car in a handy, easy-to-recall category, allow us to introduce some common categories for project cars. They are:
* Drag car
* Open track/ slalom/road race
* Daily driver
* Street machine