Fox Mustang Drag Suspension - UPR Management

Horse Sense: Here's a toast to the shops around the country and the owners, technicians, and Mustang enthusiasts who have vision and the wherewithal to build project Mustangs.

As Editor Steve Turner explains in "Recipe or Random" (Bench Racer, July '07, p. 13), planning a Mustang project before getting started is one of the most important things an enthusiast can do-especially for an extensive Fox-Rod deal, similar to Steve's Fox 500 T-top LX full-build.

Naturally, the project's road map should be as thorough as possible and include immdiate alternatives in the event of a problem with the original idea.

Steve's right: Having and sticking to a good plan is one of the keys to building a great 'Stang. Of course, budget is another critical element. Although building a hard-hitting Mustang within the parameters of a logical budget is possible, it's not easy.

The combination of a good plan and parts-selecting/buying savvy makes managing a project's budget less nerve wracking, as we learned after speaking with Mason "Mase" Rowland of B&D Racing in Canoga Park, California. Mase is in the process of revitalizing a horribly neglected '93 Cobra to use on the dragstrip in a project he calls "Project 9s-for-10." Sure, Mase is aware that snakes of this vintage rank high on the collectible list and are appreciated more in their original trim, but that's where Steve's suggestion of making a plan and sticking to it comes into play.

"A lot of people wonder why in the world I'm making this '93 Cobra a drag car," Mase says. "The main reason is because it's mine, and because I know I can do it without going broke in the process. Mustang enthusiasts know B&D Racing for the 'Stangs we develop for street and road courses. There has been word going around that our shop can't build good drag cars. My plan is to show the doubters what we're capable of by building this Cobra to run in the 9s on a total budget of $10,000."

We like seeing projects come together according to plan, especially on the cheap. In the same vein, our own recently completed street/strip coupe showed how expensive the hobby can be. Ten Gs is an aggressive bottom line for Mase's project. Despite our reservations, we're intrigued by the 9s-for-10 idea. We caught up with Mase as he performed the first task of his plan: addressing the Cobra's dilapidated under structure using UPR's complete front and rear drag-race suspension systems.

We would love to detail every step of this clapped-out Mustang's overall resurrection, but we have the Fox 500 and many of our own tech projects that prevent us from focusing solely on this deal. But from time to time, we'll see how things are coming along as Mase gets deeper into creating a budget-built racer, which we hope will ultimately reward him with a 9-second timeslip for his dream and his efforts.