Some of my cars:
Current project car, 1989 Mustang LX
83 GT with small block
- SVO block
- early C3 heads ported by Jon Kaase
- Jack Roush intake
- Titanium valves
- 0ver .75 inch lift roller
- Dry sump
- Wide power band
- 8800 RPM shift
- Ran 8's with Lenco transmission, 9's at 146 MPH with C6 automatic
Early Mustang
I went through an early Mustang craze also. I rebuilt two 1966 Mustang coupes from body shell up.
Midnight blue K code 1966 GT with front factory disc brakes, fast steering, 9 inch 4.11 locker, 4-speed. Blue interior, no extra features other than GT, optional 4.11 locker, and 271 HP engine package. With the factory K-code motor it the car ran 15's in the 1/4 mile. This was typical of K code cars, they are not as fast as people remember. I built a late model HO motor up with a mechanical roller cam and World Products heads, and ran low 12's with the same car.
Tahoe Turquoise 66 coupe with factory wire wheel hubcaps. This car had more features including an 8 track player, console, automatic, and air.
1969 S/C Rambler
I set the D/S AHRA record in my 1969 S/C Rambler at 12.54 seconds. This was on wide oval tires through factory Thrush mufflers. American Motors helped me with a special factory cast iron intake manifold, legal head modifications, and other parts. The factory 315 horsepower rated 390 AMC engine (which is nothing at all like a Ford 390) made the light Rambler Rogue coupe run with 427 Vets and other cars. The primary limitation was traction, but oversized red line radial tires with soft compound, six cylinder front springs with 90/10 shocks, and a 4.44 rear end gear helped get the Rambler out of the hole in stock classes.
I was going to purchase a Z-28 Camero, but on the way I had to take my mother-in-law to the Rambler dealer to pick up her 1968 Rambler. I saw what had to be a hideous-looking red, white, and blue car with blue magnum 500 wheels on it. It was all stripped out. You could not even get a radio in the car, but it came with traction links to prevent wheel hop, posi-traction Dana rear end, good clutch, cold air induction and scoop, and a Hurst T-handle shifter. I was looking at it grinning when a salesman approached me and started talking about it. He said it was faster than Road Runners, Mach I Mustangs, and most Corvettes. I laughed, and he tossed me the keys.
I took the car off the lot on a four lane road (Monroe Street) in Toledo, Ohio. I gave it a little gas in first gear, and the tires started to sing. I shifted into second and with a slight push on the gas the tires squealed again. This was odd, because I just drove a Z-28 Camero and it didn't push me back in the seat at all like the Rambler. The Camero really didn't do anything at all unless the RPM was up and I popped the clutch.
Safely away from the dealership, I turned right onto another 4 lane that cars cruised. A 440 cu in GTX got next to me at a light, and the little Rambler just pulled right away from him. It would lay down two black stripes all the way through third gear, and still set me back in the seat in fourth. Needless to say I bought the S/C Rambler.
The fastest ET for that car was in the high 10's, with a large Crane cam, open headers, ported cast iron heads, and aluminum intake. The car could easily pull the front wheels when shifted into second gear with 10-inch wide by 28 inch tall Goodyear slicks. The torque actually twisted the car body, causing poor rear-window fit!
More later......