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By Tommy Parry
Five years ago, Kris began putting together a car which would be both civilized enough for comfortable cruises, but focused enough for occasional backroad blasts. He had his concerns about this aging ‘68 Mustang; it didn’t drive perfectly straight—but that didn’t prevent him from trying to retrofit it and make it outhandle his daily driver.
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This Mustang began this latest chapter of its life in decent cosmetic shape. Its Meadowlark Yellow exterior was almost pristine—save for a bees hive in the door, three bullet holes in the driver’s door, and three ricochets on the pass quarter/roof. He’d later find some pinholing in the floors, but aside from that, it was fine.
The first modifications were Baer SS4 fronts and TCP front spindles. Then, after some scouring through Craigslist, he came upon a 95 GT Traction-Lock 8.8 offered for a few hundred. After removing the brackets to get the rear end ready for the driveline shop, he discovered that the inner pinion bearing had been mangled at some point in the past, and that that had roughed up the housing. Fearing issues down the road, he opted to replace the housing with another one.
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Then came a set of Bilstein shocks and Maier’s MOD springs, as well as Maier’s panhard bar. It’s an effective combination of pieces which provide more than enough handling for most people.
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Then came time to start putting the powerplant together. To the 408ci Windsor he added AFR 195 heads, a Terminator EFI kit, an RPM forged stroker crank, COMP rockers, ARP head studs, a Howards hydraulic roller cam, JBA stainless ceramic coated long tube headers, Black Widow mufflers, an Edelbrock Victor Jr. intake, an Aviaid oil pan. It’s enough for a healthy 450 horsepower and 500 lb/ft. Thanks to a T-56 gearbox, Tilton hydraulic throwout bearing, Ron Morris crossmember, and a McCleod clutch, the powerplant does have decent manners.
With the engine sorted out, Kris sourced a pair of second-hand Corbeaus to support him with the cornering forces the car was now capable of. The Sparco wheel wouldn’t necessarily add to speed, but it would add to a sense of occasion during his canyon romps.
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The Borgeson steering box and Ridetech swaybars gave Kris much more in terms of roadholding, but they also illuminated some of the issues in the chassis. His hunch was that it’d been hit at some point. After a trip to Al’s Unibody, he learned it’d been bashed in the rear and both rear quarters had minor buckles. After some smoothing, and a new set of floors, he was in a good position to begin reinforcing the frame, and he started that phase with Detroit Speed Engineering’s subframe connectors.
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It might be a little rough around the edges at the moment, but Kris is content with that. He seeks to refine the handling first, let the performance come, and if time and budget allow for it, eventually get her turning heads. Even as it currently rolls, it gets quite a bit of attention.
Kris realizes rigidity is a must if he wants modern roadholding. The chassis and brake modifications to come are significant, and they should show an aspiring builder how to give a muscle car incisive handling on a reasonable budget. To keep tabs on the progression of this sensible build, you can read the thread here.
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