Words & Photos: Tommy Parry
When this build started, it was intended to be a casual cruiser. However, that wasn’t what fate intended for this ‘93 LX. With a tuned motor as a selling point, Josh grabbed the Ford for peanuts, fixed up the faulty clutch and decided that he’d turn it into a Pro Touring Mustang instead.
The motor was suitably tuned, but not wild by any stretch. Included in the short list of upgrades were: a bored .030 stock block, DSS rotating assembly, Edelbrock heads, Anderson cam and an Edelbrock intake. The sound and the power were right, but when going through the car after bringing it home, Josh found one of the spark plugs sticking proudly out of the head.
That prompted him to pull the heads entirely and send them off to his friend for some cleanup and a little peace of mind. Around the time his heads returned, Josh found a clutch on his doorstep. Things were looking up – momentarily.
When Josh drained the transmission fluid, he found some unsettling chunks floating in his drain can, and realized he was in need of a new T5. Gearboxes like that weren’t too pricey in his neck of the woods, but he chanced it until he could find a replacement. Thankfully, nothing blew on his way to the shop.
Up on lifts, he and his friends installed a set of Fox monotube shocks with his own homemade billet mounts in front. Not only did the name fit, but for an autocross, this is precisely where the big bucks ought to be spent.
At the rear, they employed their own custom shock bracket to help push out the shock for added clearance for the Shockwave suspension and coil springs. It utilizes the factory upper mounts with new, delrin bushings that make the ride a lot more comfortable and much quieter. Finally, he converted the car to a five-lug setup and installed a set of 18” Racestar wheels, the fronts measuring 18×9” with 255/35-18s and the rears 18×10” with 275/35-18s. At this point, Josh took the opportunity to disassemble the rear end and add a 31-spline setup with 3.73 gears between the sizeable Racestars.
Once the McLeod clutch was installed, he started thinking about a replacement for the smoking powerplant. With his own homebuilt 331 sitting in his shop, he determined that with the addition of AFR 195cc Competition Series heads, a Comp Cams XE282HR and a Trickflow Type R, he’d have enough grunt to keep him entertained.
With a UPR K-member and the Stiffler’s crossmember mounting up cleanly, he could install his new mill without worry. Some Scott Rod engine panels spruced up the bay and gave him some natural lighting when the power went out. Once he’d sorted out some wiring issues, bolted on a pair of BBK longtubes and a Mac catback, she turned over easily. The sound was mesmerizing.
Josh then scrapped most of the interior in anticipation for the Wolfe Racecraft rollcage. While at it, he laid down some sound deadening, fabbed up a rear seat delete and tidied up some of the wiring under the dash so he could relocate the Dakota Digital ECU another time.
As on a typical Fox Body, his frame rails/pinch welds had been used as jacking points in the past, which made – sigh – more work for him. After bending the pinch welds back into place, he was able to get everything tacked into place and welded on. Having the rollcage not only made the machine safer, but increased the chassis rigidity immensely, and as this was set to conquer the autocross, that’s a good thing!
To add a little more motorsport feel inside, Josh ordered a flat-bottomed Sparco head with the Ford Racing inscription in the middle. A set of Corbeau buckets, thin carpets and a custom shift boot, and the racing cabin was complete.
With a fresh coat of black paint, a new set of wheels, a few new cooling parts, a Cervini 2.5” cowled hood and a wax n’ shine, he was ready to get it dirty all over again on the autocross.
