Words: Tommy Parry
While resigned to taking his time with this build, Nelson had confidence in his education and abilities and was sure he could turn this once rusted bucket of a Mustang into a respectable autocrosser - one that he can thrash on at the track, but also drive around town. It's a common formula, but this one has a caveat.
“The aim for the build is to improve the car's driving capability while leaving it looking like an ugly turd,” says Nelson. “The term I heard used at a show is a ‘Triple Threat’ build, which includes Autocross, Track Days and Drag Racing. I want the car to be good at these, but it also needs to be a good street car, so the A/C and creature comforts are staying,” he adds.
However, taking this 1984 Mustang GT from its sad state and turning it into something respectable was quite a tall order. One of his dad’s friends bought this car back in 1986, when it only had about 20,000 miles on the clock. He was in school at the time, and he drove it for the next nine years, putting in about 100,000 miles. In 1995 or 1996, he stopped driving the car because it was difficult and expensive to find tires for it, so he parked the car and got something else to replace it. The car then proceeded to sit outside for the next 21 years in the Arizona sun, and the results are predictable.
Fortunately the rust was only skin deep. The body was straight aside from the usual dents & dings from the years; the floors were rust-free. It was only cosmetic damage masking a functional Ford. After Nelson offered a grand for this unsightly car, he was handed the keys to his new project, dubbed “The Rustang.”
The start was auspicious, but not completely trouble-free. When he had made sure the Mustang was full of oil, he poured some gas in the carb and filled the radiator with water. After 20 years of sitting, the car fired up without so much as a hiccup, but Nelson's elation quickly faded.
He glimpsed a puddle of water forming under the car, and the squealing sound started under the hood. The puddle under the car was caused by the steel freeze plugs, which had rusted until they were paper thin. Upon closer inspection, Nelson found the reason for the squealing: the belt on the water pump pulley. The pump would not turn.
Nevertheless, this short hurdle hadn’t dampened his spirits. He knew the motor would have to come out to replace those freeze plugs. However, he’d planned to clean the cobwebbed and crusty engine anyways.
Once Nelson had pulled the motor, he decided to inspect everything and add some new gaskets just to be safe — it had sat for more than two decades, after all. Everything on the top end looked impressive for having so many miles. However, he was a little worried about the amount of junk in the thermostat opening.
Without the cooling system drained, the coolant had caused quite a lot of corrosion over the previous 21 years, which had effectively cemented the timing cover on. After four long hours of torching, hammering, swearing and vise gripping, Nelson was able to pull the timing cover off. Funnily enough, once the cover was off, the bolts turned out by hand — they were seized in place by the bolts rusting in the housing and expanding.
Diving deeper into the motor, he was relieved to see the heads were in fine shape. The same couldn’t be said about the crank and pistons, and after witnessing the scoured bearings, he committed himself to getting the block machined and doing some rebuilding.
However, Nelson is a practical man, and after receiving a hefty quote from a local machine shop, he searched around for an alternative. Soon, he’d found a new motor for less than it would have cost to machine his current engine.
This particular motor — from an ‘87 Mustang — has the stronger block casting, roller cam provisions and came with forged pistons from the factory! With the addition of a bargain Trick Flow Stage II cam, a Comp double roller timing set and some ARP rod bolts, he’d assembled an impressive short block for peanuts.
The heads on the ‘87 motor needed help too — so he took the cost-effective route of adding GT40P heads from a mid-1990s Explorer. While they doesn't sound like much, they are actually the best flowing small block Ford heads to ever leave the factory aside from the Boss 302 Cleveland heads. Once he’d pulled the valves and cleaned off the carbon, he added a new spring package, added Viton seals, ARP studs, AFR guide plates and Felpro gaskets.
With a set of Ford Motorsport shorty headers, a Weiand Stealth intake, Comp roller rockers, a Holley 600 carburetor and tall valve covers, his powerplant was buttoned, potent and complete.
To harness the newfound power, Nelson added an 8.8” rear with 3.27 gears and a posi. With a set of cheap, 16” Pony wheels and the cheapest tires he could find, he still snagged a 14.3 at 103 miles an hour. Not too bad for a car that hadn’t run in some 20 years.
Next came the suspension improvements, with the complete footwork from a ‘95 Cobra, including 13” dual piston front brakes, 12” rear brakes, a quick ratio steering rack and larger sway bars.
At each corner, he added a set of tasty ‘95 Cobra R replica wheels, measuring 17" x 9" in the front and 17" x 10.5" in the rear. Currently the car is in the garage having the suspension installed, and it will hopefully be back on the road in a few months. Nelson still has a long way to go, but based the attention to detail and the mechanical savviness he possesses bode well for this car’s future. To follow Nelson’s build, you can see his thread here.