In 1988, Ed Palmer was like an artist with a clean canvas. His '87 GT was stock as a rock, but it wasn't going to stay that way for long. Palmer, of Gardena, California, had big plans for his GT and was excited about transforming his one-owner and T-Top-equipped Stang into a wild stallion with a tricked out body and plenty of punch. But things don't always go according to plan, as Palmer found out.
"I did everything to that car including a wide-body kit with Thunderbird headlights and wheels that measured 17x10 inches in the front and 17x13 inches in the rear. It had a Batman theme and was painted black," he added. "In April 2000 the smog pump went and I decided that a full-engine rebuild was in order. Danny Swanson of Swanson Performance (Torrance, California) offered to build a 306 package that would be clean and powerful and I figured it would be fun to have some extra power. At the same time I thought it would be a good time to freshen the body."
Though Palmer's Mustang already wore a unique body kit, he wanted to go one step further so he turned to a body man who initially gave him an estimate of $4,000. But once the car was in the shop and in pieces on the floor, the price had been jacked over $6,000. Palmer was not happy to say the least, and even though the Mustang was stripped down to a million pieces, he took the whole car back, wide body pieces and all.
"At that point I fought to stay in control and tried to find a body shop that doubled as a model car builder," says Palmer. The Mustang needed to be totally reassembled and now painted, too, but according to the owner, "it would never be the same. It was ruined." Palmer also noted that like his GT, the body shop in question is now out of business.
"I was almost two years into the project with nothing to show for my efforts," Palmer stated, but he was not about to give up. He was determined to find another Fox body and it didn't take long to locate an '88 LX that was straight, but not quite clean. "I wanted to return to a more traditional look. So after purchasing the '88 LX I took it to a friend of mine, Ron Shoaei, who is the owner of Unique Automotive in Inglewood. Ron had put a killer stereo in my Marauder and had access to a great body shop. I'd seen some really clean LX Mustangs in Muscle Mustangs & Fast Fords and I really liked that look. I wanted to make the LX the opposite of the old car, but I wanted to stick with a superhero theme."
Before getting to work, Palmer purchased a Cervini's hood, front spoiler and Cobra body kit. He also went with a Steeda wing and then the LX was primed and painted in Chevrolet Electron Blue. "I'd seen the color on a few Corvettes and I thought it would look even better on a Mustang," Palmer added. "And the blue worked with the Captain America theme that I picked, which is the inspiration behind the car." Once the paint was dry, Airbrushing Unlimited provided the Captain America graphics.
With the body in superhero shape the LX was returned to Swanson Performance where the engine was installed. While on vacation, the 302 was treated to a .030-inch overbore and then fitted with TRW forged pistons, steel rods and a forged crankshaft. An Isky cam with .520/.535 lift was slipped into place and the block was topped with Ford Racing GT-40 heads. Palmer was already the proud owner of a polished and ported Saleen intake so it was installed, along with a 70mm throttle body and a polished Vortech B-trim supercharger that pumps the 306 with 8 psi.
Exhaust flows through BBK headers to a Bassani mid-pipe and on to the Bassani mufflers. The fuel system incorporates a 255-lph in-tank pump that's helped along with a T-Rex unit that sends fuel to the 42-pound injectors. Ignition comes by way of a MSD 6A and a Blaster coil.
The solid small-block is mated to an aluminum flywheel, Centerforce clutch and a T-5 that's been upgraded with a Pro 5.0 Power Tower shifter. An 8.8 rear with 3.55 gears sits under the back and the suspension consists of Eibach springs and Tokico shocks and struts.
When it came time to beef up the brakes, Palmer ordered a set of Baer binders, with 13-inch rotors in the front and 12-inchers in the rear. The switch to five-lugs necessitated that he also get new wheels, so chrome Cobra R rims went in place. The LX now rides on 245/45/17-inch rubber on all corners.
With the small-block living and breathing the car made its way back to Unique Auto, where the project was kicked up yet another notch. Ron Shoaei and his crew installed a new carpet, headliner and Cobra seats fashioned in Rock Blue. Subesports of Huntington Beach, California, supplied the seats and the extra seat material from which they jazzed up the door panels. Furthermore, the rear seat was removed to make room for a deck containing twin Phoenix Gold amps and a huge W-7 JL subwoofer.
All the Mustang's stock speakers were chucked and replaced with high-performance 4x6s in the rear, 6 1/2-inch speakers in the doors and 1-inch tweeters in the dash. Additionally, a second battery was wired in to provide the necessary electrical power. And while the monster stereo provides sound, the visual impact was heightened with an in-dash multimedia player, aftermarket gauges and a Momo steering wheel.
"I don't really race the car, but I do enjoy taking it to the limit a bit when space is available," stated Palmer. "The car is very strong and the feeling of power is intoxicating."
Final touches include blue neon lights, Euro-style head and taillights and hours worth of polish work under the hood. "I am into comics and have been for years. Overall the LX gets a lot of attention. People in there forties seem to like it as well as kids who love the superhero theme."
Captain America is our star-spangled superhero. He has a shield and fights all that is evil, and with this red, white and blue superhero chilling under the hood, we're sure Palmer doesn't have to worry about any would be predators wearing a Bow Tie or other villainous badge.
Model: Angel Cassidy
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