6>8 For This Fox

For the minions of V-6 racing Mustang fans everywhere, it has been a tough battle. Never having been accepted as a real performance engine (even in supercharged guise), the 3.8-liter overhead-valve V-6 has forever lived in the shadows of its more powerful V-8 brethren. The V-6 formula looked good on paper, offering strong value, good power, and a 100-pound weight savings on the front end. But there were shortcomings that overshadowed the V-6's virtues, making it rather undesirable for performance buffs. To start with, you were stuck with little aftermarket support compared to the 5.0s and 4.6s. Beyond the simple bolt-ons (superchargers included) there wasn't much in the way of hard-core hot-rod parts for the V-6 car. In addition, the cars were often derided as being hand-me-down vehicles or owned by either money-hungry rental-car agencies or single, middle-aged secretaries. Either way, it wasn't much of a rep.

Now, however, V-6 fans can rejoice, because Tom Yentzer of Super Six Motorsports has developed many hard-core performance parts for the 3/4-Windsor to make the V-6 a viable option when it comes to the hitting the dragstrip.

No, really.

Forget the stereotypes and listen up--this little notch is running 10.60s with little more than a built OHV V-6 with nitrous. We're not talking one-off parts, either. What we have here is a finely tuned, thoroughly planned combination that incorporates many over-the-counter Ford production pieces. Of course, a lot of time, dedication, and to some extent, a lunatic fringe all make it come together. To get a better idea how Tom makes it happen, we had to tap him on the shoulder to ask what was going under the hood of his green LX. Then we pulled up our chairs, opened our ice-cold drinks, and listened with great intrigue.

Starting out as an '88 four-cylinder notchback, the car was stripped to the bare metal and treated to a complete makeover at Danny Dent Painting in Jessup, Georgia. The House of Kolor Planet Green paint was applied to all the panels, including the fiberglass decklid and 4-inch cowl hood, which makes room for the party of six underneath (more on that later). The interior was then neatly reassembled with racing buckets, a new rug, and a fresh headliner to complement the black and gray interior. A Maximum Motorsports rollcage was installed for safety purposes, and a Stroud harness was called upon to secure the hired gun, Kyle Yentzer of Super Six.

The powerplant started life as an otherwise mundane 190hp 3.8-liter mill pulled out of an '01 Mustang. The reason Tom went with the '01-'04 core is that it incorporates some neat features from the factory that are not even found in Ford's V-8s, making it the most desirable starting point for a V-6 performance build. For one, these motors come with a beefy block with super-thick main bearing caps. Secondly, there is a factory windage tray. Lastly, these later engines are zero-balanced, which means the crankshaft does not rely on any external weight offset in the damper or flywheel to maintain rotational equilibrium.

Stock displacement on these engines checks in at 232 ci, but a little-known fact is that these engines can be easily stroked to 4.2 liters by using a crank out of an F-150 pickup truck. That means the bigger 3.74-inch stroke (stock is 3.39 inches) can offer a total displacement of 262 ci with the stock bore. The rest of the rotating assembly does need help, however, as the factory powder metal rods and hypereutectic pistons are not what you'd want in there if you intend to make any serious power.

To get the party started, Reeves Performance (Warner Robins, Georgia) was called upon to bore and hone the block from its 3.810-inch bore to a larger 3.860 sizing (0.050-over.) Then, the block was decked, magged, align-honed, and fully prepared for its new 4.3-liter rotating assembly.

To fortify the bottom end to handle the type of power that is required to go 10s, Tom and the crew at Super Six relied on 10.5:1 Wiseco pistons and Eagle rods to make the factory-based stroker into a surprisingly stout piece. The cam still works the same way as us Windsor fans know and love it (in between the cylinder banks, not on top), and in this case it is a Crower custom grind that pushes the dial indicator 0.530/0.540 inch at the valve and offers duration numbers of 226/226 at 0.050 for the intake and exhaust, respectively. Sitting on a 114-degree centerline, the hydraulic roller isn't too radical, but it certainly offers a nice lope at idle.

The heads and intake manifold of choice for performance applications are the '99-up Split Port Induction pieces. The heads are cast aluminum and have rather generous port sizing from the factory. They kind of look like the old Cleveland Two-Valve design, but because of the twin-port intake manifold, there are actually two intake ports for each cylinder, offering the dual-stage intake's runners a path for both strong low-end torque and high-winding horsepower. It's pretty wild-looking, so if you ever get a chance, you should check it out. The examples here are '01 castings that have been fully ported, polished, and milled by Super Six and have been augmented with 1.94/1.56 Manley valves that feature 7mm-diameter stems and are kept in check with stout Comp Cams beehive springs. Aluminum 1.8:1 roller rockers by Harland Sharp eliminate the flimsy stamped-steel pieces for improved valvetrain accuracy and, more importantly, consistency.

Since these 3.8-liter engines were used for many years under the hoods of various front-wheel- and rear-wheel-drive cars, Tom was able to mix and match factory parts for best performance. Rather than go with the Mustang upper intake, he relied on a Windstar minivan upper that offers more intake volume for performance. A Mustang lower is used, but the IMRC (Intake Manifold Runner Control) butterflies were completely removed, effectively making this a 12-runner intake. A 70mm BBK throttle body was adapted to fit the open face of the manifold and allows the incoming air to meet up with the race gas that is injected by the six 24-lb/hr injectors. A 125hp ZEX nitrous kit adds the extra horses to jump the power from 278 to 380 hp at the wheels. We bet most V-8 guys are only dreaming of such numbers.

Since the rear-wheel-drive 3.8-liter V-6 engines share the same bellhousing design and bolt pattern of Ford's Windsor V-8 family, sourcing driveline components is easy. The running gear consists of a C4 three-speed automatic that has a 3,500-stall converter with a JW flywheel mated to the backend of the 4.3-liter-V-8 eater. A B&M cooler and Pro Ratchet shifter keep it all under control, as the full-manual C4 sends the torque rearward through a Ford Racing aluminum driveshaft to the 4.10-equipped rear.

A Moser 31-spline spool and axle set take a bunch of rotational weight out of the equation, as the 8.8 stays under control thanks to the UPR antiroll bar and tubular control arms. Lakewood dampers are used all around with 90/10s up front and 50/50s in back, and a QA1 tubular K-member frees up a ton of weight off the nose, as does the manual rack. In total, the car weighs a svelte 2,550 pounds without driver, ready to race.

In the near future, the guys at Super Six plan to up the nitrous to a two-stage system for an additional 100 hp. "With the second stage," Tom says, "we're anticipating about 470 hp at the wheels and about 550 lb-ft of torque, which ought to get the car moving pretty quickly and make for real low 10s. Since 9s are our goal, in the upcoming future we'll remove the second stage and install our Vortech T-Trim supercharger, along with additional chassis and safety improvements."

Luckily, Tom can rely on his better half, Leigh, to get the boys, Kyle and Eric, to help out during those late nights before a day at the track.

The next time you see a V-6 Mustang, don't point and laugh. Rather, look at the per-formance potential that lies underneath. And with its favorable weight savings, cost savings (hey, six spark plugs are cheaper than eight, right?), and a plentiful supply of parts (remember, Ford sold more of these than the V-8 cars), it's pretty much a no-brainer. All you need is the desire to be different and the pride to make it happen.