The Mustang's 8.8 rear was chucked in favor of a Strange Engineering 9-inch assembly with 35-spline axles, a 3.50:1 ring-and-pinion set, and a Detroit Locker differential. Metco got the call for control-arm duty, while Strange adjustable shocks work with the stock GT coil springs and a Wolfe Race Craft antiroll bar. Custom subframe connectors and an eight-point chromoly rollcage stiffen the unibody chassis and transfer power to the ground rather than twist up the shell.
After a while, 9.60s got old, so Tony stepped up to an Innovative Turbo 91.5mm turbocharger with an 88mm inducer. With the Pro Turbo Systems hot parts funneling exhaust gases to the turbine, the medium-frame turbo set at 20 pounds of boost has propelled the GT to a best elapsed time of 9.21 seconds at 154 mph, with a somewhat sleepy 1.51-second 60-foot time.
The C4 was traded out for a Chris McIntosh-built Powerglide transmission/PTC converter combo, and the front suspension got the tubular treatment from D&D Motorsports, with new control arms and coilover shocks pulling weight from the front end. Still, Tony has more suspension mods planned for Spring 2006 along with a few horsepower parts.
By the time you read this, Tony will have swapped the Trick Flow heads for Brodix/Neal pieces and pulled off the Igloo in favor of a Reichard Racing billet upper intake and interior-mounted Reichard air-to-water intercooler. Larger 150-lb/hr injectors fueled by a Weldon 2025 pump will offer plenty of C16 race fuel to complement the pressurized atmosphere.
While Tony's Mustang sounds quite radical, he reports it is actually quite civilized. "It's geared more toward the street than anything," he says. "It still has the full interior, power accessories, and stereo, and it's quieter than a lot of the F-bodies around here."
An Innovative Turbo boost controller allows Tony to turn down the wick when he's cruising around with pump gas in the holding cell, and extensive cooling system mods make sure this quick ride doesn't overheat in the hot Texas sun. "We shrouded the front end in aluminum and created a new core support for the bigger radiator," Tony says. "We reversed the coolant flow so it comes out the back of the manifold, which remedied the hot temperatures we saw in cylinders 4 and 8."
Tony claims his cool colt rarely runs above 180 degrees, even in summer traffic. It rose only to 183 after his True Street runs at the '05 Fun Ford Weekend finals, which is where we caught up with him and some family and friends who help make things happen at the track.
Tony is quick to give credit to his wife, Latisha, who's been nothing but supportive of his speed hobby, his parents, as well as Shane Hill, Jerod Strickland, Jimmy Yanacek, Rick Dyer, and Donny and Mitch Boykin.
Having taken First Place in MM&FF True Street at Fun Ford Ennis last year (he averaged 9.528, with a best of 9.331) as well as the coveted Editor's Choice award, we had to get the lowdown on this relatively ordinary-looking Mustang. Short of the parachute, it's the very definition of what a sleeper should be. With the upcoming mods this spring, the Mustang should pick up a few more ponies, and with Tony's strong urge to speed, he'll need them.
 While this Mustang has seen...  While this Mustang has seen just 29,000 miles of duty, many have been at great speed, but Tony keeps it looking good, having added a Cervini's Auto Designs hood and rear Cobra valance. |
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 The water reservoir for the...  The water reservoir for the Igloo intake gets stuffed with ice for hot track days. |
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