The GT spins stock axles, but 4.10s gears were slipped in for more aggressive acceleration.
While Joe's street brawler turned the dyno hard, we wanted to see it perform at the track. We had the chance at Englishtown in November 2005, and again in Orlando in March 2006. At E-town the GT produced 11.80s, but after addi-tional tuning, the brawny GT laid down a bullish 11.41 at 121 mph. Not bad for over 4,000 pounds worth of street Mustang.
With proof positive the blown automatic could get in the 11s, Joe returned to the rough streets of New York, where he enjoyed the simplicity of the automatic and the abundance of power. "When you press into the throttle, you're pressed firmly into the cushy leather seat," he says. "Stab it hard and you'll get sideways, like the big-blocks did in the past."
But thanks to the Saleen suspension, the Mustang has no problem getting it on in the corners, as well as in a straight line. To further enhance driving pleasure, Joe added a Pioneer navigational radio along with JL amps and speakers. They sound great, but add a ton of weight.
At this point, you may think Joe has the perfect personalized GT-but after only a few weeks he just wasn't happy. Not surprisingly, it wasn't the Saleen looks or the handling that needed fixin'-it was the power. The problem: there just wasn't enough. "I'm really getting into drag racing now, and I just can't get enough power," Joe says. "It ran 11s, but we're adding more power, and now I would like to run 10s. To be honest, I want it to be an all-around streetable race car."
To reach this goal, JDM Engineering plans to swap in a stroker short-block measuring 298 ci. The larger mod mill will be topped with CNC-ported heads, but the stock cams will be used (for now). To prevent a lean condition, twin fuel pumps from the '07 Shelby will be employed, and Jim D'Amore of JDM thinks the combo will produce upward of 550 hp. That should allow the heavy GT to get way into the 10s-maybe then it will be perfect, but only time will tell.
The Ford Three-Valve engine...
The Ford Three-Valve engine is fortified with a Saleen blower making 10 psi of boost. The mill also sports JDM/Kooks 151/48-inch long-tube headers with a JDM x pipe system and after-cat. On 100-octane, the combination is good for 476 hp and 450 lb-ft of torque.
A stock shifter controls the...
A stock shifter controls the factory auto five-speed. On track, the shifter is left in Drive, but the overdrive button is switched off. JDM tuned the computer to fully lock the converter in Third and Fourth gear to prevent slippage and transmission damage.
With a full complement of...
With a full complement of stereo equipment, the GT weights 4,008 pounds with its 200-pound driver on board. BFG Drag radials measuring 315/35/17-inch hook like mad.
The faux Saleen sports the...
The faux Saleen sports the snazzy center-mounted exhaust tips.