Wolfe Racecraft Turbo Fox - Put Up Or Shut Up

"I will go 7.20s and over 200 mph on drag radials," proudly proclaims David Wolfe, builder and driver of the Ken Nelson-owned '89 Mustang LX that has set the drag radial world on fire. If you heard those words come out of anyone else's mouth, you'd probably laugh, but David is deadly serious and well on his way to backing up that bold claim. He showed his hand with a 7.40 at 197 mph at World Ford Challenge 9-and that was on the "small" Mickey Thompson drag radial tires with a single turbo. Soon he'll use the "big" drag radials and a set of twin turbos.

Now that we have your attention, we'll let you in on a little secret: The parts used to build this stock suspension superstar were pulled off the shelf at Wolfe Race Craft (www.wolferacecraft.com). The company has been responsible for the world's quickest and fastest stock suspension Mustangs since 2000, when David worked his mojo on Job Spetter Jr.'s world-championship notchback. He also worked his magic on Dwayne Gutridge's seven-second, barrier-breaking, drag radial Mustang.

Each year competitors rely on Wolfe suspension components to set records and win championships. So what prompted David to build this car and race it himself? "I wanted to show the drag community that you can go really fast with stock-style suspension. I have always told everybody that a properly done stock suspension was as fast as any ladder bar or four-link." David put up rather than shut up with his claims, and this car proves his point.

Over the winter of 2004/2005, David's buddy Ken Nelson had a half-finished Mustang and the itch to go racing. He yanked the car from another shop and dropped it off at Wolfe Race Craft to get "the full treatment." That meant David had total control over the project. Ken gave him one instruction-build a winner, no excuses. David wouldn't have it any other way.

The first order of business was safety, so the company's 25.5-certified rollcage kit was welded into place. Next was a set of upper and lower control arms that attach to fortified mounting points on the unibody. The other side of the control arms attach to a nine-inch housing. David welded in his double antisway bar to keep the rear from shifting under extreme launches, tire shake, or from the demented power put out by the engine. Some applications call for a single antisway bar, but David reserves his double antisway bar setup for Stangs making a lot of horsepower, like this one.

Anthony Jones Engineering K-member and A-arms make up a bulk of the front suspension, while QA1 provided the adjustable front struts and stock-style rear shocks-no true coilover rear shocks on this race car. The shocks were moved inward to make room for the various-sized tires used on this Mustang. The rear meats fit nicely under the body thanks to the Wolfe mini-tub kit.

Best time to date has been...        read full caption Best time to date has been 7.40 at 197 mph. That was accomplished at the World Ford Challenge while David was racing in the Drag Radial category. Race weight was 3,295 pounds, and the car was rolling on a pair of M/T 325/50-15 drag radial tires.	David was quick to credit...        read full caption David was quick to credit the Hans Feustel crew for the 382ci engine. It is based on a Dart block, a Lunati 3.750-inch crankshaft, JE pistons (4.030 and 8.5:1 compression), TFS "R" heads, a custom Turbo People roller camshaft, an Edelbrock intake, and a Jesel valvetrain. Kooks Custom Headers is responsible for the turbo headers and turbo system tubing.	The interior is simple, with...        read full caption The interior is simple, with a Wolfe mail-order rollcage that meets the SFI 25.5 specifications. Given the Mustang's recent sub-7.50 performances, the cage is being upgraded to SFI 25.2 specs. David is using this Stang to R&D a new 25.2 mail-order kit that will soon be available.
That's a Turbonetics 106mm...        read full caption That's a Turbonetics 106mm impeller wheel looking back at ya.	A Turbo People air-to-water...        read full caption A Turbo People air-to-water aftercooler resides in the passenger seat to help offset the weight of the driver. David experimented with several different mounting locations due to the aftercooler's heavy weight. He found putting it in the passenger seat worked best to keep the car's four corner weights balanced.