While the notchback's engine was being built, it was also getting a new suspension. On recommendation from a friend, Matt called Griggs Racing in Sonoma, California, and ordered one of its tubular K-member and A-arm kits to help offset the weight of the Windsor. Koni Yellow adjustable coilover shocks are used with 400-pound front springs, and SN-95 spindles and hubs provide a mounting place for Baer Brakes' 13-inch Track kit with two-piston calipers and Eradispeed rotors.
Matt had a drag-oriented rear suspension setup for a while, but he eventually removed it and installed Griggs Lower control arms, adjustable upper arms, and a Griggs coilover setup with matching Yellow Koni shocks. The 8.8 axle was fortified with Moser 31-spline axles and an Auburn Pro differential. While the aforementioned 3.55 gears were replaced with 3.73s, the addition of a supercharger necessitated a switch back to 3.55s so Matt wouldn't run out of gear at the end of the quarter-mile.
This stout combination was good for 580 hp and 572 lb-ft of torque at the wheels, and that kind of leverage made a mess of the T5 trans-mission. Though the Mustang's odometer hasn't cracked 51,000, it has seen its share of severe duty, and the T5 manual gearbox needed to be rebuilt while it still had the 302 in it. "I broke the rebuilt T5 right after the 383 install," Matt says. "After grenading two T5s, I put in the Tremec 3550." Matt also installed a Spec Stage III clutch and a Centerforce billet-steel flywheel.
Though the transmission problem was solved, head gasket issues plagued this Pony. Despite not being able to rev past 5,500 rpm without breaking up, the 383 motor pushed the coupe to a best quarter-mile elapsed time of 11.1 seconds at 125 mph. "I would drive it two or three times and it would spit out the head gasket," Matt says. Eventually, the Canfield heads were replaced with a pair of Edelbrock Victor Jrs. ported by Total Engine Airflow, and that has seemingly cured the head-gasket problem so far, though Matt hasn't put enough miles on the colt to keep him from worrying about it.
Sam Lippincott at Coastal Chassis Dyno in Tampa, Florida, has been dialing in the new combo, but he and Matt have come to the con-clusion that the S-Trim isn't enough to feed the 383-cube motor. "It's like throwing a hot dog down a hallway," Matt says. A Vortech T-Trim is next on the list and with that blower, he expects the Mustang to pound out at least 650 hp to the tires.
Now that's a Mustang we'd all love to have, but Matt has had some other cars in his stable that have provided a high bar of excellence to strive for. In addition to the coupe, he has also had a Terminator Cobra, a ZO6 Corvette, a BMW M3, and a Porsche 911 Carrera 4S; the latter two he still owns. "It's [the Mustang] a bit nose heavy and not the best tool for road courses, but with the horsepower, there's no comparison in a straight line," Matt says. "I've had nine other Mustangs besides this one, and they've all come and gone. They can bury me in this one."
That's a strong commitment, one that Matt tells us might not have lasted if it weren't for the help and support from family and friends like Ryan Sessums and Jim Frank. "If it weren't for my brother Frank, I might not have stayed with it that long," Matt says. "Whenever I got down about the car, he would always help me out and get me back on track. My wife, Heather, has put up with a lot, especially the boxes of parts that overran our living room. She also helped me adjust the rocker arms." That kind of support will get one through the darkest of wrench-turning hours, and if you see it through to the end, you might just end up with a Mustang that represents the Blue Oval standard.