1986 Mustang LX Supercharged - Boost Driven Evolution

The Whine of a blower is quite noticeable-it hums smoothly in conjunction with the rough idle of a camshaft and the deep tone of a large-cubic-inch engine. The steady state of 900 rpm can send a statement to onlookers, letting them know that something extraordinary lurks under the cowl-induction hood.

That is exactly the case with Andy Gollberg and his '86 Mustang LX. The streets of New Berlin, Wisconsin, haven't been the same since he completed his eight-second-capable Mustang. "It's one of the faster cars in my area," he says. "I beat tubbed cars with big-block Chevy engines all the time; it's fun to do." Adding insult to injury, Andy cruises this LX on the street when he's not at the local dragstrip.

This certified Mustang maniac wasn't always a supercharger junky; his first car was a naturally aspirated '91 Mustang LX. He got his start in fast cars with the '91 that featured a stroked 5.0 powerplant. That was good for 12.20s. The car was quick, but the young hot rodder was looking for more. Andy sold the LX and rolled the money over to finance this ride,an '86 Mustang LX. His buddy was selling it to buy something different, and Andy jumped on the deal. The car had fresh blue paint and an S-Trim blower, among other parts. It delivered Andy to 11.50 runs with ease.

Rolling to the cruise night with 11.50 timeslips is impressive, but Andy was once again left wanting more. Reading MM&FF and hanging at the drag races convinced him it was time to step up. A set of Trick Flow Twisted Wedge heads, ported by Fox Lake, was added to the 306ci engine. The added airflow was fed to the hungry cylinders efficiently thanks to a Trick Flow Stage 2 camshaft. The S-Trim was also spun harder to provide more boost. Backing the supercharged runt was an AOD transmission that received the full treatment from TSI Transmissions. Andy was hanging the wheels and having fun running 10.50s at tracks across the Midwest.

Running mid-10s is quite an accomplishment, but Andy became numb to the speed and began hunting for a new combination. He was addicted to the beltdriven boost, and he knew he had to take a big leap in order to go faster. A bigger and stronger engine was needed, as was additional help and guidance-enter Mike Post of Dyno Tune MP. Andy consulted with the former NMRA EFI Renegade (EFI/R) champion and told him of his desire to have a completely street-legal Mustang but still run fast at the track.

The game plan was to build a combination similar to EFI/R combos but take it a few steps further. To fully understand the goals and objectives, one must know a few things about the NMRA category in which Post competed. The heads-up class requires the racers to run streettype equipment with mild camshafts. In fact, many parts on serious street machines such as this one were developed in the EFI/R ranks.

Andy nominated Flyin' J Racing Engines (Belchester, Minnesota) to handle the engine build. The shop started with a solid and strong foundation, a Dart Iron Eagle block. The block was prepped by having its bores enlarged to 4.125 inches and honed to perfection. An Eagle rotating assembly was chosen because the rods and crankshaft are made of forged 4340 steel. Ross forged pistons fill the bores, and Flyin' J set the compression at 9.25:1 due to the supercharged aspiration. A Melling oil pump picks up the slippery lubricant stuff from a Canton oil pan.

Moving topside, Total Engine Airflow (TEA) ported a set of Trick Flow Twisted Wedge heads. The heads are similar to what most EFI/R racers run, meaning the intake port is 205 cc, and then TEA performed its CNC race port job. Valves were sourced from Ferrea-the intake is 2.050 inches and the exhaust is 1.600 inches. The top side of the heads host Harland Sharp 1.6 roller rocker arms. A box manifold was sourced from Trick Flow and has a BBK 75mm throttle body bolted to the side.