"I drove it out softly because I knew the tires would spin easier with the 4.10s," states Miele. It only took two runs to crack off the 13.62. The first hit was a tire-spinning 13.75, which caused Miele to adapt his driving style by rolling into the throttle a little softer on the follow-up pass. He backed up the 13.62 with a 13.65. One of the important factors to getting a car to hook in cold weather is a hellacious burnout, especially with Nitto 555 tires. These aren't drag radial tires, but they respond well to a good smoking. We found that when Miele doesn't do a good burnout, the 60-foot suffers and the tires break loose on the gearshifts.
Our car picked up three-tenths from our previous best, but when you factor in the weather, we feel that adding 4.10s and the aluminum driveshaft was really worth around 2.5-tenths or so. Acceleration is the name of the game and these two simple modifications reduced our dragstrip times without us adding one horsepower under the hood. The great thing about these mods is that the cost is reasonable and they are easy to install. If that was easy, then our next upgrade is going to be even better. In addition to the lighter driveshaft and larger rear gears, we decided to swap in a looser torque converter from Pat's Performance Converters. This would allow the engine to jump right into its powerband and get near peak torque when Miele romped on the loud pedal.
A torque converter is simpler than it is perceived; it's essentially a fluid coupler connecting the engine to the transmission.Transmission fluid is pumped through the converter, and as the engine spins the backside (which happens to face forward), it rotates the pump that pushes fluid through and turns the turbine, and a stator controls the fluid returning from the turbine to the pump. The converter turns the input shaft that goes into the transmission and the vehicle is thrust forward (or backwards). The stall speed is 2,800 rpm, far looser than the stock which was 2,000 rpm. The higher stall speed helps the engine get into its peak torque range quicker and multiply it. That means quicker and faster times.
Due to the weather, we were unable to get the torque converter tested at the track. The Nitto tires bark for mercy now when Miele gets on the throttle hard at the stoplight, which didn't happen with the stock converter. Before the P.P.C. torque converter, he was able to drive it out fairly aggressive. Now the hides just squeal and burn rubber, even with the slightest hint of a jump on the gas pedal. Seat of the pants feel, it is definitely way quicker than before, and we think 13.40s, or even 13.30s, isn't out of the question--not bad for a near 160,000-mile ride.
 Just like the diff bearings,...  Just like the diff bearings, the pinion gear bearing was pressed on as well. |  Don't forget to add grease...  Don't forget to add grease to the housing and the bearings when replacing the axle bearings. |  Tap the bearing into place....  Tap the bearing into place. When installing the companion flange and pinion gear with crush collar, do not use the impact gun to seat it. |
 The backside is ready to receive...  The backside is ready to receive the guts. |  Install the differential along...  Install the differential along with the axle bearings and shims. |  The carrier bearing caps are...  The carrier bearing caps are torqued down at 85 lb-ft. |
 The LPW cover is bolted back...  The LPW cover is bolted back on and the rear filled with fluid. The Silver Stealth Stang was ready for action. These two modifications enabled the car to run a best of 13.62 at 99.93 mph. |  A comparison of the two units...  A comparison of the two units shows the size difference. Internally, P.P.C. modified the guts to be stronger and custom tailored the fins to let the engine rev through converter slippage before it grabs and transfers the most power. |  After we tested the larger...  After we tested the larger gears and lighter driveshaft, we decided to swap to a looser torque converter. We went back to Radical Racing and they had the transmission removed rather quickly. |
 We got a torque converter...  We got a torque converter from Pat's Performance Converters. It is a 10-inch unit, but still retained the lock up functions, helping with fuel mileage at highway cruising speeds. We went with a 2,800 rpm stall speed to help move this 3,460 pound Mustang quicker down the track. |  Here is the stock unit, a...  Here is the stock unit, a 12-inch torque converter that had a stall speed of only 2,000 rpm. It was far too tight to get the engine into its powerband. The larger rear gears helped, but a higher stall speed goes a long way in automatic-performance. |  The input shaft sticks out...  The input shaft sticks out of the transmission pump, the center portion of the transmission in this photo. This is where the torque converter slides. |
 The P.P.C. torque converter...  The P.P.C. torque converter slides into place, and it was rotated to make sure it engaged the pump properly. Be sure the converter is slid into place properly and fully engaged. The tabs sticking out from the converter are where it bolts to the flexplate, otherwise known as the flywheel in stickshift applications. |  Unfortunately, we are going...  Unfortunately, we are going to have to wait for a clear day to get some results. The weather was cold and rainy at press time, preventing us from testing at any dragstrips in the Northeast. Our expert opinion is this car will go 13.40s, maybe even 13.30s--if we get the tires to hook decently. |  The transmission is bolted...  The transmission is bolted back into place and the torque converter is bolted onto the flexplate. Radical Racing's staff then bolted on the Axle Exchange driveshaft and reinstalled the Bassani x-pipe. It was time to hit the track. |