HP Performance also welded on the axle tabs for the antiroll bar's adjustment links, and they tacked the axle tubes to prevent them from spinning.
The first pass of the day, a non-nitrous run with the Southside Machine upper and lower control arms, saw a 1.44 60-foot time, followed by a 4.34 330-foot time, a 6.75 eighth-mile, and finally the finish line in 10.65 seconds at 125 mph.
After that, it was back to the pits for the control-arm swap. The rear of the car was secured with jackstands and the lower control arm was supported so we could remove it and the coil spring.
In order to facilitate the control-arm swap, Jason Wells had cut some of the welds on the relocation bracket. This weakened the joint enough to where it broke on launch, however. Despite that, the elapsed time was still indicative of what the Pony normally runs.
With the lower control arm out, Wells finishes removing the relocation plates with the "Ford tool."
Steeda's aluminum lower control arms are significantly lighter than the steel pieces they replace.
The Steeda lower control arms have a stiff, greaseable bushing, which we lubed up prior to installation.
The front of the control arm was installed, followed by the coil spring. We then jacked up the control arm until it was in position.
We adjusted the upper control arms until the pinion angle was at -2 degrees. With stock bushings, negative 3-4 degrees is a better choice since they tend to flex and move more.
Wells wanted to loosen the front struts, which was easily accomplished by turning the adjustment screw at the top of the strut.
Without the antisquat of the Southside bars, the rearend dipped down quite a bit. You can see how the body rolled over to the passenger-side as well. Run number two was with the struts set on full loose, and the result was a 1.48 60-foot time, a 4.39 330-foot, a 6.83 eighth-mile, and a 10.75 quarter-mile at 124 mph. Not only did the car suffer excessive body roll, but it spent more energy than was needed in transferring weight due to the loose strut setting.
Back at the pits, the struts were reset to the medium setting, and the antiroll bar links were fastened.
Adjusting the antiroll bar links involves centering the rear axle, and then adjusting the links so they twist easily with the car on its wheels and the driver in the hot seat to preload the suspension.
It was immediately apparent on launch that the antiroll bar was doing just as its name implies. The Mustang left straight and level (side-to-side). For the third run, the car responded to the changes with a 1.45 60-foot time, a 4.38 330-foot, a 6.82-second eighth-mile, and the stripe in 10.74 seconds at 124 mph.
For the last pass of the day, Wells hooked up the nitrous oxide bottle and let it rip. The short time flashed by in 1.45 seconds, and at the 330 mark, the Mustang improved to a 4.06. The eighth-mile lights were tripped at 6.26 seconds into the run, and the quarter-mile was complete in 9.81 seconds at 137 mph.
The Makings of a nine-Second, Streetable MustangOur test subject started off as a virgin, fuel-injected 5.0L Mustang owned and operated by young Jason Wells of Orange Park, Florida. When he wanted to go fast for cheap, he heaved the EFI and 302 and dropped in cubes and a carb. Victor Spires of Revenge Power in Hollywood, Florida, assembled the 400-plus-cubic-inch Windsor-based motor, and its 10.5:1 compression ratio allows it to run on pump gas.
To make sure it survives weekly track duty, an Eagle crank and rods were fitted to JE pistons, while a solid roller cam actuates the valves in a set of AFR 225 heads. Combine that with a Victor Jr. Intake manifold and a Holley HP950 carburetor, and you have a healthy, 10-second powerplant.
Wells calls upon a Wilson Manifolds nitrous-oxide-plate kit to bump him in the nines. Thanks to the notchback's inherent lightweight and a C4 automatic, the coupe has become adept at quarter-mile combat.
As good as the combination is, our 20-year-old pilot has had a lot of help from the people around him, including the crew at HP Performance and his dad, Mike, who owns a fairly fast, ahem, Bow Tie of the vintage
F-body flavor. When Dad wasn't turning on the nitrous bottle in his son's car this day, he was off making his own passes and even got to run against his son once. Unfortunately, our horse got caught sleeping. At least it's incentive to go faster.
E.T.-wise, the results were not awe-inspiring this day, but we think there is a tenth or so in using an adjust-able shock out back. As you can tell from the picture, though, Wells was pretty excited about the new sus-pension setup. "The car feels a whole lot different with this suspension on it," he said. "I can't believe I waited two years to do it."