Mustang News

Just the sound of it is odd, a 2JZ-GTE Toyota power-plant in Ford’s iconic muscle car? It might be labeled a bastard child by just about every common definition of the phrase, but will running some respectable 8’s over the weekend at Famoso be good enough to keep the critics quiet? Whether that’s the case or not, it’s plenty enough to make us want to learn more about this unique ride.

Read more into Jeff Wilson and the Jaw’s Gear crew’s experience at the SCE Summer Nationals on Titan Motorsports Blog page.

Photos: Titan Motorsports Blog

The muscle car roots within a lot of us might start to cringe already, but Wilson told us not only was he tired of conventional blue oval setups becoming commonplace, he felt that a single turbo 2JZ engine would be the most reliable, toughest and cost-efficient over time, provided you don’t mind the ‘unique’ sound it emits. It looks just a wee bit obscure in that Stang’s engine bay, but we can’t argue that it seems to be working well. The event wasn’t an instant success by a longshot, as tuning and new chassis gremlins gave the team trouble all throughout pre-race testing and qualifying, but luckily they were able to just barely squeak into the field with a 9.63 at 145, which slid them into the last qualifying slot.

The Titan Motorsports sponsored pony was facing almost certain elimination first round going after the #1 qualifier, but to the team’s delight the other car redlit. After running a 9.159 in the second round to also flip on the win light, Jeff set himself up for an interesting final against Gary Brandt who was running consistent 8.7’s all evening. While Brandt came out on top, Jeff did manage to get down the 1/4 mile at 8.962 seconds, trapping 159 mph – a far cry from where they started the day. While Jeff, all the Jaw’s Gear guys and Titan would have loved to see a final round win, it’ll be marked up as some solid advancements that this team is in need of.

Rest assured this pony will be back hoping to improve on the already impressive times, planning to hit most of the WCHRA races, along with the PSCA Street Car Super Nat’s in November.

Since his first IHRA experience all the way back to 2004, Matt Maxsom has gained almost everything it takes to be at the top of his game every time he gets behind the wheel of the M&M Motorsports ‘89 Ford Mustang. After this ‘Stang got the powerplant she needed to be competitive, it was time for Matt to make an IHRA licensing pass at Grand Bend, which went off without a hitch – clicking the 1/4 mile off with a 8.65 at 156 mph while peddling to keep it straight. Starting off as a good day, things went haywire on their last run when the 400″ SBF kicked a rod out at the 1000′ mark, though they still got down with an 8.70, which was good enough to get the license.

Checkout Maxsom.net for more news on the M&M Motorsports team.

Photos: M&M Motorsports

A week after the troubles, the motor was yanked and the culprit seems to be oil starvation that caused a spun bearing, which resulted in 1 broken connecting rod, 2 damaged pistons, a bent valve and a cracked crankshaft. While the pictures located here give us an idea of how nasty the damage is, Matt was astonished that the hole in the piston was caused by a connecting rod bolt, that they found embedded into the exhaust valve. It’ll be marked up as a heck of an expensive debut for M&M, but the new parts are on their way and Matt assures us that this team will be back out soon and on the hunt for some wins. As for the rest of the combo, Matt’s 400″ SBF runs with an F2 Procharger, MSD Ignition and a custom ground camshaft.

M&M’s other ride, a ‘70 Monte Carlo piloted by Kris Parker in the Semi Pro ranks also had a tough weekend, grenading the TH-400 transmission on just their second pass out. The target E/T the team is shooting for with the Monte is 7.50’s in the eighth mile. Here’s to hoping the team’s next event goes off a bit smoother.

Every single day we search long and hard for something different in the racing and automotive world to bring to the viewers. All to often a lot of cars can look alike over time and the same modifications tend to get old. But every once in a while we get lucky and find something that is truly unique and gets our heart rate up as we bring it to you the viewer. Enjoy a look at this awesome 2005 Roush Mustang.

Check out RacingJunk for more great classifieds.

The name “Roush” alone is synonymous with racing for years as Jack Roush cut his teeth in the drag racing world and eventually made the transition to NASCAR. But still his name is quite popular with Mustang enthusiasts and we have come across a 2005 Roush Mustang that not even Mr. Roush himself could have envisioned. This one resides in California and pumps out a massive 1200 horsepower from the 3-valve mod motor. A twin turbo setup has been fabricated to fit the 2005 with 67mm turbos. The inside of the engine is not stock though and has been outfitted with billet rods and crank.

Topping off the engine is the cylinder heads that have received a set of Stage 4 camshafts as well as all the appropriate springs and retainers. The chassis has also been extensively worked to handle all the horsepower. It is certified to run 7.60’s in the quarter mile and has all current SFI certifications which means this one is legal and ready to go. All you have to do is make that call and you will have the opportunity to buy the car and trailer as a package for a mere $50,000.

Dan Millen has been at the game for a long time and has quite the track record for winning races in his career. While he has primarily been a turbo guy while campaigning his Outlaw 10.5 Mustang in the NMRA, there always comes time for change. The Mustang made the trip to Dubai last winter and ultimately stayed after being purchased. This struck a wildfire of chatter as to what he would do next and with being only a few days away from the ADRL event at US131 Dragway which is right in Dan’s neck of the woods.

Check out YellowBullet for more details on the pre-race testing.

A flourish of talk has popped up today and when you see the pictures it is pretty obvious. Millen is out and testing his new XTF Mustang that is sponsored by Al-Anabi Racing. Dan has made the trip to Milan Dragway with Billy Glidden to do some pre-race testing in preparation for this weekend’s event. Early on the track appears to be good as Glidden made a nice hit with a 4.22 @ 171mph. We have yet to hear of any numbers out of the screw blown Mustang of Millen but you can be sure that the crew will get a handle on things and be ready to run with the best of them in the ADRL.

Millen’s new Mustang consists of a flat black finish that has a mean Brad Anderson Hemi settled in between the frame rails. The screw blower has been the most popular way of making power in the XTF ranks over the past year and with the success of Chuck Ulsch it is evident why. Can Millen be the next man in the 3’s? The official 3-second club may be full but there is always records to be broken, and from the looks of this Al-Anabi sponsored machine, things may get shook up a bit.

Evolution Performance has been particularly upfront about their horsepower and track numbers, garnering a lot of attention to their work on the 2011 GT. We’ve already had several posts on Evolution Performance’s work on the 2011 GT. First was their low 12-second run with basic bolt-on’s, and then a high 11-second pass, then low 11s, and finally ending on 10.80s last week. They have now upped the ante and broke into the 10.50s, and they say she isn’t even done yet.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwJsmTVN9vY

I called Fred at Evolution Performance to get the low down on their new record from two days ago. He mentioned that some of the upgrades included a lightened interior, slicks instead of radials, and a Eaton TrueTrac differential. The main reason for the new differential was because the stock unit died after their 10.80 passes. The 1.40 60 foots can be mainly accredited to the drop in overall ET, though they did up the jet size to net a 125 shot over the previous 100 shot. They also compression check the motor after each run and so far the 5-liters rings are still holding, despite all the nitrous abuse.

One piece that is surprisingly stock is the clutch. Fred remarked that their were some hot spots and you can smell it a little after a hard nitrous run, but it is still living in comfortably in between the 5-liter and newly equipped 6-speed transmission. Fred feels that with a few more passes that the Evolution team can get the Mustang into the 10.30s. Keep an eye out for the possibility of one more test session this week as they gear up for the NMCA Maple Grove race next weekend. Nothing like seeing a bolt-on showroom fresh Mustang hanging both front tires a foot in the air…

Dennis MacPherson and his talented crew at DMC Racing have done it again. These guys have made a heck of name for themselves, churning out one awesome race car after another. Their latest handiwork to hit the track is the Outlaw 10.5 ride of northeast racer Jason Enos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKxB6…layer_embedded

Jason’s absolutely beautiful, show quality 1967 Mustang recently rolled out of the DMC shop, where the new 600-plus cubic inch Proline big block Ford was installed, the headers fabricated, the twin 108mm turbochargers mounted, and all the wiring, plumbing, and intercooler tubing set up. Gary Naughton, an accomplished chassis builder in his own right, originally built the car more than three years ago.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmqsP…layer_embedded

Enos and crew, along with the guys at DMC and Steve Petty of Proline, finally got the car out for testing this past weekend with some hits at New England Dragway and the numbers – especially for a brand new combination right off the trailer – were nothing short of exceptional. Things got started with a short 300-foot squirt to shakedown the car. On the second pass, Jason took it out the back door, netting a 6.86 at 214 miles per hour. The third pass was an even quicker – 6.76 at 220. Both of the full passes look to be relatively soft runs and once Jason leans on this thing, he’ll definitely be a player in the quickly reemerging Outlaw 10.5 scene up north.

Said Jason, “His car has been a thorn in my side for a long time and to go out and have a weekend like we did is just bittersweet.”

Just when you had begun to think it was safe to come out and play, Stevie Fast is back!

Jackson’s familiar “Killin Time” orange flamed Fox body Mustang that had become an intimidating sight at any radial race it entered has remained parked thus far in 2010, as Steve has shoed an Outlaw 10.5 Mustang for another car owner. He has, however, parted ways with that team and will have his own car back in action beginning this weekend at Carolina Dragway, much to the dismay of his competitors.

“We’re going back to what we know…back to drag radial racing. That’s kind of where my heart is, so I’m looking forward to it.”

Jackson and crew will run a couple of ORSCA Limited Street races, the ORTC events, and “pretty much anything that pays money in drag radial.” He even relayed his intent to do some quarter mile racing, with the Shakedown in the fall tentatively penciled into the schedule.

“We made a couple quarter mile hits last year with our little motor, and its fast, so we’re looking forward to doing a little quarter mile racing. I’m probably the poorest guy in drag radial, so quarter mile is just hard on my stuff.”

Jackson has a new motor in the works that he hopes to have in the car at some point this season, which if its any improvement in performance over the current power plant – and he wouldn’t be building it if it weren’t – the rest of the class had better watch out.

“We’ll be making a lot more noise once we get this new motor. That’s when the sparks are gonna’ be flying. We’re gonna’ reset the world record. I don’t know if we’ll get it set by the end of this year, but by Donald’s race next February, we’re gonna’ set the world record.” It’s safe to say that a match up between the two drag radial juggernauts of Jackson and David Wolfe is high on the list of anyone that possesses any knowledge of these two combatants, and many were a little disappointed back in March upon learning that Steve wouldn’t be racing the familiar orange rocket. When asked of his thoughts on racing Wolfe, Steve was quick and to the point in his response. “I would love that. I’d love to set up a nice little match race between me and Wolfe.”

Butter up your popcorn folks, the show is about to start!

Mooresville, North Carolina based Roush-Yates Performance Engines recently announced heads-up racer and engine builder Sandy Wilkins will head up their drag racing engine program. Wilkins, a longtime drag racer, started his racing engine business in 2006 and recently expanded into lightweight wheelie bar wheels and other racing parts. Wilkins also has a knack for driving and has competed in IHRA and NHRA Top Sportsman and ADRL Extreme 10.5 classes. At the wheel of the Wilkins Motorsports Cavalier he has six Top Sportsman wins in twelve final rounds. In 2005, Wilkins was runner-up in IHRA Top Sportsman points and was the NHRA Division 2 Top Sportsman champion in 2003.

While known for his expertise in small block Chevrolet engines, Wilkins will soon be working his magic on small block Ford powerplants and heading-up Justin Humphrey’s NHRA Pro Stock engine program. Roush-Yates Engines is currently building Humphrey’s GM powerplants for the RaceRedi Motorsports GXP while developing the new Ford Pro Stock engine for a new Mustang scheduled to debut mid-year. Roush-Yates is also working with Steve Matusek on a turbocharged Pro-Modified Ford powerplant based on the 500 cubic inch Pro Stock block and heads.

“I look forward to the high performance technology that Roush Yates Performance Engine Group has to offer” said Wilkins. “I always wanted to have the means to do everything I think I can with an engine. Now with the help of George Gable at Roush Yates I have the ability to develop and implement these ideas.”

George Gable, General Manager for Roush Yates Performance Engine Group, is looking foreward to having Wilkins on the build team. “Sandy Wilkins is a proven engine builder that can help take our drag racing engine program to the next level” said George. “Introducing our engine program into drag racing is something that everyone at Roush Yates Engines has worked hard to achieve and we are very proud to have Sandy Wilkins join our team.”
The addition of Wilkins to the Roush-Yates team shows that Doug Yates is serious about expanding the NASCAR engine building powerhouse into new markets. Roush-Yates employees 170 engineers and technicians who design parts, build, test, and service over 1,500 Ford racing engines a year. The company’s engines compete in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, ARCA, NHRA Pro Stock, Grand-Am, FIA GT3, Dirt Late Model and Sprint cars.

The save of race at the NMRA Bradenton season opener last weekend was Victor Nieblas. This car was only out once last year, driven by Chris Little, so there is no doubt Victor is still getting use to it. During the third round of qualifying, Victor’s Mustang would launch with the car pointed left. By the 60 foot cone it was nearly over the centerline. Victor then over corrected, then narrowly missed the wall. Trying to regain the Mustang, it nearly went over on its side. At the end of the day, he just needed two new rear slicks from rolling them over, but no damage to the actual vehicle. Good save Victor

What could be better than being able to but a factory built race car like in the 60′s and 70′s? Well how about a brand new model from Ford Motor Company? The Cobra Jet made its return last year and was a hot seller amongst racers and collectors a like. The Cobra Jets rolled off the line with nearly 500 horsepower coming from the 5.4 liter V8 with the supercharger on top. Just roll away from the dealership and head to your local drag strip ready to do battle in either Stock or Super Stock.

eBay is packed full of unique cars for sale but this one just may be at the top of the class.

The Cobra Jet Mustangs look fast even sitting still. Photos: Flammer Ford

Once again in 2010, due to the success of the popularity of the Cobra Jet, Ford Motor Company once again geared up production for 50 more cars. The all aluminum engine once again features a Whipple twin screw supercharger (now larger) that pounds out 475 horsepower in the Super Cobra Jet Mustang. The Mustang is packed with all the best parts from Manley, Mahle, Aeromotive and many more that make this pony a proven threat on the race track.

The fuel cell and rear mount battery show you just what type of machine it is.

While browsing eBay I came across #10 from the production of 2010 Cobra Jets. This one is equipped the optional 475 horsepower Super Stock ready race engine along with the full roll cage to make it legal in all racing organizations. Being that all 50 of the Cobra Jets were pre ordered prior to the manufacturing this may be one of the few opportunities to get one in the general public. You can surely wait and see just how many wind up on the blocks at Barrett-Jackson and the such of popular high profile auctions.

Log in today and take your shot at owning a piece of history because this one will go fast…….real fast! Just grab the 5 speed liberty and let the hammer fly all the way down the quarter mile.

The interior is a no frills attack. The switch panel and roll cage are all business.