Subject: Hey ! I resemble that remark !! Author: erwin : member since November, 2007 : 885 posts Posted on: 2009-02-06 18:41:03

My college car was a 76 Mustang Cobra - 302 4 speed, black and gold. It was not stock, and it kicked ass. Based on a Pinto? You bet. That made it small, light, and wicked fast with a stout small-block V8. (the original Mustang was based on the Falcon, pretty much the pinto of it's day).

The front suspension had the upper control arms bolted to the frame with the bolts in some slots about 2 inches long. This means the geometry was infinitely adjustable - any camber and caster you could want, just dial it in. If you pushed the arms all the way in, you'd get massive negative camber and serious tire grip (racing only of course - you'd also get massive inner shoulder tire wear).

I must have rebuilt that engine 3-4 times as I experimented with various combinations. In its final configuration it was making around 325-350 hp (hmmm, about the same as my german V12, also 5 liters displacement).

How fast was it? In its last road-race event, there were 104 cars entered. The course was 3 miles long, had hills, banking, and a 1 mile straightaway. Only 3 of those cars beat me: One was a full-on race car (I don't know what he was doing playing with a bunch of street cars), one was a modified corvette (only one of about 10 vetts that entered that weekend beat me) and the other was a 280Z, who beat me by just a few tenths of a second. There were lots of Shelby Mustangs (stock and modified) and late-model 5.0 Mustang GTs racing against me, and all sorts of other sports cars and hot rods. I beat them all in my little Mustang II. The other ford guys were not very thrilled when I exclaimed, when I picked up my trophy: "In a Pinto, No Less !!"

Those were the days.

I liked the look of the fastback Mustang II. With the right mods it can look pretty wicked (I'll admit the factory options can make it look silly). All it needed were some meaty tires and a bit of lowering, a good exhaust, and maybe some window tint.

I still have the pictures, but they're old school - meaning, they're actual pictures on picture paper - not digital.

Anyway, I just thought I'd defend the little Mustang. Yeah, bone stock it was kinda lame, but you have to get past that to see all the goodness inherent in the design. Loads of potential in the right hands !

Erwin 89 750iL Lowered (a little)

Mouse over for details >>> Engine/Driveline Wolf engine and throttle chips 19 lb, 4-hole (Design 3) fuel injectors Custom Intake based on 850csi parts Custom Cold Air Boxes Royal Purple 20W-50 3.64 LSD w/Royal Purple gear lube Royal Purple trans fluid Interior Phone removed, replaced with cut-to-length dash wood trim on hinge E38 Shifter Knob, Console Plate, and Boot M-Tech 2 M-technic Steering Wheel - air bag deleted E38 Self-Dimming Mirror Interior Light Fading Module (Shogun special) Audio BMW Business CD Player "CD43" Head Unit Refurbished factory amp w/equalizer Bass blockers (300hz/4ohm) on stock front kick panel speakers Rear deck speakers: Alpine SPS-13C2 5.25" 2 way 175 Watt with bass blockers Subwoofers: 2 JBL GTO804 8" 4-ohm subs Subwoofer install: custom sealed enclosure mounted behind ski bag opening Subwoofer amp: Alpine MRP-M450 400w MONO CD changer relocated to driver's door bottom pocket, actuated by bio- mechanical arm controlled by semi-intelligent nut behind the wheel Suspension H&R Lowering Springs (1/2 coil removed from fronts) Koni adjustable front shocks Stock rear shocks (self leveling) Racing Dynamics Stress Bar Stock front sway bar Dinan rear sway bar - 21mm M5 aluminum lower control arms Racing King rear subframe delrin inserts Front tires: 245-40-18 Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 on 8.5" EuroTech rims Rear tires: 275-40-18 Michelin Pilot Sport PS1 on 9.5" EuroTech rims Exterior/Body 25% Side tint, 5% Rear tint BMW Mud flaps - rears trimmed to tire width Rear fender lips rolled Smoked side markers (after pic taken) Euro Smiley Headlights (after pic taken) Soft close trunk retrofit E66 trunk emblem "750 iL" (after pic taken) Zymol wax Way too many paint chips touched up Brakes Front Rotors: 850CSi, 324 X 30 mm, cross-drilled and slotted Rear Rotors: stock size, cross-drilled and slotted Pads: Hawk Performance Ceramic (may switch to HPS) Stainless steel lines Racing Blue brake fluid

• Top Ten Worst 'Car of the The Year' vehicles (url) - bcweir750 2009-01-25 18:29:32 (304 views)
  • Re: Top Ten Worst 'Car of the The Year' vehicles - paulmer 2009-01-25 21:34:19 (245 views)
    • They totally ruined the 2002 Thunderbird. - bcweir750 2009-01-31 00:17:34 (255 views)
      • Re: They totally ruined the 2002 Thunderbird. - paulmer 2009-02-02 04:33:08 (254 views)
        • Mustang II's are still out there and on the road. - bcweir750 2009-02-02 11:12:21 (266 views)
          • Hey ! I resemble that remark !! - erwin 2009-02-06 18:41:03 (218 views)
            • The Mustang II front suspension actually a pretty popular part for hot rods.... - bcweir750 2009-02-06 19:50:22 (278 views)