ELECTRIFYING TWIN-TURBO 5.0-LITER

An Electrifying Ride with Les Iida’s ’93 Twin-Turbo Mustang GT

You’ll have to pardon the corny play on words, but driving with electrical contractor Les Iida of Honolulu, Hawaii, in his twin-turbocharged ’93 Mustang GT is an electrifying experience to say the least.

The Early Days of Iida’s Mustang

“From the very beginning, I’ve always raced this car,” Iida says. “In the past 11 years, I’ve put 10,000 miles on the odometer a quarter mile at a time.” Like most weekend warriors, Iida’s 5.0-liter Mustang started out life 100 percent bone stock. But with help from friends such as Honolulu Ford’s performance advisor Henry Tabios (a well-known island 5.0-liter racer in his own right), members of the Hawaii Ford Performance Club, Dillingham Automotive’s Glenn Aarake and Alan “Naka” Nakamura, Iida’s ghost-flamed Mustang GT has been transformed into a 9-second, street-legal twin-turbo terror, recording a best of 9.94 seconds at nearby Hawaii Raceway Park.

Building a Street-Legal Drag Racer

“However, during the lengthy process of building the car (4-1/2 years), there were some considerations. Due to the fact that I have to drive the car 50 miles to and from the track, it had to be very streetable!” Hmm…a 9-second street-legal Mustang?

Powertrain: A 342ci Beast Under the Hood

Powering this little gem is a Ford Racing 342ci “R” block expertly machined by Ted’s Machine of Honolulu. The small-block Ford features a SCAT stroker crank, a set of Eagle H-beam connecting rods, eight Ross 8.2:1-compression pistons outfitted with Childs & Albert piston rings, a Competition Cams solid-lifter roller cam, Clevite engine bearings, a Melling oil pump and Canton 7-quart oil pan, an Edelbrock high-volume reverse-rotation water pump, March pulleys and a JW balanced flywheel. Bolted up top is a pair of TFS Twisted Wedge R heads outfitted with 2.08-inch intake and 1.60-inch stainless steel exhaust valves, Competition Cams valve springs and keepers, ARP head studs, a set of 1.6-ratio Ford Racing roller rocker arms, and polished Bennett tall-deck aluminum valve covers.

Turbocharged to Perfection

Induction on this beauty consists of a highly polished Edelbrock Victor Jr. intake outfitted with a set of 96-lb MSD electronic fuel injectors. Fuel delivery itself comes in the form of a Turbo Technologies twin-turbocharger kit that utilizes a pair of polished Turbonetics T-60 turbochargers pumping out 16 to 20 pounds of boost via a Mitsubishi blow-by valve and Turbonetics wastegate. The actual engine management system, which consists of an MSD crank trigger ignition fired by a FAST programmable electronic ignition setup, uses a total of two Windows-based engine management programs. Harv St. Mary (Harv’s Automotive, Whittier, California) and Glenn Aarake (Dillingham Automotive, Honolulu) programmed the street profile. Alan Nakamura (Honolulu’s Naka’s Car Care) programmed the strip profile. Exhaust hardware on this show-and-go powerhouse includes a set of 1-5/8-inch ceramic-coated Turbo Technologies shorty headers dumping into a Craig Iinuma-fabricated 3-inch MagnaFlow ceramic-coated system.

Drivetrain and Suspension: Built for Performance

Getting all that power back to the car’s narrowed 3.50:1-geared, 35-spline-axle Currie 9-inch Ford rearend is a Randall Shimodoi-prepared (ACE Transmission) GM PowerGlide with a Neal Chance 10-inch, 3,500-stall-speed torque converter. The final link in the car’s powertrain is a Denny’s custom-balanced driveshaft.

Obviously, the suspension on Iida’s GT has been race-prepared to accommodate its drivetrain. Aside from the aforementioned Currie Enterprises 9-inch rearend, the car utilizes a D&D tubular A-arm front crossmember, a Wolf Race Craft front anti-sway bar and a combination of QA1 coilover shocks out back and a pair of Lakewood 90/10 struts up front. Braking comes in the form of a set of Aero Space four-wheel discs. Wheels and tires consist of 15×3.5-inch Weld AlumaStars in front rolling on 26x15x15-inch Mickey Thompsons and 15×10-inch Weld AlumaStar wheels on the rear rolling on 275/60×15-inch M/T drag radials. Other modifications to the Mustang include a JAZ 8-gallon fuel cell and a custom battery box installed under the floor pan where the spare tire used to be.

Finishing Touches: A Visual and Functional Masterpiece

Iida’s GT still retains its original paint; however, it has been flamed in light yellow by artist/painter Dennis Mathuson at Honolulu’s Cosmic Airbrush. On the inside, you’ll note an NHRA-legal 10-point rollcage installed by Craig Iinuma. Also along for the ride are Simpson safety harnesses, a Dennis Low-installed Auto Meter tachometer and an owner-installed custom control panel that governs all system functions.

Competing in Hawaii’s Fastest Street Car Shootout

Iida’s GT was completed at a cost of $17,000, and he competes regularly in Hawaii Raceway Park’s “Hawaii’s Fastest Street Car Shootout” series. It’s a small island, so if you’re there and the car’s running, you’ll probably know it.