ALL THE WAY
May 23, 2023
THE AUTO BUILDER
Featured
HPX and Street Car Takeover Are Turning Charlotte Into Horsepower Central
Charlotte becomes the epicenter of the aftermarket world as HPX and Street Car Takeover merge business, racing, and car culture into one nonstop performance week built on horsepower, innovation, and pure chaos.
Scrap Yard Binders
Since we don’t really have to search for vintage parts anymore, gone are the days of scouring the local “Pick-a-Part” in search for that illusive part that will interchange or convert your muscle car to bucket seats, tilt steering, A/C or some suspension upgrade. But there was a day when you and a rodding buddy could venture to your favorite junkyard and come home with a whole truckload of cool vintage goodies that would aid you in your rebuild, all in the span of a day.
Well, those days aren’t completely gone. While at the local wrecking yard looking for any useful hot rod parts, we stumbled across another enthusiast, Sean Rievley, who is in the progress of upgrading his ’71 Chevelle chassis
B-Series Block Hop-up
Sleeving A B-series Block Is Not New, But How It Is Done Can Make All The Difference Author These days, if you want to go fast on the track in a Honda, forced induction is almost a must, as most vehicles come with relatively small-displacement engines when compared to their domestic brethren. Basically, the more cylinder pressure and fuel that you can ignite, the faster you go. Admittedly, this all sounds pretty general, but for now, let’s roll with that thought.
Spotlighter
ATTENTION TO DETAIL
What’s Red and White and Fast All Over?
Ford fans will willingly tell you that the Mustang is the No. 1 muscle car built in America, but its style, affordability and performance has earned this popularity title all by itself. The 2005 Mustang GT is a prime example of Ford’s success, and it seems to only be evolving to an even higher level of popularity today. Some say the Mustang was getting long in the tooth and was becoming boring in recent years, but believe it or not, Ford addressed it just at the right time with its new retro-style pony. Maybe the Mustang was evolving too far away from its muscle car roots and Ford decided to bring it back to tighten its focus; then again, perhaps it was just a coincidence of timing.
Author
Christina Berry & Will Smith
Photography By Chris Fesler
The 2005 Mustang GT: A Muscle Car Icon
Regardless, enthusiasts raved at the 300hp V-8 2005 Mustang GT as it rolled into the market. Even since then, the Shelby GT500 has drag racers wondering just what is going to come out next. Not everyone has been bitten by the modification bug, as some Mustang owners still seem to prefer a normal Mustang. But then, what is a normal Mustang? Is there even such a thing as a normal Mustang? Chris Cowen doesn’t think so. Or, at least, his pony car doesn’t fit the description of a normal Mustang.
A Vision for Personalization
Cowen is one of those guys whose intent is to spruce up their Mustang with personality, performance and, hopefully, class. In fact, his vision was to completely personalize his new Mustang, and not only on the outside, but also with upgraded aftermarket power to go along with its new looks and improved entertainment. This Mustang will be one for the books, a car that turns heads. As it turned out, it’s also a great example of what constitutes today’s type of super rod, not your normal, typical Mustang.
A Race Against Time for SEMA
Because of show deadlines, Cowen gave himself a two-month time limit—he wanted to have the results of his efforts done in time for a debut at this year’s SEMA Show, where the car was to be displayed in the S&B Filter booth. Being practical, he knew that he couldn’t do it alone, so he contracted with Fesler Built, located in Phoenix, Arizona, to get his Mustang completed in time. This project was not to have shortcuts; the crew at Fesler Built just knew that they were on a tight schedule and tackled the build accordingly.
Performance Upgrades for the Ultimate Mustang
As far as the plan, what better than a low, racy stance for a Mustang? To accomplish this, a set of Eibach springs was used, providing just the right aggressive look. Of course, a Mustang isn’t a muscle car if it only looks aggressive; it also had to be capable of handling the curves. The BMR rear upper and lower control arms took care of that, along with the BMR subframe connectors linking the front and rear subframes together.
Powering Up with a Paxton Supercharger
Just in case someone wanted to pick on this ’Stang on the open road, Cowen wanted to be able to put his BMR rear control arms to work when applying power, so he transformed his stocker into a pseudo racecar with the installation of a Paxton supercharger, which is fed by a Paxton fuel pump, an S&B Filter performance intake and a DiabloSport Predator handheld computer programmer. He didn’t stop there. A MagnaFlow exhaust system and performance muffler provide the needed exhaust and the sounds. Cowen and Fesler obviously knew what they were doing, because the Mustang now puts out 470 hp and 420 lb-ft of torque. Cowen is able to track just how well his much improved Mustang is performing by looking over at the A-pillar, where he can check out his new gauge pod holding Auto Meter boost, fuel pressure and air/fuel-ratio gauges.
Stopping Power with Baer Brakes
Obviously, with its newfound power this Mustang can roll, but how well can it stop? Pretty much on a dime, thanks to Baer’s braided brake lines, with 14-inch Baer rotors in the front and 12-inch Baer rotors on the back. Baer actually used the car to test its new Mustang GT all-corner brake system kit. Of course, to aid in the stopping process are Michelin’s super-high-performance tires, Pilot Sport PS2s, wrapped around 20-inch chrome Weld Tech Star wheels.
A Bold Exterior with Racing Stripes
Racing stripes never go out of style, and they look particularly good on Cowen’s Mustang. It’s hard to imagine a better color combination than the red car with white “Shelby” stripes. Cowen painted the white racing stripes himself, and while these wide white bands have been well used over the years by many Mustang owners, the key here is a clean, professional execution.
Custom Bodywork for an Aggressive Look
Cowen still didn’t see the full, aggressive capacity of this car he envisioned with the Eibach springs, Paxton supercharger, MagnaFlow exhaust and chrome wheels, so various Street Scene body accessories were added to help do the trick. New front and rear bumpers and side skirts add a slightly lower custom effect close to the ground. Old-school fans will enjoy the Classic Design Concepts’ ram air shaker scoop, which brings back the days of old and yet enhances the look of this new muscle car. Additional exterior accessories include a subtle Street Scene wing, louvered C-pillar scoops and a Trenz antenna.
A High-Tech Interior with a Custom Audio System
Just in case you’re wondering, the inside of the Mustang looks just as impressive as the outside. Classic Automotive Interior provided new red and gray leather seat covers matching the red leather door panel inserts, adding more flare to the stock gray interior. Embedded in the back of the headrests are two Vizualogic monitors for those holding on tight in the backseat.
Sound That Matches the Power
Depending upon one’s preference, there may be a little controversy over which sounds better—the car or its sound system. Anchored by an in-dash Panasonic DVD source unit complete with a 6.5-inch LCD monitor that has touch controls for easy programming, this system is easily heard. Speaker pods were built into the door panels to hold a set of Kicker’s high-end SS65.2 speakers that are supported by Kicker KS68s mounted in the Mustang’s rear deck. Hidden in the trunk you’ll find a Kicker ZX700.5 multi-channel amp feeding extra power and thump into the system. But that’s not all you’ll find in the trunk. A shiny red and white fiberglass box holding two 10-inch Kicker subwoofers can also be found. You’ll find the flawless racing stripes again inside the trunk, as Cowen even painted them down the subwoofer box. They match up perfectly to the stripes on the exterior.
A Showstopper That Keeps Turning Heads
You can check out all the detail here, and if you missed the SEMA Show, the car will more than likely make appearances at various shows this year. If you are wondering why you can’t take your eyes off this car, try pointing out all the details yourself—it is almost guaranteed that you will be looking to find them all, but even then the appearance is in the packaging and, of course, the stance.
THE BUILD
1. When the builders got the car, it was nothing more than a stock red ’05 Mustang GT. That state of affairs wouldn’t last long.
2. The first step in the car’s transformation was to get it to sit properly. Here’s a look at the difference between a progressive-wind Eibach rear coil (left) and the stock Ford rear coil (right).
3. MagnaFlow 2.5-inch stainless exhaust pipes and mufflers improve on the factory sound and deliver more power. Their stainless construction means they’ll last just about forever, too.
4. Twin-piston Baer calipers and two-piece rotors provide more consistent stopping power than the factory equipment. There’s no question that these new pieces look better than the stockers.
New wheels and stance.
5. Classic Design Concepts’ shaker hood lends a Mach 1 feel to the S197, and the kit includes the scoop, air filter, gasket and other items necessary for installation.
6. This template shows the builders where to cut the huge hole for the scoop. Placing the green tape on the areas to be cut reduces the chance of the paint chipping or flaking as the metal is cut.
7. A mini air-powered Sawzall makes quick work of the aluminum hood without the kickback associated with larger, slower Sawzalls.
8. It appears that the aftermarket strut tower bar will have to go or be -modified in order to work with the shaker hood kit.
Now that's a proper shaker hood. Givin' off Mach 1 vibes.!
9. The builders laid out the complete Street Scene body kit as it will fit on the car. The kit includes new bumpers, side skirts, window louvers and mesh for the grille openings.
10. An Auto Meter triple gauge pod will house new gauges to monitor boost, air/fuel ratio and fuel pressure. Here’s a look at the pod, the gauges and all related hardware.
11. The recovered lower seat goes back into place, and already the cabin looks better.
