Upon opening the doors, the industrial flavor hits overdrive. With easy access to a water jet cutting machine, Joe put it to good use. A brushed aluminum instrument panel cover, door handle pulls, speaker grilles, and trim rings are scattered throughout the cabin. Likewise, aluminum strips accent the doors, center console, and headliner. Many of the aluminum bits are attached using button-head screws, a nice touch that's reminiscent of a fighter jet's skin that's riveted onto the fuselage. Since a standard rollbar would look too ordinary, Joe bent up a custom twin-hoop design. Adding to the cause are drilled steel foot pedals and doorsills. "The interior is meant to be as mechanical-looking as possible. I wanted to see how far I could push the envelope without looking gaudy," Joe says.
In some respects, Joe's Mustang is a microcosm of the Pro Touring creed. Although it looks sweet, functionality is still the order of the day. As innovative as it may be from an aesthetic standpoint, simply getting everything to work properly demanded exhaustive engineering expertise. That's not too bad at all for a small shop operating out of the corner of a transmission rebuild facility. This summer, Joe wants to see how well his car stacks up against the big boys by entering his Mustang in the 2011 Street Machine of the Year competition. Who will win is anyone's guess, but it's safe to say that Hot Rod Joe's Rod and Custom is going to put up one heck of a fight.
| BY THE NUMBERS |
| 1967 FORD MUSTANG |
| Joe Brown • Lafayette, LA |
| ENGINE |
| Type: |
Ford 4.6L DOHC small-block |
| Block: |
factory 3.552-inch bore aluminum |
| Oiling: |
stock pump and pan |
| Rotating assembly: |
factory forged 3.543-inch crankshaft, H-beam steel rods, and 8.5:1 pistons |
| Cylinder heads: |
factory 32-valve aluminum castings |
| Camshafts: |
stock DOHC |
| Induction: |
Kenne Bell twin-screw supercharger, intake manifold, and air-to-water intercooler |
| Ignition: |
stock coil-on-plug system |
| Exhaust: |
custom 1.75-inch stainless steel headers, 2.5-inch X-pipe, and SLP mufflers |
| Output: |
720 hp at 6,800 rpm |
| DRIVETRAIN |
| Transmission: |
Tremec T56 six-speed manual, McLeod twin-disc clutch, MGW shifter |
| Rear axle: |
Ford 9-inch rearend with 3.50:1 gears and limited-slip differential |
| CHASSIS |
| Front suspension: |
Scott’s control arms and spindles; QA1 coilovers |
| Rear suspension: |
Scott’s triangulated four-link and QA1 coilovers |
| Brakes: |
Wilwood 13-inch rotors and six-piston calipers, front; Wilwood 13-inch rotors and four-pistons calipers, rear |
| WHEELS & TIRES |
| Wheels: |
custom Intro ID 319 18x8, front; 20x12, rear |
| Tires: |
Mickey Thompson S/R 26x10x18, front; 29x15x20, rear |