The superclean undercarriage...
The superclean undercarriage looks the part of a car that never gets driven, but that’s simply not the case. Don’t let the polished exhaust fool you. The entire suspension has been powdercoated, and the undercarriage is covered in bedliner material to help shed water and keep maintenance to a minimum.
In addition to enhancing performance and driveability, show-quality aesthetics were part of the grand plan all along. Even though extensive sheetmetal mods are becoming more commonplace in the walk of g-Machines, Colby wanted to keep things simple. Other than fixing a small patch of rust in the floorpan, smoothing out the firewall, and filling in holes in the engine compartment and undercarriage, the body is mostly stock. Instead, the mean stance, aggressive factory body lines, and Volkswagen Reflex Silver paint do all the talking. “I like the way these cars look from the factory, so I didn’t want to change the body much at all. Lots of people like to shave the driprails and door handles, but I didn’t want to take away from the car’s original profile.”
As subjective as a car’s styling might be, few people would disagree that the ’70 Mustang is a far better looking machine than the Clydesdales. And let’s not even get into the Mustang II debacle. With the last of the aesthetically pleasing old-school Mustangs at his disposal, Colby has met his duty of turning it into a sweet street machine that can do it all. Even so, there will still be those who question putting so much effort into any Mustang that isn’t a fastback. “I know that it doesn’t make that much sense to put a lot of money into a Mustang coupe because there just isn’t that much demand for them,” he admits. “However, I didn’t build my car to sell it. I got to build my first car like I always dreamed of building it, and not many people can say that.”
Colby prefers driving over...
Colby prefers driving over polishing. He had the wheels ceramic coated to give them a nice sheen that wouldn’t require constant cleaning.
“I wanted to build a muscle car that drives and handles as well as a new car. I think I’ve accomplished that.” —Colby Henton
Type: Ford 425ci small-block
Block: factory 351W bored to 4.030 inches
Oiling: Melling pump, stock pan
Rotating assembly: Coast High Performance 4.170-inch forged crankshaft, 6.200-inch steel rods, and 10.0:1 pistons
Cylinder heads: Trick Flow 225cc aluminum castings with 2.080/1.600-inch valves ported to flow 330 cfm
Camshaft: Crower 234/246-at-.050 hydraulic roller; .550/.573-inch lift; 112-degree lobe separation angle
Valvetrain: Crane lifters, timing set, valvesprings, and 1.6:1 rocker arms
Induction: Edelbrock Victor intake manifold converted to EFI, FAST throttle-body
Fuel system: FAST XFI stand-alone computer and 30-lb/hr injectors; Walbro in-tank pump, Aeromotive rails
Ignition: FAST crank trigger, MSD 6AL ignition box, Taylor plug wires, factory Ford coil pack
Exhaust: custom 1.75-inch stainless steel headers and 2.5-inch X-pipe, dual Pypes mufflers
Cooling system: Edelbrock water pump, Griffin radiator, SPAL electric fan
Built by: Coast High Performance
Output: 409 hp and 439 lb-ft at rear wheels
Transmission: Tremec TKO 600 five-speed manual; Modern Driveline flywheel and clutch
Rear axle: Chassisworks 9-inch rearend with 3.89:1 gears, Strange 31-spline axles, and limited-slip differential
Front suspension: Heidts control arms and spindles; RideTech air springs and shocks
Rear suspension: Chassisworks four-link; RideTech air springs and shocks
Brakes: Wilwood 12-inch rotors and four-piston calipers, front and rear
Wheels: Billet Specialties Patriot 18x8, front; 18x10, rear
Tires: BFGoodrich KDW 245/40R18, front; 275/40R18, rear