Want more content like this?
Join the PowerNation Email NewsletterVideo Transcript
(Tommy)>> You're watching Powernation!
[ engine revving ] [ Music ]
(Katie)>> Welcome to Powernation Builds. Now if you're a fan of '80's cars you're in luck. If you're a Ford fan it just got that much sweeter. The guys are taking a Fox body Mustang to a track level ripper status, here's Detroit Muscle.
(Marc)>> We're calling this Project Sydewinder as a bit of a nod to its reptilian heritage. When it's all buttoned up she'll be a mean little machine. Fox body Mustangs have gained a lot of popularity over the years with being lightweight and that 5.0-liter e-f-i engine that came out in 1986. That thing made over 200 horsepower right out of the factory. This is not one of those engines. This is a 255 cubic inch small block based on the Windsor. So it's basically a 302 with smaller bores but this stroked Windsor is gonna make us happy. It was actually built by the guys down in Engine Power. So we brought in Mike Galley here. He's gonna talk about what's in it.
(Mike)>> You know Marc Pat and I wanted to pay tribute to the original 427 but we know they're hard to find parts for and they're really expensive to make a lot of power out of it. So this was a more cost effective platform to go off of. It's a 351 based Windsor. This block is actually a DSS Race Prep 20 block. All c-n-c machined with over 31 operations performed to it. It's filled with an Eagle rotating assembly, forged Mahle piston. Capping that off is a set of Trick Flow High Port 225's with a 70cc combustion chamber, and that gave us an 11.3 to 1 compression ratio. Now we still ran it on pump gas. Our dyno carb was a 950 c-f-m Black Diamond, and we were running inch and seven-eighths headers, and it made over 610 horsepower and 550-pound feet of torque.
(Marc)>> Well we've got our Mustang in the air now because we need to get some stuff disconnected under here in order to get the engine out. Now most of the time when we do this, we unbolt everything real nice and stack it in the corner in case we need it later, but with this car pretty much everything's getting replace anyway. So, I broke out the saw. [ saw buzzing ] [ drill humming ] [ Music ]
(Marc)>> Well we've got the engine bay stripped out so we can clean all of this out but before we do that, we want to block off some of these holes in the firewall because they go into the inside of the car, and we don't want cleaner and water to get in there. So we'll just get inside there, tape them off from the inside, and start scrubbing. We're using duct tape because it's super sticky and we're not worried about any residue that it may leave behind on the inside. We're also going to use our shop vacuum to get the loose debris, like leaves, out of the way first. Then we'll scrape the heavy junk out before we start applying any cleaner. Well we've got our engine bay all cleaned up now and prepped, and now would really be a good time to roll this thing into the booth, mask the car off, and then start spraying but we found a couple of issues. One, right here where the battery box was it looks like maybe some battery acid leaked down and rusted the frame rail here. So we need to clean that rust out a little bit. That shouldn't take too long.
(Tommy)>> Yeah we can add some prep to it and neutralize that stuff. Also while we were at it the radiator support down here on the bottom has been pushed back and we've got to fix that. [ air tool vibrating ] [ Music ]
(Tommy)>> That topcoat is actually a durable single stage high gloss fleet paint that we got from Single Source. Man that looks nice! Too bad it's on a Mustang.
(Marc)>> Well we got our engine bay all cleaned up on our Fox body Mustang here and we're gonna move on to this front suspension. [ drill humming ] [ Music ] Next, we'll get our castor/camber plates installed, starting with the stud plate and spacers. Then the upper plate, which we'll just start by hand. Then the coil over can come in from the bottom and the nut gets installed. [ Music ] [ drill humming ] [ Music ] [ ratchet clicking ] [ Music ]
(Marc)>> Well we've got our front suspension on our '81 Cobra all wrapped up with the exception of that sway bar, which we'll install later on. We also upgraded to larger Cobra brakes up there as well as the five lug, but back here on the back we've got a lot of upgrading to do. This thing still has four lug axles and they're only 28 spline from the factory, which is not gonna handle that power we're gonna throw at it. That's the problem. This is the solution. This is Mosier's M-88 Muscle Pack crate rear end. This thing comes with all the Mosier stuff that they've been making for years to make an 8-8 stronger but with a brand new housing and complete and ready to bolt in. [ Music ] Now it's time to set the rear down on a stand and knock out those bolts we unfastened.
(Katie)>> Coming up next, it turns out this pony needs a whole lot of help becoming a track stallion.
(Marc)>> Hey folks welcome back. Well we're just about ready to get our new rear end up under our Fox body Mustang but if you noticed earlier when I removed the old one I left everything attached to it. Well that's because we got all new stuff from QA-1 that we got with our suspension kit. Everything you see here on the table came with the stuff that we've already installed in the front as part of QA-1's level three handling kit. We'll install these onto the car using the original hardware, leaving them loose for now. The ideal plan is to tighten them when the weight of the car is on the suspension. [ Music ] Next up are the shocks. We'll bolt them in from the top and tighten them down. Next is to install these poly bushings. [ Music ] Next up is the lower shock mount. [ Music ] Now it's time for the wedding ceremony. We'll get our engine in place and marry it to the transmission. [ Music ] We picked these two-inch primary stainless steel from Trick Flow that we got from Summit Racing. They do have two inch primaries but they also have a three and a half inch collector. Now we don't need that large of a collector. Three inch is gonna be just fine but we'll worry about that later on. These are actually for drag racing, and as they say if you're gonna make big power you need big headers. It takes a little wiggling but... [ metal clanging ]
(Marc)>> ...success!
(Tommy)>> Since the car is already prepped it's time to start masking it off in preparation for paint. You may remember from the rendering that we're wanting a weathered and rusty look that will give us the patina finish that we're looking for.
(Marc)>> Once we finish masking and with the car in the booth Tommy will mix up some primer and give the ole girl a bath with a few coats to the body and hood so we will have a good foundation for the paint. [ Music ]
(Tommy)>> So with that said today's kind of a fun day. We're gonna be giving this car a patina finish. Now one nice thing about doing it this way is it saves you all that pain and effort that you've got to do with all that blocking, but it does require you to think outside the box just a bit, and whenever I'm talking about outside the box you've got to throw it plum out the window.
(Marc)>> That's right and to get it done we brought in a professional. This is Ted Swan, and he's with Summit Racing. If you can't tell by his gray hair he's got a little more experience than we do.
(Ted)>> I've actually done a few of these jobs. We're gonna do some unorthodox techniques to deliver a patina paint job. We're gonna do distressing and we're gonna do some rust swarfing to give it that time worn look.
(Marc)>> Yeah but first we need to finish sanding this thing so we can get it in the booth.
(Ted)>> And there's a lot to do.
(Tommy)>> Believe it or not we're gonna be using a paint roller and some brushes because we're really needing some texture, and I know you can get some texture out of a gun but we need a lot. Now you'll want to make sure that you have a lot of paint on the roller so that you get a good thick layer on the car.
(Marc)>> Usually when painting you will want a nice uniform surface but in this case that's the opposite of what we want. The sloppier the better so that we get the desired effect that we're after.
(Tommy)>> As you can see we were able to get that rough texture layer that we were looking for. I'm gonna fill up the old paint gun and spray on one more coat of red oxide so that we'll have a heavy base to work with, and when we get started sanding we won't sand through unless we want to. [ spray gun hissing ]
(Tommy)>> Now when we spray the jet black you'll want to use more of the uniform and traditional form of painting. Nice even coats in one smooth pattern making sure to cover all the red oxide. [ spray gun hissing ] [ Music ]
(Tommy)>> We're gonna be sanding with 320 grit paper making sure that the surface and paper are wet. When sanding you will want to put medium to heavy pressure on the car's surface, sanding down until the red oxide starts peeking through. [ Music ]
(Marc)>> When sanding you will want to make sure to sand in multiple directions to help with the distressing. A little elbow grease and man we made this thing look like she's been sitting in the old junkyard for 20 years. [ Music ]
(Tommy)>> Our distressed look came out pretty darn good. If you didn't know any better, you'd think this thing was sitting out in the elements for a couple of decades. The first order of business is gonna be installing this four-point roll bar that we got from Auto Power. It's made of inch and three quarter .120 wall d-o-m tubing. It's always easier on a job like this to have an extra set of hands to catch the roll bar as it goes into the car. With it in place we'll mark where the mounting pads will need to attach to the floor. Because there's a seam running through there that's sticking up and it's full of seam sealer, we'll scrap the seam sealer out. Then we can hammer it down flat. [ hammer banging ]
(Tommy)>> And then the roll bar can go back into place. I guess we need to drill.
(Marc)>> We'll drill one hole and drop in a bolt in each of the four mounting plates. That will keep it from moving so we can drill the rest of the holes and get all the bolts installed.
(Katie)>> Well friends, it's gonna take some serious upgrades for this Mustang to handle at the track.
(Marc)>> Earlier I mentioned restoration parts. Well, this is all of it right here that we got from NPD Link dot com, National Parts Depot's website. We got all the seals for the doors and the hatch as well as the T-tops, which that stuff's kinda hard to find, sill plates, door handles and the rivets to install them, interior screw kit, and a bunch of miscellaneous stuff that you're not gonna find at your local parts store. We even got the dash pad. Now they've been in business for over four decades and they've got Fox body Mustang stuff but other Ford vehicles as well, Mopar, and GM, and they've got four locations throughout the US, and they keep all this stuff in stock. So, when you order it you know you're gonna get it in just a couple of days. Another thing is attention to detail like this headliner that's actually made for a T-top car like ours. It's got the correct upholstery on it as well. So, if you're doing a restoration you know you're gonna get the right thing, as well as the visors. Now one more thing we got from them for the interior and that's this rug here. We're gonna put that in next but Tommy's got something to show you over at the car first.
(Tommy)>> Before we get too slap happy and install that carpet, we're gonna put in some Boom Mat from DEI. This is a thermal acoustic control mat, and it's pretty easy to install. Pretty much all you have to do is make sure that the surface that you're applying it is dust free, and then you just peel off the back and you stick it on. We'll cut the Boom Mat to fit and roll it down with one of these wooden rollers that they offer. We're going to apply one single layer on the floor, front and back.
(Marc)>> That looks nice. It's a shame we've got to cover it up.
(Tommy)>> The cost of doing business. [ Music ] You're scaring me boss.
(Marc)>> Think I'm gonna cut myself? That time I didn't. A few cuts to get it fit and look at that. Not bad!
(Tommy)>> This stuff is made to fit directly into our Fox body but depending on whether or not you run carpet or you have other modifications like our roll bar, or just because no two of these cars were built exactly the same, some trimming is usually necessary.
(Marc)>> Once we get it fit, we'll use a piece of masking tape to mark the top edge of our delete panel, so we know where to install our support brackets to the quarter trim. [ Music ] They get riveted into place and the tape can be removed. [ Music ] [ drill buzzing ]
(Tommy)>> We'll use just enough clecos to keep it from moving around so that we can drill the rest of our holes. Then we can remove the masking tape and start installing the rivets. Now we'll move onto the trunk floor panels, which we'll install using the same method, holes, clecos, and then the rivets. [ Music ]
(Marc)>> Now the driver's seat can go in and with it in place we'll get all of the hardware started by hand first, and then tighten them all down. As for the passenger seat well it's gonna get the same treatment. [ Music ] Here they are folks. These are boom tubes, and in case you don't know what they are this is kinda like what they run in Nascar. It's a muffler and a tip kinda all in one. We got these from Summit Racing. What's nice about these is they have a three-inch inlet here, which is nice and big, but also the tip you can just run it straight out of the side just like that or you can actually come out at an angle and then make a cut here. Well, I've got my mufflers under the Mustang here and as you can see, I've got them in different locations, but I do have them both at about a 45-degree angle because that's the way I want them to come out. That way I can make a nice long cut against the rocker panel there. Now we can weld up all those seams... [ Music ] ...and then cut through those boom tubes with a big cutoff wheel. [ Music ] Moment of truth. [ Music ] [ drill humming ]
(Marc)>> And with our hardware in and tight we can behold the beauty of the boom tubes. They're gonna be loud but who cares right?
(Tommy)>> We've got a paint project that we're wanting to do on our hood scoop. If you'll remember back our Mustang came with a big Cobra decal and we're wanting to replicate that. Our car also has that patina paint job. So, we're gonna follow that theme with our artwork. Let's lay down a couple of pieces of tape so we can mark the center of our hood scoop. Then we can add our graphic, line it up, and tape it down. [ Music ] We've got 3 colors that we're gonna be using. We've got a medium orange, a red oxide, and a funky red. First one we're gonna be applying is this orange color. I know that using an air brush seems kinda slow and takes more time, but it saves me the hassle of taping each color we're gonna use. Now I know you're probably sitting there going man that doesn't look that good. Well by no means am I a pro with the air brush but I actually did this for a reason. Since we're going for that distressed patina look you know paint deteriorates at different rates, leaving some areas thinner than others. We're gonna apply our clear coat first. It helps with the movement of the crackle paint we're gonna use. Now it's time for the crackle. This stuff sprays on and instantly starts adding that aged effect that I'm going after. That effect turned out killer. The last thing we're gonna do is spray on a coat of Dupli-Color clear coat. This has a matte finish to it and once it dries, we can unmask it and see what it's all gonna look like. [ spray can hissing ] [ Music ]
(Tommy)>> Hey big man I did some painting on your hood scoop and I hope you dig it. You ready?
(Marc)>> Yeah, I'm excited. Wow, dude that looks awesome.
(Katie)>> Up next, they're out of the shop and onto the track for the Sydewinder shakedown.
(Marc)>> We picked up this 1981 Mustang Cobra a while back with the idea of building a track capable street car with all the goodies to give it the right attitude like a roll bar, a sheet metal interior, racing seats, harnesses, gauges, and a switch panel, and what started as this concept is now a reality, and we're getting ready to put our hard work to the test. After a quick drivers meeting and going through tech it was time to fuel her up, get suited up because safety first, and the only thing still not upgraded on this car is this Christmas tree. It's time for a fresh one. [ Music ] [ engine revving ] [ Music ] [ engine revving ]
(Marc)>> Project Sydewinder has been one of those that's been near and dear to me personally, not only because I'm a Ford guy but just because I got to pour my heart and soul into this build. I got to decide every single little detail that was on it. What started off as a concept on a computer screen turned into a... [ engine revving ]
(Marc)>> ...labor of love for me. [ engine revving ]
(Marc)>> There's just something about being able to take a parts list and a concept and turning it into something that you can take out and truly enjoy. I've got all the power I need, all the braking I need, all the handling. [ engine revving ]
(Marc)>> You've heard the phrase drive it like you stole it. That's what I'm doing. [ engine revving ]
(Marc)>> And she just keeps taking every bit of it. Well, we're here in the winner's circle, not because we won a race but because we feel like we won big time at this event. We had a lot of fun. There were some great activities, we met some amazing people, and we got Sydewinder out on the open track to strut her stuff and show that she can do exactly what she was built to do, and that makes me proud. Now I get to load her back on the trailer. She's gonna drive right on on her own because nothing broke, and that's awesome because we get back to the shop, I'm gonna start a new Ford project because this one right here, she's done. [ engine revving ]
(Katie)>> You know Project Sydewinder has to be one of my all-time favorites, and no matter what you're into, whether it be street, track, or trails, we've got you covered right here on Powernation Builds.
Show Full Transcript
[ engine revving ] [ Music ]
(Katie)>> Welcome to Powernation Builds. Now if you're a fan of '80's cars you're in luck. If you're a Ford fan it just got that much sweeter. The guys are taking a Fox body Mustang to a track level ripper status, here's Detroit Muscle.
(Marc)>> We're calling this Project Sydewinder as a bit of a nod to its reptilian heritage. When it's all buttoned up she'll be a mean little machine. Fox body Mustangs have gained a lot of popularity over the years with being lightweight and that 5.0-liter e-f-i engine that came out in 1986. That thing made over 200 horsepower right out of the factory. This is not one of those engines. This is a 255 cubic inch small block based on the Windsor. So it's basically a 302 with smaller bores but this stroked Windsor is gonna make us happy. It was actually built by the guys down in Engine Power. So we brought in Mike Galley here. He's gonna talk about what's in it.
(Mike)>> You know Marc Pat and I wanted to pay tribute to the original 427 but we know they're hard to find parts for and they're really expensive to make a lot of power out of it. So this was a more cost effective platform to go off of. It's a 351 based Windsor. This block is actually a DSS Race Prep 20 block. All c-n-c machined with over 31 operations performed to it. It's filled with an Eagle rotating assembly, forged Mahle piston. Capping that off is a set of Trick Flow High Port 225's with a 70cc combustion chamber, and that gave us an 11.3 to 1 compression ratio. Now we still ran it on pump gas. Our dyno carb was a 950 c-f-m Black Diamond, and we were running inch and seven-eighths headers, and it made over 610 horsepower and 550-pound feet of torque.
(Marc)>> Well we've got our Mustang in the air now because we need to get some stuff disconnected under here in order to get the engine out. Now most of the time when we do this, we unbolt everything real nice and stack it in the corner in case we need it later, but with this car pretty much everything's getting replace anyway. So, I broke out the saw. [ saw buzzing ] [ drill humming ] [ Music ]
(Marc)>> Well we've got the engine bay stripped out so we can clean all of this out but before we do that, we want to block off some of these holes in the firewall because they go into the inside of the car, and we don't want cleaner and water to get in there. So we'll just get inside there, tape them off from the inside, and start scrubbing. We're using duct tape because it's super sticky and we're not worried about any residue that it may leave behind on the inside. We're also going to use our shop vacuum to get the loose debris, like leaves, out of the way first. Then we'll scrape the heavy junk out before we start applying any cleaner. Well we've got our engine bay all cleaned up now and prepped, and now would really be a good time to roll this thing into the booth, mask the car off, and then start spraying but we found a couple of issues. One, right here where the battery box was it looks like maybe some battery acid leaked down and rusted the frame rail here. So we need to clean that rust out a little bit. That shouldn't take too long.
(Tommy)>> Yeah we can add some prep to it and neutralize that stuff. Also while we were at it the radiator support down here on the bottom has been pushed back and we've got to fix that. [ air tool vibrating ] [ Music ]
(Tommy)>> That topcoat is actually a durable single stage high gloss fleet paint that we got from Single Source. Man that looks nice! Too bad it's on a Mustang.
(Marc)>> Well we got our engine bay all cleaned up on our Fox body Mustang here and we're gonna move on to this front suspension. [ drill humming ] [ Music ] Next, we'll get our castor/camber plates installed, starting with the stud plate and spacers. Then the upper plate, which we'll just start by hand. Then the coil over can come in from the bottom and the nut gets installed. [ Music ] [ drill humming ] [ Music ] [ ratchet clicking ] [ Music ]
(Marc)>> Well we've got our front suspension on our '81 Cobra all wrapped up with the exception of that sway bar, which we'll install later on. We also upgraded to larger Cobra brakes up there as well as the five lug, but back here on the back we've got a lot of upgrading to do. This thing still has four lug axles and they're only 28 spline from the factory, which is not gonna handle that power we're gonna throw at it. That's the problem. This is the solution. This is Mosier's M-88 Muscle Pack crate rear end. This thing comes with all the Mosier stuff that they've been making for years to make an 8-8 stronger but with a brand new housing and complete and ready to bolt in. [ Music ] Now it's time to set the rear down on a stand and knock out those bolts we unfastened.
(Katie)>> Coming up next, it turns out this pony needs a whole lot of help becoming a track stallion.
(Marc)>> Hey folks welcome back. Well we're just about ready to get our new rear end up under our Fox body Mustang but if you noticed earlier when I removed the old one I left everything attached to it. Well that's because we got all new stuff from QA-1 that we got with our suspension kit. Everything you see here on the table came with the stuff that we've already installed in the front as part of QA-1's level three handling kit. We'll install these onto the car using the original hardware, leaving them loose for now. The ideal plan is to tighten them when the weight of the car is on the suspension. [ Music ] Next up are the shocks. We'll bolt them in from the top and tighten them down. Next is to install these poly bushings. [ Music ] Next up is the lower shock mount. [ Music ] Now it's time for the wedding ceremony. We'll get our engine in place and marry it to the transmission. [ Music ] We picked these two-inch primary stainless steel from Trick Flow that we got from Summit Racing. They do have two inch primaries but they also have a three and a half inch collector. Now we don't need that large of a collector. Three inch is gonna be just fine but we'll worry about that later on. These are actually for drag racing, and as they say if you're gonna make big power you need big headers. It takes a little wiggling but... [ metal clanging ]
(Marc)>> ...success!
(Tommy)>> Since the car is already prepped it's time to start masking it off in preparation for paint. You may remember from the rendering that we're wanting a weathered and rusty look that will give us the patina finish that we're looking for.
(Marc)>> Once we finish masking and with the car in the booth Tommy will mix up some primer and give the ole girl a bath with a few coats to the body and hood so we will have a good foundation for the paint. [ Music ]
(Tommy)>> So with that said today's kind of a fun day. We're gonna be giving this car a patina finish. Now one nice thing about doing it this way is it saves you all that pain and effort that you've got to do with all that blocking, but it does require you to think outside the box just a bit, and whenever I'm talking about outside the box you've got to throw it plum out the window.
(Marc)>> That's right and to get it done we brought in a professional. This is Ted Swan, and he's with Summit Racing. If you can't tell by his gray hair he's got a little more experience than we do.
(Ted)>> I've actually done a few of these jobs. We're gonna do some unorthodox techniques to deliver a patina paint job. We're gonna do distressing and we're gonna do some rust swarfing to give it that time worn look.
(Marc)>> Yeah but first we need to finish sanding this thing so we can get it in the booth.
(Ted)>> And there's a lot to do.
(Tommy)>> Believe it or not we're gonna be using a paint roller and some brushes because we're really needing some texture, and I know you can get some texture out of a gun but we need a lot. Now you'll want to make sure that you have a lot of paint on the roller so that you get a good thick layer on the car.
(Marc)>> Usually when painting you will want a nice uniform surface but in this case that's the opposite of what we want. The sloppier the better so that we get the desired effect that we're after.
(Tommy)>> As you can see we were able to get that rough texture layer that we were looking for. I'm gonna fill up the old paint gun and spray on one more coat of red oxide so that we'll have a heavy base to work with, and when we get started sanding we won't sand through unless we want to. [ spray gun hissing ]
(Tommy)>> Now when we spray the jet black you'll want to use more of the uniform and traditional form of painting. Nice even coats in one smooth pattern making sure to cover all the red oxide. [ spray gun hissing ] [ Music ]
(Tommy)>> We're gonna be sanding with 320 grit paper making sure that the surface and paper are wet. When sanding you will want to put medium to heavy pressure on the car's surface, sanding down until the red oxide starts peeking through. [ Music ]
(Marc)>> When sanding you will want to make sure to sand in multiple directions to help with the distressing. A little elbow grease and man we made this thing look like she's been sitting in the old junkyard for 20 years. [ Music ]
(Tommy)>> Our distressed look came out pretty darn good. If you didn't know any better, you'd think this thing was sitting out in the elements for a couple of decades. The first order of business is gonna be installing this four-point roll bar that we got from Auto Power. It's made of inch and three quarter .120 wall d-o-m tubing. It's always easier on a job like this to have an extra set of hands to catch the roll bar as it goes into the car. With it in place we'll mark where the mounting pads will need to attach to the floor. Because there's a seam running through there that's sticking up and it's full of seam sealer, we'll scrap the seam sealer out. Then we can hammer it down flat. [ hammer banging ]
(Tommy)>> And then the roll bar can go back into place. I guess we need to drill.
(Marc)>> We'll drill one hole and drop in a bolt in each of the four mounting plates. That will keep it from moving so we can drill the rest of the holes and get all the bolts installed.
(Katie)>> Well friends, it's gonna take some serious upgrades for this Mustang to handle at the track.
(Marc)>> Earlier I mentioned restoration parts. Well, this is all of it right here that we got from NPD Link dot com, National Parts Depot's website. We got all the seals for the doors and the hatch as well as the T-tops, which that stuff's kinda hard to find, sill plates, door handles and the rivets to install them, interior screw kit, and a bunch of miscellaneous stuff that you're not gonna find at your local parts store. We even got the dash pad. Now they've been in business for over four decades and they've got Fox body Mustang stuff but other Ford vehicles as well, Mopar, and GM, and they've got four locations throughout the US, and they keep all this stuff in stock. So, when you order it you know you're gonna get it in just a couple of days. Another thing is attention to detail like this headliner that's actually made for a T-top car like ours. It's got the correct upholstery on it as well. So, if you're doing a restoration you know you're gonna get the right thing, as well as the visors. Now one more thing we got from them for the interior and that's this rug here. We're gonna put that in next but Tommy's got something to show you over at the car first.
(Tommy)>> Before we get too slap happy and install that carpet, we're gonna put in some Boom Mat from DEI. This is a thermal acoustic control mat, and it's pretty easy to install. Pretty much all you have to do is make sure that the surface that you're applying it is dust free, and then you just peel off the back and you stick it on. We'll cut the Boom Mat to fit and roll it down with one of these wooden rollers that they offer. We're going to apply one single layer on the floor, front and back.
(Marc)>> That looks nice. It's a shame we've got to cover it up.
(Tommy)>> The cost of doing business. [ Music ] You're scaring me boss.
(Marc)>> Think I'm gonna cut myself? That time I didn't. A few cuts to get it fit and look at that. Not bad!
(Tommy)>> This stuff is made to fit directly into our Fox body but depending on whether or not you run carpet or you have other modifications like our roll bar, or just because no two of these cars were built exactly the same, some trimming is usually necessary.
(Marc)>> Once we get it fit, we'll use a piece of masking tape to mark the top edge of our delete panel, so we know where to install our support brackets to the quarter trim. [ Music ] They get riveted into place and the tape can be removed. [ Music ] [ drill buzzing ]
(Tommy)>> We'll use just enough clecos to keep it from moving around so that we can drill the rest of our holes. Then we can remove the masking tape and start installing the rivets. Now we'll move onto the trunk floor panels, which we'll install using the same method, holes, clecos, and then the rivets. [ Music ]
(Marc)>> Now the driver's seat can go in and with it in place we'll get all of the hardware started by hand first, and then tighten them all down. As for the passenger seat well it's gonna get the same treatment. [ Music ] Here they are folks. These are boom tubes, and in case you don't know what they are this is kinda like what they run in Nascar. It's a muffler and a tip kinda all in one. We got these from Summit Racing. What's nice about these is they have a three-inch inlet here, which is nice and big, but also the tip you can just run it straight out of the side just like that or you can actually come out at an angle and then make a cut here. Well, I've got my mufflers under the Mustang here and as you can see, I've got them in different locations, but I do have them both at about a 45-degree angle because that's the way I want them to come out. That way I can make a nice long cut against the rocker panel there. Now we can weld up all those seams... [ Music ] ...and then cut through those boom tubes with a big cutoff wheel. [ Music ] Moment of truth. [ Music ] [ drill humming ]
(Marc)>> And with our hardware in and tight we can behold the beauty of the boom tubes. They're gonna be loud but who cares right?
(Tommy)>> We've got a paint project that we're wanting to do on our hood scoop. If you'll remember back our Mustang came with a big Cobra decal and we're wanting to replicate that. Our car also has that patina paint job. So, we're gonna follow that theme with our artwork. Let's lay down a couple of pieces of tape so we can mark the center of our hood scoop. Then we can add our graphic, line it up, and tape it down. [ Music ] We've got 3 colors that we're gonna be using. We've got a medium orange, a red oxide, and a funky red. First one we're gonna be applying is this orange color. I know that using an air brush seems kinda slow and takes more time, but it saves me the hassle of taping each color we're gonna use. Now I know you're probably sitting there going man that doesn't look that good. Well by no means am I a pro with the air brush but I actually did this for a reason. Since we're going for that distressed patina look you know paint deteriorates at different rates, leaving some areas thinner than others. We're gonna apply our clear coat first. It helps with the movement of the crackle paint we're gonna use. Now it's time for the crackle. This stuff sprays on and instantly starts adding that aged effect that I'm going after. That effect turned out killer. The last thing we're gonna do is spray on a coat of Dupli-Color clear coat. This has a matte finish to it and once it dries, we can unmask it and see what it's all gonna look like. [ spray can hissing ] [ Music ]
(Tommy)>> Hey big man I did some painting on your hood scoop and I hope you dig it. You ready?
(Marc)>> Yeah, I'm excited. Wow, dude that looks awesome.
(Katie)>> Up next, they're out of the shop and onto the track for the Sydewinder shakedown.
(Marc)>> We picked up this 1981 Mustang Cobra a while back with the idea of building a track capable street car with all the goodies to give it the right attitude like a roll bar, a sheet metal interior, racing seats, harnesses, gauges, and a switch panel, and what started as this concept is now a reality, and we're getting ready to put our hard work to the test. After a quick drivers meeting and going through tech it was time to fuel her up, get suited up because safety first, and the only thing still not upgraded on this car is this Christmas tree. It's time for a fresh one. [ Music ] [ engine revving ] [ Music ] [ engine revving ]
(Marc)>> Project Sydewinder has been one of those that's been near and dear to me personally, not only because I'm a Ford guy but just because I got to pour my heart and soul into this build. I got to decide every single little detail that was on it. What started off as a concept on a computer screen turned into a... [ engine revving ]
(Marc)>> ...labor of love for me. [ engine revving ]
(Marc)>> There's just something about being able to take a parts list and a concept and turning it into something that you can take out and truly enjoy. I've got all the power I need, all the braking I need, all the handling. [ engine revving ]
(Marc)>> You've heard the phrase drive it like you stole it. That's what I'm doing. [ engine revving ]
(Marc)>> And she just keeps taking every bit of it. Well, we're here in the winner's circle, not because we won a race but because we feel like we won big time at this event. We had a lot of fun. There were some great activities, we met some amazing people, and we got Sydewinder out on the open track to strut her stuff and show that she can do exactly what she was built to do, and that makes me proud. Now I get to load her back on the trailer. She's gonna drive right on on her own because nothing broke, and that's awesome because we get back to the shop, I'm gonna start a new Ford project because this one right here, she's done. [ engine revving ]
(Katie)>> You know Project Sydewinder has to be one of my all-time favorites, and no matter what you're into, whether it be street, track, or trails, we've got you covered right here on Powernation Builds.
