For the past two years those of us in the Ford performance media have placed a lot of focus on the Coyote 5.0 engine. This of course is with good reason as Ford’s red hot bullet never ceases to amaze us with its response to modification, it’s consistency in performance and its ravenous appetite for more horsepower.  That being said we have to remember that not everyone has gotten onto the Coyote trail yet.

Let’s remember that after all Ford did produce thousands of 4.6 liter two valve Mustangs and the majority of these cars still roam the streets, appear at car shows and make passes at the drag strip on a regular basis. With all these two valvers still out there it can sometimes be hard to differentiate one from the other. That’s not the case with the car featured here, as well as its owner, Mike Webb.

A Typical Start

Power comes from a DSS short block wearing Patriot Heads and cams and topped with a Kenne Belle 2.6 liter supercharger.

Mike bought this 2000 Mustang back at the end of 2002 as a stock GT. No stranger to Mustang Performance, he couldn’t let it stay stock for long. He started out by taking the typical bolt-on route following the simple mods that most of us do in the beginning; under drive pulleys, cat back exhaust, cold air intake, upgraded ring and pinion gears, etc.

Within six months the horsepower itch was full blown and Mike stepped things up in a big way by strapping a Kenne Belle 1.7-liter supercharger to the little two valve. The car put down horsepower in the 350 range to the rear tires. When the horsepower bug bit again he changed pulleys and added an intercooler, with the blower now making 10 psi the car put down a little over 400 hp, that kept him happy with the performance for a couple of years, but he was near the limit of what a stock two valve engine can handle.

Something More

Wanting more power and knowing the stock powdered medal rods, cast crank and hyperutectic pistons were not up to the task, in 2007 Mike took a big step and pulled the now well used stock engine. He swapped it for a DSS Racing Engines 5.0 stroker (301 cubic inches) short block based on a two valve Windsor block.  A set of Patriot Performance Stage 2 CNC heads and matching Stage 2 blower cams finished off the long block. Mike also recently made the swap to a Kenne Belle 2.6-liter blower; a significant upgrade from the 1.7 he had first added. The blower is pullied for 17 psi of boost and when the throttle hits the mat, consistently produces 14 psi of boost.

Exhaust is handled by SVT shorty stainless headers, Magnaflow X-pipe, Magnaflow V-force mufflers and tailpipes. The combination of the exhaust along with the big cams really give this car a cool old school thump at idle.

Initially Mike had tried using a brand X software to tune his car, and after having mixed results, he turned to Lee Blankenship at Blankenship Performance in Shelbyville, KY. Lee performed a custom tune using SCT software. Mike is quick to sing Blankenship’s praises, “Lee’s work is as good as anyone’s out there; he’s done a great job helping me get my car sorted out.”

When Life Shifts Your Gears

Back in 2005 Mike was doing what a lot of us do on a Saturday night – hanging out at a local cruise. As a blown ’23 T-bucket was making its way through the event, the driver suffered a heart attack and unintentionally floored the accelerator.

That car shot out of control at a crowd of people, Mike pushed his friend’s wife out of the way only to be hit himself by the approaching car while he was trying to jump to safety. “It’s a day I’ve tried really hard to forget,” he says very somberly when it’s been brought up.

As a result of the accident he endured third degree burns to his right leg and severe trauma to his left leg. His left leg would undergo two surgeries and years of physical therapy. Mike would also have to endure surgeries on his shoulder and wrist as well.

Transferring Power

When it came time to choose a transmission, Mike stuck with the automatic that the car was originally equipped with. “I could have put a six speed or a TKO in it, but at the time I was doing this I probably couldn’t have driven the car, or at least driven it and enjoyed it,” he told us when we first met him in 2006.

The car runs a rebuilt 4R70W transmission with a TCI converter,  FRPP 3.73 gears, Strange 31 spline axles, Ford Trac Loc differential with girdle cover to finish off the 8.8-inch rearend. Someone commented to him months later at a show that they thought he’d have gotten out of the car hobby, to which Mike replied, “I was out doing something that I’ve loved doing for years and something bad happening like that is not going to keep me from doing it, why should I let it.”

The total package combined is good for 529 horsepower at the rear tires. Attempts have been made to make a decent drag strip pass, obviously the biggest obstacle at this point to achieving a solid ET has been lack of traction.  Mike says the car is setup more as a driver and cruiser than a drag car. “I could take a lot of weight out, put slicks on it, and yeah, it’d probably go a lot faster at the drag strip, but then it wouldn’t be as fun to drive around on the street, at least to me.”

Suspension

Ford Racing springs, struts and shocks dampen the ride. UPR upper and lower rear control arms do their best to keep things planted in the rear while subframe connectors keep everything tied together. The front control arms and K-member all remain stock.

The Look

Getting the look right on this car has been an ongoing project for Mike. Body changes are subtle but effective, starting with a Cervini’s Stalker front bumper and hood and finishing it out with a Steeda adjustable rear wing. What catches your eye first though is the paint. This car was originally black. Over the years the car went from having silver flames on the car, to silver fading flames, to fading silver flames with a blue outline. “It took three different guys working on the flames to finally get it the way I wanted it” he says.

Inside you’ll find Simco gauges, UPR billet accents placed throughout the controls and a stock shifter with UPR handle. The original seats have also been recovered to match the silver/black exterior theme. Flo-fit style Recaro headrests give a unique look to finish throughout.

Wheels are Bullitt replicas in bright silver with a polished lip, 17×9 in the front, 17×10.5 deep dish in the rear. Tires are Sumitomo 275/45/17 front and Nitto 315/35/17 rear. This total combination gives the car a rather sinister look, especially in the hours right around twilight as we found out during our photo shoot. The combination of the paint, stance and carefully selected parts seems to scream, I’m coming to get you.

Reaching Out

Mike drives the car almost weekly and takes it often to local shows, cruise nights, etc. Mike is also a member of the local Christian Hot Rod Association. These auto enthusiasts show others that you can have a relationship with Christ and enjoy the car hobby as well. Providing Christian outreach to other enthusiasts as well as putting on an annual show and attending local events, they even have a full Church service as part of their annual show.

With his ‘never met a stranger’ attitude and his devotion to his faith and love of cars Mike was an instant fit into this club. The club’s cards quote the Bible in  Luke 14:23 “…Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full”. We’re sure Mike and his GT will be out doing just that for a long time to come.