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Some vehicles just lend themselves to customization. Mustangs have always served as a foundation for enthusiasts to manifest their personalities with modifications. For some, that means creating all-out race cars. For others, it is about building pristine show machines. Then we have those who fall somewhere in the middle. Regardless of where you fall, very few are ever really “finished” in the eyes of their owners.
In the case of Jason Brozak, his 2015 Mustang GT became the blank canvas onto which he could bring his artistic visions to life atop its slippery sheetmetal. For him, it’s been about cars for as long as he can remember, but when he laid eyes on the first Mustang created for a global audience, he just had to have one.
Jason Brozak, the proprietor of Just The Dipz, uses his personal 2015 Mustang GT as a canvas for his livery designs. Thus far inspired by tire-slaying Ford drivers like Vaughn Gittin Jr. and currently the late Ken Block, the car’s look is quite a head-turner. (All photography by Mike Autrey)
The Start Of A Life-Long Obsession
“My parents said that when I was three years old, I could call out the different brands of vehicles I saw on the road. I was obsessed with cars from the start,” Jason recalls. “I eventually bought a 2012 Mustang, but as soon as I saw the new S550 style, I loved it. I ordered mine on November 11, 2014, and it showed up at my dealership a month later. If you have seen some of the past themes I’ve done, it is a magnificent vessel for the race car liveries I’ve run on it.”
While many longtime enthusiasts took a minute to adapt to the S550 style, Jason was onboard from the jump. Rather than pining for retro, he appreciated its cutting-edge style, and it became his muse.
“I loved that it looked totally different from anything from the past, but was still recognizable as a Mustang. The lines reminded me of a Porsche with the wide-looking fenders at all four corners, it looks almost a little exotic,” he adds.
Dipping Into A New Art
While you might be familiar with custom paint and vinyl wraps, Jason is a proponent of another medium for car art: liquid wraps, also known as dips. These spray-on coatings allow for creating a custom look that is easily removable, which allows for changing up the look of a vehicle on a whim.
“When dips started getting popular back in 2011 for small stuff, I was instantly hooked. It was a great way for a do-it-yourself guy like me to customize my car on a budget. Plus the added bonus that it is peelable was huge. I didn’t have multiple cars to choose from in my stable, so being able to change the look, then peel it and change it again was an amazing option,” Jason says of custom liquid wraps. “The first full car I did was my 2012 Mustang GT. I did a replica livery of Vaughn Gittin Jr.’s 2013 Formula Drift competition car. His car was one of the coolest looking at the time and I thought, ‘how awesome would it be to do a replica and drive it on the street?’ I actually got invited to Texas Motor Speedway by Vaughn for the Formula Drift event to meet him! I changed my car every year since and finally just over five years ago I quit my day job and went full time just spraying custom Plastidip for people.”
Jason’s S550 wears a Victory Racing Active Aero wing, carbon fiber side skirts, and a carbon fiber front splitter underneath its vibrant image. Rolling on staggered Cosmis XT206R 20-inch wheels wrapped in Toyo Proxes tires, it rides low courtesy of Eibach Sportline springs.
This process has several advantages, but chief among them is the lack of permanence. While a custom paint job can seem like a lifetime commitment, like a tattoo, and a vinyl wrap can become an albatross when it’s time to peel it off, a dip provides both durability and flexibility.
“Sometimes vinyl can be a pain to remove depending how long it’s been on the vehicle, the climate vehicle is in, and the quality of the material itself. Liquid wrap products bond to the car but not with glue, so there’s no adhesive to break down over the years,” Jason explains. “When I do a theme or livery, it’s all done in layers and stages, like paint. That means all the artwork lines up from panel to panel, making a wonderful, seamless flow to the design. It’s old-school painting techniques meets new-school products.”
Inside, Jason’s 2015 Mustang GT remains largely as Ford intended it when it rolled off the assembly line in Flat Rock, but the design from the outside even carries through to the door jambs.
Paying Homage To Ken Block
As you can see, Jason obviously has a gift for combining traditional painting techniques with more modern liquid wrap technologies to create custom looks. His Mustang serves not only as a canvas for his art but a rolling billboard for his business. However, the designs for his own vehicles have come from a pair of noted tire slayers.
“I’ve always been a huge fan of Vaughn, Ken, and everything Hoonigan. They have the coolest cars with the wildest liveries,” he adds. “They inspire all gearheads to modify our cars and try to make our mark on the history of car culture.”
While it can take anywhere from a couple to several days to create a custom-dipped look like the Ken Block livery seen here, removing it is far less time-consuming. Such a look can be peeled off in a matter of hours, which leaves the door open to another custom dip.
“It just depends on how I’m feeling. When I come up with an idea, such as the Monster Energy theme, I was inspired by Ken. I actually did my current Ken Block theme in February of last year and was inspired by his 2020 Cosworth Escort livery. Jason says. “I changed it up a little for my taste, but it’s recognizable as a Ken Block livery. I got to meet Ken Block at SEMA in 2015, so when I learned of his passing I cut his numbers out of vinyl and installed them on my car. So my ‘inspired by’ livery became a tribute livery and I plan to run it the rest of the year.”
Jason can perform a complete color change in two to three days and a full custom livery like this one in four to five days. Spray-on liquid wraps like this one are great for those who like to change the look of their vehicles as they can easily be removed in a couple of hours.
Making An Appearance
Underneath that striking visage is a 2015 Mustang GT augmented by a Victor Racing Active Aero wing, carbon fiber side skirts, and a carbon fiber front splitter. It rides on Cosmis XT206R 20-inch wheels with a staggered fitment. They are wrapped in Toyo Proxes tires, and the car sits just right above them thanks to Eibach Sportline springs.
While its powertrain is largely stock, there is some extra bark to go along with that bite into the pavement courtesy of an MBRP H-pipe and MBRP Race mufflers. Combined with its striking look, the performance sound helps garner plenty of attention when Jason is out driving.
“It usually gets a lot of attention. It’s wild, it’s bright, and it has a huge wing. It looks like a race car that is being driven on the street,” Jason says. “Lots of people ask if they can take a picture when I’m out just running normal errands. We even went down to Port Aransas, Texas, last month and it happened to be during spring break. We drove up the beach and it garnered a lot of attention.”
The End Is Far From Near
As popular as it is in its current form. Jason is always plotting a new look for the car. He didn’t give us any hints about the car’s next iteration, but rest assured it will resonate with fans of Blue Oval performance.
“I’ve had the car for over eight years and put 141,000 miles on the odometer. Other than changing up the livery next year, I do not have a ton of major changes planned. Unless I pick up some potential sponsorships from this article…” he jokes. “I have some Ford-inspired ideas brewing for it, but I’m not planning to change it until after the first of the year.”
It won’t take him long to peel and dip the car again, so look for a fresh look early in 2024 But for now, he will keep celebrating Ken Block’s legacy, and we’re here for that.
