Just a year or so a V6 Mustang project car meant that you were working with a truck engine. The antiquated 4.0-liter mill that has powered the Ranger since 1990 spewed out just 210 hp, barely enough for rental car duty or Uncle Bob’s mid-life crisis.

For the 2011 model year, Ford changed the game with the introduction of the all-new aluminum 3.7-liter DOHC V6 engine that bullies the flywheel with 305 horsepower. Hey… that was the power rating for my 2003 Mach I and it sure didn’t get 31 highway mpg like this engine does.

Any project you consider is going to smoother when its built on a solid foundation and the folks at American Muscle know that well. They’ve been messing with Mustangs for quite a while now and had no hesitation to jump in on this car.

Like any well designed test, they started out by establishing a baseline that future changes could be compared to for their effect. The good news is that the V6 Mustang delivered on its promises, punching out 260 RWHP and 241 RWTQ on the chassis dyno.

They intend to take this Pony through four stages of advancement and the first round involved a cold air intake and Bama Performance tune, as well as some look-good parts. One of the shops I work with from time to time has the following slogan pointed on the floor in front of their dyno: The BS stops here.

And, so it was for this American Muscle project car. Returning to the rollers, that mod which would take you less than a couple of hours to perform, jumped the car’s output by 22 RWHP and 30 RWTQ. They also took the car to a local drag strip for performance checks and you can see the results in the video below.

Stay tuned for the next installment or slide on over to American Muscle to plan out your own project.