This is my project for a Small block Chevy 383 swap into a 94 mustang. The final plans for this car is to enter it into events under the ultimate street class as well as bracket race it occasionally on the weekends. There is nothing that we wont be taking off and reworking on this car. The build started late December2011 / early January 2012 and we are hoping for it to be done within one year.

Towing the car home after picking it up
from the seller.

The car was bought as a complete roller with minor electrical problems that were an easy fix in order to get the car back running again. It was purchased for $1,000 out the door and would be parted out for the majority of that price.  

How it sat once it arrived at the house.
The last time that it would be outside for a few months.

Within half and hour of getting the car back to my house the tear-down process started. It started off small with just the removal of minor interior pieces such as seats and center console.  The massive sound system that was in the car was also pulled out on this day. At the end of the day the car would still have all major body panels and most of the interior, but it would also have touched the ground for the last time and be up on jack stands.

The beginning of the interior
tear-down. 

Most of the major interior pieces have
been removed and the sound system
is now out of the car.

The next steps that would be taken would be more minor interior parts such as the carpet, door panels and roof liner. I tried to keep most of these parts in good condition in order to re-install them into the finished car. The carpet however was a complete loss.

all of the interior parts have
been removed from the car
except for the dash.

With the majority of the interior done it was time to start removing some of the major parts of the car that would have to be removed. The first of those would be the useless 7.5" rear end and suspension that came stock in the V6 mustang in order to be replaced by a built 8.8" rear end and TRZ build racing suspension.

Rear end out and ready to pull the
stock suspension parts.

Engine hoist attached and
all the body panels laying
around the garage right
before the engine was
pulled out.

Once the rear end was puled out it was time to remove some of the body panels to be stored away from the car in order to not be scratched and prep for pulling the engine and transmission out of the car.  The engine, transmission and K-member of the car all came out at the same time and were the last major project in the process of stripping the car other than the dash.  

The engine bay after the
engine and trans were pulled
was a mess and would turn
into hours of cleaning.

The dash has been removed
and all the wiring from inside
the car will also be removed at
this point.

Once the engine, transmission, and K-member were pulled out of the car it was time for some serious cleaning in order to get the engine bay ready for a new coat of paint. The dash would also come out within a few days after the engine pull leaving the car completely stripped down to a shell and ready for parts to start being purchased and put back in.  

The interior pieces organized in the
upstairs of my garage and waiting to go
back into the car.

With the car completely stripped down it was time to start the cleaning. With tons of de-greaser and simple green the engine bay was cleaned up and we put the car onto dollies and rolled it back outside for the first time since we picked up the car. It is now ready to have the engine bay painted then have all the minor suspension parts ordered from TRZ in order to make it a rolling chassis which can be put onto a trailer then towed to their shop for the big work to be done. At TRZ we will be having full racing suspension installed as well as a 14 point cage, front and mid motor plates, and sub frame connectors in order to stiffen the chassis up.  

Took a long time and tons of elbow
grease to get it clean, but it looks much
better now

First time the car has been outside since
we got it home and it looks much different
now than it did before.

The first purchase that we made for the car would be the 8.8" rear end that I picked up from a local scrap yard named LKQ. It was just the case which we will be putting 35 spline axles, spool, 9" ends welded on, full bracing, and a new ring and pinion in which should hold upwards of 1,000 RWHP.

The 8.8" rear end that I picked up from the
scrap yard. 

We got in touch with a local shop by the name of TRZ Motorsports and ordered all of the suspension parts. We picked up a racecraft tubular K-member, rod end style A-arms, 2" drop spindles, strange race brakes for the front and rear, trz Tubular uppers and lowers for the rear, strange single adjustable struts for the front, strange double adjustable coil overs for the rear, strange 35 spline custom width axles, spool, and eventually going to drop a set of 4.10 gears into the housing.


While the rear end is at the shop being built we had some time to do some cosmetic work on the car. The tail lights and head lights were tinted and the engine bay was prepped and painted.

The next steps for the car will be to install all of the parts in order to have it be a roller then take it up to TRZ to get some real work done to it. Full sub frames, 14 point cage, motor plates, and have all of the suspension fully dialed in as well as add caster/camber plates and coil overs for the front.