When NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Travis Kvapil decided to restore a classic 1968 Ford Mustang, he wasn't quite sure what he wanted the finished product to be.
"Initially, I didn't have a plan or a direction with the car," said Kvapil, who wheels the No. 28 Team Yates Ford Fusion in NASCAR's top series this season. "I kind of thought I might want to replicate the 'Eleanor' car from the movie Gone In 60 Seconds. That car was so tough and mean looking and I wanted something like that. But as we got going with it, we kept doing our own thing. Now it's pretty much evolved into a hot rod rather than a replica car."
True to his racer's roots, Kvapil initially focused on the performance of the car. That led to a discussion with Kevin Laatsch at Muscle Up Performance about just how good the car could be.
"I got up with Kevin and he said we needed to build a full frame complete with coil over shocks, rack and pinion steering, the works," said Kvapil. "I agreed and just kind of let Kevin go with it. We wound up with an incredible chassis featuring all kinds of stuff including an independent rear suspension and four-piston brakes all around. Along with the rack, coilovers and performance tires, this car is going to handle really well."
There's plenty of cool bolt-on parts on Kvapil's new chassis. The 2003 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion will be headed down the road on QA-1 Shocks, Black Cobra Wheels and Nexen Tires (225/30/18 front, 245/40/18 back). A Heidt's independent rear end with a Ford 9-inch center section adds to the ride and handling qualities of the car while stopping power is provided by Wilwood Brakes on all four corners.
With the Muscle Up Performance full frame replacement chassis providing the basis for the car's handling, Kvapil turned to Huntersville, NC engine builder Walt Pierce for the powerplant.
"We've got a stroker 428 Ford engine, an old FE block like the one that originally came in those cars," said Kvapil. "We bolted some Edlebrock aluminum heads, a dry sump and four-stage oil pump with remote tank. It's pretty full on. We didn't hold much back or spare anything. It should easily be over 500 horsepower when we eventually get it on the dyno. I had Walt build it as a quarter-mile, street light to street light engine, but we put a Tremec high speed transmission to it so we can run it down the interstate without a ton of RPM in the motor. This car is going to have a lot of performance and it is going to handle well too. I can't wait to get it going."
The car is scheduled for completion later this summer with Muscle Up Performance handling the paint, interior, and final fit of the car. According to Kvapil, while what's under the car and hood are different than the original, the exterior will still have a Hollywood flair.
"We'll still have an 'Eleanor' car when we're done because I am going to paint it the same - charcoal gray with the black stripes," said Kvapil. "First glance, that's what it is going to look like - 'Eleanor.' It's just going to have its own personality with the full frame, updated suspension and brakes, and great tires and wheels. The more you look at it, the more you will be able to see the details. There's not many Mustangs with full tube chassis out there. It's definitely going to be a unique street car."
An array of images of Kvapil's new Mustang chassis is featured on in the Muscle Up Performance Photo Gallery. Just click on the following link and when at the site, please click on any photo to enlarge.
http://www.muscleupperformance.com/photog/thumbnails.php?album=4
Muscle Up Performance is located at 4100 Newville Road in Janesville, WI and is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Central Time (closed weekends and holidays).
For more information, please visit the rest of www.muscleupperformance.com or call 608-754-4545.
