Mason’s Mean LS Powered Mustang 5….3?

Close-up of front mount intercooler behind bumper nerf bar
Speaking of packaging, here’s a close-up of the intercooler and the nerf bar that goes behind the bumper.

You can also see the detail on the support that Josh fabricated to hang the intercooler. It integrates the mounts for the hood pins, too.

 

View into engine bay of cutaway fender and tube frame
Most high-end drift builds have gone the partial tube frame route out front.

Not having an inner front fender well aids greatly in wheel and tire clearance on the wheel turned into the car’s center line. The strut tower is now also rigidly tied into the frame rail which can help with chassis rigidity. It reduces weight and, to a certain extent, is easier to repair when it gets pranged. It does mean, though, that the carbon fenders that came off of a Pro1 Falken Mustang are basically just hanging off the tubes as opposed to being structurally integrated like it somewhat is on an OEM chassis. Everything is a trade-off.

 

Large coolant hard lines passing into firewall
Another common feature on many drift builds today is a rear-mounted radiator setup.

But just because the radiator is in the trunk doesn’t mean that there’s no coolant plumbing in the engine bay. Here you can see a close up of the hard lines that send hot coolant back to get turned into less hot coolant that comes to the engine. It’s the circle of… coolant. Simba would be proud.

 

Aluminum KRC power steering reservoir behind shield hanging off fender tube
On cars with extensive work, sometimes you can lose some of the smaller details with so much to look at.

This KRC aluminum power steering fluid reservoir is neatly nestled between a heat shield and the fender tube.

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5 comments

  1. Great build. Very efficient use of resources.

    I have shocks that extend into the engine bay and I had some tie rods with spherical bearing rod ends that I bolted to the top of the shocks which I triangulated to the firewall. For about 5lbs in weight the increase in steering precision is phenomenal. I have never seen anybody else do that mod but I swear to god it is the best upgrade I have ever done in terms of price. I had to carve out a divet with a angle grinder and reinforce the mounting points on the firewall. Great bang for buck, though.

    Reply

  2. Swaybar endlinks tied to the rear bumper support? Am I missing something? Maybe it is just the angle of the pic on Pg7.

    Somebody please tell me I am wrong.

    Reply

    1. The swaybar is mounted to the axle, and the ends are bolted to the chassis.
      Backwards from how it is on most cars, but the end result is the same.

      Reply

      1. Ah, yes. Thank you. I thought the Mustang was multi-link now, but I must have missed the Chevy live axle part in the build description.

        Reply

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