Clayton

F14

AUTOMOTIVE

winnipegfreepress.com

Super

WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2006

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Stang! Potent pony is fastest in Manitoba

F I told you that Clayton Pollock enjoys hanging onto a pony for eight seconds, you might get a mental picture of ten gallon hats and rodeo clowns. The pony in question is the original pony car, a 1990 Ford Mustang LX that can erase a quarter mile in 8.83 Street Scene seconds at 159 Michael Clark miles (256 kilometres) per hour. Here’s the best part: this 1,350horsepower brute is completely street legal. “It all started with a K & N air filter,” said Pollock, who has owned the former 5.0 litre for the past 12 years. It’s still a small block, however that’s where the similarities abruptly end. This Mustang carries a 347 cubic inch “R” block from Ford Racing. The internals have been pumped up to a 4340 Eagle crankshaft with matched connecting rods, and Ross 8.5:1 forged pistons. Heads are Ford Racing cast-iron N-351s. “Ford came out with those heads primarily for use in circle-track racing,” said Pollock. “A lot of guys are now using them for drag racing.” Sitting atop a ported “Victor Jr.” intake manifold is the Holley from Hell, courtesy of Carburetor Solutions Unlimited in Sunny California. “It’s a 750 Holley that’s been modified for blowthrough,” said Pollock. (Blow-through refers to the carburetor’s ability to handle the rigours of turbo boost.)

Controllable boost

The hatch includes an ice-water reservoir to deliver chilled water to the air-towater intercooler via an electric pump.

Driver: Clayton Pollock Age: 30 Family: Andrea, Riley, and Owen Car: 1990 Mustang LX "True Street Trim" Engine: Turbocharged 347" SBF 1085RWHP, 900RWTQ @27psi Transmission: 2 speed Powerglide Best E.T. 8.83 Best M.P.H. 158.9 Sponsors: MacDon Industries Motion Performance Extreme Performance Exhaust Project X Racecards RedLine Racing Engines Special Thanks: All my family, Richard Rogers, Marcel Massey, Rob Reid, Tom Patterson

The turbocharger looks like an escapee from a Detroit Diesel. It’s a Turbonetics Y2K-88 unit, which should max out at about 30 pounds of boost. Pollock’s current quarter-mile blast, recorded last year at Gimli Motorsport Park, was performed with the boost dialed in at 20 PSI. An MSD launch boost controller is used to get the maximum boost at the right time. “I can program a boost curve for the track,” said Pollock. “I can only leave the start with about eight pounds of boost before the tires break loose.” An air-to-water intercooler from Young’s Performance provides a dense air charge, thanks to an ice-water reservoir in the hatch. The frosttwo-oh is delivered to the intercooler with an electric pump. Next to the water tank is a custom 15-gallon fuel cell. Pollock can cruise around town with pump gas, however track time requires the high-octane race mix. There’s also a new-generation wastegate, and a Godzilla blowoff valve. It’s one thing to make 1,350 horsepower; it’s quite another to keep those ponies from shaking the car to bits. The exhaust is a unique singlepipe setup fabricated by Extreme Performance Exhaust. The pipe is a whopping four inches (10 centimetres) in diameter, with the gases tumbling out of a MagnaFlow muffler with anything but sound-deadening qualities. The original Kmember cradle is now a tubular unit from Ground Pounder, as are the suspension A-arms. Strange Engineering provides the 10-way adjustable coilovers. The original power rack and pinion has been swapped with a TRW manual unit. The rear axle is held in place by UPR Pro Series upper and lower control arms. There’s a beefier UPR anti-rollbar, and Lakewood 50/50 dampers. The axle may look stock, however the original Mustang housing now uses Strange internals. If the required parachute gets a little ruffled, rear disc brakes from AeroSpace Components help in hauling down the fun. There’s also a transmission brake with the twospeed Rossler Transmissions Powerglide, with a fabrication assist by Tom Patterson. A J.W. bellhousing allows the Ford mill to drive the GM tranny.

MICHAEL CLARK / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS

Clayton Pollock has squeezed 1,350 horsepower out of his Mustang thanks to a turbocharged and intercooled 347 from Ford Racing. “It’s the only GM part on the car,” said Pollock. “And it’s the only one that keeps breaking.” Fifteen-inch Weld Alumistar wheels are used, with the typical drag car setup of skinny fourinch-wide fronts shod with Mickey Thompsons, and 10-inch-wide rears to carry the Hoosier Quick Time Pros, which are DOT-approved for street use. The 1,350-horsepower peak engine output is a bit of a guess, however it’s a very qualified one. Motion Performance took care of tuning the race mill, with chassis dyno tests that confirmed 1,084 horsepower and 900 ft-lbs of torque at the rear tires! (27 pounds of boost was dialed up for the dyno run). The carb/turbo combo provides unique challenges, such as the fuel pump. “Lots of guys use the electrical pumps, but we always used the mechanical,” said Pollock. The belt-driven fuel pump can handle a load up to 2,500 horsepower.

Laid back The machining work was done at Corners Quickly, with the help of Richard Rogers from Project X and Marcel Massey of Redline Racing Engines. Sponsors include MacDon Industries, Motion Performance, Extreme Performance Exhaust, Redline Racing Engines, and Fastlane Performance. For an eight-second man, Pollock is definitely laid back in his track approach. “This year was the first time I pulled the front tires off of the ground.” The Mustang is a family affair, with much support from his wife Andrea and his parents, Larry and Diane. The biggest boosters are his young sons, Riley and Owen. “They love it,” said Pollock. “They’ve got pictures of it all over their rooms.”

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Photo by: Tim Johnson www.motorsports-addiction.com

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‘It all started with a K & N air filter’