Droptop Spiciness: Dom’s 1991 Ford Mustang Convertible
Car Build
Fall photoshoots have a certain magic about them. The autumn leaves, early sunsets, crisp air, it captures a certain essence that prefaces the cold winter months soon to come. On this fall day however, it was more comparable to summer than fall, perfect convertible weather. As always, I got to my shoot location early to scout the set. The beautiful golden hour lighting against the orange and red leaves would be the perfect backdrop. Like the annual seasons that come and go, they did so as Dominick built his 1991 Mustang Gt Convertible. Knowing the level of detail of Dom’s other fox-body Mustang, (we’ll save that one for a future article) I expected it to be flawless. As I prepared my camera gear I heard a notable grumble only a small block ford could produce followed by that tell tale whistle that hints this engine isn’t your typical 302 with a cam. As my eyes focused, I laid eyes on the shiny Vermillion Red paint and chrome adoring the street in front of me. Perfection.
It seems these days anything that requires time and patience is pushed to the side for instant gratification. Why waste time and effort when you can lease a new mustang for 84 months? Sure the power and amenities are there however there is no emotional attachment. We car guys would argue the soul lives in these builds we take the time to restore. The first time I met Dom was when he reached out to me for photos of his other car, a well put together hatchback Mustang. He hinted at me about a convertible in his stable, that it would be the next car I would be shooting. That conversation was 4 years and a pandemic ago.
Cars like Dom’s emanate a personality, goating you to push it to go faster. With over 700 horsepower being generated by the supercharged 347ci v8 under the hood, there are no electronic nanny’s to save your butt. Keeping you on your toes every time you push the accelerator. Keeping the boost and horsepower where it should be, Dom chose to go with an arsenal of quality components. A Cola forged steel crank start the foundation followed by Eagle H-beam rods and a custom ordered set of JE pistons. Edelbrock Victor JR heads adorn the engine with a custom grinded cam by Brian Freezy. Allowing the engine to ingest all that supercharged air Trickflow Upper and Lower intake manifolds, ported and polished by MCRP for as much volumetric efficiency as possible. Crowning this jewel, a Vortech T-trim and a Holly Terminator X ECU to keep everything happy and harmonious.
Have you ever had the pleasure of driving or even riding in a car from the early 90s? Cheap plastic and pleather was a domestic automakers wet dream at the time. I don’t think the sounds of creaking and cracking will ever leave my brain. Dom’s car is not that. Things like perforated leather and carbon fiber make you questions this cars age. A very far cry from a original foxbody mustang. Most notably, the chunky Momo Steering wheel and Recaro Seats ensure Dom has got a firm grasp of all the ponies under the hood. The Holley LCD screen in the center of the dash, modified to almost look factory, keeps all the crucial data readouts front and center. Finally, like a true street car, a sleek double din touch screen radio with full interior speakers and a subwoofer to drown out the wind noise.
Contact patch provided by a set of Boze Forged Wheels wrapped in General G Max Rubber. Keeping those wheels and tires planted are a set of QA1 Struts and Shocks along with UPR control arms. A UPR anti-roll bar keeps the rear end from getting too tail happy. To ensure this roller-coaster comes to a safe stop, Baer PBR calipers are fitted to 13” Rotors in the front and 12” Rotors in the rear.
So yeah, you can sign your life away or you can take the time to build something with your own blood, sweat and tears that sets you apart from the common traffic on the road today. Which would you choose? Is this the ultimate convertible build? We leave it up to you to decide. We’ll be looking forward to the next build Dom comes up with in the future. █
