Most modern quarter-mile junkies want more than a clapped-out car. Nowadays it's more about combining form and function into a total package that you're not embarrassed to take on the occasional cruise. But don't take our word for it-get a load of this '69 Mustang, which exemplifies Scott Oksas's vision of the ultimate street machine.
Scott started out as normal as any SoCal resident. Despite growing up in the land where hot rodding and drag racing were born, he simply wanted a car that would get him from point A to point B.
Lucky for Oksas, his grandfather was a gearhead and forced him to take the keys to his then all-original '69 Ford Mach I Mustang. Although the car served Scott simply as a driver, years later after attending his first heads-up drag racing event, he got the bug to revive the car to the pristine condition you see here. What started as a daily driver quickly evolved into a 9-second strip terror. It's only been a few years since the Blue Oval bug bit him, and we can tell you he doesn't plan on slowing down anytime soon.
Car Craft Q&ACar Craft: How'd you choose a '69 Mustang?Scott Oksas: Actually it found me. My grandfather bought it new in '69 and gave it me when I was 15.
CC: Was it this flawless when he handed you the keys?SO: Yeah, right. It had over 100,000 miles, the motor was blown, and it had been sitting for years. I was able to slowly build a motor over the next year, and it ended up being my car all through high school.
CC: What kind of motor did you build back then?SO: It was a mild 10:1 compression 351, with a small RV cam (remember those days?) and some minor port work on the heads.
CC: How did the car evolve into the brutal brawler it is today?SO: The Mustang constantly broke down on me and I was walking more than driving it, so I parked it back at my grandfather's. After seeing cars flying down the track in the bottom 10s at a local racing series, I was hooked and got my motivation back.
CC: How long did it take to build?SO: Four long years and too much cash. If it weren't for my wife Kristy and her patience, along with John Boy, this never would have happened.
The DetailsCar: Scott and Kristy Oksas's '69 Ford MustangEngine: Ford Windsor 351 block stroked to 408 ciHeads: Aluminum Edelbrock Victors with heavy porting by West Coast Cylinder Heads, 2.18/1.60-inch Manley titanium intake/exhaust valvesExhaust: Custom 211/48-inch Fast Track Performance headers with 4-inch piping and Flowmaster mufflersInduction: Edelbrock Super Victor topped with Holley 1,050-cfm Dominator carbCamshaft: Custom Comp Cams solid-rollerPower: 800 hp at 7,250 rpm; 550 lb-ft at 6,400 rpmTransmission: Mike's Transmission Powerglide with transbrake, Continental 5,500-stall converterRearend: Ford 9-inch, Richmond 3.89:1 gears, Moser 35-spline axlesFront suspension: Stock, Lakewood 90/10 shocksRear suspension: Cal-Tracs, monoleaf-springs, Rancho shocksBrakes: Wilwood 12-inch disc, front; Wilwood 12-inch disc, rearWheels and tires: 15x3.5 Weld Drag Lites with Moroso front runners, front; 15x10 Weld Drag Lites with 30x12.5-15 Mickey Thompson ET Streets, rearBody mods: Fiberglass hood with Boss 429 scoopPaint: Single-stage Dupont Porsche Iris BlueCost to build: $40,000Best e.t.: 9.19 at 152 mph