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Hatchback Smack-Down
by Taylor Vlahos
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You like different? You want oddball? Are you ready for something...bizarre? Well take a look at the atypical triumph of the tenacious Paul Zimmerman. It's a cool and unique '78 Mustang II Hatchback. Did we just use hatchback and cool in the same sentence? Yes. Yes, we did. You might think that Ford's Mustang II was a joke; that it isn't a performance car so you're not interested. But this isn't your average gutless piece of plastic. This car has more in common with its mighty Mustang brethren than it does with a paltry Pinto. It's different, goes fast, was built cheap, and gets the snot driven out of it - all the necessary qualifications for a bad-ass street machine.
The stock dash has been painted Grabber Orange to match the exterior of the car. Paul's kids burn their buns on the stock black Naugahyde buckets during the summer, and they tune out the traffic with a Sony AM/FM/CD player. This car is a driver. It's been to events in Illinois, Minnesota, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and a whole bunch in Wisconsin. Paul like to go to shows to get ideas and to show others what a little imagination and hard work can create.
The rear bumpers were removed. A new front bumper was fabricated using the original back bar and a Chrysler minivan panel for the lower half of the front valance. The rear valance panel was completely hand-formed from sheetmetal. The stock taillights were recessed and covered with clear acrylic lenses with black horizontal lines painted on the inside for a "blacked-out" appearance. Paul did all the bodywork himself, but insists that it was only possible thanks to the tutelage of his father, Sherman, who has been teaching him the art of metal manipulation since he was a boy.
If you're gonna drive a car that resembles a Pinto, you need to make sure you can back yourself up in case of an intersection confrontation. What better way to make a 2,800-pound car humiliate the competition than an Edelbrock Performer Package-equipped 302? Paul yanked the 302 out of his first car, a '69 Fairlane, and added Performer aluminum heads, cam, and intake with Holleey Projection 2 fule injection, Blackjack 1 5/8-ince headders, and 2 1/4 inche exhaust with dual Flowmaster 3 chamber mufflers. The battery was moved to the trunk, er..hatchback, and the gas tank was removed and replaced with a Triangle Engineering 15-gallon aluminum fuel cell, which is mounted from underneath the car, isolated from the hatchback interior with an access door. Nifty.
The Details
Car: Paul Zimmerman's '78 Mustang II Hatchback
Engine: '69 0.030-over 302
Heads: Edelbrock Performer Aluminum
Induction: Holley Projection 2 fuel injection on an Edelbrock Performer manifold
Cam: Edelbrock Performer hydraulic; 285/295-dgress, advertised duration, 0.448/0.472 lift, 204/214 @ 0.050 duration
Power: 300 hp @ 4,600 rpm
Trans: '78 Ford C4, B&M shift kit
Rearend: Ford 8-inch Traction-Loc
Front suspension: Stock Mustang II power rack-and-pinion, stock with a half-coil removed for a 1-inch drop, KYB Gas-a-just shocks, 1 1/8-inch Addco front sway bar, stock spindles
Rear suspension: Stock leaf springs, KYB Gas-a-just shocks, 7/8-inch stock rear sway bar
Brakes: Stock four-bolt disc brakes front; stock drums, rear
Wheels: American Racing aluminum 14x7s with the centers painted to match the car. BFG Comp T/A 225HR14s, front; BFG Comp T/A 225HR14s, rear
Paint: '69-'70 Ford Grabber Orange, PPG basecoat/clearcoat painted by Paul's father, Sherman
Cost to build: Lost track
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