Torque begins its torrent through the two-speed 'Glide via a Trans Specialties 10-inch converter set with a 3,800 stall speed. Justin makes the single gear change with a B&M Pro Bandit shifter. A PST (Clearwater, Florida) aluminum driveshaft passes torque to a 9-inch housing equipped with 4.30:1 gears and a Strange Engineering spool and axleshafts.
Chassis
A Smith Racecraft frontend, with custom bars and suspension attachments by Steffey Racing Fabrication (Eustis, Florida), relies on QA1 adjustable shock absorbers, billet steering arms, 2-inch drop spindles, 4130 chrome-moly tubular upper and lower control arms, and aluminum body mounts.
At the back, a stock-width 9-inch housing sits on factory monoleaf springs. Racecraft Max-Trax bars contact the spring eye to keep the tires planted, and QA1 adjustables check hinky axle movement. All of this is held captive by a 12-point rollcage.
Inside
This is primarily a place of business, so there's no time for amenities. Justin directs the show from an RCI bucket seat, navigates with a National Parts Depot steering wheel, and flicks the ratchet shifter. He and Dave rewired the car with a Painless harness, hooked some of the leads to an ARC switch panel and others to a flock of Auto Meter monitors. The harness is a five-point arrangement. Don't overlook the pin-neat trunk, either. Two custom mounts strap a pair of baby blues to the floor. Rollcage stringers form the upper attachment point for the ART antiroll bar. Guess who made the fuel cell. Optima Redheads corner cranking power.
Wheels & Brakes
The Nova's clean though somewhat sober body is highlighted by polished 15x311/42 Weld Alumastar forgings carrying 28.x4.5 Mickey Thompson ET Fronts. The drive wheels are a collaboration of 15x8 Weld Holeshot rims and M/T 295/65R15 ET Street Radials. Since braking power can be no greater than the 15-inch rim diameter allows, Wilwood Dynalite Pro Series four-piston calipers on 10.75-inch rotors are the primary friction generators. The rear brakes are stock drum but rebuilt for dragstrip duty. As per sanctioning-body rules, Justin's Nova also packs a big, fat drag 'chute.
Body
Justin's project began with a straight, rot-free body that required little more than minor filling, smoothing, and rubbing for old times' sake to get the shell ready for pigment. Joe Floyd (New Port Richey, Florida) prepped the shell as well as the Harwood fiberglass 4-inch cowl hood for the '99 Mustang Green.
Grunt
Never been anywhere near an engine dynamometer, but Justin's proved the integrity of the Ray Morton-built bullet time and again with 9.30s at 153. And that's on pump gas, bud.