Minnesota Man Builds World’s First AWD Ford Mustang, Is It Crash-Proof?
We all know the memes about the Ford Mustang crashes, can this stop it?
Okay, so as much as I love the Ford Mustang coupe, I have to admit, the car has a reputation for crashing head on into things. Obviously, this is not a defect specific to the car but the fact that it is relatively affordable in the U.S means that many young inexperienced drivers tend to favour the car leading to these crashes.
Well, Tim Roman, a mechanical engineer had years ago modified a Merkur Xr4Ti to spin all four tires and later installed a turbocharged Ford V8. He was soon hooked, and is now finishing up a more ambitious project, an AWD 2017 Ford Mustang GT. Will this solve the car’s “crashing problem?”
Moreover, this is no easy task, and Roman has been at it for a while yet we are only now seeing the final results. After documenting the entire process on his modest YouTube channel, No Production Value Garage, his Mustang is now on the ground and sending power to all 4 wheels rather than just the rear 2 wheels.
The AWD setup Roman came up with is mechanically similar to that of longitudinal-engined sedans like BMW 3 Series xDrive. This new AWD setup has not affected the smooth gearbox setup or changed the look of the car either and this was the point to Roman.
The mix of parts to achieve this also uses components from several cars. The transmission is a six-speed manual TR6060, a staple of many performance cars. The front differential is from a 1986 to 1995 Toyota Hilux. The transfer case is a variable torque-split Borg Warner unit, commonly equipped on older AWD Dodge Chargers.
Roman’s build series on YouTube covers all of the finer details, but in short, the project only took this long due to juggling the project Ford Mustang with a day job and a family. As such, it took months longer than Roman expected to get the project going but it should be in the almost final stages now.
On top of that, we say almost final because, like any project, it is never truly done. Roman says he also wants to replace the motor mounts on his Ford Mustang to improve its daily-drivability, as well as making final versions of things like the axles, which are currently shortened versions of stock axles off of other cars.
There is also a bigger problem, the AWD Ford Mustang no longer has enough power to do burnouts. Since all four wheels are now spinning, the car cannot break traction on a dry surface. Obviously, Roman has a plan to remedy this and we will get to enjoy AWD burnouts just as soon as Roman finds the right form of forced induction.
We got all this from Motor 1 and their full article is linked here. Thank you Motor 1 for the information and images.
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