Producer Bud Brutsman had a problem. Although he helmed two car-obsessive television shows, Overhaulin' and Rides, something was conspicuously absent from his garage-a tricked-out ride of his own! At the '04 Power Tour, actor Christopher Titus walked up and called him a hypocrite in front of Kevin King, president of Year One. Immediately, King offered to amend the situation by building Brutsman a car, an offer Brutsman accepted. Year One's Phil Brewer came up with some designs for a 1969 Mustang (which, of course, Overhaulin' star Chip Foose dabbled with a little by altering the sidescoops and front spoiler.) With Brutsman's approval, Brewer then led the team for the performance and body modifications before handing over the reins to installer Johnny McDonald.
Revving Up
Before the audio installation could begin, McDonald and Brutsman put their heads together. Brutsman wanted the Mach 1 to be a mixture of "elegance and old world muscle" and the interior could not deviate from that goal. The system would have to blend into the background for when he wanted to bring it to the Concours d'Elegance, yet also prominently stick out at DUB-type events. Since black dominates Brutsman's wardrobe, the color, or lack thereof, was chosen as a theme for the ride.
Laden with a bunch of Boston gear, an Alpine head unit and a concept for the system, McDonald got to work. While the vehicle was completely apart, Dynamat Extreme was laid down on the roof, firewall, doors, floor and quarter panels. The hefty damping helps cocoon the interior from the roar of the road, and the new Cobra engine.
For the head unit, McDonald fashioned the base for a custom console using MDF as a skeleton, fiberglass for shaping, body filler for smoothing it out and vinyl for the finish. The receiver, with the hideaway navigation unit, is set into the base with a black-painted insert. Brutsman notes that the GPS unit is berpractical for navigating around Los Angeles. Back in the console, McDonald cut MDF pieces to fit around the gauges, climate controls, shifter and head unit and joined them together with more fiberglass and resin.
Elegance And Exposure
Two sets of Pro60 component speakers from Boston Acoustics make up the front and rear stage. McDonald decided to place the front set in the kick panels made of MDF, fiberglass and vinyl. The elegant part steps in with the grilles. With the jig he used to create the kick panel enclosures, he cut out the holes in the 1/4" MDF and stapled the 18-gauge perforated steel in place. After sanding them smooth, McDonald painted them black and covered them in grille cloth. Black laminate glued to the backs of the grilles sets it off. They let the speakers blend into the background during upscale events, but they pop off to expose all at the more ostentatious shows. "It doesn't look like a ghetto ride because it appeals to both cultures," Brutsman explains.
For the rear speakers, McDonald "wanted to bring the shape of the outside quarter panels into the inside of the car so that when you looked in, it would look similar to the outside." He cut out mounting rings and mounts from 1/2" MDF and tacked them onto the factory panels with body filler. Using fiberglass mat and resin, he then bonded the MDF to the panels, shaped the enclosures with body filler and wrapped them up in vinyl. The hide-all grilles match the enclosures in the kick panels.
Extra Space
Behind the front seats, a compartment hides the Optima RedTop battery and power distribution on one side. The other side holds the brain for the navigation system and has room to spare for extra storage. McDonald built the compartment from MDF that he covered in vinyl. Corvette compartment doors provide access.
An Elephant In Disguise
If you're after elegance, a large subwoofer enclosure with enough amps to power your system can cause a space-consuming eyesore. In the blackened Mustang, McDonald resolved the problem with more of those removable panels that make the amprack and woofer box look like one sedate unit. But when the panels are off, the metallic amps and the glossy insert for the subs bring some flash. Constructed from 3/4" MDF and mounted to the Mach 1 with screws and steel brackets, the sub enclosure holds a pair of 12" Boston woofers. On top of the enclosure, McDonald fabricated the piano-black insert from MDF, cloth, fiberglass and body filler. In front of the sub box, two long Boston amps, a GT-42 for the components and a GT-28 for the subs, are mounted vertically. To seamlessly incorporate the amprack and enclosure to the sides of the interior, McDonald created panels from MDF and fiberglass. Some body filler on the edges ensured a perfect fit before he sanded and wrapped them with vinyl.
Road Muscle
The blackened Mustang debuted at SEMA '05 and has been on the road ever since. Despite the hefty show schedule, Brutsman has had time to put over 150 miles on the car at the time of this writing. ("Trailer's suck!" he affirmed when asked if he uses the Mach 1 as a daily driver.) And the A/V system has not gone unused either. With his busy schedule, he's happy "it has the DVD player so I can watch rough cuts of our TV shows."
Tech
Engine & Driveline:2003 Ford Mustang Cobra engine, highly modified
Kenne-Belle supercharger
Metco pulleys
Accufab throttle body
FAST engine management
Stainless Works exhaust
Custom CAI & headers
MV Performance 4R70W AT
Precision Industries torque converter
2005 Mustang shifter
Be Cool Radiatior
Suspension:
Martz Chassis tubular subframe & front suspension
Unique Performance subframe connectors & rear suspension
QA1 adjustable coil-overs
F & RFlaming River steering column
Wheels & Brakes:
Foose 20" x 10" rear, 19" x 8" frontBFGoodrich Gforce T/A 285/30/20 rear, 245/35/19 frontSSBC 14" rear, 13" front Force 10 brakes
2003 Ford Mustang Cobra hydroboost master cylinder
2005 Ford GT EbrakeLokar Ebrake cables