The Quickening

Don Carson put his JDM-built, naturally aspirated Coyote into the record books

By Steve Turner
Photos courtesy of JDM Engineering

Certainly there is plenty of excitement about the latest Mustangs and their performance milestones. However, that doesn’t mean we can sleep on the performance of the earlier Mustangs. One really impressive performer is a naturally aspirated 2013 Cobra Jet owned by Don Carson.

A longtime JDM Engineering customer, Don brought a host of high-performance Fords to Jim D’Amore’s shop to maximize their performance. Jim has tweaked a wide range of Don’s rides, from a 9-second Lightning to a Ford GT. So, when Don decided to pick up one of Ford Racing’s factory drag racers, he brought it to JDM to make it even faster.

“In 2013 Don purchased one of the three naturally aspirated 5.0-liter Cobra Jets built that year. Don knew his naturally aspirated Coyote stood far behind the other 2.9-liter Whipple-equipped Cobra Jets that suck down a hefty 20 pounds of boost,” Nicholas P Purciello of JDM Engineering told SVTP. “Naturally, Don brought us his new beauty and we began doing what we do best here at JDM, making an already good Ford product well, better.”

To make the naturally aspirated Coyote run even harder, the JDM team reconstructed the engine from the inside out. They carefully chose hardware that would survive in these environs and perform at a high level. All the while, they had to keep the stringent National Hot Rod Association rules in mind.

“In short, Don’s Cobra Jet received a JDM-built custom Coyote engine that sports a built short-block, Boss 302 heads, and custom grind cams just to name a few upgrades done to this machine,” he explained. “All components were designed to abide by NHRA Stock Eliminator specifications.”

After building and tuning Don’s Cobra Jet, the JDM team was able to get its performance to a truly impressive level.

“After some starting line and final-drive ratio adjustments, Don’s 2013 NA Cobra Jet ran its best e.t. of 9.669 at 139.43 mph quickly becoming the quickest and fastest NA Coyote-powered Mustang in the world!” Nicholas enthused. “This was all done at a at a race weight of about 3,200 pounds!”

You can watch the run right here:

Even more impressive than the car’s current performance is the fact that the JDM crew promises that Don’s car will run even quicker as they refine the combination.

The Mod List

Engine
Production 5.0 Ti-VCT block
Forged Crankshaft
Manley H-beam rods
JDM Engineering NHRA-spec Mahle forged pistons
American Racing long-tube headers, stainless
JDM Engineering NHRA-spec custom camshafts
CNC-ported Boss 302 cylinder heads
Cobra Jet Composite Intake
Cobra Jet oval throttle body w/ Ford Racing Cobra Jet inlet tube

Fuel System
Aeromotive Eliminator fuel pump
Aeromotive A1000 pressure regulator
Aeromotive 10-micron high-flow filter
High-impedance fuel injectors

Engine Controls
Ford Copperhead PCM with JDM Engineering custom tune via SCT software

Transmission
Custom Ratio C-4 automatic (NHRA Stock-legal)

Rearend
Strange Engineering 9-inch aluminum center section
Lightweight steel spool
Strange Engineering 9310 alloy ring & pinion
Strange Engineering 35-spline axles
Strange Engineering chrome-moly yoke

Front Suspension
Adjustable Ford Racing struts
Sway bar delete
Lightweight radiator support

Rear Suspension
Three-link with adjustable upper
Adjustable Panhard bar
Double-adjustable Ford Racing shocks
Anti-roll bar

Brakes
Strange Engineering kit featuring:
Lightweight vented rotors
Lightweight billet, four-piston calipers
Lightweight tandem master cylinder
OEM pedal modified to mount master cylinder

Wheels
Custom Bogarts, 15×3.5-inch, front
Custom Bogarts 15×10-inch beadlocks, rear

Tires
Hoosier 4.5x28x15-inch radials, front
Hoosier 9x30x15-inch radials, rear

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