“I quit high school sports
and got a job to get the
car, and built a 3 0 2 for it
as my ‘senior project.’”
COVER CAR I 1986 MUSTANG COUPE
Under the cowl hood is a Ford Strokers–built, 363ci
small-block built upon a Dart SHP block foundation
and filled with robust bits from Scat and Wiseco. A
custom Comp Cams camshaft orchestrates the valve
movements in Trick Flow Twisted Wedge heads, and
a Box R intake receives boost from a vintage Incon
twin-turbo system. Controlling the whole combo is a
Jack Lyons–tuned Haltech EFI system that triggers
eight Injector Dynamics 1,050cc fuel injectors fed by
a Walbro 450-lph in-tank fuel pump.12 OCTOBER 2019 WWW.MUSTANG-360.COM
an ardent following that
includes their own forum,
dubbed Four-Eyed Pride.
Kelly says, “The 1986
wasn’t all that popular when
I got it. Most people would
say to swap on an aero nose.
We bought it because it was
a solid car and looked like a
fun project. I always liked
the uniqueness of the four-
eye and never thought about
swapping to newer body
parts. Now, I’m a huge fan
and people go nuts over the
1985-1986 coupes. It’s funny
how times change.”
Life definitely takes us in
some unexpected directions.
Kelly’s path to his now-
beloved ride wasn’t quite a
straight line either. It was
really a matter of necessity
and convenience.
“I was so lucky to grow
up in New Smyrna Beach,
Florida. My dad and brother
actually bought the 1986 as
something to tinker with. Iwas driving the 1968 at UCF,
and it would break down
occasionally. I didn’t have
two pennies to fix it, even
though they were minor
repairs. When I got sick of
fixing things on the 1968, I
traded my dad the 1968 for
the 1986.”
That decision couldn’t
have been better. With at
least an hour’s commute
to college, Kelly needed a
reliable machine, and we all
know Foxes will have your
back as long as you keep up
with the basic maintenance.
Of course, they are also
notoriously difficult to leave
stock.
“The 1986 was a much
better daily driver, and I
had already gone through
the range of bolt-ons on my
brother’s 1990 GT to know
what the Foxes were capable
of,” Kelly elaborates. “It
didn’t take long. I was doing
exhaust, upper and lowerintake, underdrive pulleys,
mostly stuff handed down
from my brother. It was all
the stuff I could get away
with on the speed density.
That car was amazingly
reliable over the years and
was great to me. It wasn’t
the fastest, but never left me
stranded.”
Not surprisingly, the car
earned a special place in
his heart. He has paid the
coupe back over the years by
repeatedly building it up and
refreshing it.
“I became sentimentally
attached to the car after
a while. I get that way for
some reason. That’s why I
still own pretty much every
car that I’ve bought after the
1968 .... I’d love the 1968 back
to restore too!
“Once I started my career
after college, I retired [the
1986] from daily duty andalways planned to fix her up.
I wasn’t sure it would get to
this level, but I love tinker-
ing with the drivetrains. It
was always my favorite part.
My cars were never lookers
early on, as I wasn’t a detail
guy.”
After finishing college
and moving to Orlando,
Kelly did not leave the car
hobby behind. Despite
starting his own business,
Performance Roofing USA,
and starting a family, he
never let his passion wane.
He prefers doing most of the
work on his own cars, which
means lots of late nights and
weekends in the garage.
“I rarely let anyone touch
my car unless it’s internal
transmission, rearend,
short-block, or paint work
that I don’t have the proper
tools for,” he tells us. “I
strongly believe that you