We know, we know…the Mustang II is the bastard child of the namesake. Or is it? Well, let’s leave that overinflated electric thing out of the picture for a moment and concentrate on a car that BangShifters would possibly give half a crap about. For the most part, the 1974-1978 Mustang is the least-loved, even if it was the right car at the right time to keep the name alive. Yes, the 1974 model didn’t have a V8. Yes, horsepower ratings sucked. Yes, the padded-roof Ghia models were about as butt-ugly as a Mustang could possibly get. But there is always two sides to the argument: Capri V6, V8 power returned in 1975, the hatchback body style with the Cobra rear spoiler isn’t bad looking, the front suspension, and the smaller, more nimble size that was a welcome change after the Shire Horse-sized 1971-73 example. There are the examples that no respected BangShifter could turn down, like the Gapp and Roush-built “Sudden Death” street-racer, the Brett Behrens-built “Mustang Evolution” custom that featured a modern Ford V-10 swap and major modifications, and the Monroe Handler Mustangs, alongside legitimate racing examples. And I’m sure there are still a lot of you that would take any Mustang II that had a 1977-edition Farrah Fawcett on the hood. But street cars? Not so much.

A build that I’ve had in my head for years is the “wild beater Ford” setup. While I normally associate this plan with a Ford Maverick (due to the original inspiration for this build being a 1973 Mercury Comet GT), there is no reason why a Mustang II can’t be adapted to the same plan. Work up a 302 into a fury, add manual transmission, good brakes, a decent set of wheels, and a heavy right foot and go have fun. The Mustang II and Maverick were the only two Ford cars that fit this bill from the 1970s…the Fairmont ushers in the Fox era, every other domestic Ford model name should come with “the U.S.S.” in front of it, and while the European-sourced Ford Capri can be built up to this kind of mental patient, it takes more work. We do encourage that, though…Perana-inspired Capris rule!

Dylan McCool’s rough-AF Cobra II has gone from rotting yard art to a drivable machine in fairly short order. But it hasn’t been “great”. It now runs, yes. It has seen a dragstrip, yes. But something was missing that turned this Deuce from a sluggish Sticker GT machine into a wild-assed little stomper. And in this video, you’ll see what it took to fix that little problem.

I want to drive this thing so freaking bad…