Project Stranger Things closed out its 2026 racing season at Darana Dragway (formerly Milan Dragway) on October 31 with a 5.2806-second pass at 133.37 mph in the eighth-mile. For Mustang Magazine’s turbocharged 1994 Mustang GT, it was a fitting way to finish a year that began with a 6.1679 at 114.88 mph on its first completed eighth-mile pass on May 26.
That’s 0.8873 seconds off the elapsed time and 18.49 mph added by the eighth-mile stripe. On a combination still built around a production 351 Windsor block, those numbers tell a much bigger story than a single timeslip.
Starting In The Sixes
The early outings were about getting the car down the track, learning what it wanted on the starting line and building a baseline. On May 26, the Mustang’s first completed eighth-mile pass was a 6.1679 at 114.88 mph, recorded on timeslip number two, with a 1.4604-second 60-foot and a 4.0305-second 330-foot. It was the starting point for a season of steady improvement. The car later ran a 6.0820 at 114.24 mph, with a 1.3543-second 60-foot, but that was an early improvement rather than the first pass. The car had plenty left in it, and getting that potential to the ground would take the rest of the season.
There were quicker runs, aborted attempts, adjustments and plenty of time spent reviewing what the Mustang did from the release of the transbrake to the finish line. By October, the combination was producing passes in the mid-fives, including a recorded 5.4039 at 128.72 mph, before the final outing brought another step forward.
A 408 Windsor With A Stock-Block Foundation
Under the hood is a turbocharged 408-cubic-inch small-block Ford based on a professionally machined production 351 Windsor block. The forged rotating assembly from Ford Strokers uses a 4340 four-inch-stroke crankshaft, forged H-beam rods and Wiseco forged pistons at 10.5:1 compression. A custom Bullet solid-roller camshaft, Howards lifters, Comp Ultra Gold 1.6 rockers and ported 210cc Edelbrock Victor Jr. cylinder heads round out the core of the engine.
Air enters through a VS Racing billet 88/96mm turbocharger with a 1.32 A/R housing, an ON3 Performance four-inch intercooler and a Holley Hi-Ram intake topped by a 105mm throttle body. Jeff Chandler handled the custom turbo fabrication. On the final outing, the team pushed the VS Racing turbo to 25.8 psi of boost toward the back of the run to see what the combination had left. Boost was set at 7 psi on the leave, ramped to 15 psi by the 60-foot mark and continued building to 25.8 psi downtrack. Rather than hitting the tires with all the available power at once, the ramp helped manage the launch while bringing in more boost as the car accelerated. It’s a serious combination, but the stock-production-block foundation remains one of the most interesting parts of the project.
The TH400 transmission uses a transbrake and a custom PTC torque converter, sending power through an 8.8-inch rear axle fitted with Strange 35-spline axles, a full spool and Ford Performance 3.55 gears. The car runs also on pump E85.
Fuel And Electronics That Could Keep Up
As the turbo combination developed, fueling became one of the key areas to address. The car moved from its earlier 120 lb/hr injectors to DeatschWerks 2,200cc injectors, providing the capacity needed as boost and fuel demand increased. Two MagnaFuel 750 pumps supply the E85 through the car’s fuel system.
Holley hardware has been central to the combination, from the Terminator X engine management and ignition components to the intake, fuel rails, throttle body and electric water pump. The 12.3-inch Pro Dash became an important addition inside the Mustang, putting information such as boost, engine speed and system pressures where it could be monitored at a glance.
Installing that dash was made easier with a custom-fit bezel from CarChains3D, giving the large display a clean home in the SN95 dashboard. Power for the car’s 16-volt electrical setup comes from an XS Power Titan8 RSV-S7-30 lithium titanate (LTO) battery. The compact Group 30/30L unit weighs approximately 11.75 pounds and is rated at 20Ah (60Ah lead-acid equivalent), making it a significant weight-saving change compared with the earlier AGM battery. XS Power has been part of that electrical package.
Another late-season addition was a Meziere TS408 True Start starter. The gear-reduction unit uses a billet aluminum head and offers 360 degrees of clocking adjustment in 10-degree increments, a useful feature when fitting a starter around a modified Windsor’s headers, oil pan and bellhousing. The TS408 was installed before the season wrapped up, adding a purpose-built starting solution to the Mustang’s 16-volt electrical package. Mustang Magazine took a closer look at the starter and its construction in a separate project update.
Getting The Mustang To Work On The Starting Line
The powertrain is only half of the equation. The SN95’s suspension was a major focus throughout the year, with UPR Products components forming much of the foundation: a chromoly K-member, tubular front control arms, rear control arms, reinforced torque boxes, spherical bushings and an anti-roll bar.
When Project Stranger Things was originally put together, the target was to run in the 5.70s in the eighth-mile, with hopes of sneaking into the 8.50s in the quarter. The Strange 10-way adjustable front struts were chosen with that performance goal in mind and have been part of the car’s progression well beyond the original target. Viking coilover components, including double-adjustable shocks in the rear, helped control how the Mustang transferred weight. Those adjustments weren’t just about making the car look right on the launch. They affected whether it could repeat a pass, stay planted and use the power available.
David Wilson of Wilson Racing was involved in setting up the suspension and was there helping at every outing. That kind of consistency matters: having someone who knows the car, watches what it does and helps make the next adjustment can be as important as any individual component. Through the season, the team worked to find the balance between leaving hard enough to improve the 60-foot and keeping the front end under control.
The Work Between Passes
Steve Licht of Full Throttle Speed handled the tuning side of the project. With a turbocharged small-block, the calibration and boost strategy have to work together with the chassis. Changes to the launch and boost ramp were evaluated alongside what the timeslips and data showed, rather than simply adding more power and hoping the track would take it.
The season wasn’t a straight line. There were outings when the car wanted to stand up, times when the boost system needed attention and plenty of small changes that didn’t immediately show up as a personal best. That trial-and-error process is what made the eventual improvement meaningful.
Why There’s Still More Left
The numbers are even more interesting when the Mustang’s weight is considered. On a Proform wireless scale, Project Stranger Things tipped the scales at 3,235 pounds. That’s a considerable amount of car to move into the low-fives with a stock-block Windsor, and weight reduction is already one of the areas being considered for the offseason.
The drivetrain also has room for refinement. The TH400 still uses its stock gear ratios, and the current first-gear ratio is proving too aggressive on the leave for this combination. A taller first-gear ratio is among the changes being considered to help soften the initial hit and make the car easier to manage at the starting line. The current converter combination is also dropping roughly 1,500 to 1,800 rpm on the shift, more than the team would like. A stator change is on the list for 2027, with the goal of better matching the converter to the turbocharged Windsor’s powerband and keeping the engine happier through the gear change.
Then there’s the front suspension. As the car picked up power and became more effective on the starting line, managing front-end rise became a bigger part of the setup. The Strange 10-way struts have served the car through a level of performance beyond its original goals, and the team is now considering additional adjustment range and front-end control for its next stage of development. Team Z travel limiters were added to help manage how far the front end could extend, and launch boost was reduced from 11 psi to 7 psi in an effort to keep the wheelies under control.
That last change says plenty about where the project stands: the quickest route down the track wasn’t necessarily to leave with more boost. Getting the car to use the power consistently was the priority. With upgraded front struts, a revised converter stator, a potential TH400 ratio change and a closer look at where weight can be removed, there’s reason to believe the same stock-block combination has more to offer in 2027. Nothing is guaranteed at the track, but the offseason plan is about making better use of the power already there.
One Last Pass At Milan
On October 31, Project Stranger Things recorded a 1.2032-second 60-foot, a 3.4396-second 330-foot and a 5.2806 at 133.37 mph in the eighth-mile.
Compared with the May 26 opener, the final 60-foot improved from 1.4604 to 1.2032 seconds, a gain of 0.2572 seconds. The 330-foot improved from 4.0305 to 3.4396 seconds, a gain of 0.5909 seconds. The Mustang was not only accelerating harder at the top end of the eighth-mile; it was leaving the starting line more effectively, too. The Mustang was not only accelerating harder at the top end of the eighth-mile; it was leaving the starting line more effectively, too.
And that was enough to call the 2026 season. The Mustang had made substantial progress without abandoning the small-block Ford foundation that has defined the project from the start. With front-end control, transmission gearing, converter efficiency and race weight all on the offseason list, the final timeslip was a good place to put a period on this chapter without suggesting the combination has reached its limit.
For now, Project Stranger Things heads into the offseason with a 5.2806 at 133.37 mph to its name, a long list of lessons learned and plenty to build on when it returns to the track.
Cooling was another important part of the combination. Flex-a-lite supplied the 16-inch Flex-Wave LoBoy electric fan for Project Stranger Things, replacing the previous 14-inch fan. During an earlier 30-mile street-driving test, the combination stayed below 190 degrees. Mustang Magazine covered that upgrade in its FlexWave fan installation and testing article.
Brands Behind The Build
Project Stranger Things has brought together components and expertise from across the performance aftermarket. The companies featured in the story include those that supported the project throughout the season, along with other brands represented in the combination.
Project supporters and featured partners: Holley · DeatschWerks · XS Power · Meziere · UPR Products · CarChains3D · Full Throttle Speed · Flex-a-lite
Additional brands and contributors: Ford Strokers · Wiseco · Bullet Racing Cams · Howards Cams · Comp Cams · Edelbrock · ON3 Performance · MagnaFuel · Ford Performance · Strange Engineering · Viking Performance · VS Racing · Team Z Motorsports · Proform · PTC · Wilson Racing
Photography credits: Featured image by DM Photography. Additional photography by Lens on Photography. Dashboard photo by Holly. Marcus Cervantes. All photographers retain credit for their respective images.
