I’ve always loved Fox bodies. — Terry “Beefcake” Reeves, Team Beefcake Racing

If you’ve heard the name Terry “Beefcake” Reeves of Team Beefcake Racing , you might closely associate it with running fast in a modern Coyote . His 2011 Mustang GT drag car has run deep into the 7-second zone. However, Terry didn’t just come into the Mustang world. He has been in the game for a long time and one of his most recent projects — a 1993 Mustang LX — is a throwback to that time.

“I’ve always loved Fox bodies,” Terry explained. “I have had two GTs, but was searching for a notchback in Reef Blue or Calypso Green (second choice), black interior, and low miles. Not too picky. I got a message from a kid about his dad’s LX hatch (my second body choice) and we talked for three months while I kept looking for a notch, but this car was so clean, I couldn’t let it go.”

This 15,000-mile beauty was a must-have. It was simply too clean. As such, Jasmine was born. It’s a pushrod project and built to embrace the kind of modifications from the era when the Fox Mustang ruled the streets. In fact, a throwback project was a nice change of pace for Terry.

“We have spent so much time with they Coyote cars over the last seven years, that it’s really cool to work on something like this,” he confessed. “Everyone was telling me to do a Coyote transplant, but I really want to be era-correct on this one.”

Of course, just because he was going old-school with a Fox project, didn’t mean it was going to be a resto garage queen. Despite scoring a mint Fox, Terry had absolutely no hesitation in diving right into the mods with Brian Campbell at Finish Line Performance spinning the wrenches.

“Within a week, we had the Vortech supercharger (PN 4FA218-018L; $3,118.99), 14 parts from UPR, and Viking coilovers along with a box of Kooks headers for it,” he said.

The headlining power adder was an easy choice for Terry, as he has a long history with these superchargers. It was also an of-the-era mod, as centrifugal superchargers and pushrod 5.0s were fast friends from the moment Ford installed fuel injection on its venerable small-block.

I love the power delivery from the Vortech superchargers. — Terry “Beefcake” Reeves, Team Beefcake Racing

“We are Vortech’s largest dealer, so it’s just natural,” Terry explained. “I love the power delivery from the Vortech superchargers, and I want to keep the vehicle era-correct, and plan on an old-school Pro 5.0 looking setup with a Mondo cooler sticking through the hood.”

You might thing working on these would feel archaic, to Terry fell right into working on the Fox. It was like riding a bike and probably seemed a bit less complex than what is required on the latest Mustangs.

“It’s not any more difficult, if anything, it was a little easier, especially with the off-the-shelf complete kit,” he added.

In the end, adding the supercharger truly did boost the performance of the low-mile 5.0-liter. In fact, it dropped over a second in e.t. on the quarter mile and picked up over 81 horsepower and 77 lb-ft of torque at the rear wheels.

“We picked up 1.3 seconds on a bone-stock, 2.73 auto car,” Terry said. “I don’t think you could ask for much more. Obviously custom tuning, headers, gear, etc. would net a quicker e.t., but were going to dive right into a full-out build over the winter.”

Vortech System Features • Vortech V-3 Si supercharger • Cast aluminum supercharger mounting bracket assembly w/ idler and hardware • Fuel management unit • T-Rex in-line fuel pump • Inlet and discharge duct connections w/ heat-resistant silicone sleeves and stainless steel clamps. • All necessary belts, pulleys and reusable high-flow air filter

That full build won’t be a move to modern power either. In fact, Terry plans to continue the old-school theme by installing a classic stroker engine based on a storied Ford Performance block and rounding it out with the right supporting cast.

“I already have a fully built 347 stroker sitting here waiting go in, which is based on an A4 block, a billet crank, AFR heads, etc.,” Terry said. “I also have Kooks 1 7/8-inch long-tubes, along with a full complement of UPR Products, including K-member, subframe connectors, torque-box kit, caster/camber plates, a rear coilover setup, a bumpsteer kit and a few more goodies. We also are complementing the rear coilover setup with Viking double-adjustable shocks and full front Viking coilover setups.”

It definitely sounds like a fun project and we can’t want to see how it performs, so stay tuned.