The Mustang funny car took about a year and a half to build from start to finish. It was a learning experience as to chassis building, engine building, acquiring parts, and components.  At the time I was working full time as a tool and die maker apprentice at ”PMP Tool and Die” in Burbank, and going to school four nights a week as part of my apprenticeship program.
I built the chassis in my Mom & Dad’s North Hollywood garage.  I cut and fitted all the tubes and brackets and since I didn’t have a Heliarc welder at the time I tacked them up with my old arc welder.  I would take the chassis in the back of my 1965 Buick station wagon up to Jack German’s house in Sylmar one or two nights a week.  Jack would re-tack my parts and then grind off the arc weld tacks, he then finish-welded that phase of the chassis with his Heliarc.  As it was my first chassis, this process took a few months. Once the chassis was completely welded up I built all of the special machine parts at work, after hours, including the aircraft starter drive for the Delta Blower drive as no one made that setup.
With the chassis complete and up on wheels, I started the aluminum panelling and mounting the body.  The 69-70 Mustang was a Fiber Glass Trends body, but I bought it from Tiny Tim McNally / Tex Collins of Cal Automotive, for $600.00.  Tex had got the body to splash a mould off it for his ”Big Al” Allison powered Funny Car.
Lil John Lombardo and I applied the paint at Lil John’s shop, no spray booth just an old tin warehouse.  I chose Firemist Blue Metallic (a stock Cadillac color) with silver leaf lettering as I was always a fan of Stone, Woods & Cook - and also Big John Mazmanian – and just a one color paint scheme made it cheaper too.  We used acrylic lacquer, the lettering was done by Larry Gloege of Van Nuys, the upholsterer was Denny Nish also of Van Nuys, a protégé and former employee of Tony Nancy’s.
The engine was a stock stroke 392 cubic inch Chrysler .200 down with a Milodon girdle, an Enderle copy of a Hilborn 4 port upright injector, GMC 671 supercharger, Schaffer Magneto, and a Crowlerglide high gear only setup.  I would run around 85% Nitro in the motor most times. A lot of the parts for the engine were parts that I was given or bought from Tom Larkin and Lil John Lombardo.
A lot of people and friends helped immensely with the build, most of all Jack German who without his generosity and craftsmanship the chassis would have never been finished.  Additionally Tom Larkin (Top Fuel owner, driver and neighbor) along with John Lombardo (Double ‘A’ Gasser and then Funny Car owner and driver) helped me a lot to make it happen.
To the best of my memory Tom Larkin, John Lombardo, and Larry Dixon Sr. signed my F/C driver’s license.  After Lions I made two or three more runs at OCIR to finish up the driver’s license requirements.
The Mustang took so long to build that I only ran it for about 10 – 11 months as the new narrower lighter chassis were coming into use.  My next car, the 1972 Cuda Funny Car was built a lot faster!
For a high gear only car the Mustang ran a respectable best of 7:42 ET at 197.47 MPH in 1971.
A lot of the parts from the Mustang – motor, wheels, rear end etc - went onto my Cuda F/C which I debuted at Lions in early ’72. What was left I sold to Randy Branford and his Dad of Branford's Crankshaft AA/FA  fame. I talked to Randy a few years back but he’d forgotten what happened to the original Mustang F/C but said they never ran it.  I guess it's lost to the sands of time as I have never seen it again.

Jeff Courtie