So far, Mike has made his...
So far, Mike has made his best pass with a tow tune and two .093 jets in the nitrous system. With a larger tune and bigger nitrous jets, look out!
Mike also just happens to be the owner of Nitrous Express, so of course the Mustang had to have one of its NXD 4000 progressive nitrous systems. The amount of nitrous that is delivered to the engine can be varied depending on boost, from 0 percent all the way to 100 percent. This way, Mike can leave the line with very little nitrous to make sure he doesn't spin the tires, then pour it on down the track where he can use the added power.
The transmission is one area where Mike goes back to his gas-powered roots. Most people think a diesel's torque will overwhelm any gas-based transmission, but Mike may just disprove that theory. Instead of running an Allison 1000 diesel transmission, Mike runs a 4L80E that was built by Gordon Stoney. The transmission is a typical drag race setup, with a full-manual valvebody and a Coan 4,000rpm converter, but the 4L80E has a lock-up converter and an overdrive gear, making it very well suited to diesel applications.
At Hot Rod magazine's Drag Week, Mike proved just how well his Duramax-Mustang combination works with a string of low 10-second runs with no nitrous, and a final 9.91-second pass once Mike turned the bottle on. Oh, and he drove it 900 miles just to get to the event. On the return trip, Mike let us know he averaged an astounding 35 mpg at about 75 mph. What's scary is that there is a lot more left in the car. On his 9.91-second pass Mike shifted late, ran out of nitrous, and had a slow launch. Once Mike gets the current combination dialed in, he is confident the car will run low 9s, and that's with a "small" tune courtesy of Volker Schwartz. With more aggressive tuning and more nitrous, the car should virtually walk into the eight-second range. Oh, and did we mention it gets 35 mpg?
 Notice something funny? The...  Notice something funny? The Mustang's fiberglass front end has no grille opening for cooling purposes. A scoop underneath the front of the car (arrow) was fabricated after the car started running a little hot at freeway speeds. |  Mike uses a bottle heater...  Mike uses a bottle heater to maintain proper bottle pressure for each run, along with some trick quick-release billet brackets from NX. The two black boxes in back are the battery box and a tank for Mike's water-methanol injection. |  Out back, Mike runs a set...  Out back, Mike runs a set of 325-series Mickey Thompson drag radials that have so far yielded a best 60-foot time of 1.36 seconds. |
 A set of 5-inch-wide Mickey...  A set of 5-inch-wide Mickey Thompson tires provide the steering, while some super-light Weld Racing wheels handle the looks department. Up front, Wilwood disc brakes provide stopping power, while the rear has a set of Strange non-vented rotors. |  Much of the awesome fabrication...  Much of the awesome fabrication work is hidden underneath the car. A reinforced rear axle, custom fuel tank, custom engine and transmission crossmembers, a FASS fuel system, and twin Spin Tech mufflers are all hidden key parts to making this Mustang work. Although he had a lot of help building the car, Mike also fabricated many of these parts himself. |  To help find the right gear,...  To help find the right gear, a full-manual valvebody is used in the 4L80E transmission. This shifter has since been replaced with a B&M version. All the lights, switches, and buttons work with the diesel engine thanks to a Painless Wiring harness. |