[1]Mr. late night, Jay Leno, is known for is love of cars and has one lavish garage that would have any average working car enthusiast turning green with envy. This customized ‘Stang doesn’t belong to Jay himself, but to his neighbor, a custom hot rod builder who has made a name for himself at past SEMA shows by beating out the competition with his custom builds.
The late night talk show invites his neighbor, Bodie Stroud, into his garage to talk about this custom 1969 Ford Mustang fastback [2]. Of course he didn’t just slap some wheels on it and call it a day, this bad boy has had a bit of cosmetic surgery. To the dismay of the hardcore classic Mustang fanatics, this awesome classic has been sliced and diced, widened and chopped. However, those same die hard fans may change their mind this about this modernized classic, it features a rare, one of ten BOSS 494 all-aluminum engine signed by the man himself, Mario Andretti.
The custom hot rod builder chopped off about 2.5-inches from the roof, making it obviously lower than a normal classic fastback. The rear has been widened so much that it required its own tube chassis.
To fit that beast of an engine block into this custom ‘Stang, the engine bay was widened a good twelve inches. On top of that, the hood scoop is completely functional pushing air down into the engine, making this even more of a beast. According to Bodie, it dynoed at an impressive 777 HP and 596 lb/ft of torque!
For stopping power, this thing features Brembo brakes, and also electric steering. The interior has custom-made seats that are similar to those in the 2011 Mustangs. Bodie also custom made the dashboard nicely to where you couldn’t tell that it’s not a stock ‘Stang dash. His custom work definitely showcases his skills as a custom hot rod builder. The tail lights are completely custom made sports and the back features it’s very own black plate,”BOSS 494″. If you look closely at the hood, you can see a subtle two-tone paint job, with matte red and gloss red with very subtle yet awesome attention to detail.
If you want to see more of Bodie’s work, than pay attention to the SEMA show this year! He has already beat everyone at the past SEMA show with his Starliner and plans on bringing a 63 1/2 Galaxy for display at the K&N booth this coming year.