There was a time when you ordered a car with the options that you needed and then you waited while the factory built your car to order. If you wanted to buy a car to go drag racing, you could reduce the weight by deleting any unnecessary parts from the build when you ordered it.
Those days are long gone. Now, you buy a car straight for the dealer inventory, with all the options installed, whether you want them or not. If you want to reduce weight, you have to “delete” the extras manually. That is exactly what Skyler Hardy did when he purchased his 1992 Ford Mustang LX almost 20 years ago; “deleting” things like the back seat, the heating and air conditioning systems, the stereo, wipers, power windows and locks, cruise control, and the sound-deadening material. Hardy even “deleted” the rear wing.
And so DELETED was born.
That was in 2002. Since then, Hardy has added several items to improve the performance. After racing the stock engine for a dozen years, Hardy stepped up with the installation of a first-generation Coyote motor. That kept him happy for a short time, but when he wanted more speed he added a simple, but effective nitrous oxide system from Nitrous Outlet. The extra power is fed into a TREMEC TKX five-speed tranny hooked into a Ford 8.8 rearend.
Hardy has upgraded the powertrain and underpinnings front to back. The Coyote features a Boss manifold ported by Brett Barber, Boss tensioners, Cobra Jet oil pump, and American Racing headers with a custom 3-inch exhaust. Electronics include a Ford Racing Control Pack, MSD Two-Step, and an SCT X4 Performance Tuner.
The TREMEC is bolted to a Quicktime bellhousing holding a McLeod RXT 1200 HD twin-plate clutch and flywheel. A Silver Sport Transmission STX short-throw shifter keeps the gear changes consistent.
Chassis mods include a Stormin Normand’s Custom Rollcages 8.50-certified cage, a Merillat Racing upper torque box, and an MAF Racing & Performance Tool tubular front bumper. Suspension improvements feature Viking Crusader shocks and coilovers, plus control arms, anti-roll bar, and drag springs from Team Z Motorsports.
All this keeps the Mustang competitive in the NMRA and NMCA True Street class and the TREMEC Stick Shift Shootout with E.T.s in the 10.20 range at more than 135 mph. Harding is hoping to improve on those numbers with the addition of a direct port conversion from Nitrous Outlet for the Boss manifold and an N2MB Racing WOT box with the goal of getting a time slip with a single-digit time-slip.
Even so, Hardy intends to keep the Mustang street-legal. He enjoys taking the car out for a ride to cruise nights, which he does regularly. In fact, DELETED has more than 300,000 miles on the odometer, proving that the correct combination of additions and deletions can make for a lot of fun behind the wheel, both on and off the track.