1996 Ford Mustang owned by Kevin and Judy Mueser

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Issue

February 2023

Owner

Kevin and Judy Mueser

Ride

Double Down
(1966 Ford Mustang GT)

Meaning Behind the Name

It has two Roofs Hard top removeable Fast back that Motorized up and down and a Soft top

Photographer

Chris Gozda

Ride Details

Original Cost

$10,500

Build Cost

Many many hours and parts!!!

What was the inspiration?

To build a Cool Custom we can Drive and Enjoy. My wife Judy wanted a Convertible and I wanted a Fastback. So John at Th Custom Shop came up with the idea of a removable Fastback hard top. then went ten steps further and made it Motorize and flush fit the glass, made a killer set of side inserts and added a Suede headliner. its truly an amazing piece of work way more then we could of ever dreamt.

How long did it take you to build?

The Custom Shop in Flanagan IL was Contracted to build this Custom Mustang for us ad we had to get on there List as they were very busy. So the got the Rendering done and e starting making plans while we waited to get the car in there Shop. John Wargo the Shop owner was great at giving us ideas and helping guide us on the latest modern Fades. Once the Car was in The Custom Shop they Build it in about 11 Months start to Finish and We Just made it to Sema 2022.

How long have you been building?

I have never Built any Cars but The Custom Shop has been building cars since 1988.

Your future plans?

I am Planning on hitting Lots of Car Show in 2023. Looking forward to Showing off the Cool motorized Roof and all the Cool features this car has.

Vehicle history

I bought this car from a friend it was his Left over parts Car. LOL. I knew John and The Custom SHop Crew could build a Bad ass car out of his Left overs.. Thanks to Ron Wiggins for selling me his parts car..

Thanks to

First Id Like to Thank The Custom Shop and all the Crew, John and Kim Wargo, Brianna Wargo, Dennis Sullivan, Rich Lloyd, Justin Rambo, Matt Gurgoni, and Betty Weers. ABS Power Brake, Amsoil, Apex leather, Auto city glass, Baer Brakes, Badger, Bullydog, Cerakote C-Tex, Cover craft, Dakota Digital, Diablo sport, Entropy radiators, Fairchild weather strip Flaming River, Forgeline Wheels, Good mark IND., Gold Eagle Co., Granatelli Motor Sports Hawkeye Industries, Holley Performance, Hush mat, Lokar, McGard, NGK Spark Plugs Nu relic power windows, Odessey battery, Painless Performance, Prizmatic Powder Presta Products, Prospray paint, PSTD, Pypes, Por15, Raingear Wiper system Ring Brothers, Roadster shop, Sata spray guns, Seatbelt Planet, Scott drake, Scosche Sherwin Williams, Spectra Performance, SONY, US Chemical, Ultimate Headers Vintage Air, Tanks Inc, Tuff Stuff, Toyo tires, Truler, X K Glow

Previous Rides

Dodge Challenger

Engine Details

Make

Ford 2014

Cylinders

Displacement

5.0

Engine Mods

Basically Stock but has PS added, Vintage Air and a Custom 8 Stacked Ram air intake system with K & N Filters and Holley Performance Products, Entropy Radiator and Dual Spal fans help keep it cool. Tuff stuff Power steering and water pump and a PST drive shaft runs the rear end power.

Engine Add Ons

Ultimate Headers, with Pypes stainless exhaust pipes and Mufflers with Cutouts to make a Dual tone system.

Driveline Details

Torque Converter

Ford

Axle

Moser

Gears

342

Chassis Details

Chassis

Roadster Shop Chassis with Prizmatic Powder, Car-Rep Blue paint on rear end and Chassis parts.

Mods to Frame

removed shock towers and 4 link added with coil-overs front and rear. Big Baer Brake and Grabber Blue to match graphic colors,

Frame Builder

Roadster Shop

Drop or lift inches

Lowered 6 inches

Four Link

Roadster Shop

Wheels Details

Front Wheel Type

Forgeline SP3P

Rear Wheel Type

Forgeline SP3P

Front Wheel Size

18 x 8

Rear Wheel Size

19x10

Front Tire Size

225/40/18 Toyo

Rear Tire Size

255/35/19 Toyo

Paint Details

Color

White, Grabber Blue, Charcoal

Paint Type

ProSpray paints

Graphics Description

White base with a Charcoal Racing stripe running front to back has some angled designs then it has a Drop Shadows on the edge and Grabber blue stripes running next to it then added a white highlight detail on that. there is a color shift pearl blended in and a few Ghosted Willey Coyote splattered on the car as well. Sata Spray Guns and Badger Airbrushes were used to do all the painting. Por 15 paint was used on all the under body and hidden areas. FBS Tapes where used to mask and lay out the graphics.

Painted By

The Custom Shop Flanagan IL.

Graphics By

John Wargo

Body Details

Hood

Good Mark steel

Grille

Custom made by The Custom Shop

Bumpers

custom split front bumpers and narrowed rear

Body Mods

the car started out as a Convertible it now has a Motorized Fast Back hard top. it has Fingerprint Scanner that controls the top up and down. the Top raises 12" and will stay there you an pull the pins and remove the roof if you want to, but it looks so Cool the way it Floats over the car. the front bumper was Split and has the front chin spoiler flowing into the radiator. the rear bumper was narrowed and tucked into the body. Ground effects where molded in to look like a New modern car. The side scoops on the roof where custom made with Lexan, Billet and Led lights. there are Molded in LEDs in the bumper and chin spoiler has running light turn signals and Mesh inserts with hex pattern. that hex pattern was used all over the car and interior. laser cut Grills cover a Wilde SONY audio system. We used Tons of Scott Drake custom part like the Hood scoops and Intake vents as well as a bunch of the Original replacement parts to build this Mustang.

Body Mods by

The Custom Shop Flanagan IL.

Interior Details

Dashboard

Custom extened dash Covered in Apex Leather

Gauges

Dakota Digital VHX

Steering Wheel

Billet Specialties

Console

Custom built from aluminum, PVCand Fiberglass

Head Unit

SONY XAV 9500ES

Amps

SONY ES

Speakers

SONY XS-163ES 3 WAY 6.5 Components, SONY XS-160ES 6.5 Coax and 2 SONY XS-W124ES 12" subs

Video System

SONY XAV 9500ES

Stereo Installed by

The Custom Shop Flanagan IL.

Shifter

LOKAR SS SHIFTER

Seats

Pro Car coered in Apex Leather adn suede

Trunk or Bed

Defender bed liner with Ceramic by USC

Upholstery Description

Full Customer Interior with Apex Leather, Apex Dinamica Microsuede and Apex Ultra Square weave carpet. We built a Custom ported sub box with 2 SONY 12" subs. built a Custom dash top to extended out over Dakota Digital gauges, Next built a Custom Console to house a 11" SONY headunit, Lokar shifter, and house the finger print scanner and power window buttons. Custom door panels are made of alum and PVC, having back light led panels. Laser Cut grills that Cover the Sony Speakers in Kick panels and dash. 2 pairs of ProCar seat Where Covered in Apex Leathers and Microsuede by Doug from Indy Advanted coating and trim John Wargo designed the seats and Doug Knocked them out. The rest of the interior was all done in house at The Custom Shop. the trunk was fully finished out too. Dual Odyssey Batteries,with Scosche fuses and wiring are tucked in each corner and Covered with Aluminum panels, two Sony Amps Motorize out of the top of the trunk to show them off and pull back in to hide them. The Roof is covered in the Apex microsuede as well. Billet Specialties Steering wheel and Flaming river tilt Column and all wired up with Painless Performance harness, The we used XK Glow LED lights on the Int and ext with three different Zone controls. Vintage Air controls for the a/c system is mounted in the console as well as a Diablo Sport tuner that controls tunes the Coyote engine. Nurelic Power window kit was installed with rain gear wipers too. Hush mat was used on the sound deadner on all panels and a Ctek charger keeps it charged when stored.

Upholstery Description

Ring Brothers Billet door handles and hinges as well a Scott Drake hood pins.

Upholstery By

The Custom Shop Flanagan IL.

“Double Down”

The 1966 Ford Mustang GT is a classic car that has captured the hearts of car enthusiasts worldwide. And when it comes to the Mustang GT, Kevin and Judy Mueser’s “Double Down” stands out among the rest. This one-of-a-kind vehicle is an amazing work of art that has been customized to perfection.

The “Double Down” was built to create the perfect combination of a convertible and a fastback. This unique design has two roofs, a removable hardtop, and a soft top. The custom shop in Flanagan, Illinois, was contracted to build this custom Mustang, and they did not disappoint. It took them 11 months to build this beauty, and the result is a true masterpiece.

The car features a Roadster Shop chassis with Prizmatic Powder coating, which gives it a sleek and modern look. The body of the car has been modified to look like a new, modern car. The front bumper has been split and has a front chin spoiler that flows into the radiator. The rear bumper has been narrowed and tucked into the body, and the ground effects have been molded in to look like a new, modern car.

The side scoops on the roof were custom-made with Lexan, Billet, and LED lights. The car has a fingerprint scanner that controls the top up and down, and the top raises 12″ and will stay there. You can also pull the pins and remove the roof if you want to, but it looks so cool the way it floats over the car.

The interior of the car has been fully customized with Apex Leather, Apex Dinamica Microsuede, and Apex Ultra Square weave carpet. The dashboard has been extended and covered in Apex Leather, and the gauges are Dakota Digital VHX. The steering wheel is Billet Specialties, and the console is custom-built from aluminum, PVC, and fiberglass.

The “Double Down” is powered by a Ford 2014 8-cylinder 5.0L engine that has been modified with a custom 8-stacked Ram air intake system with K&N filters and Holley Performance Products. The engine is basically stock but has PS added, Vintage Air, and Entropy Radiator. The car has Ultimate Headers with Pypes stainless exhaust pipes and mufflers with cutouts to make a dual-tone system. The driveline details include a Ford torque converter, Moser axle, and 342 gears.

The car rides on Forgeline SP3P wheels, 18×8 in the front and 19×10 in the rear, with Toyo tires. The car has been lowered 6 inches with a Roadster Shop four-link suspension and coil-overs. The car has Baer brakes and grabber blue to match graphic colors.

In conclusion, the “Double Down” is a true masterpiece and a unique car that stands out in any crowd. Kevin and Judy Mueser’s dream car has come to life with the help of The Custom Shop in Flanagan, Illinois. It is a car that combines classic and modern design elements, making it a true work of art. If you ever have a chance to see this car in person, it is a must-see for any car enthusiast.

Photos by: Chris Gosda