One Owner Took Ford’S Mustang Pledge—And Adapted It For His Own Nefarious High-Performance Means.

Little did Phoenix, Arizona’s own Michael Flippo know when he bought this ’68 Mustang coupe as a nicely repainted stocker at the start of the pandemic that he would be signing up for the Mustang Pledge.Don’t remember the Mustang Pledge? We understand how it might have escaped you. The Mustang Pledge was a ’67-era advertisement that wove in mention of Mustang’s inherent combination of sporty looks, performance, and value — all with condescending “for the girls” copy (i.e., sticking to her diet despite the Tilt-Away wheel), with nary a word about cubic inches or Competition Suspension or any such high-velocity accoutrement. Of the 317,000-plus Mustangs sold for the 1968 model year, of the near quarter-million coupes, approximately zero buyers actually took the pledge seriously. Also, it’s a five-and-a-half decade-old magazine ad. Who remembers these things, beyond nerdy car-rag editors?Starting out with a clean, complete, largely stock, nicely repainted V-8 formal-roof hardtop ’68 coupe (the style carried over from Mustang’s first-ever body freshening for ’67) that was someone’s project until he shuffled off this mortal coil, Mike turned it into the beast you see here, within a year. Assuming the ad (reproduced here) isn’t entirely legible without a set of 5x reader-cheaters, we will go through the Mustang Pledge line by line, and address how Mike is sticking to it. He signed the pledge when he signed his name on the title, after all. He’s committed now. No one forced him. He bought a Mustang of his own free will. But not as you see it here.

I WILL NOT sell tickets to all of the people who want to ride in my Mustang. A noble sentiment, but this might be a mistake. With a breathed-on 302 making near-enough-to-big-block power (we’ll get to that), Ride-Tech coilover suspension and 18-inch rolling stock keeping it glued to the ground, and big-inch disc brakes to grind the party to a halt, Mike may want to consider selling tickets for this all-out assault on the senses. Maybe he’ll do door prizes and a raffle too, who knows?I WILL NOT keep the neighbors up all night by playing my Mustang’s stereo tape player. Well, that’s an easy vow to keep, but only because stereo tapes have gone the way of Burger Chef and the Western Black Rhinoceros. With a Retrosound head unit with Bluetooth connectivity, JL Audio C3 front and rear speakers, a pair of subwoofers and an XD 1000/5 amp in the trunk, there’s plenty of oomph on multiple channels to annoy the neighbors, but none of the accompanying tape hiss.I WILL NOT yawn when people talk about the performance of other cars. Tricky. For 1968, Ford gently stroked the 289-cubic-inch V-8 by 1⁄8-inch, resulting in a legendary number in the world of Mustang: 302 cubic inches, the same foundation Ford would later refer to as 5.0-liters. Rated at 230 gross hp with a four-barrel carburetor, the 10:1-compression 302 required premium fuel. (The next engine up in the factory lineup, in terms of size and power, was the 325-horsepower 390 FE big-block —that’s quite a gap.)

Holley Sniper electronic fuel injection (with HyperSpark ignition), an All-American Billet single-belt serpentine drive, and ceramic-coated Hooker headers are among this 302-powered Mustang’s upgrades.
Using the spunky, capable Ford small-block as a base, Mike went to town and added a Holley Sniper EFI electronic fuel injection system (incorporating Holley HyperSpark ignition and an in-tank fuel pump) for power and efficiency. An All-American Billet single-belt serpentine drive system cleaned up the look at the front of the engine, while the black-and-silver oval air cleaner and Ford Racing rocker covers helped bring the engine compartment together visually. The exhaust was opened up with a set of ceramic-coated Hooker long-tube headers and a full 2½-inch exhaust blowing through Flowmaster Super 44 mufflers, making for a sound that is a clarion call to those around him: Don’t mess. Mike hasn’t strapped his ’Stang down to a dyno yet, but we’re willing to bet that it’s a lot closer to advertised 390-cube factory performance than it is to stock 302 numbers.But performance isn’t always all about what’s happening under the hood — sticking through the bends can be every bit the visceral experience that sheer acceleration is. To that end, Mike selected a coilover conversion system by Ridetech, which includes new front upper and lower control arms, single-adjustable coilover shocks, a bolt-on four-link rear with spherical bearings to replace the factory leaf springs, and a solid 1.125-inch front anti-roll bar with Delrin-lined frame mount bushings. Eighteen-inch U.S. Mags Ramblers wear Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Position rubber, allowing an elusive blend of modern grip and classic looks; they’re a far cry from the Dearborn-supplied 14-inch steelies and 6.95-14 four-ply Rayon-cord donuts. A complete Wilwood DynaPro disc brake system — 12-plus inches in front, 11 inches at the rear, with calipers that squeeze harder than your bank account between paychecks — bring the performance to a halt with far more alacrity and repeatability than a stock ’68 Mustang’s 10-inch drums could manage.

As strong as the current setup is, there may be more coming. Mike is currently looking to add 3.73 gearing to a 9-inch axle for additional shove off the line (while still keeping respectable cruising revs thanks to the overdrive automatic transmission), and he is contemplating a stroker kit to bring the displacement out to 347 cubes — at which point the little small-block will be pumping out (factory-advertised) big-block power numbers for certain.

I WILL NOT show off my Mustang’s overhead console by turning on its map lights (at least, not in the daytime, anyway). This is an easy one too, because Mike’s Mustang didn’t come with the optional overhead console with map lights. Just as well — headroom is at a premium in there, and an overhead console, cool though it may be, could encroach on needed head space. That said, there’s plenty of light and twinkle to be seen. The gauges located deep in those factory nacelles are now Dakota Digital units. If your memory of this brand is stuck in ’90s street rods, and a digital-watch display vibe, adjust your thoughts: The company now manufactures entire clusters that slip right into a muscle car’s dash, with sweep needles, factory-type fonts, and ancillary digital functions that are light-years away from the pocket-calculator look. It’s clean, cool, custom stuff that manages not to look custom — even to people who know these cars inside and out.

The black vinyl gut mostly looks stock, but a number of upgrades are hiding in plain sight. The factory shifter stirs a built Ford AOD transmission, the gauges are by Dakota Digital, and modern speakers are hiding behind grilles in the kick panels.
I WILL tell the truth about my Mustang’s low price and not let people think I paid extra for bucket seats, vinyl interior, plush carpeting and all those other no-cost extras. Well, Mike will happily tell the truth… more than half a century on from this Mustang’s original build, nothing is really low-priced anymore. Speaking of the interior, it appears very much as Ford designed it — seats, console, twin-cove dash shape, and door panels are all in the factory style. Only the headrests on what appear to be stock seats, the gauges, the stereo head unit, and the front speakers would suggest otherwise.

I WILL spend the money I save with Mustang on a good cause … myself. Mike will have to make some more money first though, because he estimates he doubled both the time and money it would take to complete the build (see Owner’s View.) “I purchased most of the parts at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic… during this time and beyond, parts have been on back order, and there have been parts shortages. Later, parts got even more scarce, and prices increased due to both inflation and supply/demand, so I was lucky that I ordered when I did. As we went along, even the most mundane tasks became a huge undertaking, often taking twice as long as I figured they would,” says the man who wrapped up the build on his car inside of a year.I WILL love, honor, and obey the Convenience Control Panel when its lights tell me to fasten seat belts and release the parking brake. Suffice it to say that at this point, even though all of the gauges and lights work properly, the driver is very much telling the car what to do, and not the reverse.

I WILL stick to my diet even though my Mustang’s Tilt-Away steering wheel is so adjustable. Never mind the Tilt-Away column, or the weird peer pressure to starve yourself to fit in a car; Tilt-Away was a more luxury-themed option that isn’t on this particular sporty ’Stang. Rather, just know that a Borgeson 14:1 ratio power-assisted steering box now makes for steering moves that those big Bridgestones will be able to handle. (It’s a darned sight quicker than the factory 20.3:1-ratio power-assisted steering box!) The era-correct wood wheel is a nice retro touch that suits the stock-looking black vinyl gut.I WILL keep the “helpless-female” look by shifting manually only when I’m driving alone. All other times I will let the SelectShift work automatically. We’re going to set aside the next piece of sexist drivel here, and instead add a note about Ford’s AOD transmission, rebuilt in this instance by Ken’s Transmissions in Phoenix. With a 2.40 first gear, the AOD offers roughly the same accelerative twist as a Ford C4 or a C6 with a 2.46 first; with 3.55s in the axle, and tires wide enough that they’ll grab hard and launch rather than go up in smoke, you’re already looking at something plenty sprightly. With a .67:1 ratio in the AOD transmission’s overdrive, that knocks those 3.55 gears down to an effective 2.37 on the open road. That’s Bonneville Salt Flats gearing, meaning that the 302 is in the meat of its torque curve at a steady highway cruise, and plenty more will be on tap. Not bad for just leaving things in D and letting the transmission do the rest.I WILL catch up on my diary … one of these days. This one is spot on. Mike has built up a Mustang so eager to take on the road, and so compulsively driveable, that scribbling in a notebook (or dictating into his phone) may have to wait while he’s off making new memories behind the wheel.