Randy Johnson and his company D&Z Customs in Kewaskum, Wisconsin built a 1969 Mercury Cyclone called “Confucius” for owner Jim McIlvaine at Optima Batteries. Under the hood is a Lingenfelter 7.0 L LS7 V8 disguised as a Ford motor thanks to custom valve covers and fake front distributor. The engine makes 558 horsepower and 497 lb-ft of torque to the wheels. It features JE forged aluminum pistons, Callies Dragon Slayer forged steel crankshaft, Oliver billet steel I-beam rods, Lingenfelter hydraulic roller camshaft, Lingenfelter CNC ported/polished LS7 heads, Holley 1,000 cfm throttle body, and 50 lb/hr injectors. The drivetrain consists of a T56 Magnum six-speed manual transmission with a Centerforce 10.5-inch DYAD twin-disc clutch connected to a Dynotech 4-inch aluminum driveshaft and Ford 9-inch rear end. The 3598 lb muscle car rides on a Detroit Speed 1965-70 Mustang front suspension and QUADRA-Link rear suspension with JRI double-adjustable shocks. Behind the Forgeline Rebel 18×12 wheels are Wilwood Spec 37 14-inch disc brakes with six-piston calipers in front and four-piston calipers in rear. You can read more details on the project in HotRod’s article.
Source: D&Z Customs FB page, Forgeline, HotRod, and Wilwood
Wow! Super clean build. Interesting ideas throughout. I’d only question the fake distributor and choice of tail lights.
They are there merely to trick all purists in to believing it is powered by a Ford when in fact is a Lingenfelter LS7. That is a comment from builder Randy Johnson himself. Ref: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZbKwVUa0Ic&t=2s