1994 Mustang / GNX

 

 

Isn't that a Mustang? But wait, that's a Turbo? A GNX? These are probably some of the most heard words Tony must hear whenever he is out in this vehicle he has nicknamed, "Buford."

Tony's Buford (which stands for Buick - Ford) is rare indeed, come on, when was the last or first time you ever saw this combination? Tony really hit the nail on the head in doing something different, and then made it all even better. And if you love it or hate it depending on which side you favor, you simply cannot deny Tony has done something great with this Mustang and did an awesome job piecing it all together and making it work.

Buford was first built in 1992 starting with a 1982 Fox Body Mustang. The Buford you see here on Empire Muscle Cars is a 1994, and the fourth version of the LC2 Buick engine and Mustang body combo. The reason Tony had for building this cross-breed was due to the phenomenal off-the-line performance coupled with an automatic transmission. The Buick engine offered a distributor-less ignition system, a "tunnel-ram" fuel intake and less overall weight than a Ford engine at the time. This engine currently in the Mustang has 200 miles since a fresh rebuild and includes a Billet Roller Cam, Forged Pistons and Ported Heads with larger Stainless Valves matched to a Champion Ported Intake Manifold. The Injectors are 62.5 pounders and the Turbo is a Roller Bearing Unit. A front mount Spearco Intercooler, which is a universal unit with custom Mandrel Bent Tubes fabricated at Full Metal Customs along with a 3" Downpipe.

Now after all that, don't you wish you would have thought to build it first? Don't worry, we are sure Tony will have this car for sale at some point in time, but for now we can all just sit and admire it. And if you are interested in getting some work done, Full Metal Customs is actually Tony's business he started in 2009.  He specializes in appearance, performance and value enhancements to cars, trucks and motorcycles. The body and paintwork done on his Buford were all done at his shop, Full Metal Customs. And that's including the the custom 3-link rear suspension, which is an exmaple of why Buford is a tribute to the DNA of the Regal GNX.

Like all Members here at Empire Muscle Cars, Tony is a great guy and a good friend to all in our group. Keep him in mind for your car one day and bring it over to Full Metal Customs, he'll be more than happy to help you and work on making your car as great as his. Speak to Tony on Empire Muscle Cars by looking him up in our Members section - Mustang/GNX.

1978 Oldsmobile Cutlass

Mike's Cutlass is wildly known in Long Island and for good reason, LOOK AT IT! We can't say we have ever seen a Cutlass done up right, let alone look this good! Everything about Mike's Cutlass is awesome all around. What makes his Cutlass even cooler, the history behind the car. Mike's father (also a Empire Muscle Car Member) bought this car brand new in 1978. After owning it until 1990 he decided to give it to Mike. The car was a bonding experience between father and son, and this bond got Mike turning wrenches and even leading to a career choice. This bonding experience and learning sessions created one of the rarest 78's we have seen, period. The Cutlass came originally with a 260 V8, but in 1991 Mike threw in a Chevy 350 and drove the car around for 4 years. Then he pulled the engine and did a race ready 350 with NOS and the went 10.70 with that set-up. It stayed this way from 1995 - 2002. That's when Mike went a little more crazier and threw in this BBC 502 Fuel injection set-up, a nice little NOS bottle in the trunk, Turbo 440 with 3000 stall and a gear vendors overdrive unit. Obviously, Mike is going in better directions with this car the older it gets. He put in a Grand National rear with 3:90 gears, 4 wheel disc brakes with B-Body fronts and Cadillac rears. The Transmission was done by Freddie Brown and all the machine work was done by S&S Speed Shop. But Mike didn't just stop on speed and upgrades, he had the car painted back in 1996 to it's current color which is also the factory color, Dark Carman, and had all the chrome redone. Then he even added a wheel set-up that had us asking, where did those wheels come from? Mike went with 18x8 Billet Specialties wheels and Yokohama 245/45/18's. He went even further with the interior , adding an 8 point cage and doing a custom gauge panel using Autometer Phantom gauges and a Kenwood stereo/DVD player. With this story, one can gather Mike wins trophies at every show he attends, and no one is ever surprised by that. He built a great Oldsmobile and did it differently than anyone else. We know this Cutlass will always be an ongoing project, as Mike also hopes to pass his Cutlass down to his sons, just as his father passed it down to him. Mike isn't just a member, but a good guy we'd all be able to call at Empire Muscle Cars a good friend. Speak to Mike on Empire Muscle Cars by looking him up at our Members Section - dr78442