The Carlisle students made the decision to turn the automatic Mustang into a five-speed, and from a six-cylinder engine to an eight-cylinder. While the school has never done a conversion of this sort, the students and class instructor Dave Appleman feel confident that it will be pretty easy.
Appleman is using the knowledgeable staff at CJ Pony Parts to the utmost. Questions about suspension upgrades necessary when converting a six-cylinder car into an eight were a key point. "The guys at CJ Pony Parts have been a great help with some of the stuff that I was unsure of," replied Appleman. "It is a tough task to start when you get a chassis that's bare, and have no idea of where to begin and how everything was once attached."
When this project started, I was a little nervous about what to expect and the pace at which the work would get done. When you team up with great organizations like the Carlisle Center for Careers and Technology and the Dauphin County Technical School, it becomes really easy. Watch for the next installment of the Carlisle Automotive Classrooms Foundation project coming soon. The Mustang will be moving under its own power and will begin its final stage of completion.