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| Joe Brown of Lafayette, Louisiana has been involved with hot rods ever since he was 14 year old and was wrenching on his very own 1974 Mustang II. |
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One Trick Pony
1967 Mustang
Article By Larry Crain Photos By Barbara Crain
Joe Brown of Lafayette, Louisiana has been involved with hot rods ever since he was 14 year old and was wrenching on his very own 1974 Mustang II. From this early start on a not so muscled up Ford Mustang, Joe has come almost full circle and in 2010 presented the hot rod world with a bad to the bone 1967 Mustang that is the very definition of muscle car. In between the years that these two pony cars represent, Joe has built a reputation as a builder of award winning cars through his shop, Hot Rod Joe’s. He has built hot rods, customs and classics that have won awards from the local area shows all the way up to being contenders for the prestigious Ridler Award. This awesome ’67 Mustang was Joe’s answer to the question “could he build a show winner that could also be a driver and not one that is driven just from the trailer to the show floor?” For those of you who have seen the car cruising the beach boulevard during Cruisin’ The Coast in Biloxi or on display at the 2010 SEMA Show, you know that this car has answered the question of whether Joe Brown can build a show winning - driven car. The ’67 Mustang that rolled out of Hot Rod Joe’s shop in 2010 bared almost no resemblance to the stock rolling hull that he brought home from the Pate Swap Meet in 2007. The body on this Mustang has had almost every panel replaced and not with just replacement sheet metal, but all new hand formed panels that give this Ford curves it should have had the first time around. This covers everything from the sectioned & stretched rear wheel wells all the way to the custom fitted bumpers. For those Mustang fanatics that fall in love with the bodacious custom hood, you are not going to pick up the phone and order one. The hood on this car is a one of a kind, hand laid fiberglass piece from the mind and hands of Joe himself. All of this beautiful bodywork is covered with a Dupont base coat clear coat in a custom mix of Butterscotch Pearl with matte finish charcoal stripes. The body finish doesn’t stop on this car at the rocker panels; the underside of this Mustang is as slick on the bottom of the floor pans as is the top of the roof. The attention to detail in fit and finish continues into the Scott’s Hot Rods frame. This custom chassis was built into the body and dressed out to where no welds or imperfections showed before it was painted along with the body. The Scott’s chassis under the car runs their custom IFS front suspension and their trick Tri-bar 4-link rear suspension that is home for a Ford 9-inch 3.50 gears from 9-Plus. All of these stout components are needed to handle the 4.6 Litre DOHC Cobra SVT racing engine that Joe had new from the crate. This motor already kicked butt, but add on the Kenne Bell 2.8 Supercharger with the Accufab throttle body and you are looking at 720 horsepower at the flywheel! Exhaust needs for this powerhouse runs through a set of headers and stainless 2½-inch exhaust pipe designed and built by Hot Rod Joe himself. The throaty tones that you hear when Joe cranks her up or hits the throttle come from a pair of mufflers from SLP Performance. With this much horsepower ready to launch you down the highway you need a beefy transmission to go with it. Joe went with a MGW shifted T-56 6-speed equipped with a McCleod twin clutch package. With this solid of a drive train you have to have a good tire and wheel package that can really hook up and at the same time look good doing it. Joe went with a killer combination of Intro 3-piece wheels 20x12 on the rear and 18x8 on the front that are mounted with a set of Mickey Thompson SR radials. The interior of this machine is a product of Joe having plenty of time to design it in his head while going to and from Detroit competing for the Ridler Award with one of his customer’s car. The upholstery is all custom apricot and charcoal leather from the talented craftsmen at Pro Auto in Knoxville, TN. All of the aluminum interior accents were designed and made by Joe for a one of a kind appearance that compliments the performance look of the car. Other interior pieces include a tilt column from Flaming River that is topped off with a steering wheel from Budnik and a custom heat & air unit from Vintage Air and power windows from Nu-Relics. Other touches include the custom designed gauge cluster from Classic Instruments and a complete Alpine sound system with touch screen navigation. The years of experience Joe has acquired building cars and trucks for himself or customers is well represented in this truly well designed and engineered ’67 Mustang. I’m not the only one to think so since it was picked by the Ford Motor Company at the 2010 SEMA Show for an Outstanding Design Award. Along with this prestigious award at SEMA, Joe’s Mustang was one of twelve vehicles picked for a Mother’s Choice Award. Prior to SEMA the Mustang had picked up a Top 25 Award at Shades Of The Past in Pigeon Forge where the competition can be just as tough as anywhere else. If you step back and look at all of the attention to detail, the many one of a kind pieces that Joe has designed or fabricated, you would have to say that what he ended up with as a final product is one trick pony that he can cruise in style anywhere at anytime.
Manufacturers and shops.
9-Plus Accufab Alpine Budnik Classic Instruments Dupont Flaming River Hot Rod Joe’s Intro Wheels Kenne Bell McCleod MGW Ltd. Mickey Thompson Nu-Relics Pro Auto Scotts Hot Rods SLP Performance Vintage Air
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