Turbo LS-Powered Mustang Drift Build Slays Tires America Style

Detailed look at this sweet LS-powered Mustang drift car followed by some an example of the beast at work.

The video above is part of the Build Breakdown series on TheHoonigans YouTube channel and it features a look at the turbocharged, LS-powered Ford Mustang of Josh Mason. Mason is a competitive drifter and after building this turbocharged LM7 engine for his Nissan S13, he came across a wrecked (and inexpensive) Ford Mustang.

He transformed that wrecked pony car into a wicked, purpose-built drift machine and in addition to providing a thorough walk-around of the car, Mason takes to the impromptu drift course in the back lot of the Hoonigan headquarters.

LS-Powered Mustang

Josh Mason’s Mustang looks like a Ford, but in all reality, there are few parts on this car that came from the Flat Rock plant where the Mustangs are built. The interior has been gutted, fitted with a roll cage, digital gauges and unique controls. The front fenders are fiberglass and the rear quarter panels are carbon fiber. The trunk lid is gone, making room for the rear cooling system and the race-ready fuel system. Huge portions of the factory chassis have been removed and replaced with lightweight tubular parts, the entire suspension system is aftermarket and the 8.8-inch rear end has been replaced with a beefy 9-inch unit.

Most importantly, under the hood of this Ford Mustang is an LS-based V8. To be exact, it is a rebuilt 5.3-liter LM7 that the owner found in a junkyard with a fully stock bottom end, stock LS3 cylinder heads, a mild cam and a huge turbocharger – measuring 76 millimeters on the cool side and 75 millimeters on the hot side.

At 13 pounds of boost, this LS-powered Mustang made 556 horsepower at the rear wheels, with a T56 manual transmission getting the power from the engine to the tires.

Drifting Fun in a Tight Space

The back lot of the Hoonigan headquarters is small, but using the lot and the loading dock, the team was able to put together a small drift course with a handful of clipping points. The team explains to Mason that he gets three runs and the goal is to hit the cones at the clipping points, accumulating points as he does so.

After a practice run, Josh Mason makes a pair of scoring runs and on each of them, he hits two cones and scores two points. On the third run, he goes crazy, hitting three cones, hitting the wall several times and doing quite a bit of damage to the rear body work of the car. He also bends a rim on an early run, so after hitting three cones on his third run, the Hoonigan team awards Mason two style points for a total of five points.

The plan is to have other cars and drivers tackle this course in an effort to get a higher score that Josh Mason and his LS-powered Ford Mustang.

Crank up your speakers and enjoy!

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Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com