Long Distance Relationship – How Two Friends Came Together to Tackle Sick Summer in a Stick-Shift Mustang
Some may choose to believe that long distance relationships don’t work. Bryan Crane and Allen Garrett would tell you otherwise, because a love of Mustangs, power-adders, and banging the gears of a manual transmission bridges the gap between Michigan and Alaska.
It keeps these two not only friends, but excited to tackle their first drag-and-drive together at Sick Summer Presented by TBM Brakes.
The love of cars has made strangers into friends before, and for Bryan and Allen, this tale is no different. “Although thousands of miles separate us, we’ve became pretty good friends over the years, as he also has a 2003 stick-shift Cobra,” said Bryan about Allen.
“We were teammates during my time with Whipple Superchargers, and Allen is an amazing wealth of knowledge. He has been a huge support system to me and my program, and having him ride with me during Sick Summer was a treat and something I’ll never forget.”
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After learning to drive a stick-shift on a 2003 Mustang, Bryan was hooked on not only Ford’s pony car, but also three-pedal life. He went through three more Mustangs before setting on this 2003 Mustang Cobra, one of just 8394 Cobra coupe models produced in 2003.
“Keeping the car a stick shift was a huge thing that I thought separates the car from a lot of others,” said Bryan. “Could I go quicker with an automatic? Sure. But there’s nothing quite like ripping off a solid quarter-mile pass banging gears down the strip.”
From the factory, a Cobra sports a supercharged 281 cubic inch modular engine, backed with a 6-speed transmission. Bryan kept that philosophy in place as he started to whittle time off the Cobra’s time slips.
By 2018, the car was a serious piece, becoming a flagship development car for Whipple Superchargers, testing different iterations of the company’s 2.9-liter and 3.0-liter superchargers. “The car still holds the mod motor, supercharged, stick-shift micro record with an 8.51 at 160 mph pass, set at the ModNationals in November 2021,” said Bryan.
After four years with a blower atop the modular powerplant, Bryan decided it was time for a change, and that change was from blower to a big single turbocharger for 2022.
“It was just time for me to give it a shot,” Bryan said of the change. That single turbo set-up is what provides the power to this day.
The car’s current combination is a Modular Head Shop-sourced 4.6-liter long block built by Jordan Martin and Thomas Jenkins. An aluminum block is packed with a Manley forged crankshaft, K1 forged connecting rods, and Wiseco pistons.
Modular Head Shop gave the cylinder heads a full upgrade, as well as supplied a set of their stage 4 turbo camshafts. Kicking the radiator aside for all the fresh air it can grab, a Precision Turbo Gen 1 Pro Mod 94/102 ball bearing turbocharger is clearly seen in the grille opening.
A custom turbo kit was fabbed by Jeff Chandler of Pure Performance, utilizing CG Fabrication turbo headers. Holley EFI controls the vital functions, and the car made over 1300 rear-wheel horsepower on a chassis dyno when the combination was completed.
Since then, Bryan has self-tuned the car with some help from noted Mustang and racing enthusiast Lidio Iacobelli of Alternative Auto Performance to make a few more ponies.
Behind the potent engine sits a face-plated T-56 Magnum manual transmission with a Liberty gearset built by D & D Performance. A single 11-inch stamped steel 3-lever long-style adjustable clutch makes the connection from flywheel to transmission.
The ponies are passed to an 8.8-inch rear end, packing 35-spline Strange components, 3.73 gears and Team Z bracing.
Team Z also supplied the suspension upgrades, from the front k-member and a-arms, to the rear upper and lower control arms as well as an Anti-Roll bar. Viking Performance Crusader shocks sit at the front, while Menscer shocks do the work on the back end.
The changes to the engine combination weren’t the only thing Bryan contemplated entering the 2023 season. “Most of the time I’m enjoying my car is at the drag strip, and not so much cruising on the street,” said Bryan. “For 2023, I wanted to change that and get back to my roots.
The drag-and-drive style event is a perfect way to do that, and that’s why I chose to attend Sick Summer.”
Despite a good amount of success in the stick-shift game, Bryan admitted the change to a drag-and-drive would be a tall task. “In my case, the hardest part for me was the preparation leading to the event,” Bryan said. “We worked very hard on making sure the car was ready.
Lots of time and money spent ensuring parts were fresh, and all other functioning parts were in good standing for the week-long adventure. I do credit this time and effort prior to the event to our successful week at Sick Summer. Aside from chasing a small transmission leak, we didn’t have to fight the car a whole lot.”
With the plan in place, Allen flew in from Anchorage, Alaska to be co-pilot, and the pair got on the road to Cordova Dragway. Bryan opened with an 8.78 at 163 mph on day one, putting him second in the Stick Shift category behind fellow Mustang runner Tyler Garlock’s 8.75.
After the second day rain out, Bryan improved at Great Lakes Dragaway to an 8.73 to take over the top spot from Tyler. Day four at Tri-State Raceway found Bryan posting his best pass of the week, an 8.60 at 166 mph, to continue leading the stick-shift class.
Day four also brought the challenge from another Mustang driver, Jeremy Howell, who clocked an 8.01 at 181 mph to jump into second, trailing Bryan by just .008 of-a-second.
The final day of Sick Summer back at Cordova Dragway found Jeremy posting his best pass of the week, a 7.70 at 192 mph, while Bryan posted an 8.79 at 161 mph. This solidified the averages at 8.46 for Jeremy and Bryan with an 8.73, locking up the top two spots.
While some might be upset with finishing second in class, Bryan considered the week a success. “I have a few goals for 2023,” said Bryan. “One I already achieved by attending Sick Summer, finishing the week, and on top of it, placing in the top 3. That was a huge goal of mine.
Second would be to advance the cars personal best eighth-mile and quarter-mile times. My current best of both is a 5.12 and a 7.96. I’d like to get the eighth-mile into the 4’s and the quarter-mile into the 7.7-second area.
Lastly, I’d like to race at the World Cup Import vs Domestic event. Racing in front of that crowd amongst some of the fastest cars to ever do it is a bucket list thing for me.”
Although the 2023 season is just past the halfway point, Bryan already has plans for next season. “We may look to do another drag-and-drive this year, but Sick Summer 2024 is already a go for next year without a doubt,” said Bryan.
And he will also participate in the upcoming Sick Shootout in just over two weeks, at the National Muscle Car Association Power Festival at US 131 Motorsports Park in Martin, Michigan.
Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of Motion Raceworks and Bryan Crane.
If you have thoughts / feedback / ideas, please e-mail us at derek@sickthemagazine.com