Holley Ford Festival 2021: Kevin McCotter's Mustang LX Coupe

10/02/2021
10 min read

Holley Ford Festival 2021: Kevin McCotter's Mustang LX Coupe

10/02/2021
10 min read

Cruising the pits at the 2021 Holley NMRA Intergalactic Ford Fest we were stopped in our tracks by Kevin McCotter’s beautiful Mustang LX coupe. Yes, we love four-eye’d Foxes and we love coupes, too, but that’s not what made us stop. Actually, it was the lone Holley Two-Barrel Split Dominator carburetor that got our attention.


“I decided to build a True Street Mustang to compliment my Limited Street racer,” said Kevin. I got a Foxbody coupe with a roll bar, added the necessary race equipment and started to build a 302. My engine builder called asked if I wanted to do something outside the box. He told me he picked up a Holley Two-Barrel Split Dominator on eBay for $50 and he asked if I wanted to work from there down. I said sure, so that’s how we ended up with this setup,” Kevin explained.


FordFest2021 McCotter Mustang 1



The Split Dominator carburetors are most often seen on Mountain Motor Pro Stock engines. These engines are big, with extremely tall decks, which makes them wide as the intake runners are spaced far apart. Splitting the barrels allows builders to place the carbs directly over the intake runners for better fuel distribution, but seeing one at all anymore is rare, let alone on a small-block in a Fox body.


Kevin’s engine is based around a vintage 1968 302 block that has a Callies stroker crank to get the displacement up to 331 cubic inches. It sports Dart Proflier heads and as you can see, a heavily modified Edelbrock Victor Jr. intake manifold. The Holley carb is spaced up to increase plenum size and flow, and long-tube headers get the spent gasses out of the way. Kevin utilized parts he had sitting around, including a dry-sump oiling system.


FordFest 2021 McCotter Mustang engine



Kevin relies on a Ford C-4 3-speed automatic transmission and a Mustang 8.8 rear with 4.30 gears. The street-legal Foxbody tips the scale at 3,200 pounds with Kevin in the seat and it retains the factory look, save for the aftermarket wheels and cowl hood. Meanwhile, the interior is kept pretty basic with a roll cage, lightweight seats, NHRA-legal safety gear and some custom wiring. All-in, the Ford small-block makes 602 horsepower at 7,500 rpm and it has propelled the Mustang LX to 10.40s at 129 mph in the quarter-mile.

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