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Rusty's Q-code Cobra Jet Mustang has a long and very interesting history, He purchased it from Ford racer Hubert Platt in 1970. Platt, with his close ties to Ford, somehow ended up with a very unusual Mustang that should have ended up in the crusher. The body started life as Boss 302, but was assigned a "Q" (428 CJ) engine code. Boss 302's were the only Mustangs in 1969 that did not have the upper quarter panel scoops. Platt apparently had scored an Q-code experimental car wthout the scoops. In June 1971, Rusty pulled the drivetrain out of Platts old '68 SS/FA Super Stock Mustang, dropped it into this Mustang and went drag racing. Rusty had the Mustang painted pearl white with candy red and blue laquer and won the best appearing car award in 1971 at Miami. In October 1971 set the MPH Record with a 121.39 at the NHRA World Finals at Amarillo Texas. At the event, the NHRA didn't like the car's lack of side scoops considering Rusty was running it as a Cobra Jet car, not a Boss 302. He was told not to return again without the side scoops. He promptly installed the scoops before the next race at Pomoma. Ron Kimble, who had painted the car in his garage in 1971, had a hard time cutting it out and matching the paint lines on the quarter. He was able to cut and fit the scoops without repainting the quarters In December 1971, Rusty won the Miami National Open with a 11.24/120.48 on a 11.45 record and beat Roger England's Mopar in the final. In February 1972, Rusty won his class at the Winternationals at Pomona, shutting off and running a 11.46. During time runs he was shutting it off and running mid 11.40’s. After Barry Poole asked “how fast will it run”, Rusty went out and ran a 11.28/121.78. In eliminations, Rusty broke out in the first round, again shutting it off and running 11.327/111.38 mph. On April 27, 1974 Rusty set the SS/GA record with a 11.26, and then went 11.13 the next day in time runs. Fast forward to the year 2000, Rusty had been running C/SA and the Mustang was running 10.75's spinning 9” stocker tires. After converting the Mustang to a bracket car, Rusty took the car to the Fun Ford Weekend in Bradenton. On the first pass with 10.5 Hoosiers and a trans brake, the Mustang hooked hard. The car went straight up and all he saw was blue sky! It started to vibrate in high gear, so he shut it off. Later, it was found out engine blew due to lack of oil because of no extra baffles in the oil pan to keep oil in front sump. Rusty recently restored it close to the way it was in 1971. He painted the driver’s side red instead of blue and passenger side blue, instead of red and put a shaker hood scoop on it. It currently has a legal 428 Cobra Jet stocker short block with Edelbrock heads, Sidewinder intake, Holley HP carb, C-4 trans without brake, 4.71 gear and 10.5 Hoosiers. Rusty attended the 2005 FE Nationals and went 7.09 in the 1/8 mile
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