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Story: George Pich Photos: Blake Farnan
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S
ome say it is learned, while others insist it somehow runs in the blood, but the fact is that most kids with gearhead parents (one, or both) usually end up following in the family way. And for Tyler Kranendonk, that “way” is; learn the skill, build the car, go fast, stay calm and win! “As a former racer, it’s a father’s dream to be able to accomplish something like this car built at this level with their children,” says Tyler’s dad Hugo, who is also the co-conspirator in their latest project. “ The sheer emotions that come with building, racing and winning as a father/son team are really something to cherish!” For Tyler, whether it was in his bloodline from birth or he just took to it, he noticed the attraction to horsepower at a very young age, watching his dad work on and race cars as long as he can remember. “Spending weekends at the track was the norm for us,” Tyler reminisced. “I’d be with my cousins playing in the pits riding our bikes and getting autographs from the ‘fast guys’ at big events. My dad sold his own car when I was about 10 and took a break from racing for a bit, but I followed my passion for anything automotive and started working on cars as an auto body technician at 16.” Before long, after working on cars for everyone else, Tyler decided it was time to build one of his own to allow their family to get back into racing,
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CALVERT RACING
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and thankfully his dad was all-in on the idea. Hugo had built a 25.5 Fox Body years earlier and wanted the same parts and serviceability that platform affords, but they also wanted something a bit different this time through. Tyler really liked the “New Edge” 1999 to 2004 Mustang (New Edge refers to the sharper, more crisp body lines relative to the rounded shape of the 1994
through 1998 models), but they are a bit bulkier and heavier than the Fox platform. Knowing that their class had heavy weights for turbo combinations weight was a non-issue, so the search began and quickly ended when fellow racer and friend Eric Webber put them on to a 2004 project that the current owner had lost interest in. The shell itself was actually an entirely rust free real Mach-1 that was saved
Tyler’s talent is evident in the body and paint work on the Mustang. He built the car with his dad (Hugo) in their home shop and then literally wheeled it next door to be painted where Tyler works. www.rpmmag.com | february 2022
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Tyler (left) and Hugo Kranendonk’s turbo LS ’04 Mustang has become a solid contender in the EZ Street class where they stood in 1st place early last season and finished runner-up.
RM RACING 6TH
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from the crusher from the (then) owner Ken Green, who also wanted to see the car go to a good home. A short trip to see the car with a pocket full of cash would end with it loaded on the trailer heading home to
the Kranendonk’s garage. “The car was just a bare shell with a k-member, some front suspension components, interior and exterior panels, rear end and some other rear suspension parts. It was really bare bones,” Tyler added. “The best part was that we could tell Ken
wanted this car to go to a good home, and be completed how he had envisioned it. What he didn’t know is what we had in store for it! It was really really cool to see Ken’s reaction when he saw it finished. I think it exceeded all his expectations and it’s awesome we were able
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Once again, this is the work of Tyler and Hugo. Out back they shortened a factory 8.8 and added 9-inch ends then fortified it with 35 spline axles, spool and 4.10 gears. Torque boxes were braced and aftermarket control arms were added along with an antiroll bar and Afco Big Gun coilovers. Front strut towers were also braced and an aftermarket k-member and a-arms were used with Afco struts.
to give this car another life.” “For me,” Hugo added, “it was an easy decision to build another car with every confidence that we could accomplish our goal with the determination and skillsets we both now had in every aspect of the project.” Tyler and Hugo built the 25.5 cage themselves with Hugo measuring, tube notching, pipe bending and fitting everything and Tyler Tig welding it along with doing most of the other welding on the car. “Safe in every way was my highest priority,” said Hugo.“We focused on chassis, suspension, brakes and steering first, making certain it was setup up to work correctly the very first time out.” The pair built everything from the custom 8.8 rear end to the turbo hot side, cold side and intercooler piping right at home in their own shop. “We had a plan, had the right tools for the job and my work being right next door to where we
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WEINLE MOTORSPORTS 6TH
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lived was a perfect setup,” added Tyler. “With dad and I able to do 100% of the fab work ourselves there was no wait time for any labour, we were out there almost every night during the week and all day on weekends until it was ready. I prepped the car for paint in our home shop and literally rolled it next door to my work paint shop when it was time.” Once painted (by Tyler) the stunning BMW Sakhir Orange, the car was reassembled
The interior is 90% original equipment mixed with an owner-fabricated 25.5 certified cage, a center-mounted Holley EFI dash, quick release steering wheel, TCI shifter and twin race seats upholstered to match the stock fabric. The car also still has factory power windows.
and wired in-house, as well. The initial build for the Street 275 class, which has a 5.50 1/8th-mile cap, took a little over a year before it was ready for Tyler to take his very first run down the strip. Yep, that’s right, his first hit in a drag car would be in a 900-horse LS turbo Mustang! “People thought I was crazy for jumping in a 900 horsepower car for the first time, I kind of did too to be honest. But I knew that it was in my blood
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RPM WHERE EVER
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A Dart-blocked LS with TFS 245cc heads and 88mm single turbo power this New Edge Stang. Hugo and Tyler built the turbo kit hot side and cold side along with the intercooler piping right at home in their own shop, and make no mistake, their work is top-shelf quality.
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and that I would enjoy it. As well as having my dad and his vast amounts of knowledge when it comes to setting up a race car, tuning and building, I felt very safe from day one.” After running solid 5.60s in 2019, it was game on for 2020 and the car and motor were upgraded to run 235 Outlaw on 8.5” drag radials. And later that year, upgrading to a 91mm turbo would net 5.05 ETs in a 3200lb car and 3 wins out of 5 events! This provided the much needed seat time in heads-up racing for Tyler and learning curve for the team on the car, power and chassis that was needed to kick it up a notch yet again! For 2021, the Mustang morphed into a high power contender in the hotly contested
EZ Street class, sitting #1 in points early in the season. “I used to get these guys’ autographs when I was growing up, so it was really a dream to be here. I never expected to be racing with them at this level, let alone be first in points and end up 2nd in the class for 2021!” Tyler exclaimed. “It is a surreal feeling. That being said, I know my dad and I have the car, the combination and the teamwork to be where we are today.” After a number of upgrades, the final engine/turbo package ended up as a Dart LS Next Pro 4.125” bore iron block sporting 388 inches. A Dart 3.622” stroke billet crank swings Wiseco Boostline connecting rods pinned to forged Diamond LS2K pistons.
MOSER HALF
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Meet Tyler, the owner/ driver/bodyman of this stunning Ford Mustang!
While purists will scoff at interracial builds (putting a Chevy motor in a Ford chassis), you can’t deny the results, and in this case the current 4.69 ET at 155 mph in the 1/8th mile at 3125lbs is nothing to scoff at. Plans are to hit 4.50s in 2022!
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Tyler & Hugo Kranendonk’s 2004 Ford Mustang Mach 1 Body & Paint: By Tyler Kranendonk. Paint color is BMW Sakhir Orange. Motorcity Solutions Outlaw front bumper, Joe Van O cowl bodyworked onto factory hood, Terminator Cobra side skirts, Bullitt Mustang side scoops, Racecraft rear 17” wing customized by Tyler Kranendonk.
Chassis Modifications: 25.5 SFI certified chromoly roll cage, braced upper/lower rear factory torque boxes (still factory mounts), braced front strut towers. Custom parachute holder by Tyler Kranendonk
Suspension: Front is Team Z k-member/A-arms, AA Performance 2” drop spindles, Afco radial valve struts. Rear is Team Z upper/lower control arms, antiroll bar and Afco Big Gun radial shocks.
Engine: Dart LS Next Pro iron block – 4.125” bore, 388 CI. Tapped/ threaded freeze plugs for high boost. Rotating Assembly is Dart 3.622” stroke billet CCW crankshaft, Wiseco Boostline connecting rods and Diamond LS2K pistons. Full Proof Performance hydraulic roller camshaft and Johnson axle oiling hydraulic lifters.
Cylinder Heads: Total Engine Airflow – Trick Flow 245cc HIPD cylinder heads with titanium intake valves and inconel exhaust valves. Brian Tooley Racing Ultimate valve springs and shaft rockers, Comp Cams 3/8” pushrods.
Induction & Fuel Delivery: Edelbrock Pro-Flo cast intake with 92mm throttle body, Magnafuel Pro Series 750 pumps and 8 - Bosch 210lb fuel injectors. VP Racing fuel - C16
Power Adder: Forced Inductions Gen 3 X275 - 88mm turbo, 2000 hp Air/ water intercooler
Transmission: Powerglide with 1.69 1st gear ratio, Pro Torque 9.5” turbo converter.
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Rear: Ford 8.8 factory rear housing – shortened 2” with Ford 9” ends, Strange 35 spline axles/spool, Ford Motorsports 4.10 gear and PST carbon driveshaft.
Brakes: Strange disc brakes front and rear.
Tires & Wheels: Rear wheels are Billet Specialties double beadlock with Mickey Thompson 28x10.5 Pro Bracket Radials. Front are Billet Specialties Comp 5 wheels with Mickey Thompson 4.5 x 26 tires.
Interior: Holley EFI digital dash, Holley EFI Dominator ignition system, Motion Raceworks MPI steering wheel with a Race Craft steering column, TCI Outlaw shifter, race bucket seats, 10 lb fire suppression system. Factory power windows, interior panels, dash and carpet.
ET & MPH: Canada Heads up Series EZ Street class - 1.15 60 ft, 4.69 ET @ 155 mph 1/8th mile. Weight – 3125 lbs
Thanks To: R&M Services: Reid & Michelle McCall are Tyler’s employers and they specialize in auto body and collision repair as well as industrial paint coatings. Thanks for giving us an opportunity and supplying some of the product and services for this race car build. Lightheart Racing: Jason Lightheart (Tyler’s uncle, Hugo’s brother in-law) for all the work and support they have given to this build. Misener Motorsports-Jay Misener: For all the product and service he provided and the dyno sessions we had. Our engine short block components and suspension components are right from Misener Motorsports!
Additional Information: “This car is co-owned, built and raced by my son Tyler and I. Tyler is the driver and I am the crew chief. This role is reversed, maaaybe once a year if Tyler will give up the seat!“ - Hugo Kranendonk
Tyler is an absolute monster on the tree...
A unique Full Proof Performance hydraulic roller camshaft with Johnson axle oiling hydraulic lifters was used and TFS 245cc HIPD heads are studded in place. An Edelbrock ProFlo cast intake with 92mm throttle body tops things off and a Forced Inductions Gen 3 X275 88mm turbo is coupled with a 2000 HP air/water intercooler. During the chassis work, Tyler and Hugo braced the upper and lower rear factory torque boxes and front strut towers. A Team Z k-member and a-arms with AA Performance 2” drop spindles were used with Afco radial valve struts up front, and Team Z upper and lower control arms, an antiroll bar and Afco Big Gun radial
shocks suspend an in-house modified factory 8.8 rear housing with Ford 9” ends, Strange 35 spline axles and spool and Ford Motorsports 4.10 gears. As much of the factory interior as possible was kept in place with only the essentials for racing a car of this caliber added. The 25.5 cert cage snakes through the cockpit and the stock gauges were deleted in favour of the center console-mounted Holley EFI dash. An aftermarket column with quick release steering wheel replace the factory unit and a pedestal mounted TCI Outlaw billet shifter commands gear changes, while twin race seats were upholstered to match the stock fabric.
With a runner-up finish in EZ Street for 2021, Hugo and Tyler have raised the bar yet again for this year with a quest to run a 4.50 1/8th mile, and of course, walk out of 2022 with the championship. “What I admire most now with Tyler at the wheel and a few years under his belt is his absolute calmness in his driving. And the best part, nothing phases him on the tree. Being a turbo car, we worked on a killer fast spool package for staging and it’s paying off with killer lights! He is an absolute monster on the tree, with numerous 0.01x lights, winning his last EZ Street event on a holeshot with an 0.013 light. So nitrous cars… look out!” exclaimed Hugo.
RAM CLUTCHES
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