Blue Sky Performance Brings an Original Owner ’89 Mustang GT Up to Modern Muscle Car Expectations Finalist
Way back in 1989, George H.W. Bush was President, the band Poison topped the charts, and a new 5.0L Mustang GT could be yours for around $14,000 MSRP. Jeffrey Johnson was just out of high school back then, and he went down to Family Ford in Netcong, New Jersey for a visit. After some dickering, he drove the Mustang you see before you off the lot. 
The car went into service at a daily driver and endured everyday wear and tear. Around 1999 after the miles had piled up, the car was parked away in Jeff’ garage for 20 years.
Jeffrey, a butcher by trade, is married with two kids and hails from Hackettstown, New Jersey. As the years rolled by, he wondered if the Mustang was worth restoring. “I was moving the car to our new house, and I passed by Blue Sky Performance’s shop,” he told us. “They had a couple of Fox-body ’Stangs out front and I thought they could help me resuscitate my car. I contacted them and we agreed to work together.”
The car was complete but had some rust in the front suspension from years of exposure to New Jersey’s salty roads. Jeff wanted to breathe on the car and level it up to what he calls “OEM plus.” The Blue Sky crew could see Jeffrey’s vision and rolled up their sleeves to get to work.
The Mustang GT was stripped down to its shell and mounted on a rotisserie. Blue Sky exorcised the rust from the front suspension and installed QA1 coil overs and 13-inch Cobra disc brakes all around. New shoes were installed, and this Foxy pony now gallops down the road on 18-inch Reimagined Classic rims by Makers Garage wrapped in Falken tires.
Under the hood is an old-school 351 Windsor V8 punched out to 408c.i. that churns out a robust 385 horsepower thanks to a Trick Flow intake, Holley ignition, and BBK headers. It’s hooked up to a Tremec TXK five-speed gearbox. By sheer coincidence, Jeff’s birthday is 4/08/67, matching the engine’s displacement – 408c.i or 6.7-liters.
The body was treated to subtle mods like flush-mount glass, a Cervinis Heat Extractor hood, Stalker front bumper, and Cobra rear wing and bumper before being sprayed in a fresh Medium Scarlet and Mercedes Silver finish. The mostly stock interior now sports a Momo steering wheel and TMI Mach 1 seat covers installed by Gillan Interiors.
The Mustang GT is regularly driven these days and Jeff recounted his favorite moments with the car. “It has to be a tie between the day I bought it and the first time my dad asked to drive the car,” he says. “Everything else is a blur of good times and commuter miles.”
Photos: Todd Ryden
