Kyle Miller is no stranger to street cars or Mustang performance. Now, the Floridian is prepping his turbocharged Ford for another fun season of NMRA Circle D Specialties True Street competition.
Addicted to drag racing ever since he was little, Miller has been messing with mechanics and engines for as long as he can remember. From his teenage years using “way too much nitrous” on his first car (a 1999 Chevrolet Monte Carlo) to a job wrenching on Chevy’s LS engine platform, Miller has always been drawn mostly to Ford Mustangs.
He got his first, a 2004 Mustang GT, in 2008. That car went through many combinations and multiple power adders until it met its demise in 2016 when – on the way to the track with his then-fiancée-now-wife, Lorinda, another driver pulled out in front of Miller’s truck and trailer and the Mustang was totaled in the resulting accident.
While stripping the smashed ‘Stang for salvageable parts, Lorinda suggested they find a replacement. Since Miller had plenty of components he could reuse, he saw the wisdom in her suggestion and found a stock-bodied 2004 Mustang Mach 1. “It had a built stroker motor that wasn’t done right, a T56 transmission, full suspension, and plenty of problems from sitting in a field for three years and a body shop for four,” noted Miller, who immediately began the repair process.
Miller added a single turbo kit and plenty of other parts for more power. When he hurt the engine, though, Lorinda was adamant they would not be swapping in an LS – there had to be Ford power under the hood, and it had to be a stick car.
“We bought a Modular 4.6 engine,” he continued. After several broken transmissions, Miller upgraded to a built TREMEC TR3650 gearbox and also added a bumper-exit exhaust system. “The transmissions didn’t like the power we were throwing at it. Lorinda told me to just order a T56 Magnum instead, which I got through Mike Kidd at TREMEC, and paired it with a McLeod 1200HD clutch.”
With the setup finally sorted out and holding strong, Miller and his wife-to-be enjoyed driving their “MOPRBLM” Mach 1 everywhere they could. With a full interior, air conditioning, and even the radio still installed, Miller’s Mustang was certainly still a street car – although he did have to make a concession for on-track safety and added a Wild Rides Race Cars 8.50-certified roll cage which he installed at his shop, KM Performance and Fab.
He also added a Bullseye 8396 turbocharger, Treadstone front-mount intercooler Menscer Motorsports rear coilovers, UPR Products tubular K-member and UPR’s front and rear arms, Gulf Coast aluminum driveshaft, 8.8” rear end with a Strange spool and 35-spline Strange axles, beadlocked Weld Racing SR71 rear wheels, and lots more over the years.
Not long after, Miller upgraded the factory PCM to a full Holley EFI system and started racing the car more seriously at events like FL2K, Mod Nationals, Street Car Takeover, and NMRA’s Circle D Specialties True Street. With roughly 1,400 horsepower available on tap and a personal best quarter-mile elapsed time of 8.79 at 159 mph, Miller “loves going to big events, test and tunes, car shows, meets, and just driving the car around as it is.”
For 2024, Miller plans to run more NMRA True Street competitions, including the upcoming NMRA Spring Break Shootout at Florida’s Gainesville Raceway on February 23-25, and dip into the 8.6-second zone with his street legal, stick shift, single turbo 2004 Mustang Mach 1. “I want to go 7.99 with the car, but I don’t think the driveline will hold. If I can get it to go 8.50s this year, I’ll be ecstatic,” he affirmed.
Addicted to drag racing ever since he was little, Miller has been messing with mechanics and engines for as long as he can remember. From his teenage years using “way too much nitrous” on his first car (a 1999 Chevrolet Monte Carlo) to a job wrenching on Chevy’s LS engine platform, Miller has always been drawn mostly to Ford Mustangs.
He got his first, a 2004 Mustang GT, in 2008. That car went through many combinations and multiple power adders until it met its demise in 2016 when – on the way to the track with his then-fiancée-now-wife, Lorinda, another driver pulled out in front of Miller’s truck and trailer and the Mustang was totaled in the resulting accident.
While stripping the smashed ‘Stang for salvageable parts, Lorinda suggested they find a replacement. Since Miller had plenty of components he could reuse, he saw the wisdom in her suggestion and found a stock-bodied 2004 Mustang Mach 1. “It had a built stroker motor that wasn’t done right, a T56 transmission, full suspension, and plenty of problems from sitting in a field for three years and a body shop for four,” noted Miller, who immediately began the repair process.
Miller added a single turbo kit and plenty of other parts for more power. When he hurt the engine, though, Lorinda was adamant they would not be swapping in an LS – there had to be Ford power under the hood, and it had to be a stick car.
“We bought a Modular 4.6 engine,” he continued. After several broken transmissions, Miller upgraded to a built TREMEC TR3650 gearbox and also added a bumper-exit exhaust system. “The transmissions didn’t like the power we were throwing at it. Lorinda told me to just order a T56 Magnum instead, which I got through Mike Kidd at TREMEC, and paired it with a McLeod 1200HD clutch.”
With the setup finally sorted out and holding strong, Miller and his wife-to-be enjoyed driving their “MOPRBLM” Mach 1 everywhere they could. With a full interior, air conditioning, and even the radio still installed, Miller’s Mustang was certainly still a street car – although he did have to make a concession for on-track safety and added a Wild Rides Race Cars 8.50-certified roll cage which he installed at his shop, KM Performance and Fab.
He also added a Bullseye 8396 turbocharger, Treadstone front-mount intercooler Menscer Motorsports rear coilovers, UPR Products tubular K-member and UPR’s front and rear arms, Gulf Coast aluminum driveshaft, 8.8” rear end with a Strange spool and 35-spline Strange axles, beadlocked Weld Racing SR71 rear wheels, and lots more over the years.
Not long after, Miller upgraded the factory PCM to a full Holley EFI system and started racing the car more seriously at events like FL2K, Mod Nationals, Street Car Takeover, and NMRA’s Circle D Specialties True Street. With roughly 1,400 horsepower available on tap and a personal best quarter-mile elapsed time of 8.79 at 159 mph, Miller “loves going to big events, test and tunes, car shows, meets, and just driving the car around as it is.”
For 2024, Miller plans to run more NMRA True Street competitions, including the upcoming NMRA Spring Break Shootout at Florida’s Gainesville Raceway on February 23-25, and dip into the 8.6-second zone with his street legal, stick shift, single turbo 2004 Mustang Mach 1. “I want to go 7.99 with the car, but I don’t think the driveline will hold. If I can get it to go 8.50s this year, I’ll be ecstatic,” he affirmed.