S550 Mustang GT All-Wheel-Drive Swap Is Insanity

A madman on Youtube is converting his 2017 S550 Mustang GT into a manually-shifted all-wheel-drive drag car.

With Coyote S550 Mustangs already running insane drag times in their standard rear-wheel-drive format, most people wouldn’t even consider an all-wheel-drive swap. Reasonably so! It’s far from a simple feat. Considering Ford didn’t engineer the S550 Mustang to be an all-wheel-drive, there are plenty of issues with the concept. From what transmission to use and how to mate it to the iconic 5.0 to making room for driveshafts and a front differential, there’s a whole list of headaches that would scare off even the most experienced custom car builders. However, there is one person crazy enough to give it a shot. Fortunately for us, it seems he’s going to document it all.

Tim Roman, the man behind this build, posted the first video on his Youtube Channel called “No Production Value Garage.” While he may not have any fancy lighting, mics, or production value, the content itself is going to be plenty entertaining. In the video, he explains how exactly he is going to make this dream come to life. It isn’t his first rodeo, either. He’s the owner of the “XR4x4Ti,” a turbo V8 Merkur XR4Ti. So, he’s got the AWD conversion experience to back up his goals.

A Master of Frankenteined Parts and Fabrication

Roman opens the video by discussing his previous build, the turbocharged V8 all-wheel-drive XR4Ti. He also explains that he purchased this Mustang in 2019 and has been planning this build for quite some time.

“In this first video, I’ll cover the transmission and the transfer case, and then I’ll do another video on my plans for the front differential and the spindles. I’ve had the car almost two years now, and I’ve had it up, and I’ve had the front cross-member out. I’ve had the differential mocked up in the car already and done a lot of work, actually. Now I’m full steam ahead in execution,” says Roman.

He also states that his goal is to have the project converted and on the ground by summer 2022. That timeline seems insane from our perspective, but he goes on to state that he’d like it done within the next sixth months or even sooner. Cheers to you, Mr. Roman. You’re braver than us, and we’ll definitely be along for the ride!

Now, we’re sure plenty of you are wondering how exactly this conversion is going to work. So let’s take a look.

The Heart of This Swap Features Dodge Parts

The transmission of choice is a TR6060, the six-speed manual transmission you find in many vehicles, including the Dodge Viper. Additionally, the all-wheel-drive aspect comes from a transfer case from an AWD V8 Dodge Challenger that will provide power to a front differential assembly in the future. Roman had a Corvette TR6060 tail shaft housing modified to meet up to the Dodge transfer case. Additionally, he added the front cover from a Tremec Magnum XL transmission to use a standard bolt-on throwout bearing assembly.

“I also wanted a variable torque split transfer case. One that could basically be rear-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive, and that’s what this is,” says Roman.

This means that he can manually switch it into rear-wheel-drive mode to get some heat in the rear tires before launching down the drag strip.

Ultimately, this insane project is one we can’t wait to see come to life. Believe it or not, this is likely more difficult to construct than the Hoonicorn, the most famous AWD Mustang we can think of, given that it isn’t a full tube-chassis car purpose-built to be all-wheel-drive.

For a better look at what’s going on with this insane S550 build, be sure to check out the video below!