So, here's the problem: I know what I want, I just don't know how to get what I want.
Owning an old Mustang gives me thousands of options, but it also gives me thousands of opportunities to get it wrong. As noted in my introductory post, building a 1966 SCCA A Sedan Mustang shouldn't be that difficult as they were effectively Shelby GT 350 R Models in a notchback body. But that's pretty much where the information ends. Sure, I could just go around buying Shelby parts, but I'd wind up paying thousands of dollars more than I can afford. You see, when you introduce Shelby into the Mustang parts equation, prices will literally double -- or triple -- beyond those for standard replacement parts.
Case in point: seat belts. I can buy the "correct" three-inch lap belts, which come complete with a Ray Brown (the original manufacturer) tag for $520, or I can buy a similar set of three inch lap belts (which are SFI rated) for $130. The same goes for the steering wheel, springs, an intake manifold ... you get the idea.
So how do I get the period correct parts without painfully paying through a private bodily orifice? Research. Hours and hours and hours of mind numbing research.
I've gone to shows and talked to the owners of cars I liked. I've gone to shows to see what I don't like. I've gone to shows to photograph cars, so I can remember what I saw months later. I've got more Mustang catalogs than the top of my toilet can hold. And I don't even want to get into the hundreds of hours I've spent in front of the computer.
In the end, you have to establish some personal contacts with generous owners as well as guys who were around during that time. Not all owners of cars you admire want to share any information with you. I've been asked to stop taking pictures of fake Shelbys. I've had people walk away from me when I ask them where they found such and such a part. Perhaps even more frustrating are the people who just don't know anything about they car they own.
I've learned that you have to know exactly what you want. For common cars like a Mustang, the parts do exist and eventually you'll be able to uncover enough clues to feel pretty good about your purchase. For now, I feel like I know enough to make an educated guess, which is all I can hope for at this point.
I've opened the catalogs and talked to mechanics and ordered the parts. Are you as anxious and nervous as I am? I doubt it.
Kurt Niebuhr, Photo Editor
By subytrojan
on June 2, 2010
01:26 PM
Where did you shoot that profile shot? It's nice but doesn't show off the cool white stripes a la the Oreca Chrysler Vipers of the old FIA GT series and Le Mans in the late 1990s.
Still on target for going up to Laguna Seca in August?
By andersendl
on June 2, 2010
03:26 PM
SOunds like you are having fun!! "Expensive" is a relative concept, though. Compared to, say, a Porsche 911 Mustang Hi-Po parts are dirt cheap. As they should be....'60s Mustangs are dead simple cars.
I owned a '65 Shelby GT350 for 10 years, up until I sold it some 12 years ago (sniff, sniff...). Unless you've already pulled the trigger on your parts, I'd recommended sticking with period-correct "Shelby" suspension parts, which really aren't that expensive to source and are available thru multiple parts sources, as you've no doubt discovered. All the new-fangled Global West-type double wishbone retro-mod stuff is super expensive, and I don't think will add that much in better handling over a well-executed original Shelby-style set up.
The key to making an early Mustang (or any Mustang for that matter) handle well is the REAR suspension. That means adding a panhard bar and "Del-Alum" spring shackels and bushings. This will keep the rear axles planted laterally. On the '65-'66 'Stangs you don't need a rear sway bar; the cars are so light I think you'll find it'll be way loose in the rear with a sway bar back there.
If you do one thing to the front suspension, do the Shelby upper control arm relocation. This corrects the poor front factory geometry, lowers the front by 1" and really works well, and is a straightforward DIY.
FYI, my regularly (and successfully I might add-multiple ESP class wins) autocrossed '65 GT350 was set up thusly:
Front:
- Shelby factory lowered upper A-arms
- Adjustable 1 1/8" front sway bar
- Koni shocks
- 620 lb lowered coils
- Poly bushings throughout
- 245/50 x 15 BFG "R1" rubber on 7x15 Torq Thrust D wheels
- Camber: -2 deg
Rear:
- 200 lb de-arched springs
- Del-alum rear spring shackles; poly front eye bushings
- Factory "overrider" traction bars w/ additional welded gussets
- Shelby-style Panhard bar
- Koni shocks
- 245/50x15 BFG R1 rubber on 7x15 Torq Thrust D wheels
By estreka
on June 3, 2010
02:48 AM
As you said, the internet is the best place to find info. The key is sifting through the terras and terras of advice and reviews.
By iskch
on June 3, 2010
08:00 AM
A lovely car to play with.