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The following is a detailed
description of the parts, labor and effort required to create this car.
Basics
This car was an original A-Code (4 barrel), automatic Florida fastback
that was in storage from 1988 until January 2005. The original color was
Rangoon Red with black standard interior. The restoration began in January
of 2005 and has completed in March 2007. The car has a valid Florida
title and registration. A new vintage 1965 Florida 40th Anniversary
Tag was obtained and authenticated by the Florida Department of
Transportation for use on this vehicle.
Paint and Bodywork
The car has undergone a complete 2-year restoration. Beginning with
complete disassembly and media blasting, the bodywork and paint work were
performed by Sean Bryant of Central Florida Customs in Apopka, Florida. The
metal work consisted of small patch panels welded into the front fenders
and lower quarter panels, minor floor patch panels, new radiator
support, one partial inside right front frame rail and a new taillight
panel. All factory seam fillers were removed and no bondo
was used other than as a thin skim coat. The doors are new Ford
tooling reproduction and have been hand fitted and adjusted. The car was
painted unassembled and reassembled after painting. The car was painted
with Dupont base-coat clear-coat black and custom-mixed Wimbledon White
1965 Shelby style Lemans Stripes. The finish has been clay-bared by
hand and waxed to a high gloss. The body work is die straight and
the black paint is flawless.
Engine
and Drive Train
The engine block is a 1969 Ford 302 V-8 bored .40 with Keith Black .200
popup pistons and new HiPo Rods with 3/8 SPS rod bolts. The
original crank has been turned .10 under and polished. The rod and crank bearings are Clevite
77. The crankshaft balancer
is a rebuilt stock Ford service replacement wide style HiPo balancer. The
flywheel is a stock Ford 28 oz. flywheel that has been resurfaced. The
entire rotating assembly was balanced at Power By Ford in Orlando,
Florida. The Speed Pro moly coated rings were matched to each cylinder and hand-ground for
proper end clearance. The engine assembly and blueprinting were
performed by the owner. The oil pump is a new TRW hi-volume pump and
the oil pump shaft is a hardened steel shaft from Ford Power Parts.
The oil pan is a cast aluminum 7 quart finned Cobra T-Pan from Tony Branda.
The motor pulls 30 pounds of oil pressure idling at operating temperature
with 10W30 Castrol GTX.
The heads are 1969 Ford 351W heads with
screw-in studs and guide plates installed. The heads have new
oversized valves and high-temp exhaust valve seats installed. The heads
also have had the exhaust ports cleaned up to remove the smog bumps and a
competition 3-angle valve job performed. The springs are new and are good
to .600 lift. The compression ratio is 10 to 1and the car runs on Florida
pump premium gasoline without a fuel additive.
The camshaft is a custom ground Holman &
Moody solid lifter flat tappet cam. This cam is a copy of the Ford
HiPo cam from the sixties and has purchased directly from Holman &
Moody. The lifters were purchased from Holman & Moody at the same time.
The valve covers are cast aluminum repo Cobra valve covers from Tony
Branda. The rocker arms are Comp-Cams steel roller tipped rockers and are
fully adjustable. Custom one piece Comp Cams pushrods were utilized to
correct the valve train geometry. The fuel pump is a new repro 1965 fuel
pump with the filter canister. The steel fuel lines are specific
to the 1965 GT350 Shelby used with the 715 Lemans Holley.
The engine idles with a
slight rumble at 750 RPM, pulls hard and starts with the touch
of the key. It is very responsive, makes all the right noises and is a
blast to drive.
The distributor is an original Ford
Autolite Dual Point Mechanical advance distributor with the points and
condenser replaced with a Pertronix I electronic module. The distributor
has been custom curved to bring in all of the advance by 2,500 RPM.
The intake manifold is a Blue Thunder
Cobra aluminum high-rise intake with 1966 style big Cobra lettering.
The carburetor is a new Holley 715 CFM center pivot Lemans carburetor
correct for the 1965 GT350 that was purchased from Carls Ford Parts. The
air cleaner is a stock repro HiPo chrome part with the correct HiPo
decal. A stock HiPo manual choke cable has been installed with the knob
correctly located under the dash.
The water pump is a high performance
Flow-Cooler aluminum water pump painted black. The alternator is a
rebuilt stock 1965 alternator with the correct 1965 HiPo wide black pulley.
The starter is a stock Ford rebuilt unit. The timing chain cover is a
correct 1965 HiPo 3-fin cover painted black to match the engine.
The headers are ceramic-coated Shelby
Tri-Y headers made by Patriot. The exhaust system was custom fabricated
using a Magnaflow 2 ½ ID X-Pipe and two Magnaflow 2 ½ ID Mufflers.
The exhaust pipes are 2 Ό ID and exit out the rear of the car with the
turn down tips barely showing under the rear valance.
The transmission is a stock
1965 Mustang close ratio top-loader with a Hurst Competition plus shifter. The drive shaft
is new and has been balanced with new HiPo universal joints.
The rear is a stock Ford 9 1965 HiPo
Mustang housing with 28 spline axes and new brakes and drums. The
differential has new 3.70 gears with a rebuilt Trac-Loc limited slip posi
unit. The rear does not hum, pop, chatter or make any unauthorized
noises. The rear springs have been replaced with HiPo springs from NPD.
The clutch is a new
Centerforce dual friction diaphragm clutch, pressure plate and throw-out
bearing installed in March 2008. The bell housing and clutch
linkage are stock 1965 Mustang. The clutch and brake pedals have been upgraded with
Mustang Steve's roller bearings and are very smooth.
Suspension
The upper and lower A-arm assemblies and ball joints are new. The upper
control arms are OpenTracker heavy duty road racing parts with roller
bearing spring perches. The A-arms have been relocated 1" lower per
1965 Shelby drop specs. The springs are new 620# 1 lowered springs. New Koni gas shocks are installed front and rear. The steering box is
original to the car and has been tightened with the addition or an
OpenTracker roller pitman arm. The control arms are new. The correct
reinforced Shelby shock tower brackets have been installed. A repro
heavy-duty 1965 Shelby GT350 export brace with evenly spaced mounting
holes has been installed along with the correct export brace reinforcing
bracket welded to the firewall. A repro straight Shelby Monte Carlo
bar has been installed between the shock towers. A new 1 front sway bar
has been installed. The upper control arm mounting holes have been relocated
1" lower per 1965
Shelby GT350 specs. The front end was aligned by an experienced
mechanic that was working on Fords when these cars were new and knows what
he is doing.
The front spindles, backing plates and brakes have
been converted to 1971 Mustang 11" manual disc brakes with braided
stainless steel brake lines. The rotors, calipers and all maintainable
front brake parts are new. The master cylinder has been converted to a
dual reservoir system using a 1969 Ford master cylinder. A Stainless Steel
Brakes adjustable brake distribution block/proportioning valve has been installed. All the
firewall and under car brake lines have been replaced with new steel
lines. All rubber suspension parts front and rear have been replaced with
new parts.
Interior and Doors
The car has been converted to heater
and radio delete using repro parts. The heater box and vents have been
retained so that the heater can be reinstalled if desired. The passenger
compartment has sound deadener attached to the floor of the car from the
firewall to the trunk bulkhead. The front seats have been recovered using
reproduction black 1965 vinyl covers from NPD. The seat trim and backs are
new reproduction as well as the door panels. The carpet and headliner are
new and correct. The gauge panel and all visible hand control knobs have
been replaced. Repro radio and heater delete block-off plates have been
installed. The doors of the car are new Gold Label Ford Tooling repros. The door sills have been
replaced and correct 1965 GT350 Shelby logo plates have been mounted. The side windows
and vent frames are
original to the car. The windshield and back glass are new. The window
trim and gaskets are new. The lock assemblies, outside and inside door
handles and door latch assemblies have been replaced. The rubber door
seals and rubber window trim has been replaced. The interior has been
repainted with the correct semi-black lacquer. The glove box has
been replaced. The glove box door is original with new trim and
liner. All the hardware in the interior of the car has been replaced
with new parts. A donation was made to the Carroll Shelby Children's
Foundation along with an original 1965 Mustang glove box door. The glove
box door was returned with Mr. Shelby's autograph in silver marker and is
currently in the car.
The rear seat has been replaced with a
correct repro 1965 Shelby GT350 fiberglass package tray purchased from
Tony Branda. The package tray has the correct rear seat latch block-off
plate and a new 15 x 7 Torque Trust Original wheel and tire is mounted
on the tray using chrome mounting hardware. The original rear seat
and all rear seat hardware and trim are in storage.
A correct repro 1965 Shelby GT350
Mono-Lita wood
wheel and center Cobra emblem has been installed. A correct repro 1965
Shelby GT350 dash pod was been installed along with a correct repro 1965
Shelby American logo oil pressure gauge and 8,000 rpm tachometer.
Cooling
The radiator is a
new Ford 3-row high performance radiator. The fan is a repro 1965 HiPo 4
blade fan. The radiator hoses and clamps are new reproduction and correct
for a 1965 car. A 160 degree thermostat has been installed and
Water-Wetter has been added to the cooling system. This car does not
overheat and boil-over, even in Florida summer traffic.
Body Modifications
The hood is a high quality repro 1965
fiberglass Shelby GT350 hood with a integrated scoop and steel liner. The
hinges are original. The springs are low-tension springs for use with the
fiberglass hood. The hood stays open without a support rod. The stock
front hood latch assembly has been replaced with the correct repro 1965
Shelby GT350 grill brace. The front grill emblem is new. The rear GT350
emblem is new and correct. A repro 1966 Shelby GT350 Cobra gas cap has
been installed.
The fenders and grill are original. The
trunk is original with the locks and rubber trim replaced. The front and
rear valances are new stock Ford Tooling parts. The front and rear
bumpers and brackets are new repro parts. The headlight buckets, headlight
brackets, front fender extensions, rear taillight bezels, lenses and
buckets are show-quality new repro parts. The headlight bulbs
are Xenon. The taillight frames, lenses, buckets and electrical
assemblies are new repro.
Wheels and Tires
The wheels are new 15 x 7 American Racing Torque Thrust Originals.
The front tires are BF Goodrich Radial Traction TAs. The front tires are
205/60R15s and the rear tires are 225/60R15s. The valve stem caps
have been replaced with Cobra logo caps and the lug nuts are chrome.
General
All the bolts, brackets, pedals, pads,
rubber parts and attaching hardware are new. The front fender bolts and
front shock mounting bolts that are visible are chrome plated. The gas
tank and fuel lines are new and correct along with the gas-sending unit.
The tank to fuel pump steel gas line has been upgraded to 3/8 ID HiPo
specs. All the electrical harnesses have been replaced with new 1965
correct repro harnesses. The car has a repro 1965 Shelby American
GT350 serial number plate installed on the drivers side apron which has
been stamped with the letters "5SCLON". The actual 1965 Mustang VIN
is stamped in it's original position near the drivers side fender and
matches the title.
Everything in or
on this car is the highest quality available at the time of restoration
and is either new or rebuilt. Over $30,000 in parts and
$20,000 in outside labor has been used and documented in this restoration.
This amount does not count the countless thousands of hours of labor
invested by the current owner. While it certainly can
stand up to most any show car, this car was been built to be driven and
enjoyed.
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