1966 GT350 Shelby Mustang Restoration Project

Here are a few more images of our carryover GT350 Restoration Project - SFM6S033.  Pretty much all of the glassbeading has been done, and it has been sprayed with a transparent primer to prevent rusting while the body work is done.

PPG DX1791 Acid Etch Primer was used on bare metal to protect it while other body work is being done.  It is transparent allowing you to see everything plus you can weld over it.
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This area was taped up just so we still had a patch of the original pink/salmon colored sealer to match.
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This is the area under the front sway bar mount. The area up front here originally had a darker red sealer than the rest of the underside of the car.
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This is the bottom of the outer rocker panel showing a date stamping of May 25 (1965).  The "65" is the body code for a Coupe, which is the same outer rocker that is used on the code "63" Mustang Fastback.
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Here is a shot of the rear brake hose mounting bracket (LH side of image) for the dual exhaust car.  The holes in the center are for the muffler hanger stud plate.  The indentation on the RH side of the image is for the brake hose bracket mount if this particular Mustang would have just had the single exhaust system.  Since this car is really a 1965 Mustang, you will note that there is no provision here for a seat belt mounting bolt/plate.  It would normally be located where that indentation is.
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Here is a shot of the area above the rear axle housing.  That plate is unique for the Mustangs with the 9 inch rear end housings.
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This area under the windshield weatherstripping was taped off to preserve some of the original Wimbledon White paint.  This may be a tough decision, because this white does not match the "typical" Wimbledon White that is normally seen...perhaps there were variations over the production time.
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I just could not helping showing another shot of those cut outs at the interior quarter window on these early '66 GT350 Shelbys.  It would be interesting to see if this operation got neater as production progressed.
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Original sound deadener on inside of quarter panel at brake ducting hole.
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Interior shot of area under rear package tray / rear shock area.
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1966 GT350 Shelby on rotisserie.
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MCA Grand National Mustang Show 2011

Here is one more batch of images from the Waldorf, MD Mustang Club of American Grand National Show that was held earlier this month.  These photos are courtesy of our friend, Dave Redman.  Thanks, Dave!

Mustang Turn Signal Switch Wiring Connectors

We now have Mustang Turn Signal Switch Wiring Harness Connector Blocks in stock.  These are the plastic blocks that the signal light wiring end plugs fit into.

1965 and 1966 Mustang Plastic Turn Signal Wiring Connector.
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The 65-66 Mustang plastic block in our part number IN6921.

1967 Mustang Plastic Turn Signal Wiring Connector.
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The 1967 Mustang Turn Signal Wiring Connector is part number IN4681.

1968 and 1969 Mustang Plastic Turn Signal Wiring Connector.
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The 68-69 Mustang Turn Signal Wiring Connector is part number IN4713.

1966 GT350 Shelby Mustang Restoration Project

Here are some more pictures from our '66 GT350 Shelby Restoration Series.  Look for more of these detail shots next week!

LH Front Frame Rail Markings on 6S033 Shelby.
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RH Front Frame Rail Markings on the Shelby.
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This image shows the darker red primer / sealer that was found under the frame rails at the front of the  GT350.  Lots of folks call this "primer."  I guess it is primer since it is over bare metal, but it is more like a sealer, and it is a bit glossy-certainly not flat.
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Another look at that RH Front Frame Rail Marking.
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Here is a nice look at the salmon colored / pink primer / sealer that was found on the underside of 6S033.  This color extends farther towards the front of the Shelby than we expected.
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Here is another nice look at the salmon colored / pink primer / sealer that was found on the underside of 6S033.  This color extends farther towards the front of the Shelby than we expected.  I guess it is primer since it is over bare metal, but it is more like a sealer, and it is a bit glossy-certainly not flat.
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Another look at the LH Front Frame Rail Markings during the glass beading process.
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The outer part only of the front frame rails were galvanized on the 65-66 Mustangs.  The inner floor frame support (front part shown above) was also galvanized.
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Here is a look at that galvanized coating after glass beading.  This will have to be stripped further by sanding.
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The outer rocker panel was also galvanized on the Mustangs.
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The box area covers in front of the rear leaf spring mounts were also galvanized on the Mustangs.
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Here is a look at the galvanized rear frame rail along with that pink / salmon colored primer / sealer.
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There was talk on the SAAC Forum about some of the carryover Shelbys having a front LH Ford VIN stamping that would be hidden by the fender once the fender was installed.  Here is an example.
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This "X" shows where a factory spot weld was supposed to be applied, but was missed.
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New Shelby Metal Sign

We have a wide variety of quality, heavy, metal signs with various Mustang and Shelby logos.  Click here to see them all.

The latest addition to the line up is this neat Shelby American Accessories Parts Catalog Cover.  It is our part number AC-446. 

From The Carroll Shelby Archives Is This Licensed Photo Print On a Metal Sign. The Size Is 11" x 17". It Is Made Of 24 Gauge Metal With Holes On The Corner For Easy Mounting. The Metal Is Powder Coated and The Image Is Embedded With Vibrant Color.
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It is from the Carroll Shelby Archives, and is a licensed Photo Print On a Metal Sign. The Size Is 11" x 17". It Is Made Of 24 Gauge Metal With Holes On The Corner For Easy Mounting. The Metal Is Powder Coated and The Image Is Embedded With Vibrant Color.

1966 GT350 Shelby Mustang Restoration Project

The entire '66 GT350 Shelby body is now completely glass beaded-inside and out.  Here are a few pictures of the details.

This isn't a great image because of the lighting, but it just shows the area behind the dash on the Shelby.  Jeremy at Maple Hill Restoration made sure that every nook and kranny was glass beaded, including this area behind the dash in the Mustang.
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Here is a shot of the under rear seat area of the GT350 Mustang.  6S033 is an early carryover Shelby from the batch that did not receive the folding rear fastback seat.  You will note though that the seat brackets were all still welded in place at the Ford Assembly Plant where it was built in San Jose.
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This is another look at the interior quarter window area that was modified at Shelby American for the installation of the side Plexiglas window.  This image is for you, Chuck!
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Yeah, the factory used some brass in various areas on the Mustang body.  This is in the door jamb / step plate area.
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Most all panels on the Mustangs were date stamped.  This image shows the date stamping on the RH inner wheel house.  The date is 6 14, which is June 14, 1965.  You will also note the Shelby American modified rear axle bumper bracket.
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Another look at the factory brass in the door jamb area of the Mustang.
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Every area of the body was glass beaded, including the area under and behind the rear Mustang Fastback's window.
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Here is another look at some factory brass in the tail light panel area.
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I believe this is the latest sheet metal date stamp on 6S033.  It is June 21, 1965.
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Factory leaded seam at the Mustang Fastback quarter panel.
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OK, if you are a geek about these early GT350's, you know what this is.  If not, that's OK too.  Anyway, it is the early style Koni Shock rubber cap that was put on the end studs of the rear Koni Shocks.  These rounded style caps are kind of difficult to find.  This is one of the two that fell out of the body of 6S033 while it was being cleaned.  I assume these caps may have been used on the top and bottom of the rear shocks, and these just dropped into the area where the shocks are mounted and had been there for the past 45 years.
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1966 GT350 Shelby Mustang Restoration Project

Jeremy at Maple Hill Restoration glass beading the underside of our 66 GT350 Shelby.  Yeah, this shot was set up.  If that thing was really running, we would just see a bunch of dust!!!
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We have received a ton of response from our Blog Posts about our 65 Mustang HiPo Convertible Restoration.  The Convertible has been completed, and we are starting on our next restoration project.

Again, Jeremy Turner at Maple Hill Restoration and I will be (and have been) doing a ton of research as Jeremy works to transform the GT350 into a super nice car again.  The early GT350 cars are definitely my favorites, and I've got some history with this one.

The 1966 GT350 Shelby on the rotisserie being glass beaded.
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Just to briefly recap, I first saw the car around 1978 when the then-owner started purchasing some parts from us.  Around 1985, he mentioned that he may consider selling the Shelby, so I looked at it closely.  Since it is a early carryover car (6S033) with the package tray, I was even more interested.  After bothering him for quite a while, I just told him to call me when it became available.  That did not happen until 1999.  It has been stored since that time.

Check out some of my previous posts about the Shelby by clicking the links below:

Vintage Photo Post

Background Post

Disassembly Post

What we plan to do here is just document much of the restoration project now that the restoration has really started.

After the total disassembly of the car, we just kind of evaluated the condition and got it up on the rotisserie.  The undercoating and sealer was then scraped from the car, and we started checking out the original primer/sealer colors and the order in which they were originally applied.  It seems like I could write pages about that alone, but I'll try to keep it brief.  Very basically, the underside of the car was painting with a pink or salmon colored sealer, while the front section/frame rails, trunk and interior were coated with a much darker color red.  Keep in mind this is a late June of 1965 production San Jose built Mustang, and other plants and production times will probably be different.

Here you can kind of get an idea of the original pink or salmon colored primer / sealer .
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I like this image from the inside the car.  This is the top of the transmission tunnel.  It shows the area glass beaded, the dark red sealer, the gray sealer over this and then the Wimbledon White Body Color.
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Watch right here for more and frequent updates.  Better yet, subscribe to our Blog by entering your email in the box on the top RH side of this page and then looking for and responding to the verification pop up message and then responding to a verification email that you will receive.  You will then receive an email update when a new post is made.  I've got lots more pictures and information to post.

The glass beading process takes about two days while getting to every little nook and cranny like under the shock tower area where the lower control arm bolts in.
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The 66 Shelbys had Plexiglas Quarter Windows installed at Shelby American.  Take a  look at the crude modification and cutting that was original done to install these.
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MCA Grand National Show 2011

Early production 1965 Mustang 289 High Performance Convertible.
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Early production 1965 Mustang 289 High Performance Convertible with the optional dealer accessory 3 x 2V Induction System and Cobra Valve Covers.
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We really appreciate all of the comments and emails on our restoration series that we have featured here on our Virginia Classic Mustang Blog about our Early 1965 Mustang 289 HiPo Convertible.  We also enjoyed researching and learning about tons of details from lots of fine folks that we can call friends!  The cars are great, but all the people involved in the hobby are even better.  It was also great to see and talk to many of you at the Mustang Club of America Grand National Show in Waldorf, MD.

Of course, we have to thank Jeremy Turner at Maple Hill Restoration for doing all of the hard work.  Jeremy and I work well together, because we both enjoy the research and details and have the same "vision" when it comes to a restoration like this.

We drove the Mustang over 160 miles before the show to work out the "bugs."  Everything seems to be working well, and we hope to enjoy many more miles.

I've owned this particular car longer than any single car that I have ever owned, so it is definitely staying.  It was purchased about 30 years ago!

...and just to wrap up the Grand National show, the car won a Gold Award in the 64 1/2-65 Convertible Concours Trailered Class along with the Prestige Award for the Concours Trailered Class.  This award is given to the highest scoring 64 1/2-78 Mustang at the show in the Concours Trailiered Class.

More exciting news...look for a new restoration series here on the Blog soon.  Our early production (Carryover) 1966 GT350 Shelby is on the rotisserie over at Jeremy's shop.  We will have some pictures of the glassbeading process on the body soon!

Coming Soon! FoMoCo Script Headlights

We will soon have reproduction Headlights with the molded in FoMoCo Logo.  Please note that the image above shows an original headlight.  These reproductions will be available by the end of the year.
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Headlights with the etched FoMoCo Logo have been reproduced for years.  Unfortunately, these headlights are no longer available.

We usually do not announce a new product before we have it in our hands, but we just had to "leak" the information on this one!  By November or December of 2011, we will have 65-68  and 70 model Mustang Headlights with the FoMoCo Logo molded in the lens.

There were several original manufacturers of the original headlights.  Some had the etched in logo and some had the FoMoCo Logo actually molded into the glass like these beautiful new reproductions.

Stay Tuned!!!

MCA Grand National Show 2011

Here are some more pictures from the 2011 Mustang Club of America Grand National Show held Sept. 2-4th in Waldorf, MD.

Judging the interior on a 1966 GT350.
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Those '70 Boss 302's just have a great stance and overall look.
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The workmanship on this modified Mustang was very nice.
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A collection of original Mustangs perfect for studying details when restoring a Mustang.
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A rare 1968 Mustang Cobra Jet Mustang.  This one is mostly original.  Very neat car!
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How about another 68 Mustang Cobra Jet Mustang Drag Car.
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There was a great showing of 65-66 HiPo Mustangs and the Grand National Show.  This is a nice '66 GT Coupe with the rare Sapphire Blue paint.
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Nice 69 GT500 Shelby Convertible.
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Another 289 High Performance Mustang Convertible in triple black.
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Still another HiPo Mustang.  Poppy Red!
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Our friend, Donald Farr, editor of Mustang Monthly, gave a super presentation at the Saturday evening banquet.
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More HiPo Mustangs!  This is our own Poppy Red Mustang Convertible with a friend's early generator equipped 64 1/2 Mustang HiPo Convertible.
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Another friend's beautiful, very early production 1965 GT350 Mustang.
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