Just how much work did our Shelby need before its next outing?

Update by Tim Suddard to the Shelby GT350 project car
Nov 2, 2023 | Ford, Shelby, Mustang, GT350

Our 1967 Shelby GT350 had been sitting for a while. We had an upcoming tour on the schedule. We had some prep work to do–and this is in addition to fitting a Tremec TKX five-speed transmission from American Powertrain.

[Will a five-speed box make our Shelby more enjoyable to drive?]

Once we got the car up on a lift and started making a list, things did not look nearly as optimistic. Sitting for a few years had not been kind to our Shelby.

Starting at the front of the car and moving towards the rear, we found plenty of issues:

• The horns had stopped beeping.
• The engine was reluctant to start.
• The air conditioning had stopped working.
• The engine needed an oil service.
• The door windows were difficult to wind up and down.
• The exhaust was leaking.
• The coolant was leaking where the hoses went into the firewall.
• The exhaust system was hitting the chassis in several areas.
• The tires and wheels were rubbing the fenders at both the front and the rear.
• The tires were out of date.

• The rear end was noisy.
• The emergency brake cables were broken.

• The rear wheel cylinders were leaking.
• The rear spring rubber bushings had disintegrated.

• The taillights seemed inordinately dim.

Plus we wanted to do some paint and body work. And while installing that new transmission, we’d need to update the final drive ratio to match.

We quickly got parts ordered and, thanks to our event schedule, had just three weeks to finish all of the items on the list.

Does performing all of this work on a nearly 60-year-old before setting out for a thousand-mile drive sound like trouble?

Let the trouble begin.

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