Update by Tim Suddard to the
Shelby GT350 project car
Aug 8, 2011
Ratty or not, the Shelby looks like a winner to us.
Everything under the hood was accounted for during our inspection.
In this world of over-restored trailer queens, how many real beater Shelby Mustangs could be left?
When we first drove our newly acquired 1967 Shelby GT 350 to the office, everyone was agog. “That is so cool!” they exclaimed. “You shouldn’t touch a thing and just drive it like it is.” In this world of over-restored trailer queens, they reasoned, how many real beater Shelby Mustangs could be left?
Easy there, guys. This thing has been sitting for many years, is full of rat’s nests, and broke down three times between the workshop and the office—and they’re only 8 miles apart.
The continuous needling—along with a few beers—led us to form a half-assed plan: How about we leave the outside just the way it is? Some may call it rust and grime, others may call it patina, but we’ll completely fix all the mechanics underneath it and make the car safe and fun to drive.
Everyone at the office loved that idea, and after a few more beers we somehow decided we’d try to get the necessary work done in six weeks. Then, we’d take the newly resurrected Shelby—instead of our Tiger project car—on this year’s Going To The Sun Rally in Montana.
What could possibly go wrong? It’s just a complete chassis restoration on a nearly 50-year-old car that we’ve only owned for a week and driven a total of 8 miles.
It’s going to be another thrash, but we’re going to try to make it. Stay tuned for frequent updates as we make progress.
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