67' Shelby Project
C'mon John... We're dying to hear your impressions!
8/25/10, 06:47 AM
#263
Service Manager
John isn't driving her yet....we are close but doing the finishing details. A few things were not finished like the A/C system and we have routed that, fabbed up the hoses and have ice cold A/C in the car. The roll bar was in California for a while where we had a custom wrap made for it that carried the blue w/ white stripe theme through and our new local trim guy did a fantastic job of installing the cover. We also modified the rollbar so that it is removeable much like the CDC bars for the new Mustangs....had we welded in the bar as instructed you would never get the window regulator out should it need service in the future.
There have been a few unforseen issues like the parts that came from Branda for the Shelby conversion....little things like the brackets that go over the rear window cranks do not fit...not even close so we are having to fabricate new ones.
Headlight bucket mounting plates....again, not right....we had to fabricate new ones that would actually fit. Front bumper brackets...again, not right...we had to modify them in order to get them to work the way they are supposed to.
We used a Web Electric unit and made it work with our wiring to give modern reliability to the sequential tail lights. The trunk which was not finished prior has been roughed in with the tunnels and heat barrier for the exhaust pipes that went in and out of the trunk to clear the Griggs Watts link....our trim guy will finish that out.
After the fiasco from our former trim guy, we had the carpet properly done in the correct color and our custom console was shipped to a friend of mine in Maryland who did some finish work and created a better lid(padded) with latch assembly(from a Ford Taurus).
Currently we are working on creating splash sheilds which a '67 never had....this takes time to experiment with patterns for fitment. This is needed to protect the hidden wiring and other equipment that we hid underneath the fenders for a cleaner appearance.
I will try to get some updated pics of things posted soon but my office PC had an issue and was down for nearly 4 weeks forcing me to move to my laptop where the pictures don't exist....so they will come soon as we get the other PC back up and running.
I have been very disappointed in the Shelby conversion parts....very few if any of the pieces were a bolt on and forget type of process. I expected some work with the fiberglass parts...however the level of work was extensive. I did not expect a problem with the hard metal parts and nearly everything has not fit properly...including the stainless headlight rings where the holes didn't even match up with the holes in the grill. We purchased the best parts available in order to avoid all this and I don't recall these same problems in years prior which makes me wonder if the parts have deteriorated in quality over the years.
There have been a few unforseen issues like the parts that came from Branda for the Shelby conversion....little things like the brackets that go over the rear window cranks do not fit...not even close so we are having to fabricate new ones.
Headlight bucket mounting plates....again, not right....we had to fabricate new ones that would actually fit. Front bumper brackets...again, not right...we had to modify them in order to get them to work the way they are supposed to.
We used a Web Electric unit and made it work with our wiring to give modern reliability to the sequential tail lights. The trunk which was not finished prior has been roughed in with the tunnels and heat barrier for the exhaust pipes that went in and out of the trunk to clear the Griggs Watts link....our trim guy will finish that out.
After the fiasco from our former trim guy, we had the carpet properly done in the correct color and our custom console was shipped to a friend of mine in Maryland who did some finish work and created a better lid(padded) with latch assembly(from a Ford Taurus).
Currently we are working on creating splash sheilds which a '67 never had....this takes time to experiment with patterns for fitment. This is needed to protect the hidden wiring and other equipment that we hid underneath the fenders for a cleaner appearance.
I will try to get some updated pics of things posted soon but my office PC had an issue and was down for nearly 4 weeks forcing me to move to my laptop where the pictures don't exist....so they will come soon as we get the other PC back up and running.
I have been very disappointed in the Shelby conversion parts....very few if any of the pieces were a bolt on and forget type of process. I expected some work with the fiberglass parts...however the level of work was extensive. I did not expect a problem with the hard metal parts and nearly everything has not fit properly...including the stainless headlight rings where the holes didn't even match up with the holes in the grill. We purchased the best parts available in order to avoid all this and I don't recall these same problems in years prior which makes me wonder if the parts have deteriorated in quality over the years.
8/27/10, 08:36 AM
#264
Mach 1 Member
Join Date: December 19, 2004
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Paul,
Thanks for the update and sorry about the difficulties. I assumed John just wouldn't come in from the garage to type everything up.
I'm sure he must be frustrated. But...oh when it's done...
Thanks for the update and sorry about the difficulties. I assumed John just wouldn't come in from the garage to type everything up.
I'm sure he must be frustrated. But...oh when it's done...
8/27/10, 09:40 AM
#265
Service Manager
I am sure he will have to be pried from behind the wheel...LOL. We are all a bit frustrated and it always seems the unexpected happens causing delays. The guy who was working on the console delayed due to medical issues with an inflammed gall bladder, the roll bar stayed in California a couple months longer than expected and originally it was supposed to be wrapped there but they were unable to do the actual wrapping once they got into it so we had to have it done locally once everything got back. The Shelby parts have been particularly frustrating, they should not require the work or actually remaking that they do...some of these parts really shouldn't even be sold they are so bad.
We also had an issue where I was assured that the talbot mirror on the LH door would cover the factory holes....and it didn't even come close forcing us to remove the door, weld up the holes and repaint the door. This is why the original pictures when it went to SEMA show a deluxe remote mirror....currently the talbot mirrors are on the car.
There were also little things like the window rollers on the quarter windows....these have to be removed for rechroming and the special rivets that attach them are made of unobtanium forcing is to engineer a new way to attach the rollers. This involved me machining the original rivet remains on a bridgeport mill to accept recessed hardware in order to re-attach them.
It's the details that really drag you down sometimes but in the end it's all worth it
We also had an issue where I was assured that the talbot mirror on the LH door would cover the factory holes....and it didn't even come close forcing us to remove the door, weld up the holes and repaint the door. This is why the original pictures when it went to SEMA show a deluxe remote mirror....currently the talbot mirrors are on the car.
There were also little things like the window rollers on the quarter windows....these have to be removed for rechroming and the special rivets that attach them are made of unobtanium forcing is to engineer a new way to attach the rollers. This involved me machining the original rivet remains on a bridgeport mill to accept recessed hardware in order to re-attach them.
It's the details that really drag you down sometimes but in the end it's all worth it
3/5/12, 01:32 PM
#268
I know its been a year or more since updates. I talked with Paul and the cars near ready. he's had a heck of a time finding a quality glass fitter and also the upholstery has been back and forth a few times.
Paul is going to get in here and update it soon with pics and all and then I am going to work on getting a full article for the site done up
Paul is going to get in here and update it soon with pics and all and then I am going to work on getting a full article for the site done up
3/5/12, 01:45 PM
#269
I know its been a year or more since updates. I talked with Paul and the cars near ready. he's had a heck of a time finding a quality glass fitter and also the upholstery has been back and forth a few times.
Paul is going to get in here and update it soon with pics and all and then I am going to work on getting a full article for the site done up
Paul is going to get in here and update it soon with pics and all and then I am going to work on getting a full article for the site done up
3/5/12, 02:29 PM
#271
Bullitt Member
Join Date: September 23, 2011
Location: South Jersey
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I love everything about that car except the light bar (looks too high IMO) and the modern stock shift ****. That looks so out of place! otherwise, absolutely gorgeous
3/5/12, 02:42 PM
#272
3/5/12, 04:00 PM
#273
Service Manager
There have been a lot of changes, obstacles and issues to deal with. The interior was completely changed from those pics above to a darker shade of blue which was not an option at the time the original interior was ordered. We had the console at a local upholstery shop to get a parking brake boot made....6 months went by and nothing happened, it seemed a bit too difficult for him to grasp and the custom latch was broken on the console....so I contacted Redline, made a template and shipped it to Poland where Maciek built us a nice parking brake boot to fit the custom console and GT500 handle. We are still having issues with the convertible top fitment....I hate relying on others but we just don't do convertible tops and this has proven to be a frustrating area...from the original trim guy that claimed the top wasn't right to the new guy who took over and made it work but it is just too tough to close for our liking...that is currently still being ironed out. The light bar has been changed in that is has been wrapped in blue with a white stripe carrying through it. We had a faulty bleeder on the caliper cause a seepage of fluid that removed the paint requiring us to dismantle and repaint the LF caliper. We have had many other unforseen issues from a defective factory oil filter adapter that had a porous hole in the aluminum casting causing an oil leak....only option to remove it was to remove the engine again to get to it. Lots of little things add up to a lot. The Trunk has been finished off and a custom embroidered mat added. We had a new convertible top line burst while working with the top that hosed down Jason with hydraulic fluid and required a lot of clean up....lots and lots of little details and we are on the home stretch. I'll try to get some time to get things more up to date here soon.
3/5/12, 06:30 PM
#274
NTTAWWT
wow! **** near a comedy of errors going on! At least I know I'm not the only person that never gets an easy car project.
3/6/12, 07:15 AM
#275
Service Manager
Yes, there is no such thing as a "perfect" build in that everything goes without a hitch. Many parts don't fit as advertised like the fiberglass on this project....countless hours were spent to make parts fit. Then there were the headers....we installed and removed the headers countless times while making changes to tubes in order to achieve the best fit. I think the most frustrating things are when you have to rely on others like the upholstery guys and the issues we had there. Focus now is on getting everything wrapped up...after that I will sit down and try to revisit every stage of the build and the obstacles we ran into at various times and with various parts.
3/30/12, 02:39 PM
#276
Hey everyone, check out Project T-67... Sitting at Barbers Motorsports Park this weekend for the Grand-Am and Indy races.
Last edited by Scothew; 3/30/12 at 02:42 PM.
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DJ2014 (6/24/23)
...and here is an engine shot...
The following users liked this post:
DJ2014 (6/24/23)