SAAC Forum

Here's a shot of the Yellow M/T salt flats car serving as a show car draw at a 1969 auto show (not sure where/when). I'd like to know what became of that car. Gus T. Heard it was crushed in a Cali earth quake. Other believe it went Grand American racing like the #49.

Quote from: gt350hr on January 12, 2021, 01:30:14 PM
   There you go! No gold nose and different color as I said. Not sure about the scooped hood . Scott Dapron said it was supercharged but it sure doesn't look like it in the period "salt" photo. Why do people change things? I have the vins and brass tag numbers for the three cars. Obviously the proving ground photos are of the "restored" blue car. 99.9% sure Brent bought it right from Danny , as in your "salt " photo. The red car had the special valance too , "in the day".
  Randy

Not tracking on the "proving grounds" car being Brent's car?  Don't think that is so. And all three M/T cars had the prototype valance. But the one on the yellow car had cut outs. The red and blue...and the proving grounds car(s) did not.

Again, I believe that Brent's blue car (bought directly from DT) is pretty much the way it appeared at Bonneville...except for the modifications to the hood for blower clearance that came sometime after it left the salt.  Not sure if that is original paint on the car or if it has been restored, though.

I believe that the blue and gold (HM/Pearson livery) "proving grounds" car (long mis-identifed by Farr and others as a T/A car) became in turn the red M/T salt flats Mach 1 and later the poppy red #49 NASCAR Mustang raced by Larry Wallace, David Pearson and Bobby Allison.

The yellow Tunnel Port 302 car was used as a show car by Ford after its time with Mickey. What happened after that is a mystery.

I know the H&M VINs of two of the three M/T Mustangs.  The #49 car's VIN is found on the bill of sale I posted earlier. (But...eye roll...updated by H&M from its original 1968 VIN to a 1969 one HA!...there's a reason HM couldn't document where  10 million bucks went during Iacocca's 1969 audit!).  When Brent took his blue car to Bonneville a while back, one of the long time salt flats guys gave him the H&M VIN off of one of the other M/T Mustangs that had evidently been taken as a trophy of war.  Note that that plate was first stamped as a 1968 HM build. (HM8)

Randy, As mentioned the yellow car also had cut outs in its rear valance. The blue and red cars ...and the "proving grounds" car...did not.  Hence my conclusion that the red M/T car was in an earlier life the "proving grounds car" and later in life the #49.

Quote from: gt350hr on January 12, 2021, 11:24:03 AM
   C5HM,
       I don't recall the blue car having the "gold nose" paint. When I saw it at M/Ts shop the engine and trans were gone. The blue was also a little lighter shade. Scott Dapron ( rip) was part of the crew along with engine builder Fritz Voight (rip) that went to Bonneville and I don't recall the gold paint in any of his personal photos. Some liberties were taken as Scott's photos showed a 6-71 supercharger on the blue car , not 2x4. The "proving ground" photos clearly show the prototype rear valance. Look at the back up light locations. One of these was sold out here at a local swap meet about 10 years ago for $25. At the time I didn't think it was real and passed it up. Oh well!
   Randy

Randy, if you study the available photos of the "proving grounds" car and the three M/T salt flats car, you will notice that the yellow car is the only car that does NOT have 1968 style front side marker lights installed in the front valance panel. The yellow car also had cut outs in the prototype rear valance panel that were either for shackle clearance or for exhaust pipes (in some planned street iteration of that panel). Since we know *for sure* the blue car did not become the Wallace/Pearson/Allison #49 NASCAR Mustang, by process of elimination, it had to have been the red M/T car that was previously the "proving grounds" car and later in life the #49.

Shock towers and export braces are for sissies. Neither are needed when you install a *manly* ;-) Galaxie style front frame section to the front of a unit body car. Which is exactly what H&M did on the NASCAR Mustangs that were built.

Quote from: gt350hr on January 12, 2021, 11:24:03 AM
   C5HM,
       I don't recall the blue car having the "gold nose" paint. When I saw it at M/Ts shop the engine and trans were gone. The blue was also a little lighter shade. Scott Dapron ( rip) was part of the crew along with engine builder Fritz Voight (rip) that went to Bonneville and I don't recall the gold paint in any of his personal photos. Some liberties were taken as Scott's photos showed a 6-71 supercharger on the blue car , not 2x4. The "proving ground" photos clearly show the prototype rear valance. Look at the back up light locations. One of these was sold out here at a local swap meet about 10 years ago for $25. At the time I didn't think it was real and passed it up. Oh well!
   Randy

M/T's "blue" car did not have any gold on it. When he had it. Or before. But the red M/T car did.  I believe that the *first* car completed by H&M (and painted in Pearson gold and blue) was photographed at the Dearborn test track.  Pretty sure that blue and gold car was later given a coat of red for M/T's use.  As to the supercharger, it is my understanding that at some time after the blue car's first salt flats outting it was fitted with a  huffer.  Not sure of that was also for Bonneville or for somewhere else. The hood on the car reflects that fact today (with the cut out and  larger Boss 429 style scoop that was used to cover the larger cut out after the 671 was removed).

Quote from: 2112 on January 11, 2021, 08:41:30 PM
^^^^Man, I am surprised they removed the shock towers AND the export brace.

HD Galaxies based suspension bits, special H&M forgings and....drum brakes...were part of the half chassis package.

Quote from: 2112 on January 11, 2021, 08:41:30 PM
^^^^Man, I am surprised they removed the shock towers AND the export brace.

They were replaced with a heavily modified Galaxie front frame section (and  race proven H&M suspension)...Just like the NASCAR spec Fomoco intermediates that H&M was building at the same time. That snout was tied into the rest of the unit body (firewall back) via steel tubing in the rocker panels and the roll cage. The third photo is of my 1968 H&M Torino without its skin (during restoration).  Galaxie from the firewall forward/Torino from the firewall back. The last shot is the same chassis with the body in place.

Quote from: honker on January 05, 2021, 12:34:21 PM
From the write up with the image, I don't think this is one of the Mickey Thompson Bonneville cars, but one of the half-chassis cars

built for NASCAR GT/GA, Baby Grand ? series.

Mike

Pretty sure the car in HM/Pearson blue and gold colors is the red M/T red car. Looks closely and you will see the H&M double center rims and race hubs. (HD, 5 on 5 stuff that means the car has the necessary H&M NASCAR suspension to mount it). All three of the M/T Mustangs were built at H&M as half chassis cars. Here are some detail shots of the surviving blue car that belongs to Brent Hajek. Note the Galaxie snout.

Quote from: gt350hr on January 05, 2021, 12:54:12 PM
   Mike ,
      I do know that the red M/T car was sold to or at least driven by Bobby Allison in the baby grand series. This might not be "it" but it makes me think. Those cars were VERY early and actually had '68 dash assemblies in them. I saw all three at M/Ts shop out here when they came back from Bonneville.  I ended up with the Koni double adjustable shocks off of the red car before it left for H&M Charlotte.
   Randy

The red M/T car was returned to Holman Moody and fitted out with extra roll cage tubing (side bars) and made ready for Grand American/Grand Touring) race duty with Boss 302 power. It was first driven by long time H&M employee and short track star Larry Wallace. The car was then sold to Mel Joseph (owner of the NASCAR track in Dover Del.). I am attaching a copy of the bill of sale to Joseph. Note the H&M VIN.  (As a half chassis car, the original VINs were removed when the car was fitted with a Galaxie based snout from the firewall forward).  Both David Pearson and Bobby Allison drove the car for Joseph. The car was later sold to a Detroit area racer named Lee and is no more (Many have looked for it, but the trail has gone cold). As noted in earlier posts, the Blue M/T cart survives and today belongs to Brent Hajek. There are conflicting stories about yellow Tunnel Port 302 Mustang. Some say it was destroyed in a California earth quake and others say it was also returned to H&M and converted to Grand American trim. As an aside, I am collecting parts to build an exact duplicate the #49, to include the NOS H&M Galaxie snout posted earlier in this thread.

Quote from: honker on January 05, 2021, 12:34:21 PM
From the write up with the image, I don't think this is one of the Mickey Thompson Bonneville cars, but one of the half-chassis cars

built for NASCAR GT/GA, Baby Grand ? series.

Mike

Based on details in the photos of this car and the red car at Bonneville, I am pretty sure that they are one and the same.  These shots, long misidentified as T/A shots were taken at the Ford proving grounds.