Under Construction

[427heaven]

I seem to always be in the Under construction mode. For some of us this seems to fit like a velvet glove. Many are afraid to show their pride and joy because they are in an incompleted state, so hopefully we can make this the place for the unfinished cars. Would love to see others cars and their ideas to get them where they need to be.

[Wedgeman]

+1

[kjspeed]

I'll take the bait! This is my 1968 S-Code Mustang GT Fastback. Car was purchased in 2009 after sitting for 17 years in the Florida weather. On the plus side, it came with the original 390 engine, C6 transmission, 9" rear end, deluxe interior with overhead console and was originally Highland Green like another famous 68 fastback. Unfortunately, there was rust everywhere. Currently the new rocker panels are tacked in and Art Morrison is about to start on a Max-G chassis to form the new foundation. I haven't settled on an engine/transmission package yet but it will definitely be an FE. Maybe a 427 dressed up to look like a 390 or maybe I'll just build the 390. Leaning towards an automatic AOD or maybe one of those new 10-speeds (but I'm sure I'd be the first to retrofit one to an FE).


I've decided that the Shelby is just too valuable to thrash the way I want to, so this car will take the punishment when the time comes. My goal is to build a car that will run very well on the track and be somewhat streetable as well. As you can see, I'm tens of thousands of dollars and years away from finishing the car but at least it's progressing now!

[427heaven]

That's what I'm talkin about, another visionary amongst us. Can you do the metal work? I would love to see progression shots- Good Luck

[JD]

I seem to always be in the Under construction mode. For some of us this seems to fit like a velvet glove. Many are afraid to show their pride and joy because they are in an incompleted state, so hopefully we can make this the place for the unfinished cars. Would love to see others cars and their ideas to get them where they need to be. :)

+2

[kjspeed]

I'm not a trained body man but I've stayed at a Holiday Inn before. Fortunately my son is a talented welder. That and neither one of us would admit there was anything we couldn't do. Two stubborn Irishmen. Time will tell...


The original plan called for returning the car to factory condition with the addition of updated front and rear suspension. All of the frame rails, doors, fenders, hood, quarters, torque boxes, trunk floor, rockers, cowl, firewall and front aprons have already been purchased. Then I started doing some research on what current 68 GT S-code fastbacks were going for and I realized that I would be break-even or (most likely) upside down when all was said and done. Then I saw a Mustang with an Art Morrison Max-G chassis under it and got to thinking - it might be easier to use that chassis (or another one like it) than it would be to restore the original unibody and then add updated suspension. It's also not much more expensive. And well-built restomods sitting on AME chassis command top dollar. And it should handle way better than any stock Mustang or Shelby would, even with suspension upgrades. For all those reasons, and in light of this car not being a candidate for a concours restoration I decided to take this fork in the road.


Is it stupid ambitious to attempt this having never constructed a car from the ground up before? Probably! But that never stopped me before.


For sentimental reasons the FE is non-negotiable. I have the original 390 and another one on a stand. I've seen where you can coax 500+ HP out of one and that should be enough to get it rolling. The automatic appeals to me because I have 2 other sticks already and in a drag race the slushbox will win. I'd like to run a 3.89 or higher rear gear so it launches well, but don't want to be turning 3500 RPM @ 60 MPH so I'll need an overdrive of some sort. I have a lot of work to do before I need to settle on a powertrain.


It's been said that the thrill of the chase can be just as fun as ultimately driving the car you were looking for. I think that the process of building a one-off car like this will be almost as satisfying as driving it. I won't know for sure until I turn the key for the first time!

[SNAKEBIT]

KJ, good luck with all that. There is damn near nothing left of it. lol. I take it, you do have all the fenders and quarter panels? I'd keep all the original drivetrain, as so many cars now a days, don't have them. That 390 is good for all the power you may be thinking of. The slushbox is good for very quick shifts, if you put in a really nice shift kit. I put a 2,000 stall kit into my '69 SuperBee years ago and if I floored it, the tires would chirp at 50 mph while going into 2nd gear! Have fun.

[98SVT - was 06GT]

Probably a toss up $18,500 for a new Dynacorn body or $18,499 to fix the one you have.

[vtgt500]

I closely inspected these at SEMA a year ago.  The alignment, fit and finish are impressive.  If hand built on a precision jig using Ford licensed data points, it could be better than OEM was 50 years ago.  If something happened to my '68, wouldn't hesitate a moment to buy an R3.
http://r3pp.com/body-shells-classic/

[Bigfoot]

Nice thread idea Dennis!

[tesgt350]

Probably a toss up $18,500 for a new Dynacorn body or $18,499 to fix the one you have.

$18,499 to FIX that Body?  Fairy Tail Dreams.

[6R07mi]

My TX 66 notchback going back together with Group II mods.
sat in storage in Ft Worth 1984 ~ 2008

289 +0.040" going back together with 1969 351W heads, exh ports opened up, intake ports cleaned up 

[6R07mi]

additional photos,
re-welded aluminum intake where corrosion damaged the gasket surface
$45 oil cooler package

[2112]

Totally lovin the control arm upgrades and oil cooler.

Is R3PP building their own shell or are they using Dynacorn?

[vtgt500]

Totally lovin the control arm upgrades and oil cooler.

Is R3PP building their own shell or are they using Dynacorn?

Great question.  I couldn't get a straight answer at the trade show.  Only mention was, Ford licensed vendor.  Dennis Carpenter perhaps?