SAAC Forum

I got this block today. It says 289 in the lifter valley and has 2 Bolt mains. 4 of the main Bolts are tapped I imagine for a Windage tray. The screw in Freeze plugs are reminiscent of the Boss 302 and 427. I have never seen a 289 with screw in freeze plugs. Does anyone know anything about this! All input appreciated.

It was twenty years ago I was at a Bike shop in South Jersey called "Nick's." you may have seen him and the business on an episode of American Pickers. I had an F250 with a "Carroll Shelby Motors" front license plate on it. and as one of the mechanics walked by, he took notice of the plate. He looked at me and asked, if I was in to Shelbys? I said absolutely. he replied, "You should give my brother a call, he has one sitting in his garage." I quickly got his brothers number from him. I called him that evening. He was leary of the cold call and asked how I got his number. I told him the story. Silence on the other end. I started talking fast about my 68 GT500. it was then that he started talking and revealed to me that he had a 69 GT500 Convertible and it had been sitting since 1975 in a garage. I asked if he would be interested in selling? he was not. but after a few phone calls he eventually agreed to show me the car. He was located almost 2 hours away. I hooked up my car trailer and filled a bag with Cash and went up to the address he gave me. it was a run down area of Staten Island New York. we said our hello's and he opened up the garage. there I saw a Gulf stream Aqua 69 GT500 Convertible. all original paint. roughly 30,000 miles on the odometer. white top and Interior. he had sold the 428 Cobra Jet Engine to a guy with a 68 GT500 from Pa. as he had a 427 he intended to put in the car. and just had not gotten around to finishing the job. I looked the car over extensively. and then I threw the bag at him. as he caught it, he asked me "what's in here?" I replied, "CASH!" to my surprise, he threw it right back at me! "let me tell you something. I have an ex wife, a girlfriend, 3 kids and this Shelby. If I sell this car, before long I won't have the money or the car!" as bummed out as I was, I learned an interesting fact of life. he hit me with reality. then he asked how much was in the bag. I told him and he said he was glad he did not know the answer while he was holding the bag! but he admired my efforts and said if he ever changed his mind, he would be in touch. my 6 year old son and I climbed back in the truck and headed home. we got to see an amazing car in the wild and we would pursue this car every year. I would call the owner and talk about the car. he was still planning to get around to it. and I would talk about what cars were in my life. it became an annual call. I even located the original engine for the car!  in the last few years, I was going thru a tough divorce. a major life distraction. it was around Christmas that my son (now 25) got on me to Call the guy about the Convertible. I finally got around to calling him about two weeks ago. He said, "man you are going to want to kill me. I sold the car 3 weeks ago. a friend of mines son remembered me driving the car when he was a little kid and he started pestering mem and I needed money for my business..." he sold the car for the exact amount I had offered him 20 years ago! when I called my son with the bad news that the car, we had fantasized about restoring one day had slipped away, he yelled some choice words and would not speak to me for three days. so, by now you are wondering, "Why would I tell such a bummer of a story?" and I told the story to inspire each and every one of you who "Knows where a car or Bike or cool truck is sitting" to "get off your Ass and go after it!" I spent twenty years talking to a guy who swore I was first in line every time we spoke. and somebody showed up in the meantime and made off with a Shelby that should have been mine. now make those calls. show up in person and knock on those doors. let's hear some success stories as I am still licking my wounds over this loss.

I consider SAAC to be the ultimate authority on the cars manufactured from 1962-70. recently I noticed a fellow trying to anoint a 67 Mustang drag car that has had every bit of sheet metal from the floor and dash forward cut out. and now the owner is claiming it is a Shelby with a real vin because the 67 Shelby Research group told him it is. or so he claims in his online videos. personally I think it taints the respectability of the 67 Shelby Research group to get behind such a Frankenstein without SAAC recognizing the car as REAL. not to mention the owners credibility as well. do they feel it makes it real if you make videos and slap each other on the back with praise about solving the mystery and giving the car a VIN themselves? I say "BULLSHIT" and this is exactly the kind of thing the Registry was created to prevent from happening. yet here it is happening for all the world to see. the car is interesting and unique as a Drag car. it became a Drag car at some point because the owner at that time wanted to do just that. if it was or was not a Shelby has not and cannot be proven with what is left of the car. people need to look at their Moral compass and realize what is right and what is wrong. clearly trying to pawn this car off as a Shelby is wrong. and anybody that is going along with it for fame or fortune is equally wrong as well.

Just let go of a couple cars today. The 68 J code GT fastback had sat for 40 years in a garage. As it was  up on the transport trailer I remembered it had something you never see anymore. Studded snow tires! And Michelins no less!

I thought they captured my 2005 Quicksilver GT from a great angle!

What an amazing gathering of SAAC members at our Host "Al's Garage!" Members from as far away as Hawaii were in attendance. The cars are some of Al's amazing collection. Pictures is my son Dalton Winkler, David Winkler, "Al" Chuck Cantwell and Rick Barker. Al opened up his beautiful garages and hosted one of the best socials I ever attended. Such a good time was being had that "Howard Pardee" left his window down on his 07 GT500 just in time for the rain to spruce up his interior!! Look forward to tomorrow's events.

Scam alert Facebook listing car has a small block in it and a real shelby tag as seen in pictures

The price is $750,000 US Dollars. This is the first of what will be a total of 5 produced by Legendary motor cars. I believe they did some tribute Shelby mustangs with a high degree of accuracy. I saw this car at Carlisle last weekend. Very cool looking! And I looked inside and saw the vin plate as they use on Continuation Cobras and was shocked to see the car had a vin CSX2800 ! Is this not Blasphemous? What are your thoughts?

Great car with a great story. What do you think it will bring when the hammer drops?

Congress made great progress on this bill, but this session closes without passage of this act. for updates and information, visit www.saveourracecars.com

It was late 2006 when I got a call from Tom Flynn the GM of Pacifico Ford in Philadelphia Pa. He wanted to know if I was interested in ordering a new Shelby GT? I said sure and went down the next day with my 9 year old son Dalton. It was an exciting time in the Winkler house for us. We had become deeply entrenched with SAAC and the legal battle with Shelby American. So much so it led me to create this very Forum. (along with the assistance of Dave Mathews and Ron Richards aka Computerworks) things had turned around finally and a settlement between the club and Shelby was reached. The feeling of being able to actually order a Shelby Mustang that was modified at the Shelby facility just like they were done originally was mind blowing and we had to be a part of it! I ordered a white car with silver stripes. The shaker 1000 sound system, 5 speed manual transmission and Leather seats. Dalton was in the passenger seat 90% of the time the car was driven. Another car had been really tugging at my heart. The 2005 Ford GT !! I was a fan from inception. Dalton and I had driven to Connecticut to visit Dave Mathews in the Shelby GT. On our way home we swung down through Long Island. A Lamborghini dealership was buying and selling used Ford GT's. We saw what eventually  become my Quicksilver 2005 Ford GT ( I still have that car)  the following week my wife decided to attempt driving my Shelby GT while Dalton and I were out of town. She ended up damaging the car. I was sick over it. I posted it for sale and a buyer appeared. I applied those funds to the purchase of the Ford GT and that was that. A couple years passed by and we would see the Shelby GT here and there. One time I was in my 69 Mach1 on I 95 and he pulled alongside me. I yelled over to call me if he ever wants to Sell it! Well it has been 15 years since I sold him that car. And a Facebook message appeared along with a video of the car being struck by a distracted driver in a BMW (I will post that video shortly) he had a dash cam that showed her randomly strike the car parked in front of the Shelby GT and then hit it. He said after the insurance settled we could have it for the salvage price. So last night, Dalton went and picked the car up. 15 years and almost 200,000 miles had passed! But the car is back in our corral! And He hopes to have it back in road worthy condition by spring. The car was maintained extremely well. Even still had the SAAC 2007 dash plaque I put on their with pride a decade and a half ago! To be continued!

I have this Smiths 7000 rpm Tachometer and am curious if it is correct for a 2000 series Cobra. And if it is, any idea on a value? Any insight appreciated!

I last recall Ford gave the Clay model to a New York artist, "Richard Prince" to do something with it.  After 17 years has anyone heard or seen what has become of it?

Sad news out of Philadelphia.Dr. Fred Simeone the man behind the
museum  www.Simeonefoundation.org has died last night. more information to come on their web site

Come out and meet Camilo Pardo this Saturday and hear him discuss the process of designing the 2005 Ford GT.  Www.Simeonefoundation.org

I am blessed to live so close to the greatest race car museum in the World. today is a celebration of the birth of the Ford GT. 3 original cars, a Lola GT and my 2005 Ford GT are on display

I am beaming with pride as my 24 year old son learned of this car 5 years ago and stayed on the original owner until he finally agreed to part with it today! full story to come! Yo Vinny Liska!

I grew up in Springfield Del. co. Pa. and two Brothers, the Goldschmidt's had several Shelbys and Ford  performance cars. one of them rolled this car on a trip around the block in the early 80's

Today I was at a local car show hosted by the Historical car club of Pennsylvania. it is held twice a year at the Delaware County Community College campus. as I made it to the Mustang Row, I spotted a 1966 GT350 at the end. low and behold, there was Chuck! it was great to see him out and about with his car.

Been in Love with my Quicksilver GT since 2007