SAAC Forum

Who would be in for a Buick Skylark?

Quote from: 67 GT350 on April 26, 2022, 10:25:43 AM
We have a 2002 T-Bird and really like it, I put a Borla exhaust on it and it has a very nice 5.0 sound now, but I still wish it was not so much Jaguar.

My wife loves her 04 but it's too little for my liking. There is a lot of latent power in that engine starting with the Cosworth built heads how about adding a blower. Jaguar found that the V8 was an excellent platform for adding the Eaton M112 supercharger with it fitting perfectly in the V of the engine and providing the Effortless Performance the AJ26 aimed to deliver.

The new program was given the designation AJ26 (6+8+12=26).  Following the purchase of Jaguar by Ford, the project was carefully re-evaluated and the decision taken to proceed but only with the V8 version at that time.  This took shape as a Double Over Head Camshaft (DOHC) 90-degree unit of 4.0 litre capacity and in late 1992 the Ford and Jaguar boards had given approval for the unit to be produced.  Ford assigned a dedicated building at their Bridgend plant, in Wales, to manufacture the Jaguar "AJ-V8".
Ford US adopted the AJ-V8 in 3.9-litre form (designated the AJ35) for the 2000 Lincoln LS8 and in 2002 for the new Thunderbird; these engines were given the design code AJ35 and were manufactured in the USA.  When production of the AJ35 ceased in 2006 some 250,000 examples had come off the line. In 2002, for the second generation AJ-V8, capacity was increased to 4.2-litres by increasing the stroke and reducing the diameter of the crankpin journals to maintain the same block height.

Velasquez had become a Shelby parts dealer, and in 1967 he entered into a partnership with Carroll Shelby which resulted in a company called "Shelby de Mexico."
Anybody know the extent of the "partnership"? Did CS have a desk/office and actually participate or are the cars the first of his licensing deals?

a BIG WIN - but somehow I don't think the founders envisioned that FREE SPEECH would cost 44 billion.

https://rumble.com/v11bvzj-definition-of-too-much-car..html

Quote from: tesgt350 on April 25, 2022, 02:45:38 PM
Did Carroll Shelby design Little red and the Green Hornet?

Shelby's designer Pete Brock got the ax after the Coupes won the Manufacturers Championship (65) and CS was told to focus on the GT40s. Ford sent (and paid) their own stylist Charles McHose to work at Shelby American and design the next Shelby cars - Ford had the final signoff not CS. Ford wanted more than just stripes and performance. They wanted people to see the Shelby as a true premium Mustang they would be willing to part with extra money for. Styling was a big part of that image in Ford's eye.
PS - The handwriting was on the wall as soon as Ford gave CS the GT40s he was told not to expend any more energy on the Coupes. In 1965 the Coupes were entered by SA but entirely run and managed by Alan Mann Racing.
SA basically got the ax too in mid 67 when Ford took over all the assets and trademarks. Shelby was offered and accepted a contract to run a race team. This is why you see Shelby Racing, Inc. on the fenders of the 68 TA cars and not Shelby American. "Ford" built/delivered some of the last 67s (believed to be those with the Z on the serial number plate) and created Shelby Automotive to build the 68 and 69 cars - CS was the titular head of Shelby Automotive but really had no input into development or design - very similar to the 2006 GT500 which was entirely finished before marketing figured CS could help gin up the sales.

Interesting the article credits the design to Carroll Shelby when it was Ford designer who did the 67 Shelby. But I guess designed by Charley McHose just doesn't have the cachet of CS. Since it is a 68 car John Chun another Ford stylist could have had a hand in it.

PS: If you come across a red/black GT/CS (CA black plate ZAZ 235) run away from it. My sister bought it new and they fixed it after it got T-boned. Hit at the drivers A pillar the passenger door gap opened up to 1/2"+. They pulled it back but even the drivers AC vent wasn't in the right place anymore. She kept it another 6-8 months and bought a VW Bug.

GT/CS was a dress up sales tool installed on any Mustang. It added zero performance. I still have both sets of fog lights. If I remember the Marchal were illegal and the dealers swapped them to Lucas. My dad asked the dealer if he could have the takeoffs for his camper and they gave them to him. I took the Lucas ones for my car when my sister traded it in.

Water expands when it gets hot. Topping them off will mean some gets expelled when they come up to temp. About 1/2 below the neck is normal fill.

Hopefully history doesn't repeat itself

https://www.motor1.com/news/554519/shelby-gt500-mustang-stolen-factory/

Howard probably has the VINs of the SA cars.
Also track down Gary Underwood he had done a lot of research on TA cars.  http://www.historictransam.com/Drivers/GaryandTerryUnderwood.html

Quote from: NukeGT on April 20, 2022, 03:45:37 PM
At 0:17 of video provides a great reference photo the original post may help. Firestones also look newly installed for the build completion. The Goodyears look perfect for the collection display.

I was just pointing out how wrong Firestones look on a SA product. Some history for the kids. Prior to building the first Cobra at Dean Moon's shop Shelby had rented space there for his new GoodYear race tire distributorship. A problem arose when Firestone and GoodYear discovered their race tires were coming from the same address - Dean Moon had the Firestone distributorship. Bottom line they made Shelby move out. It was that GoodYear contract that kept Shelby afloat through many of his other failed ventures.
And don't forget it was Firestones mounted on cheater 9" rear wheels that cost Mark Donahue a championship in a GT350. The rear springs rubbed through the sidewalls while flexing on the banking. PS - he would not have won anyway CS had a protest ready to go for the "out of spec" wheels.
From everything I've ever seen or read the car left SA unpainted. Of course painted in period makes it sound like it was moments from winning it's first race rather than being a dead project. But without history you need a good story to sell a car.
I think the boldest "as raced" claim is attached to the first Coupe. When CS sold the car to Jim Russell it had a fresh HiPo street long block with all the race parts mounted on it. Russell took the car and had it turned into a show piece with flawless bodywork and fresh paint along with a Tony Nancy interior. He used it to hype his RussKit slot cars and then sold it off to Phil Specter. After 40+ years in un-climate controlled storage - presto as raced patina.

Quote from: NukeGT on April 20, 2022, 01:05:36 PM
https://youtu.be/hPGG_0CO0dE

Driving at Riverside Raceway

Firestones??


Take a look at the pics in Silverton Fords post here - http://www.saacforum.com/index.php?topic=12686.msg106135#msg106135

Pictures should only be from 3 places. AC cars where the chassis was built Radford who built the body and Shelby's LAX facility where after the drivetrain was installed it languished unfinished (sidelined by the GT40 program) until it was sold when SA was liquidated in late 1967. It was gone before the move to Torrance in Nov 67. It was finally finished sometime in the early 80s.
If it ever did any testing those pics would be Willow Springs or Riverside both of which are easy to tell.

Quote from: TA Coupe on April 18, 2022, 01:17:56 AM
I thought AFX cars were straight axle drag cars ?

Generally not until the altered/extended wheelbase and funnycar era.

The FX cars replaced the SS (Super Stock) for factory teams. They didn't have to be "production" and about anything the factory wanted to experiment with was OK. The class didn't really last long. https://www.motortrend.com/features/nhra-factory-experimental-drag-racing/

The A/FX cars were similar to the 67-70 TransAm cars - Factory built/backed weapons of war.

Here is a pretty good article on the Lightweights - https://www.motortrend.com/features/birth-total-performance-icon-427-powered-1963-12-ford-galaxie-lightweight/

Too many things wrong with it. I think the GC engine was a 406. If it was an R Code he'd be bragging about it in his ad.