Join Shelby Forums Today

how many w code 67gt500s

Discussion in '1965-1970 Shelby Mustang GT350 & GT500' started by 2dragpac500converts, Jul 23, 2009.

  1. 2dragpac500converts

    2dragpac500converts Well-Known Member

    Posts:
    174
    Likes Received:
    1
    Joined:
    Nov 22, 2007
    Location:
    missouri
    Do any of the experts know how many 67 427 gt500 were made. The reason for the question is that i am suposed to look at a 67 gt500 that the owner is claiming it is a w code in the ford vin. I thought there was only 1 made being the super snake and the others being delaer installed.
     
  2. rsimkins

    rsimkins Well-Known Member

    Posts:
    449
    Likes Received:
    7
    Joined:
    Jan 13, 2006
    Location:
    Eastcoast USA
    Even the Super Snake was a dealer installed engine (Mel Burns Ford). I don't think that there was a '67 Shelby built with a W in the Ford VIN. If I'm wrong, I'm sure others will correct me.
     
  3. Coralsnake

    Coralsnake Well-Known Member

    Age:
    60
    Posts:
    1,048
    Likes Received:
    16
    Joined:
    Sep 8, 2004
    Location:
    The Northcoast
    I am pretty sure there were no "W" coded Mustangs. If he has one, it falls into this category:

    Extraordinary claims require Extraordinary evidence.

    Does he have a letter signed and notorized by Henery Ford or Lee Iaacoco ?
     
  4. vernonestes

    vernonestes Well-Known Member

    Posts:
    1,453
    Likes Received:
    3
    Joined:
    Jan 14, 2007
    There were no w code mustangs...wen i was at SAI there were two seperate peope contact the factory claiming to have w codes that needed verification.

    As for original 1967 GT500s with 427 engines, there were three that came from shelby american that way...one was the Supersnake.

    Best,
    Vern
     
  5. Snakepit

    Snakepit Well-Known Member

    Posts:
    843
    Likes Received:
    12
    Joined:
    Jul 3, 2005
    Location:
    Central Calif
    As others have reported - None

    But I have seen a few fakes including a 68 W code - with dash tag and all


    Would expect a 67 to be an R code rather than a W if there were one built. ;)

    And have only seen one Mustang stamped that way :0
     
  6. rsimkins

    rsimkins Well-Known Member

    Posts:
    449
    Likes Received:
    7
    Joined:
    Jan 13, 2006
    Location:
    Eastcoast USA
    But were the engines actually installed at Shelby American? The Supersnake's was installed at Mel Burns Ford. Were the engines for the other two drag cars installed at the factory or somewhere else?
     
  7. thefordshow

    thefordshow Well-Known Member

    Posts:
    158
    Likes Received:
    0
    Joined:
    Jul 28, 2008
    Location:
    Ontario Canada
    Mistakes have been known to happen with stamped vin numbers on the aprons, [heard of a cougar with a "T"= 6 cylinder, that never was made, etc..] but a "W" code with out hard documentation isn't going to fly:whistle:. My understanding was that the "legendary W-code mustang" never did come to be as per Kevin Marti's paper work.:doh:
     
  8. vernonestes

    vernonestes Well-Known Member

    Posts:
    1,453
    Likes Received:
    3
    Joined:
    Jan 14, 2007
    Actually, the supersnake's 427 engine was installed by Shelby American at the LAX factory. It was built under the supervision of Don McCain, or GT350 drag program fame, who was the high performance sales manager or Mel Burns Ford which is the dealership which the Super snake was eventually sold at after being used as a goodyear thunderbolt test car/factory engineering car.

    Further, the other two cars besides the super snake (544) both had their engines installed at Shelby American as per special order..they were #s 289 and 1947.

    Best,
    Vern
     
  9. Cobrafixer

    Cobrafixer Active Member

    Posts:
    36
    Likes Received:
    0
    Joined:
    Dec 13, 2007
    There was a Fastback that was advertised on craigslist locally (Sacramento) as a W code car a buddy was trying to find some info so I told him to call Marti and see what he could find....no such car...I told him to call back and run it with an S instead of the W....then Marti was able to find the car!

    Could have just been a mis stamp, ya never know!
     
  10. patty.dilabio

    patty.dilabio Well-Known Member

    Posts:
    327
    Likes Received:
    5
    Joined:
    Nov 26, 2006
    Hi all on this thread,
    This is one of the first questions that Kevin Marti was able to provide an answer to and it is ZERO.The only W code cars were Cougars and they made approximately 200.They are the G.T.E. and are very rare.From what we know now all 3 G.T. 500's that were converted to 427 engines by Shelby American still survive...the only one restored is #544 the original Super Snake.The cost to install an engine was about $2,000 which in 1967 dollars would have been enough to buy a _________. (you fill in the blank)Realize for about $500 more you could have picked up a 427 sohc engine from your local FoMoCo dealer..why can we not travel back to the 1960's?:whistle:
    Regards P.D.
     
  11. Bob Gaines

    Bob Gaines Well-Known Member

    Posts:
    1,146
    Likes Received:
    37
    Joined:
    Jan 7, 2006
    "Restored' can have a lot of meanings. The other two 67 GT500 427 cars are in the process of being restored. It remains to be seen how well they well be finished out. The 67 GT500 Super Snake was restored 15 plus years ago by someone who was a amateur at restoring Mustangs let alone a significant 67 Shelby prototype. I would consider it a high level street driven standard but it definitely does not have the original look it did when it was converted back when it sold new. It needs to be done correct. Just my opinion. Bob
     
  12. patty.dilabio

    patty.dilabio Well-Known Member

    Posts:
    327
    Likes Received:
    5
    Joined:
    Nov 26, 2006
    Hi again,
    Must agree 100% with Bob on the Restoration word...I think the best pictures ever of #544 are in the Drag Strip magazine,which shows the car as it really began.Somehow people tend to think it is correct or accurate and it would be better described as repainted.Maybe the availability of correct parts will help.Stuff like exhaust systems as an example...
    Regards P.D.:)
     
  13. 427 XR-7

    427 XR-7 Member

    Posts:
    10
    Likes Received:
    0
    Joined:
    Jul 15, 2009
    Location:
    S/E Michigan
    I can chime in here about GT-Es. There were 357 427 cars built in the 68 model year only. It is the only and last 68 Ford passenger car to get the 427. 256 of the cars were 427 XR-7s.....sometimes refered to as 7 -n- 7 cars. The rest of the 427s were standard or Decore Cougars. There were 38 GT-Es built with 428 CJs. Three of those cars (the CJs) were 4 speeds. No GT-E ever had factory installed A/C. 3 cars came with sun roofs. 2 cars were special paint (Calypso Coral) cars.

    The early 427 cars, scheduled for assembly before noon on February 23, 1968 had the very rare C8OE 6090 J 14 bolt CJ heads.
     
  14. 2dragpac500converts

    2dragpac500converts Well-Known Member

    Posts:
    174
    Likes Received:
    1
    Joined:
    Nov 22, 2007
    Location:
    missouri
    You guys verified what i thought. THe reason for the question was i had a call on a 67 gt500 white blue stripes that had a 427 in it from factory.I figured i would ask before i went in case there was something i did not know about. I looked at car last weekend and it had 427 but not orig.
     
  15. roddster

    roddster Well-Known Member

    Age:
    72
    Posts:
    825
    Likes Received:
    3
    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2004
    Location:
    Lansing, the one in Illinois
    I'm going to suggest that, other than the 3 known S/A built 427's the others came from warranteed engines. Imagine listening to the begging the dealer to have a 427 block installed, since, after all, the 428 failed.
     
  16. Bob Gaines

    Bob Gaines Well-Known Member

    Posts:
    1,146
    Likes Received:
    37
    Joined:
    Jan 7, 2006
    Rod, I have yet to come across a "verifiable" dealer installed 427 that was done before the first owner took delivery or one that even had a 427 installed as a result of a warranty upgrade from a failed 428. This is over many years of ether show judging or just out on the hunt during the rest of the year. The closest I ever saw was a SAAC concours entrant that had paperwork of a dealer installed 427 but it was from 1976 and not when the car was new. It didn't count . I'm sure there must be a few out there that fit the criteria but it certainly must be extremely small. It was common for owners to change out to a 427 on their own as the years went by and then add the stories to justify the change.Bob
     
  17. 2+2GT

    2+2GT Well-Known Member

    Posts:
    223
    Likes Received:
    2
    Joined:
    Aug 1, 2009
    Past discussions on the subject suggest that probably not more than 15 dealer-installed 427 cars were sold. As explained above, you could just about buy a whole 'nother car for the money involved.
     
  18. roddster

    roddster Well-Known Member

    Age:
    72
    Posts:
    825
    Likes Received:
    3
    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2004
    Location:
    Lansing, the one in Illinois
    Bob, I was going by my recollection of the ones in the registry. Let's just say "numerous" ones stating "warranteed with a 427 block".
    But, I have too run into one judging. This one was a 427 tunnelport.....yep, dealer warranteed too.
     
  19. Bob Gaines

    Bob Gaines Well-Known Member

    Posts:
    1,146
    Likes Received:
    37
    Joined:
    Jan 7, 2006
    Rod you might keep in mind that some of the information in the registry is stating what a OWNER has reported and not necessarily verifiable facts that the registrar has collected about the car. Repeating a story told to a new owner , Wishful thinking , Trying to justify a non stock status, are just of a few of the motives of a less then factual report to the SAAC registry. I am not saying it didn't happen or couldn't happen just that you have to be careful in separating fact from fiction. A 427 tunnelport warriented for a 428 PI ? Ford sure got the short end of the stick in more ways then one on that transaction . A tunnelport engine would have cost Ford substantially more then a more generic 428 PI engine. The additional labor involved in accommodating some of the problems with a crate tunnelport in a 67 GT500 charged off to Ford would be very substantial like exhaust headers , no vacuum for the power brake booster just to name the majors. The customer sure got lucky that a 428 PI engine which was common place and used continually in police cars couldn't be located at just the right time and that a exotic and limited production engine like a 427 tunnelport was available at the same time. What are the odds? I am sure you inspected the documents for authenticity and didn't let the owner pull the wool over your eyes. Bob
     
  20. patty.dilabio

    patty.dilabio Well-Known Member

    Posts:
    327
    Likes Received:
    5
    Joined:
    Nov 26, 2006
    Hey to all,
    Just another point on 428 PI-427 SO engines.The engine block mount on one side needs to changed or modified because it has slightly different bolt spacing.Many folks wouldn't notice if one bolt was left out..but it is suppose to be there.
    Seems like the price being approximately double would have ended any involvement on Fords part.I think if it happened...the dealer ate the cost difference to keep the customer happy.Just my 2 cents.
    Regards P.D.:whistle:
     

Share This Page