1965 License Plate Frame

Welcome.
Try Branda or the other distributors - I know that there are a lot of Carrol Shelby & GT 350/ 500 frames out there.

Post some pix of your car.

Mike
SFM 5 017

 

Steve
I see in the registry you paid $350.00 for the car SWEEEEEEEEET !!!!!!!!
You are going to pay more for the frame than the CAR !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy hunting
Dominic

 

I haven't seen the hi-po motors frame. As a matter of fact, dealer stuff is kind of rare. Want to see your close friend- 5S337 ? Check it out at www.thecoralsnake.com/History8

 

About 2-3 years ago I placed an ad in SAAC's Snakebite Bulletin for the aluminum casting machine in order to make these. I got no replies. I also could not find who even makes the machine. So, while you can find Carroll Shelby Motors cast frames everywhere, what would be wrong to take special orders...and charge accordingly?

Not only would HPM be a good one to do, how about Tasca Ford, Mr Norm's etc.
Seems the ones the folks what to do is print on plastic. These people are appearantly not car guys. If I'm looking for die-cast frame, THAT is what I want. How hard could that be?

Now, how much would you pay for a set?

 

It could cost a fortune. Right now im into old Corvettes (aka future down payment for my vintage Shelby) and I have seen a single license plate frame go for 700.00. This frame is from Harry Mann (no joke) Chevrolet who was the biggest dealer on the west coast.

A lot of people want these frames. The later style ones (mid 60s to early 70s) are really nice in the fact that they actually say "Corvette" on the top and have the dealer name on the bottom. The earlier frames with just the Harry Mann script go for less.

I have one on my Vette and at a show last year the participant next to me commented on the frame and how he had been looking for an early one for 3 years. He was a really nice guy and you should have seen the look on his face when I told him I had some nos ones. I sold it to him for 300 which was a steal. Ive offered people 500 for the later styles and was turned down. Good luck with your hunt and if you see it I would strongly recommend grabbing it before someone beats you to it.

 

I've also wondered about repops of the HP Motors license plate frames, but have to admit I've never seen one so I do not know what it would take to have it re-done. Does anyone have a picture of one?
Jay

 

My 65 GT350 was sold new at Galpin Ford and they are still around. I called them and they had a few cast License Plate Frames sitting around and they sent them to me . I know they are not as rare as HPM frames but it is nice to have them to show with the car.

 

I was under the impression that High Performance Motors didn't sell new cars, only used ones since they were not a Ford dealership?
My car was originally sold by Heyward Motors in Heyward California, who was a Shelby dealer. I called them and they sent me a pair of new license plate frames. The sales manager I talked to said the new ones, cast aluminum, are identical to the old frames. Never having seen a set of old ones, I don't know.

 

This is off topic of the thread, but I 'm curious about 5S339's antenae placement. I'm no where near the expert on '65's that many of the gentlemen on this forum are, but I've never seen a driver's side antenae (or one located that far forward). I know there were a lot of deviations at Shelby American, but this seems like something that would have always been in the same place. Do you know if that was added at a later date, and if so, is the original location atop the passenger quarter panel still occupied by another antenae?

Or am I seeing something completely different in the picture? Just curious. Always anxious to learn more about the '65's.

Thanks,
Josh

 

I over looked that in the pic until I just blew it up to full screen.
I have never seen one there. Registry shows the car is not a radio-delete car, maybe Steve can shed some light on this?

Mike

 

The cars that came with a radio from the factory were supposed to have the antenna installed in the same place on the passenger side front fender. I am positive the assembly line workers had a template to make punching the antenna hole fast and easy. There was even a paper template supplied with Ford mustang radio kits if one was installed after the fact .The paper template located the antenna in the same location that the engineering drawings direct. Not to say it is not in the realm of possibility that it couldn't have deviated from the engineered drawings but it would be highly unlikely. Because of AM radio reception drawbacks on fiberglass hood GT350's sometimes dealer installed radio antenna were installed on the rear quarter so that engine ignition noise would be minimized because of distance from the antenna. Other then that if a after market radio of the day was installed with no Ford supplied antenna template I guess a service tech could install the antenna were ever he felt it looked right.

 

Thanks Bob!

All this time I thought that Shelby located the antenna's on top of the passenger quarter panel (because of the hood issue you mentioned). I never knew the cars that left the factory with an antenna had it in the same place as the stock Mustangs. There must have been a lot of dealer installed ones, though, because I've seen more than one car with them back on the quarter and lots of pictures of them back there.

The following is from www.1965gt350mustang.com:
So what was it like to purchase a 1965 GT350 brand new? Ask Keith Krause who bought 5S266 through Brondes Motor Sales Inc. in Toledo, Ohio in 1965. As can be seen in the photo, the car had no Le Mans stripes, but it did carry a rear mounted radio antenna and a set of the optional Cragar mags.

Does that mean the rear mounted antenna was dealer installed, or was there a period of time when Shelby put them back there, possibly after interference complaints from early customers?

Thanks,
Josh

 

Due to thief, breakage and vandalism cars were typically shipped (remember they were shipped in open flat cars not like the sealed units used today) with hubcaps in the trunk and with no exterior mirrors (unless they were remote ones) or antennas.

Because of this you can find allot of different exterior mirrors on early Mustangs as dealers often upsold more expensive mirrors to buyers once the cars arrived at the dealerships.

 

Back in the day a Ford dealer could install a radio for less money then the factory charged so to answer your question a lot of cars were ordered with out radios and dealers put them in. Also the issue with the antenna in the back on a Shelby was not a factory installed location until early 1968 but you did see dealers installing antenna in the rear in 65,66 and 67 although that was not the factory engineered location. The rear antenna location was the exception and not the rule for those year Shelby.

 

The antenna on my '67 was installed on the right rear quarter. No evidence of it ever being on the original right front fender. My friends '67 G.T.500 just three VINs away (both Ford and Shelby FWIW) has it installed on the right front fender. Different dealers.

 

I love this site! Bob, do the concours judges dock points for things that would have been dealer installed but in such a manner that would be at variance with the factory original location? Or if it's a dealer installation, is it still considered original? I guess my question is; would you knock someone for having an antenna mounted on the rear quarter, even though it was a common dealer installed location?

I hope I'm not rehashing any old threads... it's just got me very curious.

Thanks,
Josh