Traction Bars

The cast iron brackets were painted a copper color from TM . The M1 marked bars are black and the reinforced mounting brkt on the unibody was spray painted black after welding to discourage rust.

 

Thanks, looks like they will have to be taken off and repainted. Thanks again

 

Just to add some more details to this discussion, all OE 66 GT350 bars I've ever seen have the "M-1" cast on the very end of the bar, i.e in line with the bar axis. Later replacements and the current TM bars have the "M-1" cast perpendicular to the bar axis.

 

Great info..so in order for my little mind..LOL...if I am laying on the floor looking under the car..should I be able to see the M-1 stamped in the very back of the attachment tube welded on the bar..or do I need to have my face right under the shockplate to see the M-1 stamped on the attachment tube that is welded on the bar...

Jimmy

 

Jimmy, here's what you should see on the bar. Sounds like your first option:

M-1/Bar----------------------Bar/M-1

And NOT:

Bar----------------------Bar
M-1****************M-1

Hope this makes sense, and helps!
Dave

 

ahh..ok..ours are good..just need the right cast brackets that bob just showed us..Hey Tommy your pics came out perfect..our car 1902 has the very same welded brackets with the circle in the base of it like yours welded to our shock plate as well....Hey bob I know you know what we are supposed to have on our car but what do you think about three diffrent cars having the same welded set up? One is wierd..two a coincendence..three something is going on...

Jimmy

 

I can only assume they were replaced , maybe because the cast was more brittle then steel and they broke. I believe TM changed over to the steel bracket in 1968 or 69. The cast units were made up to match the wider 67-70 style lower spring plates before changing over to the steel style . This establishes a point in time after 66 production that the cast brackets were still being manufactured . It is logical to assume that they wouldn't make both styles at the same time let alone on until more then a year later. There are many things that have been changed on the Shelby cars over the years. Jerry look at all of the items that you have been trying to aquire recently that have been replaced on your car over the years . Wheels ,carb, fuel pump to name just a few . I am sure there is more . It is not uncommon for this to happen. It is not uncommon for a owner to personalize ones car or for parts to wear out and get changed . There are many repairs that have had to be done on the cars over the years. There were many 66's that had to have the front traction bar mounts re welded after being ripped off of the frame rail. As a example of another ,I am sure you can find dozens of 67 Shelby's that have traction bars now but it was not a factory option. That was a commonly added performance modifacation by owners. I am sure you can find hundreds and hundreds of 68 Shelby's with ten spokes but it was only a couple of years ago that the evidence had surfaced to indicate only a small fraction of 1% of 1968 Shelby production ever got them from the factory if at all and over 99% came from the factory with hubcaps. The Traction Master traction bars have been available with the improved steel lower spring brackets for almost 40 years longer now then the cast iron brackets that they first came out with. The cast brackets are just seen more seldom because many have been changed or replaced over the years . Just my best rationalization theory for now.

 

S2MS
I have another variation to the bars
Mine have M-1 twice on each end of the bar. Your description has them listed once either top or end.

 

Hi,
I believe this bar with M-1 on the top and bottom are later
replacements from TMC. The originals normally have the
M-1 at each end, i.e. when looking at a mounted bar straight
from behind you see the M-1.
Texas Swede

 

Steve, so in your pic the M-1 is also cast on the same end opposite the M-1 shown and this is the same for both ends? If that's the case I've never seen that style before. Dave

 

Dave Thats correct !!!!! I am stealing your description to show what mine are like.

M-1****************M-1
Bar----------------------Bar
M-1****************M-1

 

Hi there !

New member as of today!
Can´t wait to post !!!

If anybody has pics and/or "drawings" for these angle irons for extra reinforements i´d be very happy to get any help !
And the bracket welded to it.

And if they were located via drawings, or anybody having messurments for body locating of the whole thing.

I have this Mustang-66FB project, wich is going to use the underriders.
I bought new made TM bars.
Would like to attach them to shell, as Shelby did in 1966.
Or anything else i need to do to the shell itself before paint comes on..
(Shelby mods that is..)
It will however take a lot of time before i reach that point thou !
More or less, i am aiming towards a "Shelby -66" but with R parts like apron,side vent covers,wheels,seat etc..
Main thing being the shell, for now and in the near future...
Limited budget !
Any ideas or info/help, would be much appreciated !

Another question:do i need to roll/cut flares etc..if i choose to run with R.set of wheels ?

Hopefully somebody wou´nt fall a sleep reading my posts..


Regards,
Marco

 

Bob

After they cut off the rebound brackets they relocated them and weld them back on. That is how my 65 is .

Mike

 

Marco, welcome. To do the install correctly you need the car completed, on tires with all the weight on it so you can correctly locate where the UNDERRIDE front weld on brackets need to be welded. That is how Shelby did it. This is probably in the install instructions that came with the TM traction bars. It needs to be all bolted on under the spring plate with the front bracket attached to the bar . Swing the bar and weld on bracket up to the uni body . With the weight loaded on the suspension that is the spot to weld it to. Mark it and go for it. After welding them on they covered the bare weld with rattle can semi gloss black spray paint. To do the job right this is one of the last things you do when doing a ground up restoration. If try and short cut it and skip soe steps you will have less then perfect results. It was good enough for Shelby if that helps with your decision. I hope this helps. Bob

 

Thanks Bob !

I did not know!

You´re right, same instructions that came with the bars.
Was wondering, if they did it like that or had a messure or template.
But now i know !
That´s how it has to be !
As being just a "replica", i thought i might be able to skip the rattle can by doing it before paint job !
If i have a fresh rear end, maybe i have to drive around for a while to get it settled ?

Thanks and have a great day!
Regards,
Marco

 

Hi,
Should be a pic underneath with my project car, a few weeks ago on my way home with the newly bought baby ! (ugly, but loved !)
B)

 

Can not do it !
Upload fails all the time ?
Size is within limits...
Need help ! ?
Regards

 

Do you have your photo on a host site ? with an address line.?

 

Hi !
No, all my pics are on PC-HD.
Is a host site the only way ?

 

Not the only way but if you have them posted on a host site the photos can be linked By the address line to the Insert Image icon on the tool bar. If you reply or post a new message look at the icons on the top line of the message box. Scroll over those images and a drop down box will show their uses. The yellow box four from the end will be the icon for insert image. Click on it and another box will ask for the link to your photo. Just copy and paste the address line for your image into that box and it will show up in your responses. Easy once you have done it a few times.!!!