1967 Shelby - Help needed !!!!

What a can of worms

The VIN is just the start. IF you get a VIN you could first check a copy of the registry to start the information search - though the information there is old. Next contacting Dave Mathews (guy that has been in charge of keeping track of this stuff for decades) will get you the most current information on the VIN but will not tell you if the car that your looking at - is that car.

You could be looking at a rebody (VINs and sometimes original parts) swapped from a real Shelby to another body or a fake. Inspecting a car to help determine if its one of the above can take 3-4 hours for someone that knows what they are doing. Of course there are some things that will quickly yell NO WAY to many of us - but if it's a good fake its going to take some time.

Add to this the inspection for prior damage, accident or rust repair as well as how complete (original Shelby parts) the car is. All of this helps answer the big question "do I want to get involved", "am I interested in buying" or "how quick can I get sway from this mess"


Sorry no short answer, book or magic spell that will make it easier. But hope this helps a little

 

I know a guy in Chicago who could go verify and appraise all those cars for you. He primarily restores Shleby's but knows a lot about everything. At least a set of trained eyes. The legal stuff is something you need to figure out. The cars I would get someone to tel you real, fake, not worth it et.. Happy to pass on the contact information to you.

Mike

 

The Indiana SAAC would be a great source to verify any history or to inspect the 1967 Shelby. I would suggest you check with them for information.

 

This raises a interesting question. How many 1967 Shelby's are currently reported as stolen? Any idea? Which numbers? Does anyone track this?

 

Great advice for the Shelby. How about calling the local or State Police and having them send an officer over to check VINs of all the cars? Show up with an Indiana State Police Officer and you will know what's legit real fast. They can check those VINs from their cruiser.

 

Also, don't let him go there alone!
Just some friendly advise. Deals that looks to good to be true, usually are.
Texas Swede

 

NCIC is a national database. If a car is stolen it should have been entered into the database. Inquiries can also be made to each individual state to find the current registered owner. That can only be done by law enforcement and law enforcement related people. That's what they do when they pull you over for being a jack@$$.

I have heard that people have found the whereabouts of special cars using this database. The problem is if you ping the car and it comes back hot, expect a call from someone inquiring why you were asking about the vehicle. Then, as they say, you might have some splayin' to do.

 

NCIC purges older stolen car data after a certain period. So if it was stolen long ago it may not show up. Also know that back in the 70's a rough Shelby would be bought legit, the tag removed and a nice Shelby stolen and the rough cars legit tag would go on the nice stolen car. (two rivet restoration) So its critical you have saac confirm the Ford Number matches the Shelby number, before you buy. These cars are still showing up. If the Shelby number is missing from passenger side outboard of shock tower you have a lot of investigating to do, as would the next buyer.

 

Be very careful. As mentioned, the title Vin better match the car's vin. Plus, car theft was very popular back in the 70's/80's. As mentioned, that Shelby vin has a Fomoco vin under it that better match SAAC's records. And, I do know a person whos 67 GT 350 was stolen, never recovered. And he never settled. He'd love for that Shelby to show up.

 

Having the Ford number checked against the Shelby VIN is important but remember this does not guarantee the car is a Shelby or that the Ford or Shelby numbers belong on that car.

Been involved with a few cars where the owner had a letter from SAAC stating that the Ford number matched the Shelby one and the car was not an original Shelby. Not SAAC's fault they never saw the car and their letters were worded to reflect that fact.

Checking the number is only one step in the process