New Owner - Looking for the best Shelby Mustang Restoration Company in the country

I'd recommend Jim Cowles of Shelby Parts and Restoration in Green Bay WI.

 

You will want to call Winston Cabe here in Atlanta, GA (678) 637 6266 - He works on all my (and my clients) Shelby Cobra Mustangs and just got done doing an episode of "over-haulin" with Chip Foose -

He is working on three Shelby Mustangs (including my personal 9,000 miles one owner 1967 GT 500) right now -

Call and speak with as many people as you can - Be sure to ask for references and photos of work-in-progress - Talk with folks who have had work done by the shop you choose

Good luck & enjoy your car!

Stephen

 

Three great leads from three seperate but knowledgeable individuals! I would call all 3 and see who can fit you in to their schedule and also who you feel most comfortable leaving your Baby with !! let us know what direction you end up going. and Pictures Please!!

 

Congrats on the great gift. I live about 30 minutes south of you. If you need anything let me know. I would love to see your car sometime if you plan on having it out at a local show or cruise.

 

Mark Stacey in Murfreesboro, TN also does superior work that always scores well.

 

Can't go wrong with the previous mentions, but you might want to contact Jeff James, he is local for you in St. Charles Mich.
He just did a resto on a friends GT-500 Vert that just took best of show at Mustang Memories in Detroit. The car looked awsome!
Let me know if you want me to put you in contact with him.
BTW; the owner of the GT-500 vert is a member of this site, he may chime in to offer his opinion on the work Jeff does.
Any pictures to share?

 

I would argue AGAINST any "restoration" of ANY nice original car.

A nice original like yours needs to be PRESERVED NOT restored.

With so many fakes out there and resurected body tags (jack up a VIN and transplant a different car under it) seeing a REAL ORIGINAL car is a breath of fresh air

A car is only original once and your car sounds like a gem

PLEASE DO NOT RUIN the nice piece you have, just get it professionally detailed to enhance what is there. NO ONE CARES if your engine is not 100% shiny blue paint, MORE people care if the original paint is there (even with rusty metal) and marvel at the patina associated with such a time piece. WAY too many original cars have been ruined by those that insist on making their 1 in a million nice original into a ho hum (even if 100% restored) restored car.

ANYBODY can restore even a rusty pile into a show winning item, NO ONE can create an ORIGINAL.

PLEASE, consider leaving the car original for future generations to admire.

At ANY show, the original cars will draw spectators 10 times the amount looking at just another restored car.

At any auction a car such as yours will always out sell the same car "restored"

In addition, many organizations now recognize the originals and have separate classes for judging, one of which is the "survivor" class the Corvette people have. AACA, MCA, etc all have classes so nice original cars do not have to compete with resurected from a pile of parts trailer queens.

 

I would have to agree!!!

 

Re: New Owner - Looking for the best Shelby Mustang Restoration Company in the countr

Peter Disher, as mentioned is a 68 Shelby Specialist and owner himself. He can coordinate and restore the car though he has a few in the shop at the moment. He is also a GOLD CARD Shelby Club judge.

E-mail me for his phone number

70boss@sbcglobal.net

Rob

 

Re: New Owner - Looking for the best Shelby Mustang Restoration Company in the countr

What do you intend on doing with the car? Just show, drive once in a while?
I understand your wanting to restore the car but as mentioned above. It will only be original once.

 

again, DO NOT ------ RUIN ------ a decent original, it will NOT increase the value

IF you want some trailer queen so you can show off to people that have no clue about cars, sell it to someone that will appreciate it for what it is and buy another one that was already hammered/rusted/crashed/damaged/blownup/modified, etc and NEEDED to be "restored"

 

William,

Congrats on your new car - it sounds awesome! I'm sure it'll bring some great memories. Second: Does your wife have a sister?

Find out as much as you can about your car now, before you start in on any restoration. I'd track back as many owners as you feasably can, ask questions and listen to the stories. You might be surprised where the car has been and what it's done. If you aren't a Shelby American Automobile Club (SAAC) member yet, I'd highly recommend joining, and if possible, take the car to the national event this summer. Talk with other 500KR owners. Talk to the '68 registrar at the club about your car, they may have a lot of info on it (or maybe not).

Though he didn't restore my car, I've seen Jim Cowles work and it is EXCELLENT. I'd agree the top 3 given here are essentially equal in quality. I'd take it to one of them and have them help you decide if the car needs restoring or just "deep detailing". If able, i'd recommend leaving the car unrestored. There are just precious few 500 KR 'verts out there to begin with, much less unrestored originals.

My father has a 66 Mustang GT 4sp car with 58,000 original miles, never been in a wreck, and lived all it's life garaged on the west coast, zero rust. Though a low milage car for it's year, it is not considered a very low miliage car like yours. It still has it's original paint and interior and it gets LOTS of looks at car shows. Sure it has a few paint chips, but it's all original - shocks and all it's mechanicals. The only thing that has new paint on it is the engine, the rest of the car was just deep detailed (engine was removed, EVERTHING finely cleaned, re-sealed, paint buffed out, etc.) - and you can see the original chalk/paint marks in all their glory.

It's just a thought, and I haven't seen your car, but leaving a car in it's "patina" will atrack lots of looks. In the end, it's your car and if you decide to go with the full on resto, do just like you are planning - cut NO corners, get the best.

Good luck,

Bryan

 

William, You are a very fortunate man. Great gift. Sounds like a great car. I am the owner of the 1968 GT500 Convertible Bish is referring to. This 1968 was restored by Jeff James in St. Charles, Michigan .... and she is flawless. She won Best in Class - Shelby (vs a dozen cars) and Best of Show - Mustang (vs 300+ cars) at the Mustang Memories Show. Jeff is currently working on a KR Convertible for another customer. I am certain he and his partner Paul can help you close the gap on your missing points. Send me a PM and I will be happy enough to forward his contact information. Otherwise, I am a Frankenmuth-ian. If you want to compare notes, please let me know (PM). I have three 1968 Shelbys for reference. Rick (aka Engineer) PS: If you have not yet joined the Motor City Region of SAAC I highly recommend it. If you are on the east side of the state, I recommend the Mustang Club of South Eastern Michigan too.

 

Re: New Owner - Looking for the best Shelby Mustang Restoration Company in the countr

I think those three mentions are top notch, top notch. I am currently having my KR Convert restored by someone one of those three recommended. Happy to share with you if you email me or send me a private message.

Mike

 

Re: New Owner - Looking for the best Shelby Mustang Restoration Company in the countr

William you lucky dog!!! It sounds like you have a great wife and a great car. I agree with the posts above. A lot can be done with an original car that does not require a complete restow. These cars are original only once. That being said I have known Jim Cowles for a long time. I have been to his shop many times, got parts for my Shelby from him and have seen his work. He did one of Carrol's cars. He did the number one Shelby. His work is the best. He is a fair businessman, and his shop is in Green Bay about 100 miles from me so I can go check on your car! Good luck and let us know what you decide.

 

Re: New Owner - Looking for the best Shelby Mustang Restoration Company in the countr

The person I work with on all of my concours restorations is Jeff Yergovich with R+A Motorsports in Lee Summit MO. 816 246 9094. He has helped me take cars in my collection to the highest level of concours restoration. The fact he lives in a suburb of my hometown Kansas City MO doesn't hurt ether . He is a master of paint and bodywork and has taught me a lot in the 26 years of our friendship. I also help in a advisory capacity on his concours type restorations to help with my restoration costs ha ha. I know both Jim Cowles and Pete Disher personally and have only the utmost respect for their knowledge. The work of these 3 are of the highest caliber in 68 Shelby restoration. It sounds like you need someone knowledgeable in the Shelby to evaluate your car as it sets today. A UNRESTORED low mileage car that shows little wear and has a majority of original parts is worth showing and preserving also. The trick is to have someone look at the car to evaluate if it does in fact have a majority of original paint , minimal wear and tear (rust,tears etc.) and a majority of original assemblyline parts. Evaluation of this "whole" picture will help you make a informed decision. I have seen many low mileage cars that unfortunately are so dog eared they need a full restoration. If the car is worth saving (a informed owner decision) in a unrestored condition,there are ways to match the patina of parts that need replaced . Ether way it is only prudent to seek out advice from knowledgeable people in the Shelby world. The best of luck with your new acquisition. Bob

 

Re: New Owner - Looking for the best Shelby Mustang Restoration Company in the countr

William, feel free to email me or call me anytime. I think you are getting some good advice. The first step is to decide what you want to do. If you want the very best find someone with shelby club experience. I think you will find my website helpful.


Www.thecoralsnake.com

 

Re: New Owner - Looking for the best Shelby Mustang Restoration Company in the countr

Whoa, this a two year old thread. By now maybe the car is done.