Hello all... I'm a Newbie! I have a VIN question. I've located a car that is said to be a 65-66 Shelby GT350. I wanted to know if anyone could tell me if its real or not? There is a badge on the Driver side also a Shelby production number 2011. It has all the braces & the badges. The motor is mostly complete and looks to be original. Here's what I pulled off the date plate on the door. 63A J25 2GT 71 15 5R00A238806 I wanted to know is there a special code to identify a Shelby from a regular fastback. I want to verify before I buy this car? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Re: Newbie - GT350 The simple answer would be take the Ford Vin off the data tag, verify that it matches the stamped #'s on the front inner fenders. Then take that # and the Shelby #, and email them to Howard Pardee at; 65-66registrar@saac.com to verify that those #'s match. The less simple answer is find someone in your area that truly knows these cars (not a neighbor who's uncle's-cousin's brother in law once owned one) and have them inspect the car for you. Don't worry they won't try to buy it out from under you. I do this frequently for people from all over the country who are looking in cars in my area. I even frequently am very familiar with the cars they are looking at. What concerns me is you don't even seem to know whether it is a 65 or 66 (its a 65 based on VIN) so how do you even know what to look for to determine its value. I'm not trying to be discouraging but unless someone is giving this car away you are about to spend some serious dough and it would be wise to be careful. Tim
Re: Newbie - GT350 Wow! I take that all back, I just looked at the numbers you sent. There was no 2011 in 65 and the Ford VIN would be 09 for body style not 00. I smell fish. Tim
Re: Newbie - GT350 NorcalShelby: First of all, the car has to be a K engine code Mustang before it can be a Shelby. That is the 5th number in the VIN, yours is an A code (289) so the short answer is no it is not a Shelby. But if you are looking for a nice 65 fastback it might be worth it depending on what kind of shape the car is inand what the owner is asking. Good Luck
Re: GT350 Question Hi Shelbys were originally K Code i think. Just post the vin of the car here. Also check the first letter behind the number must be a R because they all where built in San Jose and R stands for SJ Check for the typical Shelby features. Rearend,transmission,... What is the price for the car you`re looking at? Please correct me if i`m wrong Bye Jerry
Re: GT350 Question There should be an aluminum plate pop riveted over the Fomoco Vin, along the left fender rail, under the hood. OK, maybe the plate is missing. Then there should be the 2 holes left over from the pop rivets. Otherwise, as mentioned, must San Jose built, and a K code engine. Contact SAAC, They will tell you if the numbers agree. They will NOT give you the ID number.
Re: GT350 Question I checked the vin & the car was built in San Jose but Instead of a " K " it has an letter A. The car does have two shelby plates one reveted to the fender the other was loose. The one riveted to the fender says Shelby America Michigan plant. I decoded the vin and it seems to have originaly been a 2+2 Fastback. I will post the exact data plate details soon.
Re: GT350 Question An A code is not a good sign! As per earlier advice, take the SFM>>> number on the Shelby American plate on the left fender (underhood) and the FORD Vin # stamped on the fender under this plate and send these numbers to the 65/66 SAAC (Shelby American Automotive Club) Registrar via e-mail. The Ford VIN number should also be stamped on the engine block - I can't remember exactly where. The SFM and Ford VIN # are stamped in a number of other areas as well. This is all in Shelby Registry discussed below. Go to the SAAC web site and you can get the registrar's e-mail. I think it is Howard Pardee. He will confirm that the two numbers match. He won't tell you what the numbers should be just they match or don't. I would also invest in a Shelby Registry which will give you all the identifying features and data for all 65 Shelby's and there should be information on this specific car based on the SFM number. These cars are easily copied so be very careful. If it seems like too good a deal it probably is!
Re: GT350 Question I really appreciated all the help I have received from you all. I don’t want to make a 15k mistake. The current owner isn’t confirming it’s a GT350 but he thinks it is. Here is what I pulled of the data plate. 63A 638 J 25 26T 71 15 5R09A238806 I will follow the steps as your recommended. Thanks again!
Re: GT350 Question If thats the VIN and the Shelby # is 2011 then its definately not real because they only made something like 550 65 Shelbys. Nowhere near 2011
