So last summer a guys comes out to the shop. We start talking cars (of course) and abou the Shelbys my dad used to own. He says he knows where ther's a '68 GT 500 vert in a barn in NE Texas. Yea right! No he says it's for real. He'd been trying to buy it for years. So I told him if he ever got it bought to let me know. About 6 months later he calls and says he thinks the guy is ready to sell but he doesn't have any money. Says if he can get it bought for me he wanted a finders fee. No problem. A couple days later he comes rolling down my road with her on the trailer. Oh yea, life is sweet!
I still have to pinch myself. I've heard these stories for years, but never thought it would happen to me.
Thanks, that was a great story. They are still out there. Good luck with your new car. Maybe will meet you in Dallas some time. Texas Swede
I see they got the smog and the AC compressor. Cool car. Do you know the Shelby number? There can't be too many blue and saddle, auto trans with AC cars. I would guess this one was built in January or early February of 68.
Fortunately they saved all the A/C components. It had headers on it but they kept the original exhaust manifolds. So I got all that with it. I've ordered a Marti Report. Can't wait to see the breakdown. I've had several others say that the blue/saddle with A/C is probably pretty rare. We'll see. I was planning to get her running and polish her out but the antifreeze crystallized in the intake. I pulled it to clean it out and saw that the heads were plugged up with the gunk too. So I figured if I gotta pull the heads to have them boiled out, I might as well go thru the whole engine. And while the tannys out I might as well have it redone also. Then I can't put a shiny new engine in a crappy engine compartment so I might as well strip and repaint that. And while I'm at it I could do the underneath of the car...... So now I am disassembling her for a complete rotissorie resto. Actually got to spend some time on her today since it's Saturday. Unfortunately customer cars come first.
Someone pushed you down the "slippery slope" If you need some advice, I have been told - I am full of it. I can tell you how many blue/saddle convertibles there were. But, it will include all the GT350s and KRs as well. I can guess from there and it will be pretty close. www.thecoralsnake.com
Good call Coralsnake. First week of March. The car is amazing. Absolutely NO rust anywhere. Except for a small spot by the batterey tray. The underneath is straight as can be. No rust and no damage at all. I love it.
Thanks CS. I'm sure I will be asking for plenty of advice. You already helped me with the engine/intake paint question. I know my way around the old GM's, especially the Cadillacs, but I'm pretty green when it comes to the blue oval. So far I'm really impressed with the way things are put together.
Love the trailer hitch. And as TLEa will point out, hubcaps, as they were all built that way. Take notes about any paint dabs, markings and such. Even if you don't put them back on, they are handy for the future.
I agree with Coralsnake. While I appreciate a well restored car and the work that goes into them, at car shows I usually gravitate to the cars that still carry their war wounds. Seeing a car that shows the signs of its life is just more interesting to me, but I realize its a personal taste thing. That being said, it is your car and you should do what works for you. Either way it is a very cool car. Jay
Thanks for all the replies. I agree, they are only original once. I have been restoring cars for years and this is always my advice to potential customers. If I had been able to get the engine running without a rebuild that was my original intent. But since I had to go thru it, and it seemed reasonable to do the tranny at the same time, things started to snowball. The previous owner had hit a deer with the car and damaged the front lower valance, the right headlight bucket, the A/C condensor and the core support. Now I have to remove the front fenders to replace the core support. I also have to replace the front valance. Also the door hinge pins need to be relaced and the doors removed to do it. The paint on the hood is bad because of a cheap fix from the deer incedent. Now that the engine and tranny have been rebuilt I don't see any sense in putting them back together without repainting them. Also since I have to replace and repaint the core support it will look better than the rest of the engine compartment unless I repaint it too. Where do you stop? My wife says I can't do anything half way. I know she's right. At this point I think it's best to go thru the whole restoration, especially since that's what I do for a living. If I had to pay someone to do it I would probably think differently about it. At least in the end it's a '68 Shelby and not just another '57 Chevy, Not to dis the Bel Air's (cause I love them too) but these are not quite as common.
Hmm, I see only 14 Acapulco Blue and saddle Shelby convertibles were built in 1968. That includes the GT350s and GT500KRs. Rare air, very unique car! I would strongly suggest getting a Marti report and checking to see if Kevin Marti laso has the original invoices for the car.
