Articles

Mission: Accomplished

Nelson Cardadeiro

 

Early in the Mustang restoration hobby, a 428 Cobra Jet Mustang convertible was thought to be a mythical creature, like the Loch Ness monster or Sasquatch. Cobra Jet ragtops were believed to exist, although no one had ever seen one.

Jack Brooks attended numerous Mustang shows in the ‘80s, concentrating on his favorite years – 1969 and 1970. Jack thought a 428 ’69 convertible would be the ultimate pony car. His Mustang pals agreed that surely Ford had built a few, but in all their show-going, nobody had an actual sighting.

The Comeback

Tom Shaw

 et al.

 

O.K., here’s the story on my 1968 GT500KR.  

The Repatriate

Tom Shaw

 

It was a crisp, February day in 1966. New York Dock workers at the port glanced at their clipboards, checking the day’s workload. Among the cargo being loaded aboard a ship bound for England was a new, Candyapple Red ’66 Shelby GT350.

The Seeker's Find

Tom Shaw

 

For Bob Dallas, prospecting for cars was a hobby.

“In the mid 1980’s, my wife and I would stop at used car lots, usually on Sunday nights so we would not be bothered by salesmen, and look for unique cars,” recalls Bob.

The Marti Report

Kevin Marti

 

When I was a boy in the 1960’s, the rental car companies were on a real push to get people to rent cars. Like air travel, this was not an activity for the common man (and certainly not for women then). Less than 3% of Americans had ever rented a car. So Avis pushed their campaign, “We Try Harder,” because of their position as the Number 2 rental company, while the marketing guys at Hertz were busy trying to create reasons for more people to rent cars.

GOING GREEN

Tom Shaw

With modern cars taking an average of five to seven days to build on the assembly line, it was a bold statement when Beau Boeckmann, chief designer and president of Galpin Auto Sports (GAS) suggested to Bob Adams, Ford’s SEMA project coordinator, that they build a ’69 Mustang from scratch, in three days. Boeckmann was no stranger to crazy deadlines, having hosted Seasons Five and Six of MTV’s Pimp My Ride, where a team of experts radically customized more than 30 cars during the show’s run.

BOSS NINE BUILD

Ro McGonegal

At the end of 2007, long-time Mountain Motor engine master Jon Kaase decided to take “the plunge and build all-new Boss 429 Ford retrofit heads and related parts. I was betting on the fact that there were other Ford enthusiasts out there who wanted these new parts as badly as I did. Although [the parts] have only been out for a short while, I’m happy to say that they’ve been well received and successful in whatever projects they’ve been used.

The Sad Story of the Suddenly Sticking Solenoid

Tom Shaw

The scenario starts without warning. You spin the key to start your vintage Ford, and just like that, it happens. You release the key, which goes back to the “Run” position just like always, but the starter does not disengage. It stays engaged, as if still trying to start the engine.

WOW FACTOR

Tom Shaw

In the nearly 50 years since the Shelby first burst onto the scene, we’ve had time to admire, digest, fantasize, analyze, restore, and reproduce those legendary early Shelby designs. Maybe we’ve become too familiar with them. Maybe we’re desensitized.