Research makes this car pure Gold
Also known as Project "Midas"
The rare and unusual are common place on this website. I really enjoy talking to the owners and telling
their car stories. If you saw this car it might appear to be just another early GT500 convertible.
The car shown here is the first 1968 convertible sent to Shelby
for modification and a car used by the factory to test various unique parts.
This Shelby was one of the first four cars completed and sent to the Engineering department in October of 1967.
That is a full month before regular production started.
Chuck got the GT500 from his father-in-law. His father-in-law was cleaning out the garage. Chuck had his choice of a rare, vintage Corvette or
the Shelby. Chuck chose the Shelby. Awesome job, Chuck.
The serial number 8T03S110576-00056 was familiar to me. Chuck had already chatted with the
Shelby Automobile Club and several other people about his car. He knew quite a bit about his
GT500 and I helped him uncover a little more. Remarkably, several "well known" Mustang restoration shops had seen the car.
One person suggested the car was a clone. One shop passed on a chance to buy
the car a bargain price.
So, why were more than a few people confused about the car? It may have to do with the very
early FORD serial number (8T03S110576). Maybe it was the
confusing engine codes. The car has three different engine codes.
The consecutive unit number portion of the serial numbers all match. Was it a "S" code, a "Q" code or
something else?
The first thing you notice when looking at the build tag is the early date code "31H"
( August 31, 1967 ). That predates most early 1968 Shelbys by nearly three months.
The next thing you might notice is the "Q" engine code. "Q" code cars are 428 cars.
This is the only example of a 1968 "Q" engine code that I have seen.
Almost all 1968 Shelbys used the code "S" to denote the 428 engines. A little odd,
but certainly within reason.
Shelby should have stuck with the "Q" code.
The "S" coded 428 engines found on GT500s were creating confusion.
Dealers were confusing the "S" code 428s with "S" coded 390 Mustangs. Shelby had to
send out a special letter to dealers to clarify the issue.
Other than the confusing engine codes, the car has some non-standard features.
It currently has several 1967, 1968 and 1969 parts on it. Chuck is carefully
researching every part trying to determine its true origin.
The dash emblem looks unique. It is has a red background. "Cobra Jet" emblems
did not appear until months after this car was originally built. Normally the background is black. Could it be original ?
The sill plate emblems are the 1966 style and likely original to the car.
They still say "Los Angeles, California". The car was built in New Jersey and converted to Shelby specs
in Michigan, like the other 1968s.
This interior panel had several handwritten notations on it. It even included the name of the first owner.
The Shelby Club helped greatly with the documentation of this car. One document shows the car was at the plant as late as January of 1969.
That is several months after the 1969 models were started. Chuck was also able to find the first owner after the car left the factory.
The first guy to own the car worked at a nearby shop that did work for all the
car companies. They mainly built show cars. When it came time to sell, someone from Shelby
offered it to him.
He related he
wasn't partial to the hubcaps, so they encouraged the sale by throwing in a set of 1969
Shelby wheels. Most cars were sold through franchise dealerships and not out the "back door".
It may have had something to do with the unique status surrounding this car.
From a distance it looks quite like any other 1968 Shelby convertible.
But the devil is in the details and in Chuck's case, the devil is in the paperwork.
If you pull out the 1997 Shelby World Registry you find some more interesting
notes about # 56. Like the fact it was a car used to test special parts. It was used to test a factory installed
428 Cobra Jet engine with a supercharger.
At one time, the car had a traction lok rear end and fuel
injection. The Registry describes the car as "bronze". The
first owner recalled the car was originally gold.
The Marti Report confirms the car was owned by Shelby Engineering and was the first 1968 GT500 convertible built.
Chuck is going to restore the car to it's former glory. He has a good head start,
because many hard to find items are still on the car. The engineering department likely returned the car to production
specs before the car was sold. Chuck is considering a 428 CJ
with a supercharger to power the convertible. That combined with the original, factory, aluminum GT500 intake, might make this the
baddest GT500 ever built.
If you run across one of the fastbacks listed below or see any original photos of these four, gold cars please email me.
PROJECT MIDAS
Every project needs a code name. When Chuck asked me to restore his GT500, the answer was "absolutely". Together we worked out
a schedule and a plan.
After much discussion, we determined the only part of the original engine Chuck has left is the aluminum intake manifold.
Chuck asked for a little advice at this point. My thought process went like this, the original motor is gone. Most likely it will not turn up.
This special GT500 recieved a 428 Cobra Jet engine at the factory. This is documented. I suggest we reinstall a 428 CJ and build the
car to it's original engineering specifications. Oh yeah, the car also had a supercharger. So, a plain wrapper and a kick-@$$ engine. The most unique
1968 Shelby ever built was ready for a restoration.
Chuck wanted to know how long it would take to round up the parts. My answer was simple, "...it could take a very long time to round up a date coded
1968 428 Cobra Jet engine assembly. I guess Chuck wanted to prove me wrong. He came up with a date coded block (actually two) in less than a week!
Together we discussed all the considerations for this project. Here is a just a partial listing.
> Find a date coded 1968 428 Cobra Jet engine assembly
> Keep the engine true to 1968 specifications, complete with Thermactor emmissions (smog)
> Try to find pictures of a big block Paxton setup, enlist needed help, check feasability
> Work out a pulley arrangement for the add-on supercharger
> Work out vacuum and choke diagrams
> Come up with a useable PCV system
That doesn't seem to difficult, now does it? Put a blower on a Cobra Jet and keep it true to 1968 specs. Ha!
In the next update I will discuss how we are going to solve some of these issues.
Update 7/4/08:
Some good progress has been made on the car. I have been busy documenting the odd features
and trying to determine what is factory correct. It is a good thing that I have a working
knowledge of 1968 Shelbys.
Chuck, the owner found enough engine castings to build a date coded 1968 Cobra Jet engine.
We had some wiggle room in this area, because the car was born with a 428 Police Interceptor.
That motor was later replaced at the factory with a 428 Cobra Jet. Every 428 CJ I have seen
was equipped with Thermactor emissions (smog). So, I collected all the necessary pieces to
reinstall the system. It was determined that the driver’s side smog tube would have to be
slightly modified to accommodate the supercharger.
The next step was to find some photographs of a vintage big block supercharger.
I quickly found out, the Paxton system was really built for small blocks.
I was able to find some contemporary versions that were fabricated by various
talented restorers. I did find a few vintage pictures of a dual supercharged
Cobra, but it was later determined the brackets were not original to the car.
This of course, means a supercharger bracket would have to be fabricated.
I wonder if the factory did take pictures of their supercharged, big blocks ?
My desire was to keep the supercharger system as original as possible.
I wanted the supercharger mounted on the driver’s side. I also wanted to
use the Paxton air plenum to completely enclose the carburetor. I wasn’t
even sure if that was possible. The physical dimensions of the large motor
created some unique challenges. After several versions of the supercharger
mounting bracket were throw on the scrap pile, I came up with a good compromise.
The bracket would also provide support for the power steering pump.
Test fitting the Paxton in # 1701
I did a test fit and found the aluminum GT500 intake manifold is slightly
shorter than the 428 CJ manifold. This provided additional clearance for the air box.
Actually, I estimated there was at least 5 inches of hood clearance !
Surprisingly, the air box was smaller than a stock Cobra Jet intake manifold
with an air cleaner. Because the supercharger is mounted in the same place
as an air conditioning compressor, there were no clearance issues.
The original washer bottle would have to be relocated, removed or replaced.
I re-routed the engine drive belts to accommodate the supercharger. The
belt system is similar to the air conditioning configuration used in 1968.
The supercharger air box does not use a warm air choke. The solution to this
was to use the 1967 Shelby big block choke tube setup. Just my luck,
the filter used by the 1967 GT500 was super rare. Most of the vacuum fittings
remain intact. I did use a system similar to that used on the 1965 Shelby
by eliminating the PCV tube. I continue to examine the vacuum hose setup.
The first GT350 Convertible built: 8T03J110577-00301, a gold and black, 4spd.
The first GT350 Fastback built: 8T02J110578-00339, a gold and black, automatic.
The first GT500 Fastback built: 8T03J110575-00041, a gold and black, Automatic.
The first GT500 Convertible built: 8T03S110576-00056, a gold and black, automatic.
