68 Shelby GT 500 29k orig.miles!

[Chaplin]

I thought all GT 500s were 428s. I guess not.

[Ron61]

mrmustang,

A question if you please. As I stated above I don't know a lot about Mustangs as I have never owned one. But a couple of my friends have 68 GT-500s and they have 428 engines in them. Also, watching the show about the Super Snake, 427 Mustang that they built which was a one off, the Ford engineer that was attached to SAI at the time made a remark that they just took one of the GT-500s, pulled the 428 out of it and then had to completely rebuild the drive train to take the LeMans 427. Also in the same show the man that was the SAI sales rep in L.A. at the time said that a high ranking official from SAI had come to them and asked them to do a survey and see what people would think about having 427s in the GT-500s instead of the boat ancor 428s they were using. As he said, for obvious reasons he wouldn't name the official, but he had Shelby's consent to do this. I knew the KRs used the 428SJC engines, but I haven't seen a 500 with anything but a 428 in it. However I haven't seen a lot of the 500s either.

Ron

[Russ Dickey]

I concur with Ron. If Shelby put a 390 in the GT-500's, then it was done so under the guise that it was a 428 Police Interceptor (which I am sure that some on this forum probably wouldn't put past him - even though Shelby had almost nothing to do with the Shelby Mustangs after '67). My dad had a '68 GT-500, which he bought new, and it came equipped with a 428PI.

Also, Ron, in one of your previous posts you mentioned that folks need to send their VIN's to the SCCA. I think you meant SAAC??

Russ

[Ron61]

Russ,

Thanks for correcting that. I will edit it and make the change. I had my Shelby club magazine laying here at the time and shouldn't try to think and read at the same time. So if I mislead anyone I apologize.

Ron

[mrmustang]

Guys, sorry to burst bubbles, but not all of the GT500's came with the 428PI motor. A quote from the 1997 SAAC registry "A temporary interuption in the flow of 428 engines evidently caused some 1968 GT500's to be built with 390 Cubic inch engines".

Now, while they say that amount is very small, the truth be told that most were delivered with the 390 engine, but badged as 428's. Since the engines are identical on the outside, the world may never know the real truth behind this oddity..........

Sincerely,

Bill S.

[daltondavid]

Well this sure got the keyboards clicking! Mr. Mustang is correct about the installation of some 390 engines due to a shortage of 428 engines. I have never fully investigated when that occurred exactly. I am sure someone out there knows. I would like to know as my car was built on January 5th, 1968 and could possibly fall into that category. I have always been led to believe that all Shelby Mustangs for 1968 started out as "GT mustangs". they were then sent to the conversion plant where they were "Shelbyised", Fiberglass installed, Rims or Hubcaps, Engine installation. Now I am going out on a limb with this one. I believe they were shipped from Ford with 390 engines which were pulled and 428's put in there place. 390 engine then returned to Ford. anyway, That is where the "S" comes from in the VIN. and of course when the 428 CJ engine came along, so did the "R" code. Know if anyone can answer the "when" question concerning the 390 cars that would be helpful.

[Dougster]

That is interesting, this one has a engine code of 405J05...I had thought they were all 428's except for a VERY few 427's.

[Ron61]

daltondavid,

As stated above I am not the Mustang expert at all as I don't know a lot about them. Bill is correct in what the registry states and he certainly knows far more than I do about Mustangs. I have the registry also and have wondered about that statement but I have also learned that not everything in the registry is absolute. The reason that I know for a fact my two friends cars have the 428s in them is they have both pulled the motors and did bore & stroke measurements. Now I know why. I did hear one of them say he had changed the cam in his as his cam had a bad spot. That is kind of like the 428s in the Cobras badged as 427s. The registry states that without physically inspecting every car listed, they can't be 100% sure of what is published. I think that Shelby himself quit building them in 1967 and the 1968 models were built by Ford, but Bill can clarify that. I talked to a man from Reno at the big car show they have here every Spring and he had a 1967 GT-500 which his poster said, "Last year these cars were built by Shelby." He told me that Shelby sold Ford the right to use his name and continue building the Mustangs, but he wouldn't let them build Cobras and call them Shelby's. I believe that Ford did build a few Cobras and called them Autocraft or something like that and I think they had 302 engines. I don't remember this man's name, but he said the numbers on his car stated it was one of the last few that Shelby built. He also won best of class. Bill, can you clarify if everything I have said is wrong or partly right or what please?

Ron

[Russ Dickey]

Damn! I hate it when I don't go check my sources before I post. Thanks for the info Mr. Mustang.

Dad's car didn't feel like a 390.....not that a I would have known the difference.

Russ

[mrmustang]

Actually 1967 is when Ford stepped in to the picture, but did not move production to Dearborn (and the A.O. Smith Company) until the 1968 model year. Shelby still had some say, but not much (just like his partnership with Venture)......As for the cars coming dow the assembly line with 390's, only to have them pulled at a later date, this is incorrect. As each car was built on the main assembly line (sans some outer body work), then brought over to A.O. Smith for finish work and detailing out to "Shelby" Specs..............


Bill S.