1966 Ford Mustang Interior Lighting Details
1967 Shelby GT500E (Eleanor) Resto Mod
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1967 Mustang Shelby GT500E Eleanor Resto Mod
The mere mention of the name GT500E or Eleanor conjures up images of “the ultimately modernized Shelby Mustang”, the movie “Gone in 60 Seconds” & legendary performance & good looks. This GT500E is so much more than most & may very well be the most unique one ever built. It’s the culmination of a 6-year project by a very well known Southeastern US classic & custom car builder whose incredible metal fabrication skills can be seen throughout the car.
Pushing it into the “Most Unique” territory is the hand-crafted, 1-of-a-kind Boss 429 Shotgun engine known as “Boss Frankenstein” (see Mar 06 issue of Hot Rod Magazine). This never-before created engine was custom crafted from a Ford 460 block mated to a set of real Boss 429 cylinder heads. The cylinder heads are rumored to be from one of the engines raced by the legendary David Pearson in 1969-70 & also rumored to have been personally ported by the equally legendary Robert Yates. This very expensive engine produces approximately 500 HP in a very, very conservative state of tune & running a pump-gas-capable 9-to-1 compression ratio.
Inside, on & around the historic, ground-breaking engine are many hand fabricated items & many of the finest components today’s hot rod industry has to offer: The air cleaner assembly is a one-off, custom machined unit you’ll not find anywhere else. Attached to the business side of those aluminum Boss 429 heads are a set of 1-off hand crafted, polished stainless steel exhaust headers that lead into an equally hand crafted, polished quad-tube, stainless steel exhaust system that exits out both sides of the car through custom machined, polished billet aluminum oval tips. This entire exhaust system is a work of polished, stainless steel art. An Edelbrock 750 cfm carburetor feeds the beast while a Mallory Billet distributor & high energy, polished 140 amp alternator provide ignition & juice. Starting it all is a high-torque mini starter that gets power from a master-switch controlled 1000 amp Optima battery located in the trunk. Keeping that precious engine cool is a custom fabricated aluminum radiator with 2 thermostatically controlled electric fans. The front of the powerplant is dominated by a beautifully chromed, very expensive serpentine belt system & polished A/C unit. Custom touches abound in the form of all-braided steel lines & fittings, polished billet hood hinges, a one-off polished Ford logo cooling system cap, custom, chromed, frame-strengthening tubular reinforcement bars & flat fender aprons and firewall. Reservoirs & boosters for the hydraulic clutch/power brake system are custom plumbed & hidden under the dash inside the car.
Backing up the Shotgun engine is a freshly built big-spline Ford Toploader 4-speed transmission paired with a big McLeod 11” clutch with hydraulic throw-out bearing. The driveshaft spins inside a beautiful, custom fabricated driveshaft safety loop that also serves to strengthen the frame of the car. All the power gets transmited to a nearly bulletproof 4.10 geared Ford 9” rear axle with a famous “Detroit Locker” inside. All major driveline items are painted “aluminum” to match the aluminum Boss 429 cylinder heads & intake manifold.
The chassis & suspension of this incredible vehicle are just as impressive as the engine compartment. The frame/chassis of the car was completely re-fabricated by hand with extensive use of box-frame steel, cross bracing & driveshaft enclosure. The welds and joining points all show the hallmarks of a master fabricator. The 9” Ford rear end has been totally modernized with addition of a 4-Link control system, panhard bar, stiffer sway bar and coil over shocks/springs; all of which are chromed/polished. The front suspension received the same treatment with tubular control arms, stiffer sway bar, rack & pinion steering & coil over shocks; also all chromed/polished. Brake & fuel lines run through major chassis rails, producing a “clean” bottom. Fuel flows from a custom fabricated, mirror-polished aluminum 24 gal fuel tank. Keeping the brute under control is a set of 4-wheel disc brakes with slotted rotors & steel-braided brake lines. Wheels are polished/painted Shelby AC Cobra style wheels with 245 45R17 tires front/255 50R17 tires rear.
Inside this rolling work of art is a correct 1967 Shelby “Deluxe” black vinyl, bucket seat configuration. The brushed stainless dash trim will be familiar to anyone who’s ever sat inside a 67 Shelby and the glove box door is appropriately signed by Carroll Shelby. The huge, polished stainless steel nitrous bottle takes center stage and is controlled by an aircraft style “arming” switch & indicator light & a final activation switch atop the custom, white shifter knob. Safety & comfort upgrades inside the car include a Kenwood AM/FM CD player with remote control, stainless/wood Shelby-style steering wheel, a hand-crafted, polished stainless-steel roll bar, modern A/C with hidden vents & controls, a cable-drive wiper motor (also hidden under dash) & custom foot pedals. The trunk is beautifully finished in black carpet & custom black vinyl panels all the way around. It opens on custom made, polished hinges & is accessed by a remote trunk pull.
The exterior bodywork of this Eleanor is incredibly well executed and shows no cracks or stress fractures. Unlike many GT500Es, the joining of all the Eleanor body parts to the rest of the car was done with great care and appears very solid, seamless and durable. High-quality touches like metal mesh grill in the side scoops, billet front grill and hand-polished race-style fuel filler cap mark the exterior of the car.
The historic, very complex, one-off Boss 429 engine alone in this very unique 67 GT500E took a full 5 pages of Hot Rod magazine to describe. Owing to that powerplant & 1000s of hours of meticulous hand fabrication work in this car, it would be no stretch to describe this Eleanor as one of the most unique and valuable GT500Es ever created. This Eleanor is virtually new and has less than 75 miles of total driving time since being finished.
Please call Rich at (703) 398-4988 or (704) 721-0090 if questions.
1967 Mustang Shelby GT500E Eleanor Resto Mod
1967 Mutsang Shelby GT500E Eleanor Resto Mod
1967 Mutsang Shelby GT500E Eleanor Resto Mod
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About Mustang
The Ford Mustang is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company. It was initially based on the second generation North American Ford Falcon, a compact car. Introduced early on April 17, 1964, as a "1964½" model, the 1965 Mustang was the automaker's most successful launch since the Model A. The model is Ford's third oldest nameplate in production and has undergone several transformations to its current fifth generation. The Mustang created the "pony car" class of American automobiles sports car-like coupes with long hoods and short rear decks and gave rise to competitors such as GM's Chevrolet Camaro, AMC's Javelin, and Chrysler's revamped Plymouth Barracuda. It also inspired coupés such as the Toyota Celica and Ford Capri, which were exported to the United States. Ford and several third party companies offered many modified versions of the highly popular Mustang in order to cater to specific portions of the marketplace outside of the mainstream. High performance enthusiasts seek more powerful, sharper handling, sports cars, while collectors and purists seek limited production and alternate or nostalgic styling, such as is commonly found on many commemmorative editions. Still, others were made purely for experimental concepts such as the McLauren M81 (turbo) and SVO, which later influenced production model design. Most variants include both performance upgrades, and unique cosmetic treatments that are typically minimal to maintain the familiar appearance of a stock Mustang. Although most of these Mustang variants were aimed at enthusiasts, a notable exception was the Special Service Package (or SSP), which was designed specifically for law enforcement.
