Question 1966 GT-350 Side Scoop rivets

[Bob Gaines]

Corey- it was thick, about 2 mm or so and clear in color. only attached at the very top. bottom and sides were hanging loose (as seen in pictures). The way you see it in the pictures is the way i saw it when i first removed interior panel. Though it is hard to say- it looked flat but was cut to fit that interior panel.  My guess, when Shelby American was installing duct work- technician pulled it off during installation. 

My wife feels very sad about what happened. We foster old or sick dogs and she had no idea the dogs might damage anything. I've restored and stripped LOTs of 1965-66 mustangs and I've never seen one on a fastback either, i was excited when i saw this one.

The plastic shields are interesting looking but I don't think they were something SA did. I have not seen anything like that on the many I have seen,worked on or heard of others describe. Most likely it was a PO installed fix.Regular fastback Mustang had air vents so the inner vent box came with a drain because it was exposed to rain and needed a way to get rid of water .There should not be a need on a 66 GT350 given the 1/4 windows seal out the elements just like the fixed windshield and back glass. If a quarter glass was not installed properly maybe a fix for a leak that could not be stopped.  Just my opinion . Others may have a different one.

[gt350hr]

  +1. I have (45 year ago) experience with 6S2334 and it didn't have plastic shields when the P.O. took it apart for the first time.

[rraceme]

Thank you for the responses. I'm assuming the moisture plastic barrier cover was installed at the San Jose plant when built, if I implied was installed at S.A. I apologize.  It was only on the passenger side of car but both sides have the glue residue suggesting at one time both sides has moisture barrier installed. I'm no expert, but maybe when the SA tech installed my cars duct hose rather than removing plastic barrier, on the RH side just moved out the way? I will load pictures of glue on surface. It is funny how when I loaded pics of the unique rivet someone saw the moisture barrier. I don't get to read our forum often but it is incredibly entertaining when I do.  Thank you all, fred

[6s1640]

Hi all,

Here is a theory for you.  Is it possible this shield is only on very late GT350's?  There use to be a drain hose on a drip tray for the B-pillar quarter vents.  These drain hoses, late in Mustang production were dropped and possible replaces with this water shield.  The bean counters may have found a cost savings.  These vents could still leak water and needed the shield to help direct water to drain holes.   Now, a very late GT350 that received the rear brake ducting and fittings was performed from outside of the car.  That means the water shield would not have been disturbed or removed during the SAI production.

Earlier GT350's, where the duct pieces were installed from inside the car, it is likely the water shield was not there to begin with, because the standard Mustang fastback would of had the drain tube instead.  The drain tube might have been a delete item at the San Jose plant for cars to be sent to SAI for conversion or SAI removed the drain hose.  It is possible during the transition from drain tube to water shield, a few GT350's with inside duct work had the shield removed at SAI because they were in the way and not longer needed.  But the very late cars, with ducting installed from the outside, these water shields could have remained in place.  Because 6S2227 is very late, I believe this is what we are seeing.

I hear that to "never say never" on these Shelby cars.  It is possible that water shield is there only on very late GT350's and late production Mustang fastbacks.

Cory

[J_Speegle]

The direction of how the duct ends were installed or applied to the body was a production period thing. To the inner or outer surface of the quarter panel. What you found is the practice on later built cars.

https://www.concoursmustang.com/forum/index.php?topic=20351.0

Looking at the running changes thread over there the last time I did a survey I came up with the "Change from inner to outer somewhere between approx 6S2020 and 6S2070"

Hope this helps others

[J_Speegle]

The plastic shields are interesting looking but I don't think they were something SA did. .............................

You will find them on non-Shelby fastbacks also so they IMHO are a Ford thing. Now exactly what production period and plants I've not looked into let though have removed my share from Mustangs over the years

[Bob Gaines]

I thought that the rivet design the OP posted a picture of in #20 and #21 was interesting .

[J_Speegle]

I thought that the rivet design the OP posted a picture of in #20 and #21 was interesting .

Appear to be some sort of short shaft plastic rivets. Wonder if they have been off at some point - the scoops

Side profile of the rivet head is much much thicker than a metal rivet

If they are/were factory there would be more examples (more cars with them)  with the same IMHO

A different angle of them

[Bob Gaines]

I thought that the rivet design the OP posted a picture of in #20 and #21 was interesting .

Appear to be some sort of short shaft plastic rivets. Wonder if they have been off at some point - the scoops

Side profile of the rivet head is much much thicker than a metal rivet

If they are/were factory there would be more examples with the same IMHO

A different angle of them

Sorry I do not have any pictures of or remember seeing that type of rivet on a 66 GT350 before. It certainly is not typical.

[rraceme]

Jeff / Bob,  thank you for your response. Looking at this thread back in Feb 2019 Jeff loaded a couple pics of other cars with same rivet configuration. Also I took pics today of the RH side and is the Same. Though I know I can't be 100 percent on this suggestion, but I've restored or stripped a lot mustangs and my car looks like it was never wrecked. Maybe I'm not clearly understanding your suggestion, but seems if you don't think they are SA original? .

[J_Speegle]

Jeff / Bob,  thank you for your response. Looking at this thread back in Feb 2019 Jeff loaded a couple pics of other cars with same rivet configuration. Also I took pics today of the RH side and is the Same. Though I know I can't be 100 percent on this suggestion, but I've restored or stripped a lot mustangs and my looks like never wrecked.

Could you provide (here or through PM) of that post as I don't recall it. The pictures I posted above were, if I recall correctly, from one of your earlier post. Just different angle

Would not need to be from an major accident. Repaint or replacement of a cracked scoop would be a couple of other reasons to remove and reattach them

Maybe I'm not clearly understanding your suggestion, but seems if you don't think they are SA original? .

Agreed not what was found on original cars that I recall

[Bob Gaines]

Jeff / Bob,  thank you for your response. Looking at this thread back in Feb 2019 Jeff loaded a couple pics of other cars with same rivet configuration. Also I took pics today of the RH side and is the Same. Though I know I can't be 100 percent on this suggestion, but I've restored or stripped a lot mustangs and my looks like never wrecked. Maybe I'm not clearly understanding your suggestion, but seems if you don't think they are SA original? .

I thought that the rivet design the OP posted a picture of in #20 and #21 was interesting .

Appear t]o be some sort of short shaft plastic rivets. Wonder if they have been off at some point - the scoops

Side profile of the rivet head is much much thicker than a metal rivet

If they are/were factory there would be more examples (more cars with them)  with the same IMHO

A different angle of them

From my perspective the rivets look different then typical. Typical is a generic pop rivet installed from the inside with a small flat washer on the outside portion of the rivet  which is what Jeff's pictures show. I concour with Jeff's statement that they  look like the short shaft plastic rivets which is not typical rivet shape. Regardless of if plastic or metal they look different then typical.   

[J_Speegle]

With all that said more than happy to export and invite anyone else with similar attaching hardware on an unrestored late 66 example to share some pictures. Clear pictures are difficult but this sort of discussion sometimes turns up new details. Not very often but does happen often. At the same time that is how we discover and learn new things

[Bob Gaines]

I brought the images from reply 20 and 21 to the top that look different then a generic pop rivet that SA typically used .

[rraceme]

Jeff- I'm not sure how-to re-post the pictures but in this original thread ( on page 1) dated 2\28\ 2019 listed pictures of earlier and later examples of 1966 GT350's side scoops. It was a red scoop and white scoop displaying my same plastic rivet. Maybe it was not your pictures, but someone in this original thread posted those 2 pictures in 2019.

Sorry to continue to further this rivet issue but it is really important for me (and potentially others with later built GT-350s) when i start reassembly. 

thank you, Jeff, for your guidance- Fred