1967 GT350 B/FX racer found in Chicago.

[Thomas]

Hello all.
I recently located and purchased a 1967 GT350 which was modified into a B/FX straight front axle drag racer sometime around late 1968 or early 1969. I'm currently looking for any history that I can find on the car.

Supposedly the car was parked in 69 or 70 and has been sitting since. The original color is White  and the car had blue stripes. The car shows traces of a cheap silver repaint at some point and was stripped of most of its Shelby parts. After that someone painted the car flat black with a paint brush. I've been slowly wiping the painted layers away with lacquer thinner to reveal the original white paint with blue stripes and acquiring a few OEM replacement parts for the body.

The modifications to the car were extreme as you can see in the pictures. The original engine, front apron, clip and doors are gone and replaced with a square tube frame and fiberglass components, thus leaving the car with no visible VIN to help identify itself...Unfortunately the previous owner was a hoarder of sorts and had passed away by the time I found the car so the history is non-existent at this point. I've located many of the body sheet metal stamp dates which are all seem to fall in mid Feb/67.

If there is anyone from the Chicago area who has any information or remembers seeing a straight axle Shelby racing at the old US030 dragway, please get ahold of me or post here.

I'll attach a couple pictures of the car to this post.

[JD]

Suggest you start by contacting the SAAC '67 Registrar Dave Mathews:
dmathews"at" prodigy.net

Great find, thanks for posting some images!!

Do you know the name(s) of any previous owners?

[Thomas]

I've been in contact with Dave M. and also with Randy Delisio. They have both been extremely helpful and provided a great deal of assistance in trying to verify if the car is a true early Shelby. While both believe that its a Shelby, we just don't know which one it is at this point. As I mentioned prior, the previous owner had unexpectedly passed away and any names or history have been lost. The car was purchased from the legal rep of the estate last October.

[Side-Oilers]

Yes, great find.   Not sure I would've wanted to drive/race it back in the day, given the placement/angle of the steering wheel.

What are your plans for the car?

[JD]

I've been in contact with Dave M. and also with Randy Delisio. They have both been extremely helpful and provided a great deal of assistance in verifying that the car is a true early Shelby. As I mentioned prior, the previous owner had unexpectedly passed away and any names or history have been lost. I purchased the car from the legal rep of the estate.

Good - can you say the Shelby VIN number?

Yes, great find.   Not sure I would've wanted to drive/race it back in the day, given the placement/angle of the steering wheel.

What are your plans for the car?

^^^ yes to both

[Thomas]

Honestly, I'm not sure what to do with it. On one hand I know its a very unique race car with all period correct components and it should be restored by someone who really knows these cars inside and out. On the other hand, I'd really enjoy trying to get this monster in working order to attend a few shows with it. Most likely I will continue to collect the correct parts to save the car while trying to find a good home for it.

As of now I don't have the Shelby tag number. Still following up a few more leads to try and figure what it is.

[557]

Cool car!!! That being said,if the Ford/Shelby serial #s are gone for all practical purposes (representation,sale,etc.) what you have is essentially a modified mustang..Hate to burst your bubble but that's how we keep the "breed" strong.Be very careful how you represent the car Especially for registration purposes.You could easily run into legal woes...Good luck!!!

[Thomas]

Cool car!!! That being said,if the Ford/Shelby serial #s are gone for all practical purposes (representation,sale,etc.) what you have is essentially a modified mustang..Hate to burst your bubble but that’s how we keep the “breed” strong.Be very careful how you represent the car Especially for registration purposes.You could easily run into legal woes...Good luck!!!

I agree to a point. The good part is that when you're dealing with Shelby there are several unique tell tale signs that help to verify the authenticity of the origin. I've had it reviewed and verified by the best experts that I could find.  I was amazed at the individual unique differences that they were able to identify. I'm confident that if it were to sell to an educated Shelby enthusiast, he would know exactly what he has.

As of now I'm just starting my search & hoping for the best. Maybe someone will recognize the car and provide some information.

[BGlover67]

Good luck with this.  Might not be an easy car to verify.  I'm assuming the original fender aprons are long gone?  No scrap pieces?  They look like they've been removed for the flip top. That means the original Ford Vin's are gone.

I ran into a recent situation with a 1965 GT350 here in North Carolina.  A gentleman has a car he claims is an original SHELBY, but it has a flip front end like this.  Vin plate long gone, along with original drivetrain. According to  Howard, he's out of luck on that one. 

[Bob Gaines]

I've been in contact with Dave M. and also with Randy Delisio. They have both been extremely helpful and provided a great deal of assistance in verifying that the car is a true early Shelby. As I mentioned prior, the previous owner had unexpectedly passed away and any names or history have been lost. I purchased the car from the legal rep of the estate.

I would also be careful on implying that Dave Mathews has verified the car as a Shelby, as in "provided a great deal of assistance in verifying that the car is a true early Shelby."   You can understand how easily that could be misinterpreted by a casual reader as confirmation of some sort or another. Without the Ford VIN and without the Shelby VIN all you have is a modified Mustang with a interesting however unsubstantiated history as a possible Shelby. Unfortunately I dare say that there are more stories like that floating around then there were cars produced in 67 at Shelby.

[Thomas]

Good point. Until the VIN or the Shelby tag is located, only an expert would truly know what it is.

I've modified the wording to better represent the status. I would definitely never want to mislead anyone nor misrepresent the car.

[tesgt350]

Good point. Until the VIN or the Shelby tag is located, only an expert would truly know what it is.

I've modified the wording to better represent the status. I would definitely never want to mislead anyone nor misrepresent the car.

There is supposed to be a "Hidden VIN#" on the Car that only Law Enforcement knows of the locations so you might start with you local Law Enforcements Auto Theft Division to see if they can help.  I remember a TV show where 3 Teams were given Money (I think $5,000) and they were taken to a Auto Salvage Yard.  They have to buy a Vehicle, fix it up and then sell it.  The team with the most profit wins.  on one Show, a Team bought a decent White 66 Mustang Coupe with a 6 Cyl.  One member had a weird feeling about the car and decided to call the Local Law Enforcement.  They showed up and made everyone leave the Shop, including the Camera People so they can find the Hidden VIN#.  After about 30 Minutes they walked out and told them the bad news.  The Car was reported Stolen a while back and they had to take it.  Needless to say, that team LOST.

[gt350hr]

    A couple of observations from my easy chair here in California. First , B/FX did NOT allow flip front ends AND original factory inner fender wells HAD to be intact. Aluminum interiors were not allowed in A, B or C initially and then only S/FX , the altered wheelbase and tube chassis cars.  So , with all respect to Randy Delisio, "I" believe this car was run in C or D/Gas class back then depending on cubic inches. There was a former football player named Ralph Head that ran a similar looking '66 fast back in MI   I don't know if there is a connection or if he is still alive. Local track rules VS real NHRA rules could have allowed it to run in B/FX but it's a stretch. "I" would look for clues on the engine / transmission / chassis mods as to who may have been involved there. Certain shops had their own unique ways of doing things. Many well known "local" cars never got any recognition outside of their area . That makes it tougher to document. Posting the name of the hoarder might get you some help.
    Randy

[Thomas]

The car actually has "F/FX" written on the inside of the lexan windshield and the engine is set back quite a bit in the chassis. Is it possible that F/FX was the correct class?

As far as Randy, He didn't specify anything about the race class of the car. He just helped me to identify the unique Shelby aspects of the car.

[Bob Gaines]

Good point. Until the VIN or the Shelby tag is located, only an expert would truly know what it is.

I've modified the wording to better represent the status. I would definitely never want to mislead anyone nor misrepresent the car.

There is supposed to be a "Hidden VIN#" on the Car that only Law Enforcement knows of the locations so you might start with you local Law Enforcements Auto Theft Division to see if they can help.  I remember a TV show where 3 Teams were given Money (I think $5,000) and they were taken to a Auto Salvage Yard.  They have to buy a Vehicle, fix it up and then sell it.  The team with the most profit wins.  on one Show, a Team bought a decent White 66 Mustang Coupe with a 6 Cyl.  One member had a weird feeling about the car and decided to call the Local Law Enforcement.  They showed up and made everyone leave the Shop, including the Camera People so they can find the Hidden VIN#.  After about 30 Minutes they walked out and told them the bad news.  The Car was reported Stolen a while back and they had to take it.  Needless to say, that team LOST.

FYI the hidden VIN numbers are common knowledge now days and covered in places like the SAAC Registry. In this case the front aprons needed to be intact for the information to be found.Original engine and transmission can be but not always be a source for the information. Unfortunately that is not helpful in this situation.