Doin a few mods to my '71

[71 'Stang]

So the car has been threw a few motors and transmissions and rears, a few sets of tires and wheel combos, and a couple of different paint jobs. I figure its time to do something a little more drastic.
I've always been a fan of the look of shelbys as compared to a stock stang, but unfortunetly there was never a 71-73 shelby, especially a non-fastback 71-73.... so im doing a few changes to make it into what the factory may have made if it did make it to production
I plan on changing my taillights to the long '67 style lights, im going to be using 67 cougar lenses and housings in the stock tail panel. I'll be sealing the original taillight cutouts and then create my own brackets and panels to hold in the long thinner lights secure to the panel.
Im going to change the grille around by deleting the inner portion that houses the emblem, then I will mold a pair of fog lights into each corner of the honey comb pattern sunken in 4 inches.
I am also cutting the front fenders and sinking the metal to create the brake style ducts that shelbys have. Alot of metal work to be had there!
And then I will be making the other thing all shelbys have, side scoops. I am definitely making the 1/4 panel scoops, but am unsure if I should also do the upper pillar scoops? input?
I will also be modifying the hood out of necessity due to the height of the new motor combo. Unsure of what stlye scoop to go with, but I know I will not be using the generic Eleanor scoop used in Gone in 60 Seconds. A duck-tail spoiler may also be made, but im not sure on that yet. Ill be doing all the metal work and all the one off pieces myself, pics to come!!!!!

 

[matt07gt]

Make sure that you post up the pix. There is a guy with a 71 mach1 near my house that just lets the car sit on the side of his house and rot!!! I feel like going up to him and asking him if he wants to give me the car. It seems such a waste to see such a nice car just gather dust.

 

[71 'Stang]

Day One, the first 8 hours. "SIDE SCOOPS". I started with a piece of 2x12 foot Owens Corning pink insulation foam that I bought from Home Depot for about $15. The foam is easily cut and shaped, so I decided to use it for making the basis for my 1/4 panel scoops.
First thing I did was bring out a piece of paper to my 1/4 and make a rough line of the shape needed for the base of the scoop. I brought that inside and traced it onto the foam twice, one passenger and one driver. I used a blade from a hacksaw to cut the foam a little larger than needed. Then using a soft sanding block and a piece of 40 grit sandpaper, I began shaping the first scoop. I first got the base to proper size, then began rounding the edges. I decided to not follow the look of any other scoop and to just go from my head for the "blueprints".
After shaping a scoop that I thought looked good, I made the second one the same; using alot of eyeballing and feeling to make sure both were as exact to each other as possible. With that complete, I brought one scoop out to the car to see how it fit and what it looked like. I didn't like it, I felt it was too boxy and it didn't fit the contour of the 1/4.
After another half hour of reshaping, thinning, and contouring, I brought the panel back out to the car and decided it would work. I then made the second scoop the same as the first, or atleast as close as possible.
The next step is to paint a layer of latex paint over the foam. The layer of paint will let me apply resin and fiberglass over the scoops without melting the foam.
More to come soon, heres some pics!

 

[71 'Stang]

I couldnt sleep, so off to the garage I went. I applied 2 coats of latex house paint onto the scoops. The latex barrier will let me apply the resin and fiberglass to the outside of the scoop without fear of it eating away at the foam. Im going to put on one more heavy coat and then let these sit for a week until after I return from vacation.

 

[Wicked One]

Very nice. Way to be creative.


Gonna look great when all done, keep up the great work.

 

[marguerite66]

This sounds like a real exciting project! Can't wait to see how it comes out!

 

[teknik]

OOOooooooo I love this car !!!!!

We need NON-Stop Pics !!!

 

[71 'Stang]

haha, thanks alot guys, its gonna be a long process for me, hope to lay out the glass on the scoops beginning of april, im currently on a week vaca in south carolina, so im letting the latex paint harden up. Figures belmont swap is today and tomorrow, i bet they have some parts I'm looking for!!!! More to come!!!

 

[AdirondackFox08]

Sweet, you're making your own body pieces! Should be really rewarding when it's done. Can't wait to see it done.

 

[deekum1627]

thats awesome nice work man. enjoy ur vaca too

 

[ponyboy289]

Hey,
Interesting ideas on your project. The home made quarter scoops are a cool idea. I know it's too late on this,but did you consider purchasing new/repo scoops for the car and then modifying/installing them? I only ask because of the potential time savings. Aside from that as an FYI. Shelby was involved in overseas projects as well as south of the border , into the early 70's I know for a fact some european 71-72 Shelby Mustangs were produced and I believe there were some 1971 "Shelby De Mexico" Mustangs produced.If you'd like some additional info let me know? I also know somewhere in My Vast (Huge) Mustang Libarary,I have a photo or two of a Prototype 71 Shelby,which I believe was a coupe,Perhaps you could borrow some ideas from these photos? Either way best of luck with the project.

 

[71 'Stang]

ive read about the shelby europa 350s and 500s that were made in 71, only 14 were made, 2 verts and 12 fastbacks, or so ive read. I havn't heard about the mexico ones, so info or pics on those would be real cool. I have a few picutres of concepts for what would have been the shelbys or boss mustangs if they were made, as well as the milano prototype. Any pictures that would help out for reference would be great.
As for the side scoops, I thought about buying the repop peices and modifing them, but after looking at prices and not being able to find a scoop the shape I wanted, I decided to just make my own. A co-worker told me about using the foam and he said it was a fairly simply process, so I figured I'd give it a shot.
The ducktail type spoiler may be challenging, but thats something that I believe I need to make as a one-off. The center piece shouldnt be too bad, but getting the right shape on the quarter extensions may prove to be hard. Time will tell!!!