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WOW! Sitting and rotting Mustang Cobra GT500


keiser31

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Seems to be a 1968....not a 1967. The 1967 had no side marker lights. What a shame to see this car sitting here....http://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/classic-cars/wow-1967-shelby-gt500-left-for-dead/ar-AAgAktj?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=SK2CDHP#image=AAgAEGH|16

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Edited by keiser31 (see edit history)
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The attached article explains the side markers.  The dealer modified a 67 to 68 specs to be the have an early showroom.  That begs the question if someone ever restores it.  Should the updates remain or should they be removed?

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When I lived in upstate Washington there was a 1965 Corvette roadster in similar condition parked in a fellows yard. He refused to sell with the old "I'll restore it one day". I watched it disintegrate for more than 20 years. I think they call it demolition through neglect. For all I know, it's still sitting there today.

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The attached article explains the side markers.  The dealer modified a 67 to 68 specs to be the have an early showroom.  That begs the question if someone ever restores it.  Should the updates remain or should they be removed?

I guess I needed to read further....

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The attached article explains the side markers.  The dealer modified a 67 to 68 specs to be the have an early showroom.  That begs the question if someone ever restores it.  Should the updates remain or should they be removed?

Or, should it be restored to race trim, which appears to be its "68" configuration?  Bizarre story.  A lot of the Shelby unique stuff appears to be missing, so you'd need to be finding 67 or 68 pieces either way to restore it...there are a lot of differences 67 to 68, not just fiberglass and sheet metal, not to mention "dates".

Edited by GT52 (see edit history)
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I can hear the owner now, "no, it's not for sale, I'm gonna restore that car someday". Ten years from now the shrubs will be a tree and it still won't be for sale. I always wondered why some people just won't let go and come to the reality that they are never going to do anything with their cars. I would be very concerned with the roof vents letting years of rain into the quarter panel.

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I always wondered why some people just won't let go and come to the reality that they are never going to do anything with their cars.

 

Probably the same thing that makes folks keep piles of old newspapers or shopping bags or neglect to throw food away. There's a built-in compulsion in many folks that something with even a little value or usefulness should be kept until such time as it may be useful again. When I worked construction, we each carried a little boxcutter/razor knife we would use to cut little things during the course of our jobs. One guy never changed his blade so it was always dull and gave him a hard time whenever he went to use it. As you surely know, there are fresh blades in the handle and spares cost pennies. But when asked about it, this fellow would reply, "I might need them someday, I don't want to just waste them." Same thing with cars left to rot...

 

Someday...

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I goes you're right Matt, but it kills me to see a car with so much potential rust away. Some years ago I needed a Model A engine and learned of someone that had tons and I mean a three car garage full of Model A and V-8 Ford parts. His caretaker let me into his house and I had no idea he was so ill. He had a hospital bed set up in his living room and it was obvious it wasn't long for him. When I asked about an engine he said that he didn't want to sell anything. A couple of months went by and I passed his house one day and there was a for sale sign out front. I knocked on the door and there was no answer. I looked into the garage window and it was empty and as I walked down the driveway a neighbor of his asked what I wanted. I explained what was going on and he replied that "the real estate company hired some workers and threw everything that was in the garage into a dumpster and carted it away". To this day I think of the rare and valuable parts that went to a landfill.

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Hoarders, lots of dim around. 

 

Friend in Michigan has tons of Chevy, and Olds parts, won't sell a thing, says, I MIGHT NEED IT SOMEDAY, yep, SOMEDAY, sure!!!

 

He recently moved, took trailer load after trailer load to move.  He has one Ford very valuable part, a 427 SIDE OILER block, but won't think of selling, he is 75, and low energy. 

 

Dale in Indy

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It has 69:70 wheels on it. I question that it is a GT500.

What do you think it is?  The 69 wheels don't say much.  There are a lot of tell tale signs that the car is what the article says it is though.  Notice the 140 mph speedometer and 8K tach?

 

Shelby Mustangs are some of the best documented cars in the world.  It is too bad that the photographer didn't catch a shot of the VIN tag or Shelby VIN tag, and the argument would be over.  I'm guessing that Wayne Blackwood, the guy who raced it, knows what he had and what it is, and has little reason to make up a story about it at this point.  Still like to know the VIN # though... 

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Never easy to get action on some of the coolest cars ever! In my own back yard I have neglected cars that need to go somewhere to be saved. I know I cant do it all. So here is an example I will share: 1962 Impala SS 409. Yep, real deal... Bought new right here in town. Drove until the gas crisis in about 1970-71-- Owner parked the car in his back yard-- PULLED the 409 out and set it on the ground-- yep, 2X4s and all. Then stuffed a small block in it. DID NOT finish the instal and walked away. There it sat until he finaly was pusuaded to let it go.And now it continues to rot in my back yard- I sent the engine to my machine shop buddy and he has it ready to build, but I have so many projects that I am doing for other guys, the 409 just sits there. NOW, I have had guys come and make offers, but when I know that the last 340 HP 409 basket case engine i had I had guys begging me for that and finaly let it go for 5 grand. So am I going to seel the complete 62 go for 5 grand? NOPE! 10 grand? I think not! But when a decent offer shows up by a qualified person, maybe. So I understand that a knock on the door by an unknown person can get a cold response. I could have told you about the 69 Mach 1 or the 56 Continental MKII, maybe the 36 Cord or 24 Packard 8--- 59 El camino or-- well--- thats enough   

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Never easy to get action on some of the coolest cars ever! In my own back yard I have neglected cars that need to go somewhere to be saved. I know I cant do it all. So here is an example I will share: 1962 Impala SS 409. Yep, real deal... Bought new right here in town. Drove until the gas crisis in about 1970-71-- Owner parked the car in his back yard-- PULLED the 409 out and set it on the ground-- yep, 2X4s and all. Then stuffed a small block in it. DID NOT finish the instal and walked away. There it sat until he finaly was pusuaded to let it go.And now it continues to rot in my back yard- I sent the engine to my machine shop buddy and he has it ready to build, but I have so many projects that I am doing for other guys, the 409 just sits there. NOW, I have had guys come and make offers, but when I know that the last 340 HP 409 basket case engine i had I had guys begging me for that and finaly let it go for 5 grand. So am I going to seel the complete 62 go for 5 grand? NOPE! 10 grand? I think not! But when a decent offer shows up by a qualified person, maybe. So I understand that a knock on the door by an unknown person can get a cold response. I could have told you about the 69 Mach 1 or the 56 Continental MKII, maybe the 36 Cord or 24 Packard 8--- 59 El camino or-- well--- thats enough   

Well I'll take the cord off your hands if it has it's original drivetrain ;)

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Picked this one up over the weekend.  Another one of those going to get to it someday cars.  I bought it and hope to find a new owner who might actually do something with it.  The past owner was definitely not doing it any favors.   You can see the piles of pine needles from years of being stored under the pines unprotected.  That's how many were left after a 60 mile trip on a trailer.  I think the same amount of paint blew off on the way down. 

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People have always been attached via memories to cars that are left to bio-degrade before their eyes.  They still see it as it once was.

I had a friend that bought a 1957 Cadillac Coupe DeVille new in 1957.  It was souped up and a loved, beautiful automobile.  By 1967 it was parked outside beside his garage. (No longer driven)  In 1978 I helped him move it to a new house where it sat in the back yard until about 1998 when he moved again and sold it for scrap.

"Nobody was going to due justice to that Cadillac with anything they did with his car".   Sad, but his choice.  

Edited by Paul Dobbin (see edit history)
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4 speed?

Small block, 4 speed, Tilt,  power windows and factory air.  Came with 2 350 4 bolt 69-72 era engines that could be Vette engines and good paperwork but neither engine seems to match the vin so it's not matching numbers.  One might be a GM replacement block.  I have a friend who is alot more into these than me coming to figure out exactly what's what tomorrow.  

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