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. !969 California Special??

mustangman-nl

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 28, 2006
Messages
82
Seen on the SAAC forum, but not my car:

Not a tribute or a clone, but my take on what a convertible 1969 California Special should have looked like. The last photo next to my 68 KR the inspiration for the build. This car will never be more than a twenty footer, it has been totaled twice with only the drivers door, deck lid, and rear end left with the original shell. She is no numbers matching prom queen for sure.


I do not know if the link works for readers (see pictures):

http://saacforum.com/index.php?topic=39584.msg303629;topicseen#msg303629
 
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Ruppstang

Well-known member
Joined
May 22, 2009
Messages
3,032
Cool looking car for sure. Nothing wrong with a fun-cool driver. I like your Acapulco blue KR it is our GT350's big brother.
 

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robert campbell

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Joined
Apr 10, 2007
Messages
4,321
Kinda cool! Wish he would have located the rear quarter script a bit closer to how the original was done.

Rob
 

jokerhill

Active member
Joined
Mar 28, 2017
Messages
25
The car is mine, it is for my sons wife ultimately. He will get the Shelby KR and her this convertible. The car was totaled twice in the past and has had a ton of work before me done to it and most of it was sub par. So I figured I had a blank canvas to work with and thought I could make it look a lot like the 68 Shelby if I tried. Plans are to do it Acapulco blue like the fastback, but I wanted to see how it looked before I committed to a full paint job. So things like emblem placement, type of hood scoop and stripes remain subject to change as I was just doing it by eyeball. I wanted to do more of the 68 Shelby GT/CS spoiler in the back as well but this was much cheaper than making my own. The 69 Shelby spoiler is too big and others I have seen are also to tall and flat for my taste, I like the 68. So I tried to hide it a bit by painting it body color. The grill surround was also taken apart and painted body color as the argent was too much silver, and did not look like the 68 Shelby that way. It was more work than it looks to complete, like the tail light were made for a fastback and were too wide and gas cap was tool small. I want with the silver "argent" light panel like the Shelby, as I just like that look better than body color or the 67 Shelby and GT/CS. The Shelby side scoops stuck out to far so I narrowed them into the body to follow the lines better. I am thinking of getting rid of the MUSTANG letters on the trunk and going with a black stripe as well. So it is still a work in progress until it goes to blue paint. I put in Standard interior as that is what it had original and looks more like the 68 that way. I may put in a consul but I sure like the hump hugger with the cup holders, but not very stylish. I will but a bit more tilt on the roll bar and lower it 3/4 an inch, a small thing but just looks a bit tall and forward, but that is where the 69 Shelby instructions said to put it, but since it is not a clone of a Shelby or anything else I can do what I like. For Robert Campbell placement of the rear California Script was just done asking my wife what she liked, and I don't think she has ever paid much attention to factory specs, and for something that never existed I figured anything goes. So it is a driver may make a few SoCal shows as well as local stuff. It was fun to have freedom to do what I wanted even with a small budget as there is about $4000 of parts into it is all at this time so not a budget breaker.
 

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jokerhill

Active member
Joined
Mar 28, 2017
Messages
25
As I am not done I am open to suggestions on it, you wont hurt my feelings. I have mixed and matched years of parts before to my liking some like it some don't it OK opinions don't hurt and just may make it onto the final project. Here is a 66 coupe I did just to make it more sporty I did 65 interior, welded in the chrome on the sides and bumper guards as well as other mods. There are no stripes or emblems on this yet so may go with some GT/CS stuff yet. Some friends and I built it in my shop for a disabled girl as her dream car and gave it to her already for she could add those final ideas of her own, but she can't decide. But I wanted a black 70 boss stripe on the hood and down the side with GT/CS where the Boss 302 would go in the stripe. That is why I bring it up here for other ideas. I'm not trying to fool anyone as they never made these cars, but just incorporate some of the California Special into them. It still kind of a blank slate for something. Those are musical notes on the valve cover as she is into music.
 

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jokerhill

Active member
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Mar 28, 2017
Messages
25
nice cars

Cool looking car for sure. Nothing wrong with a fun-cool driver. I like your Acapulco blue KR it is our GT350's big brother.
I have seen and worked on many, but Acapulco Blue is my favorite, kind of the same view as yours, haha.
 

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robert campbell

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Joined
Apr 10, 2007
Messages
4,321
Joker,
I am a modified guy myself and you created a very cool ride.

I converted a 67 coupe into a sporty driver by putting on the side scoops, a Mach 1 hood scoop, the GT/CS rear deck lid and end caps, and a Maier Racing front air dam/valance. Silver color and I did apply black GT/CS side stripes. And another thing is that I powered it with a 250 Six Shooter with a Toploader 4 speed. Kept the stock rear end that had 3.25 gears.

A six pop really comes to life with 4 gear selections vice 3. And it is a bolt in conversion in 1967/68. It was a gas to drive and got great gas mileage. The 250 is a big step over the 200, but I bet a 200 would be great with the same combination.

Keep up the good work. I like it!!

Rob
 

CougarCJ

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Joined
Jul 17, 2006
Messages
2,186
This 1969 looks good with fog lights and without the quad headlights.
 

jokerhill

Active member
Joined
Mar 28, 2017
Messages
25
Joker,
I am a modified guy myself and you created a very cool ride.

I converted a 67 coupe into a sporty driver by putting on the side scoops, a Mach 1 hood scoop, the GT/CS rear deck lid and end caps, and a Maier Racing front air dam/valance. Silver color and I did apply black GT/CS side stripes. And another thing is that I powered it with a 250 Six Shooter with a Toploader 4 speed. Kept the stock rear end that had 3.25 gears.

A six pop really comes to life with 4 gear selections vice 3. And it is a bolt in conversion in 1967/68. It was a gas to drive and got great gas mileage. The 250 is a big step over the 200, but I bet a 200 would be great with the same combination.

Keep up the good work. I like it!!

Rob
That is the 2nd 6 cylinder I have done, I did not like them before as I could not get them to run well. but now I use the electronic distributors and Webber carburetors. Now I can get them to run pretty well.
 

jokerhill

Active member
Joined
Mar 28, 2017
Messages
25
Not that I am looking for trouble, I just expected a bit more controversy over this Frankin-Car. One suggestion of where I went wrong with the emblems is all? ( I agree but went with my wife out to the car and with her advice they were placed. ) I'm still undecided on fender moldings, black stripe on trunk and corners with Mustang on right side. I did not want to copy the 68 but just take some of what I liked and add it to this car. You wont hurt my feelings by saying you don't like something but may say me to change it some. I also think it looks more in proportion in person than in the photos. There were some things that I just had to do like the fog lights I wanted more centered but the 69 grill angels out at the top, so even though I made a custom grill it still had to fit the overall design of the original. It is also a very low budget build so many of the parts were left over from other cars I built. Please suggest away at things you would change or just don't like at all. Jeff
 

robert campbell

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Apr 10, 2007
Messages
4,321
Ok you won't be offended??? How old are you? I would lose the whitewalls in a nano-second! Rest of it looks great!!!

Rob
 

Mosesatm

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Joined
Jan 18, 2005
Messages
9,009
GT hubcaps would look good, and maybe a blacked-out hood.

Some Corvette hidden door handles would look great!:icon_ecst (Sorry, inside joke)
 

jokerhill

Active member
Joined
Mar 28, 2017
Messages
25
Ok you won't be offended??? How old are you? I would lose the whitewalls in a nano-second! Rest of it looks great!!!

Rob

Thanks, and good call on the white walls, Ill spin those suckers around for now. It was just at the alignment shop yesterday and could have had it done then, now for a trip back. I'm early 50's, It had three different brands of mags on it when I got it and tires were bad, so I needed something right away. The wheels and tires were bought as a set for $300, great deal I thought. I put them on to get it going and kinda forgot about them. I really want to change to ten spokes on it when I find a good deal. And that is why I did not add the GT to the caps. Blacked out hood would take it to being a convertible "Mach 1" I think, I did think about it just wanted to carry more of the 68 style over it is more classy in my opinion. That's why I painted the hood scoop and spoiler, I did add the hood pins now though. I like the 69 Mach 1's and Boss, but after that I'll just say I don't have a love affair with the 69''s.

On a side note "Do you want to cruise the miracle Mile" Billy Joel. "It's still rock and roll to me".:grin:
 
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jokerhill

Active member
Joined
Mar 28, 2017
Messages
25
I am thinking of adding a rear stripe to the back like the 68 GT/CS, I just have not made up my mind. I went with the Shelby Argent (silver) tail light panel so I don't know if it will work or not. Also did the spoiler as it was cheaper for me to go that way. If I did it at least it would motivate me to align the trunk lid better.
 

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BigJim

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Feb 2, 2012
Messages
414
It's your car, do with it as you please. As long as you don't attempt to pass it off as a real GT/CS I don't have a problem with it.
 

jokerhill

Active member
Joined
Mar 28, 2017
Messages
25
It's your car, do with it as you please. As long as you don't attempt to pass it off as a real GT/CS I don't have a problem with it.
I'll consider that a complement as I don't really think it is even close, especially being a convertible and a 1969. I would hope buyer would be much more informed than to even think it was a GT. I am going for the style more than authenticity and I am here in California, that's why I put the California special and GT/CS on it. When I get around to finally paint it I will probably put Shelby letters and emblems on the sides. Just having fun with a car that will never be very valuable. I usually even tell people my Real 68 Shelby is a clone, as I drive it a few times a month and don't want people following me home. :grin:
 

jokerhill

Active member
Joined
Mar 28, 2017
Messages
25
Ok you won't be offended??? How old are you? I would lose the whitewalls in a nano-second! Rest of it looks great!!!

Rob

Whitewalls are now gone, thanks for having me take a second look at the wheels. I just found a good deal on ten spokes hope they can keep till Monday as Easter weekend is a busy time for me.
 
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