Next Round for Wive's GT/CS

[platnumheart666]

So, the time has come to do a little more work on the lil' Cali Special. She will be going under the knife in December.

This round:

New Battery Tray and Apron to replace rusted out one

Exhaust - 5" case Super 40 Flowmasters / some long tube Header (Hooker maybe) - finally going to a dual exhuast

Total Control / Chassisworks 4-link and Sub-frame connectors

Aluminum Radiator with Spal fans

Stainless overflow tank

Brake Prop valve

Moser 9" Rear-end and third-member. Not sure on ratio yet, maybe 3.89

This should put me in the wives graces for some time!


Any Suggestions on rear-end ratio?
We will be entertaining a crate 351 stroked to a 427 - looking at about 450-550 horse max + a new trans, much later, of course, since our 302 runs pretty awesome.

Any suggestions on headers and or exhaust?

We have decided since, she has the frame damage and wrong motor, that we will be the saviors and make her better than ever! Yes, the point of no return. That way we have one awesome driver until we decide on the paint and body, many miles down the road.

Will post pics soon!

 

[CougarCJ]

Cut out, and reinstall your stamped VIN number onto that new apron.

What transmission? AOD, T-5, T-56, C-4? Makes a big difference on your axle ratio choice.

I am not a fan of 2 chamber turbo mufflers.

Had a radiator guy tell me that cross flow radiators are the most efficient. Might want to check it out.

How about this front suspension? A little spendy, but wow!

 

[platnumheart666]

Cut out, and reinstall your stamped VIN number onto that new apron.

I will definitely find out about the VIN re-install

What transmission? AOD, T-5, T-56, C-4? Makes a big difference on your axle ratio choice.

The Trans is a C-4 until we get to an engine/trans swap down the road, but will be a T-5 or T-56


I am not a fan of 2 chamber turbo mufflers.

Why are the 2 changer mufflers not recommended?

Had a radiator guy tell me that cross flow radiators are the most efficient. Might want to check it out.

I will find out about the radiator.

How about this front suspension? A little spendy, but wow!

Wow! that is nice and expensive.

We have so far done:

Wilwood disc brakes on all 4 corners, beefed up front suspension with a few polyurethane components, Borgeson power steering conversion, larger front sway bar, 620 lb 1" lowering springs, roller perches, custom Bilstein Street performance shocks and 17" aluminum Magnum 500 wheels and ididit tilt steering.

 

[franklinair]

I'll be the old fart, wet blanket:
All these mods & performance upgrades would be GREAT on a '68 Mustang (my favorite of all years).
But to do these on a GT/CS is way out of bounds, IMHO. In essence it will be a high performance '68 Mustang with 3 pieces of fiberglass body parts, and a Marti Report of what it used to be.
I'm not a purist by any stretch, but the mods/changes I do make are within the model/year configuration. Hate to see a limited production model lose it's identity. But that's just me.

Neil

 

[08gtcslady]

Well, i guess i am an old fart too. Any mods i have done on my 08 GT/CS can always be changed back to original. Any parts i change out are being kept so this is possible. Love doin the mods, but keeping the stock is important too. Granted, mine is not as limited as the older models, but someday it will be a lot lower number left. Right now its out of 4918.

 

[platnumheart666]

I fully understand, everything that we are considering can be reversed and we have been keeping the original parts. But due to the abuse that the previous owner did to this vehicle, we have decided to make it one awesome resto-mod and once the body work is done, she will be back to normal for the most part. I cant believe that we are the only ones that have a disc brake conversion with an aluminum radiator and upgraded motor (since she doesn't have a numbers matching motor now). The only reason for the 4 link is to maker her driveable until we can afford to do the frame rail and quater-panel replacement. Otherwise she would still be rusting away somewhere.

If bringing to life a forgotten GT/CS where only internals are modernized offends, we are sorry.

I was under the impression that bringing back one of these awesome cars and doing it with the best parts we can afford would be appreciated not so criticized.

Oh well, if anyone wants to buy us out and convert her back to drum brakes and do the bodywork and frame work for us, please let us know.

We made a big decision to say, it is our car and no matter what damage (many said to ditch the car and take the loss)we will love her and make her the best we can.

Motor - not original, so why not a nice performance one
frame shot from accident, but the wife would love to actually drive the GT/CS so I am making it possible.

I am not going to continue to defend our decision and wonder if there are any supporters here?

 

[franklinair]

As for me, no offense is taken. And no defense on you decision is necessary. One of the great things on this site is the diverse approach (and opinions) that members choose. Ultimately, the best choices are that of the owner. Best of luck, and it will be interesting to follow your progress.

Neil

 

[platnumheart666]

"When it comes to old cars, nothing is truly original,” Strictly speaking, anything done to a vehicle inside and out over the course of its life—from changing an engine’s spark plugs to replacing a front fender—takes away from the originality of the car. Do you want the car to be able to compete in the show realm, or simply have a vehicle that presents and runs reliably at rallies and cruise-ins? Jim Stranberg (Owner or High Mountain Classics) believes people must ask themselves how far are they willing to go—and for what purpose—in an effort to give the vehicle a second life.

Scott George, President and curator of The Collier Collection in Naples, Florida,

But to most classic vehicle owners, winning an award at a major show doesn’t factor into their decision making.

“Cars are mechanical,” he says. “Unless you just have a car to sit and look at, there comes a point where originality needs to be overridden in the interest of preserving the vehicle.”

 

[CougarCJ]

Do modifications as you see fit. Anything could technically be undone at a later date. Some folks call these kind of modifications, 'day two, changes'. i.e. Cragars, headers, and Kraco stereo systems.

My GT/CS is a 302-4V with automatic, I am satisfied with that.
However, if the car happened to be a 289 with 3 speed manual, it most definitely would have become a 289/302-4V and a 5 speed manual. No hesitation.

 

[platnumheart666]

Do modifications as you see fit. Anything could technically be undone at a later date. Some folks call these kind of modifications, 'day two, changes'. i.e. Cragars, headers, and Kraco stereo systems.

My GT/CS is a 302-4V with automatic, I am satisfied with that.
However, if the car happened to be a 289 with 3 speed manual, it most definitely would have become a 289/302-4V and a 5 speed manual. No hesitation.

Thanks CougarCJ,

Some of us cannot afford to do a Concours-quality restoration straight out the gate.

If I was to wait until I could, this GT/CS would not see the light of day for many years and I rather my wife enjoy her car until we can afford the resto as well as give people a chance to know that they exist at local shows and gatherings. And since I believe in "Love the one your with" I just cant junkyard the GT/CS for an easier resto. I currently have a 1968 Torino Fastback 390 all original that is a true survivor and will see nothing but original parts.

I basically took this vehicle from a guy who was trying to make a Cobra Clone and did some horrible damage to the frame rails, rear floor and quaters and destroyed the radiator support doing a backyard install of a random 302 and hid alot of body/bondo work. I plan on a full Resto Mod where outwardly she will look stock (even went with the retro wheels) but have performance and ride to rival a lot of new performance cars. Maybe, it's just the hotrodder in me.

 

[platnumheart666]

A message from the Pros at Gearhead Garage who are doing the work:

The current 8-inch rear will not support any real horsepower/torque and I've recently priced better gears and posi, etc for one. They cost more money due to less options so not worth it. Most people just upgrade to a 9 and never look back.

The 4-link is only "required" if you don't want to fix the rear frame-rail, trunk floor and quarter-panel. I suggested the 4-link because it removes all stress from the rear of the car and eliminates that need from a structural standpoint. If you "want" to do the frame-rail and other sheet-metal work you still can, later.

I'm a "nuts and bolts" kinda guy and in my personal opinion the car really needs to be structurally sound before doing anything else. For structural integrity the car definitely needs either the rear frame-rail and trunk floor fixed or do the 4-link. One or the other. Everything else is just adding to the problem.

Just a note, the 4-link is all bolt-in except for the upper support. It only welds to the trunk floor and the frame-rails. Those areas are already damaged so you're not ruining anything.

It's your call. If you want to drive it and enjoy it you need to do one or the other, soon. The 4-link is less-intrusive and will allow you to enjoy the car now and worry about aesthetics later.

 

[08gtcslady]

No offense here either i have done plenty to mine that would be frowned on too, i'm sure, but its mine, so it doesnt matter. U have an extra reason to do what u want anyhow, since the motor number already doesnt match. Make it your own...no objection here!! Its always great to save one from the grave, no matter how u do it!! Cheers

 

[platnumheart666]

No offense here either i have done plenty to mine that would be frowned on too, i'm sure, but its mine, so it doesnt matter. U have an extra reason to do what u want anyhow, since the motor number already doesnt match. Make it your own...no objection here!! Its always great to save one from the grave, no matter how u do it!! Cheers

Thanks, I always value the opinions on this forum and believe me, I have driven the shop crazy with questions as to the best way to preserve the GT/CS but be able to enjoy it as well.

 

[08gtcslady]

Just enjoy...thats what these great cars are all about. Dont tell my husband, but i think i love my stang more...lol. I think he already knows though..ha ha ha!

 

[platnumheart666]

Just enjoy...thats what these great cars are all about. Dont tell my husband, but i think i love my stang more...lol. I think he already knows though..ha ha ha!

I use to have a 2010 GT in Windveil Blue, and since the wife is vertically challenged at 5'1"ish and she couldn't see over the hood, refusing to ever drive it. She nicknamed it the "Mistress." Funny when asked where I was and she would jokingly say, "out with the Mistress" - Good Memories

 

[08gtcslady]

Lmao!!! U naughty boy!!