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This is Rob (left) and Andy (right)
working on the nose and hood fit.
To say the finished car is good is a
gross understatement. The term “flaw-
less” is overused, especially since
being human and flawless are contra-
dictory. That said, what these guys did
was absolutely incredible. The lines
and panel fit of 3179 really do appear
to be flawless. In the years since the
car was finished, Pat and I have re-
ceived countless comments with re-
gard to how perfectly straight and
well-fitting the car’s panels are. What
people can’t see is the exceptional at-
tention to detail and workmanship be-
hind the panels. Areas that will never
be seen again are as close to perfect as
possible. As I observed the progress,
the idea of watching artists bringing a
sculpture to life came to mind. It was
inspiring.
As the car was coming together we
developed friendships and discussed
what period-correct components “we”
(the new team) should keep. The Lake-
wood bellhousing and drive shaft loop
would go. I had installed the traction
bars in 1972 and being functional and
period correct, they could stay. The
Hurst Competition Plus was a gift
from Pat a year before we were mar-
ried. No question that would remain.
The most visible departures from
Shelby correctness were the black side
strips and taillight panel. When I
bought the car back in 1971, those
changes had already been made. Now,
all these years later, they were part of
the car’s “character.” It was the only
way we knew the car. We spent a lot of
time pondering what we should do. In
the end, the black remained.
About the time the car was finish-
ing up at Mid-Cities, Rob and Andy de-
cided to branch out on their own. The
plan wasn’t to do general repair work,
interiors or full restorations. They
were going to concentrate on the mar-
ket segment where they excelled:
metal work. That’s when GT’s Mus-
tang Shop was born. With a simple
business plan, an old leased garage
without heat and two hard working
guys, a solid business with exceptional
product took off.
When they were in the leased
garage I was often able to drop in dur-
ing the day to see what was in the
works and to watch as they built the
tools and fixtures that enabled them
to become more efficient. Even though
I wasn’t a part of the process, I felt
good for them; I enjoyed watching the
shop evolve and listening to their war
stories. Their first cars included a ‘69
GT350 Hertz car, several ‘69 and ‘70
R-code Cobra Jet Mach Is, over fifteen
‘69 and ‘70 Boss 302s and a ‘67 GT500
from Sweden.
Like many small business owners,
they had to work the occasional week-
end and travel. Of course, those week-
ends and travel events were often
associated with events such as the an-
nual Mid-America Ford Meet in Tulsa,
Oklahoma. While the guys were cer-
tainly hard working and dedicated to
their customers, they did understand
the need to step away on occasion. One
afternoon when I stopped by to see
what was going on, they were gone.
Turns out, they decided it would be a
good day to head to the lake. To be fair,
this is Texas and it was the middle of
summer.
About two years after starting the
business they were able to move into
their own shop, one they built specifi-
cally for doing metal work. It’s signifi-
cantly larger and more efficient, and
well suites their needs for the mo-
ment. Unfortunately, in a sense, there
are signs of pressure. With their cus-
tomer base and backlog growing,
they’re feeling constrained and look-
ing at options to add capacity and ca-
pabilities. For example, vintage racing
appears to be in demand and has a
good potential to increase business. In
a break from the restoration metal
work, Rob and Andy delivered several
Mustang unibodies and completed roll
cages for vintage racing. They antici-
pate more to follow. Still, the core in-
terest and competency is helping to
resurrect classic Mustangs and deliv-
ering near flawless metalwork. Here
are a few samples of their work.
This ’66 A-code fastback came
from a customer in Indiana. The first
picture is what they started with. The
third picture is what went back to the
customer. When completed back in In-
diana, it will be powered by a Jon
Kaase Boss 429.
A longtime owner (since 1980) in
the Dallas-Fort Worth area brought
this ‘69 GT350 Shelby to them for the
The SHELBY AMERICAN
Summer 2017 69