Messages

Bill,
It's the booster - I have experienced this multiple times over the years with cars I have bought/sold. Either the diaphragm failed due to being old rubber or there is a leak out the back of the master cylinder into the booster and the fluid attacks the diaphragm, although this is less likely with DOT3 fluid.

A leak would not be immediately evident as the fluid gets sucked into the engine and burned in the combustion process.  The suggestion to check the rear wheel cylinders is also good advice.

My recommendation is to have the booster rebuilt. You can check the back of the master cylinder for a leak while the unit is apart. Here is a good source for booster rebuilding, I have used them several times with good results:

https://www.powerbrakebooster.com/

Bob and Roy, thanks for the shout outs. I have a good local alignment source. A longtime friend has a shop in Middletown. He has been doing my Shelby alignments and resolving suspension issues for decades. He is a hobbyist and understands the dynamics of working on special cars.

He is not open to the general public, does work by referral. I can connect you with him. Send me a PM or call/text me at the number below.
Bill

717-648-6600
bill@bcfords.com

I have a very interesting '70 Cobra Jet powered Sportsroof available. It's an older restoration on a highly optioned example. I also just completed an extensive mechanical and cosmetic refresh. Ready for warm weather enjoyment with factory A/C. Build sheet and Marti Report attached. $89,500.

See it at this link to my web site:
http://bcfords.com/69_SleeperSportsroof/69_SleeperSportsroof.htm

louvers were not allowed in PA law.

True. Some period Ford ads for the Boss 302/'70 Mach I that incorporated a photo or artwork showing them on a car contained the caveat that the option was not available in Pennsylvania.

I recall that the origin of this went back to aftermarket Venitian blind kits sold in the 1950's, when the backlight glass area of many cars increased dramatically over what came before. Since few cars had air conditioning, it was a means to reduce the greenhouse effect of sunlight in the cabin.

Pennsylvania decided they obstructed rearward vision and so prohibited them. This was enforced by what was then a State mandated twice yearly safety inspection and the State set the rules for compliance. Ford's louvres apparently fell within the law's definition so they were not offered here. The law was eventually repealed so they are OK now.

A company called Auto Venitian Blinds currently sells reproductions of original kits for '50's and newer cars, the attached photo is from their web site.

Since I do this for a living there is no "safe" method for removing stripes. Paint condition is usually what determines if the paint peels or not. Heat gun on low heat. Citrus based adhesive remover for the glue removal. Eraser wheels can only be used on steel panels.  If you use them on fiberglass or plastic panels they will cut through the paint underneath.
Dz

Dave, Thank you for the excellent advice. I was either unaware or had forgotten about the hazards of using a wheel on fiberglass or plastic.  I have a SnapOn CrudThug tool that has not been used in many years, but it saw almost exclusive use on metal surfaces, usually to remove stubborn rocker stripes.

3M markets an attachment for this purpose:

3M Stripe Off Wheel – Adhesive Remover – Eraser Wheel – Removes Decals, Stripes, Vinyl, Tapes and Graphics. It is engineered to safely remove unwanted decals and stripes without altering the material underneath. It is compatible with most drill and rotary tools.

If you do not trust yourself to attempt removal on your own, a good recon / detail shop can likely do it. They typically have substantial experience removing graphics from commercial vehicles, police cars, etc. when they being prepped for sale.

I have seen this phrase "driven xxxx miles" appearing more frequently, particularly in dealer ads. If you get behind this to the facts, the actual situation is that the car was restored at some point and these are the miles accumulated since that event. They are not stating the actual total mileage of the vehicle.

This ploy is obviously intended to draw interest but is tantamount to misrepresentation by omission. Given the attention deficit condition of many people nowadays, they likely are hoping to rope in a prospect who does not vet the details.

As a certain YouTube automotive personality would say: "Outstanding!"

There is also a 14 inch magstar in various bolt patterns . The center is the same size regardless of if 14 or 15 inch.

The wheels in the ad appear to be 14 inch. The Shelby application is 15x7. The rim angle is flared as opposed to the more angular ones in the ad.

Shelby used the Kelsey center cap. I have removed the gold Cobra applique from original caps and found the Kelsey logo underneath. Original caps also used a unique dish shaped retainer fastened to the cap by two screws. See photos. These can be very hard to obtain if they are missing; reproduction caps were usually supplied with only a flat washer fastened by a single machine screw.

Another thing to bear in mind if buying used Mag Stars is the condition of the stud holes. This wheel used a unique 3/4 inch lug nut with a shank that matched the thickness of the wheel center. The tapered area of the nut thus seated precisely against the center when the base of the nut seated on the drum.

Original lugs were often replaced with ones having a standard taper, which had either incorrect or no provision for depth spacing. They dug into the wheel and flared the edges of the hole. This reduced the diameter of the opening and the shanked nut will no longer fit. This is a difficult fix.

Bill Collins and I remember CJ's when they were operating out of a shed and a barn just outside of Harrisburg back in the late '80's early '90's. These were the days before AMK so I used to go out and pick through nuts, bolts and small hardware to clean up and refinish. Ah, "the good old days".

Indeed. CJ Pony Parts was originally not far from their present location on a farmette owned, as I recall, by Jay Zeigler's family. They had a small Mustang salvage yard behind the main house. When they built the first modern building in 1999 along US Route 22 east of Harrisburg, there was a substantial salvage yard out back. They eventually stopped selling used parts and the yard was closed and cleared out.

Shelby autographing 6S936 at the Atlantic City Classic Car Event on February 23, 2003. I am set up with the white KR next to the CJ Pony booth in the last photo.

Does any one know the shelby#?

6S936. Local car from new, sold at Francis For Fords. I originally encountered it in the driveway of a house next to a truck stop just north of Harrisburg in Clarks Ferry, PA, probably in the 1980's or 90's. Repeated attempts to contact the owner were unsuccessful and the car eventually disappeared.

Fast forward to around 2001, when I received a call from Crede Stammel, the "C" in CJ Pony, inquiring about a value for a rough '66 GT350. From his description, I deduced it was the same car. A farmer in the area had acquired it and installed a 6 cylinder engine / automatic transmission and was using it as a field car. When he decided to sell it, he contacted CJ's as they were a known entity in the area for Mustang parts.

CJ's bought it and I expressed interest in purchasing it from them, but they decided to remove the 6 automatic and put the body "as found" into their showroom as an attraction. I saw it there in 2002 and took the attached photos. I recall Creed telling me the original aluminum T10 was still with it but the engine was long gone.

In February of 2003, Carroll Shelby made a personal appearance at the Atlantic City Classic Car Event in New Jersey. CJ's was a vendor there at the time, as was I and we were set up adjacent to each other. They took 6S936 to the event to show it to Shelby and have him autograph it. He got quite a hoot out of the fact that it had survived in such a condition. I have photos of him signing the roof, which I will attach to another post.

The back story on 936 as I recall is that it was a drag car for a while, hence the "Midnite Confession" lettering. The name likely comes from a 1968 hit song by the Grass Roots. At some point the owner reportedly became entangled in a three way love affair. The jilted party shotgunned the car and set fire to it. It was in this condition that I first saw it, sitting in that driveway with the windows blown out and the interior full of leaves.

You can't make this stuff up....

When should you Unzip it: 01) Before you Unlatch the Top.  02) Unlatch the Top and then Unzip it or, 03) Unlatch the Top, raise it about a Foot and then Unzip it?

My experience is that option 3 is the best practice. This method relieves the tension on the zipper, making it easier to detach. Moreover, it greatly facilitates reattaching and closing the zipper when putting the top up, which is more difficult than detaching it.

I strongly recommend unzipping the window. Although it will fold sufficiently to allow putting the top down with it in place, the severity of the fold eventually causes the silicone hinge strip to detach from the edges of the glass. I have seen this many times on convertibles that I have sold over the years.

This is especially so now that the material may be decades old. Bear in mind the Ford / Shelby did not engineer these cars to last fifty plus years. Unzipping the window allows it to rest in the top well at a gentle angle, which prolongs the bond of the strip to the glass.

I sent you a PM.
Bill Collins