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Is there any documentation on why the "Flying Mustang" 5R002 was the only GT350R with a rear bumper?
Also, was the bumper a production steel bumper painted white or was it made of a composite material? My understanding is that it was (is?) steel.

Several years ago, I chose 5R002 as the inspiration for my GT350 tribute exterior. My car incorporates a few of the 5R002 features such as the painted rear bumper, round brake-duct openings in the front valence and the side mirror delete (fortunately, legal in Idaho). I've asked this question over the years and have gotten lots of opinions and conjecture, but nothing documented. Nor have I heard a clear statement from SA folks or others who were "in the know" at the time.

So far, I think the most plausible scenario is that SA originally thought the bumper made the car look better, but had it painted to provide a sporty appearance. Track testing of 5R002 prompted SA to conclude that the additional bumper weight was more of a performance liability than the improved aesthetics justified and removed it on the subsequent models, but retained it on 5R002 for continuity since it's image had garnered considerable press.

I realize this is minutia, but I've been curious for a while. Anyone have a better (especially better-documented) story?

Thx!
Jim

I posted this on the ConcoursMustang forum. Thought I might try it here as well:

I'm working on the parking brake system of a 1965 Fastback (Feb '65, C-code, San Jose). What is the original finish on the cable brackets? On mine, the first two brackets (moving downstream from the grab handle) appear to have a natural finish – no coating of any kind that I can see. According to the Shop Manual, these two brackets are the "Insulator Bracket" on the lower firewall where the cable comes through the firewall (couldn't find a Ford p/n) and the "Bracket" on the transmission hoop (Ford p/n 2A610). The rest of the brackets farther back seem like they were painted black, though most of the paint is now missing. Is this correct?

Here's an item that may be of interest to the Restomod folks. My '65 Fastback has the seat pans relocated lower & further aft to improve leg-room and head-room. When using a racing harness, it's a long reach to shift the transmission into 1st and 3rd. I am considering this remote shifter as a possible remedy.

MustangsPlus is taking reservations for their "Speed Shift" Remote Shifter. This product was available a few years ago, but went out of production for a while. MustangPlus will build more if they get enough reservations.

I was walking through Harbor Freight long ago and discovered a 2-Ton folding shop crane on deep discount. I wasn't in need of a crane at that time, but I was surprised with the beefy construction and decent weld quality. I normally limit my H.F. tool-buying to technology in the "crowbar" category, but in a weak moment, I bought it and squirreled it away.

Now that I've got a need, it is set-up and in use, but I may have discovered why it was such a screaming deal. The hydraulic ram slowly leaks down. By slow, I mean, with my 289 on the boom, it drops about 1"/min. With only the boom weight, it sinks about 0.25"/min. This makes for anxious moments while installing and removing the engine in my nicely-painted bay. I've been moving the engine in and out repeatedly in order to resolve my Mustang's bent-frame issues and also am trying to fit several custom items. It would help if I could lock the ram and have it stay in place like my 1982-vintage Sears floor jack. If it's feasible, it would also be a bonus if I could get a finer adjustment on the pressure release (boom lowering control).

I tried bleeding the system. I didn't think that would help and it didn't, but the manual had the procedure, so what the heck. Any suggestions to resolve this? Would it make sense to take the Chinese "Pittsburgh"-brand 8-Ton ram to a local hydraulics shop for a valve job, or is that just throwing good money after bad on a low-quality tool? If I get a new ram, any suggestions for brands or sources for a good-quality replacement? The frame works great if I could get a decent ram in it.

One Show entry from the Treasure Valley Mustang & Ford Club:

This topic is inspired by comments from shelbydoug and zray in the thread on "Recommendations on Street/Track Tires".

"........Also, regardless of what the factory did with the Boss 302's, a rear anti-sway bars on these cars is a no-no. ......."

I have yet to see a rear sway bar (on a 65/66) that actually helped anything.

My input seemed to be a bit off topic there, so I thought I'd start a new and more generic one. Since many Shelby owners are unmotivated to modify their cars in this manner, I thought it more appropriate to put this in the Replica/Tribute section.

I autocrossed my 65 Fastback in the 80's/90's and it initially had stock-suspension with the classic vintage Mustang understeer. It was, by far, the oldest and slowest Mustang in the class.

One of the club guys suggested I contact a "vintage" Mustang racer that he knew in California by the name of Frank Stagnaro and gave me his phone number. I didn't know him from Adam. One evening, I called him out of the blue. He was very gracious and over next 2 hours, he gave me tons of info – much of which I had insufficient background to appreciate. Note that Stagnaro's car was (and still is) technically light-years ahead of mine.

Based on his suggestions, I made a number of suspension changes: Shelby/Arning drop, stiffer/lower front & 4.5 leaf rear springs, bigger front bar, 5/8" rear-bar, Panhard rod, Koni shocks and of course, better tires. I know I should have made changes one at a time, but then again, in autocross, you don't have a consistent track to quantify the changes.

The car performance improved considerably and the balance went from understeer to oversteer. The changes didn't shoot me to class champion, but I was thankfully now less slow and almost mid-pack. (Driver skill is likely a constraint here ) It's difficult to conclude that the rear anti-roll bar is responsible for the oversteer, but I've heard from several sources that it definitely contributes (as the gentlemen above have inferred). The biggest benefit (for me) is that driving an oversteering car is a hell of a lot more entertaining than an understeering one, if not necessarily faster.

I'm currently completing more upgrades to the car, aiming for better balance. Adjusting/disconnecting the rear bar will be one of the tuning variables. There's tons of info available now on suspension physics and setup, but it is geared mostly for modern cars. I'd be interested to see what others have done to their vintage Shelby Mustang suspension and what experience they've had.

Thx,
Jim

I was disheartened to see the forum problems. The guidance this forum has provided has been invaluable for my project.

My wife and I are starting the final assembly of our 65 Mustang GT350 Tribute project. The car was purchased cheap in 1983 after being resurrected following a high-speed encounter with a bridge abutment and given a crude restoration. It was my daily driver and autocross racer for 10 years.  As my interest in the Mustang hobby grew, I became a Shelby fan. I couldn't afford a true Shelby, and if I could, I probably wouldn't want to abuse it. Fortunately, I had the perfect candidate for a tribute car. In '93 we tore the car down and began a better restoration - or at least as good as our newbie skills would permit. The project has proceeded in fits and starts with lots of surprises along the way, but hopefully we are now on the last leg.

We are keeping the exterior and interior mostly true to the 65 GT350 appearance. No major modifications to the body other than a color change to arctic white and a touch of GT350R in the mix. Other features: Ford 289 (Eng. dyno: 350HP@6500/340Tq@4300), coil overs, R&P, EFI, front-disks/2.5x10" rear drums, Ford 9", Wavetrac diff, etc. We also added creature comforts like power-steering, boosted brakes, hyd. clutch, 5-speed, A/C and sound-deadening so the wife could/would drive it. The added weight is not a performance concern as my racing class requires a minimum of 3000 lbs. and I am still going to have to add ballast.

I might add that Shelby Parts and Restoration recently made available what looks to me like a good reproduction of the '65 Shelby dash-mounted horn toggle switch. I attached two photos that they provided. (Note that their web-page touts a $60 switch, but that unit appears to be no longer available.) I paid $183 incl. shipping in November 2017, just as they started getting these switches from a new supplier.