Nice 👍
Howdy and welcome 😊

 

Welcome to the VMF. Nice looking cars.

 

Welcome to a great forum.
Nice looking GT!
People with the knowledge to give you good advice will be along before too long

 

That’s a nice first Mustang! Small block early fastback is like the 10-ring on these cars. You’ll have to keep in mind what it is, though, and appreciate that it’s very different from the European cars in your stable.
For a few track days, you’ll want a baffled oil pan and some good (EBC/Hawk/Porterfield) brake pads. Nothing will shut down your day earlier than a spun bearing or smoked brakes. Maybe a panhard bar and a 1”+ front anti-roll bar if you’re going to do it more than a handful of times, but I’d say that’s it. You can’t go 9/10ths in a car like yours safely anyway without a cage, harness, and a good seat. But… you can still have a hugely fun day at the track without having to make the car one-dimensional by staying within its limits. If you do that you don’t need the coolers, brake ducts, and driver $afety $tuff.

 

Thanks for the friendly responses everyone!


Thanks for the advice. What do you mean when you say “small block early fastback is like the 10-ring on these cars”? Sorry if it’s an obvious answer. The car currently has a Cobra finned alloy sump, same as what was fitted to the GT350s originally and I believe this has internal baffles. I would like to do the large drums on the rear. Definitely not wanting any similarity to the Porches…the aim is to keep it different and as true to the era as possible - slower but just as fun (or maybe more fun?)

One hell of a garage you have there! Love the Porsches and that Mustang is a beauty. In addition to what has been suggested, I would add a dual pot master cylinder. The true experts will be along soon. They sleep late on Saturdays. I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on how the Mustang handles compared to your P-cars 😆. Enjoy!

Thank you and good call on the dual pot master, I may do some braided hoses while I’m in there.

Nice collection of cars, but obviously my favorite is the Mustang. Sweet car and welcome to the forum. Do you get to leave the Mustang LH drive, or do you have to convert to RH drive?

Thanks. Fortunately I can keep it LHD due to the age of the vehicle. Many people here only want RHD but I see converting as sacrilegious. The GT3 Cup is LHD also so I am no stranger to shifting gears with the “wrong” hand.

Nice looking cars- that black Posche is gorgeous. Plus one on dual master cylinder, does it have a roll bar? Also, I thought all cars in Australia had to RHD. Welcome to the forum.

Thank you. The car currently has the fold down rear seats. As much as I’d love to fit a roll bar for the cool factor, I would like to be able to take the kids in the back as the GT3 is only two seats as it is. All modern LHD vehicles imported into Aus have to be converted to RHD. I’m not sure what the cut off is in terms of age but this car is well under the threshold.

 

One hell of a garage you have there! Love the Porsches and that Mustang is a beauty. In addition to what has been suggested, I would add a dual pot master cylinder. The true experts will be along soon. They sleep late on Saturdays. I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on how the Mustang handles compared to your P-cars 😆. Enjoy!

 

Welcome, nice stable!

 

Nice collection of cars, but obviously my favorite is the Mustang. Sweet car and welcome to the forum. Do you get to leave the Mustang LH drive, or do you have to convert to RH drive?

 

Nice car(s)👍👍👍
Welcome...lots of info here

 

Nice looking cars- that black Posche is gorgeous. Plus one on dual master cylinder, does it have a roll bar? Also, I thought all cars in Australia had to RHD. Welcome to the forum.

 

Gorgeous Mustang !
Welcome to the VMF

 

Welcome to the forums. Sweet stable of rides ya got there! This site is likely right up your alley.

Cobra Automotive

 

Welcome to the forum! You've got a fine looking Mustang there and the others aren't too bad either!

 

Welcome. Very nice

 

Welcome to the forum, excellent stable of cars you have there.

LHD vehicles imported to Australia older than 30 years do not have to be converted to RHD. I agree, to do so is sacrilegious.

 

Thank you and thanks for clarifying regarding the cut off age

 

Beautiful rides spiller!

Also digging your 1978 F-series pickup (or bronco?) if it also belongs to you.

 

Beautiful rides spiller!
Also digging your 1978 F-series pickup (or bronco?) if it also belongs to you.

Thanks! I can't take credit for the Bronco, that pic was sent by the previous owner.

Glad you're going to to drive that beauty. Your fellow Aussies will really appreciate seeing that jewel on the road. Instant smile maker.

Absolutely, I want to use this thing year round. Fortunately we don't have ice where I live so no salt on the roads.

View attachment 839941
Maybe a regional analogy. You know we’re all gun crazy here in the US.😀
I did not know the Cobra pans were baffled, but it makes sense. Thanks for sharing something I didn’t know!

Uh ha...I should have known better. My father-in-law is a American and also an avid gun owner. I am only going by the description on the Cobranda site where I assume this pan came from originally.

 

Glad you're going to to drive that beauty. Your fellow Aussies will really appreciate seeing that jewel on the road. Instant smile maker.

 

Welcome to the forum from the great state of Alabama, USA. Nice looking collection. Enjoy the ride!!

John

 

Welcome to the forum,
Congratulations.
Beautiful vehicles in your stable...
You will find this a very informative and helpful place.
Where in Downunder are you located?

cheers

Rob

 

Welcome to the forum,
Congratulations.
Beautiful vehicles in your stable...
You will find this a very informative and helpful place.
Where in Downunder are you located?

cheers

Rob

Thanks for the warm welcome. I live in the Adelaide Hills. Lots of nice winding roads which I'd like to test this car out on. I am yet to receive the car from the freight company, but once it comes the next step will be to pass a mechanical inspection prior to it being granted historic registration. 🤞

 

It’s been a long time since this thread was updated. Sadly, in all of this time I have not yet driven my beloved Mustang. The car failed its roadworthy inspection 12 months ago due to an old insufficient rust repair on the left inner rocker and a few other minor suspension/mechanical issues. In the first part of 2023 whilst waiting for my body shop to fit a new inner sill and torque box (they are excellent repairers and thus always a long wait), I really toyed with the idea of selling the car once repaired.

New inner rocker, seat mount, torque box, as well as a small repair to the forward front fender mount - all on the driver’s side completed.

I was very pleased with the sheet metal repairs and decided I should keep the car and address the remaining minor mechanical issues.

The issues needing to be addressed were:
Front spring perches worn out
Fuel line rubbing on the passenger side tire at full lock
Exhaust too loud
Right rear brake imbalance

In addressing these issues, I decided I would do a more thorough suspension refresh and get the car handling a little bit better with the intention of doing the odd track day in future.

This consisted of:

- Roller spring perches from OTR
-600 lb 1 inch drop front springs
-Shelby drop for UCAs
-Drake 16:1 steering box
-Shelby pitman arm and roller idler arm
-Drake 170lb 5 leaf reverse eye rear springs to replace the nearly 60 year old sagged HiPo leafs
-Global West Del-A-lum spring and shackle bushings
-Delrin strut rod bushings from OTR
-New hardware for anything that came off the car
-New Koni rear shocks as the existing were leaking

The front Konis were replaced very recently by the previous owner. The only remaining suspension items are the front upper and lower control arms. The next stage may involve drop spindles, roller LCAs and new UCAs. I have held off on a camber kit for now and trying whiteline camber bolts, although I expect these will not be up to the task. Perhaps others can share feedback!

new pump to tank fuel line to replace the existing bent one...

Replacement rear Koni. I have set the fronts to half way and the rears half turn from softest as per research and advice received on both this forum and the VM FB group.

I also picked up some near new Torque Thurst style wheels in gold. They are 15x7 & 8 in the same BS as my existing 500s. I didn’t set out for gold and am still undecided but they were cheap and it looks different so I will live with it for a while.

To date all of the steering and suspension items have been fitted. Upon the car coming off the lift I was disappointed with the 4x4 spec ride height.

However things settled considerably after a short drive around the block. The rears are just slightly higher than the sagged HI Po springs and the front sits like this. I would like the front to be 1/2 to a full inch lower. I’m estimating around 1/2 coil needs to be removed. I would like to try getting a 15x8 on the front for the sake of a square set up so perhaps I need to be cautious about how low I go with the ride height.

That’s it for now. The car is still at the mechanic waiting for a dyno tune and then it’s off to have another road worthy inspection on the 4th of December, after which, I hope I can legally drive it on public roads.

Plans for the future include fitting dual pot master cylinder and braided brake hoses, better pad compound, Avon CR6ZZ tyres and maybe a track day. I suspect I need better cooling and have my eye on the Cobra Automotive radiator with integrated oil cooler.

The goal for the car is to stick to the the original architecture from the 60s but use updated materials where possible. That means no resto-mod bits for me. Would appreciate feedback on how the stock hubs and spindles hold up for track use with sticky rubber - should these be on the “replace” list before attempting any track days?

 

Great looking car. Sucks that you had to do all of that work, but it sure looks like you're doing a great job with it. No help with your questions though. I'd just take it easy on your first track day...any weak parts will make themself known.

If there are any auto-cross clubs in your area, do that first. Lower speeds and shorter courses, but you push it pretty hard and reasonable speeds. Better environment to find any weak spots.

 

Great looking car. Sucks that you had to do all of that work, but it sure looks like you're doing a great job with it. No help with your questions though. I'd just take it easy on your first track day...any weak parts will make themself known.

If there are any auto-cross clubs in your area, do that first. Lower speeds and shorter courses, but you push it pretty hard and reasonable speeds. Better environment to find any weak spots.

Thanks. Yeah it was a major bummer at the time but I'm glad the car has been repaired properly now. Good advice regarding auto-cross. It's not a big thing here in Aus but my local motorsport club runs a handful of events each year so perhaps I'll give that a go first.

 

If you’re interested in running it old school keeping to a more vintage build, we can shirley help you with that. My car and @patrickstapler ’s car are both vintage legal and have been raced a lot over many years. We’re always happy to help!

 

Awesome, thank you! This is exactly my goal with the car. Appreciate any clarity that you can please provide on the following:

• Fitting a 15x8 wheel on the front, what is required to make it work?
• Best options for off the shelf engine cooling?
• Are the alloy finned cobra sumps OK for oil starvation prevention?
• Are stock hubs and spindles up to the task for track use? Should I fit new replacements and if so is there a brand one would recommend?
• Is the original style mechanical fuel pump suitable for track use?

There is probably a bunch of other stuff I haven't thought about so please feel free to chime in! Appreciate any and all advice. I am an experienced racer, and tend to take my cars near their limits on track, thus brakes, cooling, suspension are important in my books. I won't be racing this car door to door but would like it to be able to handle 15-20 minute sessions on track. I don't think I will go down the path of bias ply tires because they're hard to get here. Avon CR6ZZ appears to be the only track worthy radial in suitable 15 inch sizes that is available to me locally, though I have never used them and don't know much about them.

 

Regarding the cast aluminum COBRA oil pans, although they carry 7.5qts oil for extra cooling, I've read that they don't baffle well when racing since they just have a couple metal doors held on with wire, vs road race pans that have welded in baffling and custom matching pickups. I ran one on my street car for a couple years but had to remove those flapper doors so my stock oil pickup would fit, and it still wasn't a great fit in multiple areas. Finally sold that pan for even more than I bought it for, and just picked up a Canton road race pan that works much better.

If you're trying to keep it period, then Shelby American ran AVIAID pans on their competition GT350s/Cobras: Wet Sump Road Race Oil Pans (SBF 289/302 & 351W) at Replacement Parts | Page 1 of 3

I run a 15x7 front wheel on my '66 GT350 tribute and the tires rubbed until I rolled my fender lips. While you might be able to run 15x8 depending on tires and alignment, it'll probably rub with stock suspension components.

Cheers!
Brent

 

Regarding the Avons, I'm tagging @zray as he runs them and probably has some good info about them

John

Appreciate it!

Regarding the cast aluminum COBRA oil pans, although they carry 7.5qts oil for extra cooling, I've read that they don't baffle well when racing since they just have a couple metal doors held on with wire, vs road race pans that have welded in baffling and custom matching pickups. I ran one on my street car for a couple years but had to remove those flapper doors so my stock oil pickup would fit, and it still wasn't a great fit in multiple areas. Finally sold that pan for even more than I bought it for, and just picked up a Canton road race pan that works much better.

If you're trying to keep it period, then Shelby American ran AVIAID pans on their competition GT350s/Cobras: Wet Sump Road Race Oil Pans (SBF 289/302 & 351W) at Replacement Parts | Page 1 of 3

I run a 15x7 front wheel on my '66 GT350 tribute and the tires rubbed until I rolled my fender lips. While you might be able to run 15x8 depending on tires and alignment, it'll probably rub with stock suspension components.

Cheers!
Brent

Thanks that’s a big help. Perhaps I will stick with the 15x7 all round in that case. Those Aviaid sumps look fantastic. I will have a look at both those and Canton.

Hope the above helps...

@patrickstapler thanks for such an informative response and for sharing the “recipe”, much appreciated. It sounds like there isn’t a lot to be gained by going 15x8 all round, considering the effort involved. Makes me wonder how Shelby got them to work on the rear without rubbing on the leaf springs, or maybe they did and they just went with it. Rubbing tires on fenders and springs etc annoys me and I’m not looking to extensively flare the fenders so I’m not going to go there. I will definitely not run bias ply with this car. We don’t have BP type classes here in Australia and I will not be racing this car so I have a bit of freedom with that regard, but I am looking to keep things somewhat period correct. From this stand point I will likely land on a radial of some description. Perhaps a 225/60r15 all round is achievable.

Regarding the Griffin radiator, I am assuming you run some type of external oil cooler with this set up?

Cheers

 

@patrickstapler thanks for such an informative response and for sharing the “recipe”, much appreciated. It sounds like there isn’t a lot to be gained by going 15x8 all round, considering the effort involved. Makes me wonder how Shelby got them to work on the rear without rubbing on the leaf springs, or maybe they did and they just went with it. Rubbing tires on fenders and springs etc annoys me and I’m not looking to extensively flare the fenders so I’m not going to go there. I will definitely not run bias ply with this car. We don’t have BP type classes here in Australia and I will not be racing this car so I have a bit of freedom with that regard, but I am looking to keep things somewhat period correct. From this stand point I will likely land on a radial of some description. Perhaps a 225/60r15 all round is achievable.

Regarding the Griffin radiator, I am assuming you run some type of external oil cooler with this set up?

Cheers

Shelby built 36 factory Competition (R-model) GT350s in '65 and most/all of them came with 15x7 magnesium "GT Plus" wheels manufactured by American Racing, which are similar to Torq Thrust D wheels. While they also came with wider 9.50-15 bias ply tires, both front and rear fenders were radiused to greatly increase the wheel openings. This was straight-forward in the front, but in the rear, it required fabrication because as you radius the outer fender, you separate it from the inner fender and must weld in sheetmetal to connect the two back together for structural integrity.

Street '65 GT350s came with 7.75-15 tall/skinny Goodyear Blue Dot bias plys but those still rubbed, which is why in '66 they switched to 14-inch wheels.

-Brent

 

So, keeping to the vintage mindset, here are some things I would suggest and some answers to your questions.

1. 15x8 is not going to work up front. If fact, I'd recommend 15x7 at all 4 corners and run the same size tires at all 4.
2. For a good road race oil pan, go with Aviaid or Canton 9 qt road race pans. I've always used the Canton pan and have never experienced oil starvation.
3. A Northern cross flow aluminum radiator will cool just fine. Mine is a stockish size that fits the opening. Don't use a thermostat. Use a 1" reducer in place of the T-stat.
4. Stock drum spindles work just fine. Check them over for any cracks or even get them magnafluxed if it makes you feel better. I've had the stock drum spindles on my 66 for almost 20 years of hard track use. I would suggest the aluminum hubs from Cobra Automotive or equals. Mine have been flawless.
5. Use a Holley mechanical fuel pump.

Other things.....
Brake cooling ducts are an absolute must!
the factory Kelsey Hayes 4 piston calipers will be good enough to stop you with R4 pads. Rear drums with stock shoes or R4S shoes are enough as well.
Cobra Auto and Shaun at Street or Track both offer the Big Lincoln front calipers. They are a nice upgrade for the front!
Bilstein race valved shocks are very good.
Rollerize all the steering parts that your wallet will allow! It's worth the cost.
Roller perches are preferred, but if you have lots of track time already, go with the dbl rollers. John at Opentracker Racing is the brains behind those.
Put a catch can for the rear axle in the trunk so it flows back into the axle when parked.
You can continue to use factory points setup, but I'd recommend an MSD distributor that's locked out and a blaster coil mounted up front to get some airflow going over it.
If you don't already have it in the car, get a 4 speed toploader and rebuild it with David Kee's road race kit. You could also modify the stock arms with heim joints to firm up the shifter. Use a Hurst shifter instead of the stock part.
4 1/2 leaf mid eye or reverse eye springs in the rear. Front springs rated at least at 700lbs. Cut the coils and drop the car as far as the tires will allow.


There are tons of other things you can do to make it stop and turn way better than a stock setup while keeping everything stock looking. If you send me a PM with your email, I'll send you my parts list of everything on my car and any pictures you want. You can spend a little or a lot. You can start out with 100% stock parts and change them as you go or buy the cool parts once and be done.

 

So, keeping to the vintage mindset, here are some things I would suggest and some answers to your questions.

1. 15x8 is not going to work up front. If fact, I'd recommend 15x7 at all 4 corners and run the same size tires at all 4.
2. For a good road race oil pan, go with Aviaid or Canton 9 qt road race pans. I've always used the Canton pan and have never experienced oil starvation.
3. A Northern cross flow aluminum radiator will cool just fine. Mine is a stockish size that fits the opening. Don't use a thermostat. Use a 1" reducer in place of the T-stat.
4. Stock drum spindles work just fine. Check them over for any cracks or even get them magnafluxed if it makes you feel better. I've had the stock drum spindles on my 66 for almost 20 years of hard track use. I would suggest the aluminum hubs from Cobra Automotive or equals. Mine have been flawless.
5. Use a Holley mechanical fuel pump.

Other things.....
Brake cooling ducts are an absolute must!
the factory Kelsey Hayes 4 piston calipers will be good enough to stop you with R4 pads. Rear drums with stock shoes or R4S shoes are enough as well.
Cobra Auto and Shaun at Street or Track both offer the Big Lincoln front calipers. They are a nice upgrade for the front!
Bilstein race valved shocks are very good.
Rollerize all the steering parts that your wallet will allow! It's worth the cost.
Roller perches are preferred, but if you have lots of track time already, go with the dbl rollers. John at Opentracker Racing is the brains behind those.
Put a catch can for the rear axle in the trunk so it flows back into the axle when parked.
You can continue to use factory points setup, but I'd recommend an MSD distributor that's locked out and a blaster coil mounted up front to get some airflow going over it.
If you don't already have it in the car, get a 4 speed toploader and rebuild it with David Kee's road race kit. You could also modify the stock arms with heim joints to firm up the shifter. Use a Hurst shifter instead of the stock part.
4 1/2 leaf mid eye or reverse eye springs in the rear. Front springs rated at least at 700lbs. Cut the coils and drop the car as far as the tires will allow.


There are tons of other things you can do to make it stop and turn way better than a stock setup while keeping everything stock looking. If you send me a PM with your email, I'll send you my parts list of everything on my car and any pictures you want. You can spend a little or a lot. You can start out with 100% stock parts and change them as you go or buy the cool parts once and be done.

I can't work out how to send a PM, but I would really like to recive the email, in the process of builing something very close to you build.