[reenmachine]

The car is back in the shop now from paint & body & it looks incredible. I've just gotten started putting it together and figured I'd start a thread since it should be a fairly interesting build.

The specs in a nutshell:
- '67 Shelby GT 500 convertible clone
- '00 Cobra 4.6L DOHC/T-45
- MII front suspension/coilovers
- Wilwood 4-piston front brakes with 12" rotors & Al hubs
- Hydroboost power brakes
- Power rack & pinion steering
- Independent rear suspension w/ Aldan Eagle coilovers, 9", inboard Wilwoods
- a bunch more stuff

Recap to this point: The donor car was an all-original metal, no rust, never wrecked '67 vert with a 6-cyl & a 3-speed. It was gutted, the MII front end was done, custom subframe connectors added, lots of additional reinforcement was added to the rear frame area, and all of the fab to put the IRS in was done. The engine and trans were then fitted and mounts fabbed. Then everything was disassembled, plastic media blasted, and painted. It's a special shade of red with white "Super Snake" stripes. The stripes have a very subtle pearlescence to them and are buried in the clear coat (you can't feel any edges). Tons of extra time went into getting the Shelby fiberglass to fit perfectly everywhere.

I just picked it up from the body shop Friday.

pics to follow

[reenmachine]

Here's how it looked soon before I picked it up from paint. All that remained was to hang the doors and a few other odds and ends.

[reenmachine]

As soon as I rolled it into the shop, off came the suspension pieces used to roll it around at blast and paint.

[reenmachine]

The wheel wells were coated to protect fender paint and reduce road noise. the car is being built to be driven a lot, not as a trailered show car.

[dolfan87]

Doiing awesome work my brotha! I should take a drive up to Flag and meet ya.

[DarkBuddha]

Looks fantastic... I've got a lot of envy these days, and your build up is bound to just add to it. I'll be watching...

[pushrod power]

i really admire the work and engineering you've done on this project. are you looking to sell/adapt any of the mods like the rear suspension install for the open market or this a one off for your buyer? i've read how you quit JPL to open your own business re-engineering early mustangs and i just want to let you know that i really envy and admire you for that.

[reenmachine]

Originally Posted by pushrod power

i really admire the work and engineering you've done on this project. are you looking to sell/adapt any of the mods like the rear suspension install for the open market or this a one off for your buyer? i've read how you quit JPL to open your own business re-engineering early mustangs and i just want to let you know that i really envy and admire you for that.

Thanks for the kind words. This is something I've always wanted to do, and fortunately it looks like the the market is there to support this kind of thing these days.

As far as the rear suspension mods go, it's a definite maybe. This install is a one-off, but the original plan was to work something up that could be sold as a kit. I'm going to put a late-model Cobra IRS in a '67 fastback soon, and see which system I like better. It looks like cost will come out to be roughly the same either way (expensive...).

I've got the IRS back in the car & it looks bitchin'. I'll post some pics in a bit.

[reenmachine]

The undercarriage is finished in body color:



The Heidt's IRS system is ready to go in. While the car was away at paint I did the final subassembly and detailing (it was basically just mocked up before):





The IRS unit has:
- 9" 3.55 Trac-Loc from Currie Enterprises
- 31-spline stub axles from Strange
- Aldan Eagle adjustable coilovers
- Corvette outer bearing assemblies
- Wilwood rotors and 4-piston calipers
- Wilwood dual parking brake calipers

[reenmachine]

Integration of the IRS went totally smoothly since it was all mocked up long ago before the car went off to paint. The rear frame rails are heavily reinforced, there is a welded-in cross brace that the pinion support links connect to, and the forward struts connect to a crossmember between the subframe connectors. The unit connects to the car at six points.

[reenmachine]

Here are a few more pics of the IRS in place. I'm working on the front suspension now, so hopefully I'll have some shots of it up tomorrow or so.

[golf4283]

I hate you. Just kidding. That is the sweetest project on this board besides SN65. I can't wait to see that finished. A 67 Shelby convertible is a great idea and the IRS is looking pretty tastey. Congrats on having a great project.

[65up2d8]

Sweeeeeet looking ride. Is the 4.6 stock? Either way, you have the makings of a very, very cool car here, and the attention to detail is quite impressive. I can't wait to see your progress, and I'll be quite interested to hear about the Heidt's IRS vis-a-vis the Cobra IRS.

[65up2d8]

This thread should be stickied. Of course, I think Reenmachine would agree it should post under SN65 as he is doing something that has never been done before. I'm a fairly new member to the forum, and I don't know how to Sticky Reen's car, but I believe his build deserves fairly equal billing as SN 65 as he is crossing so much new territory also.

[70vert]

reenmachine,
Was the subframe connector laid right to the floor pan or is there a gap? Was it welded to the floor pan? Does it just attach to the bottom or does it protrude through the floor pan? I posted a thread about subframe connectors and Hack mentioned the simplest subframe connector possible, a bar connecting front and rear subframes that produces a rectangular lump in the floor.
So what have you got there? I read that the Unique convertible uses an x-brace under there but could not find pics. It would seem like you have to have a removable center section there to work on it but I don't see how an x-brace could accomplish that.
Awesome work. That IRS is amazing. Can't wait to hear how it handles.

Joe

[reenmachine]

Originally Posted by 70vert

Was the subframe connector laid right to the floor pan or is there a gap? Was it welded to the floor pan? Does it just attach to the bottom or does it protrude through the floor pan?

The SFC is laid below the floor pan. There is a loss of ground clearance associated with this, but it is equal to the loss I already had with the IRS. Plus, the cross brace must be at a certain level so the forward strut front pivots lie on the same plane as the inner H-arm pivots.

At the front of the SFC it is welded to the frame rail over about a 6" length to make a really solid connection vs. just attaching at a small area. the connection area is also fully gusseted. Same story at the rear, and the rear torque box area is fully reinforced, so there is a ton of attachment area spreading the load back there.

Originally Posted by 70vert

It would seem like you have to have a removable center section there to work on it but I don't see how an x-brace could accomplish that.

Yes, the center brace is removable (the black forward one). I have seen removable x-braces before, I think TCP is like this, I don't know if it's for a convertible or not though.

[70vert]

Originally Posted by reenmachine

Yes, the center brace is removable (the black forward one). I have seen removable x-braces before, I think TCP is like this, I don't know if it's for a convertible or not though.

Sorry, I should have been more specific. I meant "Big Rails Shaped Like an X That Are Welded To Front and Rear Subframes. " Somehow the review I read of Unique's unit made me think that it was actually shaped like an X and ran diagonally from, say, right front subframe to left rear subframe on one tube, and then another tube welded to the first that went from left front subframe to right rear. I was wondering how such a thing could have a removable mini- "X" shaped thing in the middle and still be structurally sound, that's all. Unless I go to Texas and sneak in, though, don't know how I'll get pics of that unit.

Thanks for the info and getting back so quick. It sounds like the route you went is pretty much ideal functionally and aesthetically.

joe

[mustangbrad]

This is an outstanding project! Although I can see a problem in your future, I can already hear the "Hey look, it's an Eleanor convertible" so if you can endure the "uneducated" comments carry on. What did you coat the wheel wells with? Again, cool car. I look forward to seeing it finished.

[Edbert]

Reen, simply amazing...I knew what you were up to but it still exceeds my expectations. A few things...

When did you decide on the supersnake stripe? Last I saw you were using the LeMans versions.

TCP does not make an X-brace for verts, at least not until they were bought out.

What are you going to do for exhaust? Putting a hi perf exhaust on a vert is tough without the pipes hanging low.

[reenmachine]

Originally Posted by mustangbrad

This is an outstanding project! Although I can see a problem in your future, I can already hear the "Hey look, it's an Eleanor convertible" so if you can endure the "uneducated" comments carry on. What did you coat the wheel wells with? Again, cool car. I look forward to seeing it finished.

I've been grappling with this very thought, but for a different reason:
As much as Eleanor isn't my style, I know I could now build a white Eleanor convertible out of a different donor car and probably get $150k or more for it at auction. I'd feel like a dirty whore though...but a dirty whore with money.

[reenmachine]

Originally Posted by Edbert

When did you decide on the supersnake stripe? Last I saw you were using the LeMans versions.

I just dig the super snake stripes. That's pretty much all there was to the decision process.

Originally Posted by Edbert

What are you going to do for exhaust? Putting a hi perf exhaust on a vert is tough without the pipes hanging low.

I'm going to figure it out later! I'm ashamed to say that that's one of the few "I'll cross that bridge when I get there" things. Everything else is pretty much figured out.

I'm going out there to try and finish the front suspension this evening -- hopefully I can post pics later.

[Edbert]

Originally Posted by reenmachine

I just dig the super snake stripes. That's pretty much all there was to the decision process.

ya, they're nice alright! Did you see the Terlingua-ish pics that were posted here? He has them too...I sense a trend

I am waiting with anxious anticipation to see how you do the exhaust.

[Route666]

Man that's nice, I like your build theory too, try and get it all built and fitted before bodywork, then it goes together easy (sure, a second time, but still easier) and looks a million bucks.

[geostang351]

Awesome, truly awesome!

[reenmachine]

I finally got the front suspension and brakes in, and I'm getting the pics up on the website and also on here this morning.

The Painless 67-68 chassis harness came in yesterday as well, so I'll be into that over the next couple of days.