Boo Boo Foo

G'day guys... just fielding a question here which is sufficiently specific that unless I cast a wide net, it probably wouldn't get answered if you know what I mean.

As you can see in my signature, I own a 66 Shelby GT350 Mustang. Sweet car, a real sweet car. But our Australian readers will be aware that the famous XR-XY series of Falcons were based on the Mustang with many, many shared suspension parts.

It seems the original uprights and spindles on the front suspension on my Shelby were a bit light compared to later Mustangs. However, the famous Phase II and Phase III GTHO's were getting pretty serious in terms of suspension bits, and my question is this (to anyone who knows)?

Were the front spindles/uprights identical in the GTHO's to all the other GT's, and normal road going Falcons? And secondly, assuming a super strong upright/spindle was (or has since been) developed for the GTHO, do you think they would fit in my Mustang? I ask this because I've been hanging out on an American messageboard for classic Mustang owners, and it's always nice to be helpful if you can I reckon.

Thanking you in advance!

Regards, Ive.

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The Boo Boo Mobeel: 1966 Shelby GT350 Mustang Fastback. Scarlett Red with White Le Mans stripes with matching co-ordinated Pony interior. 289 Hi-Po Cobra currently mated to a close ratio 4 speed Top Loader. 17" Torq Thrust II's and 13" Baer Racing disks all round with PBR 4 spot calipers.

Thunder Kiss

BooBooFoo I don't know about interchangability, but rather than "upgading" to 30 year old parts, why not look into really upgrading to an RRS front end?

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Boo Boo Foo

Oh Man! That's f***in' awesome! Many, many thank you's for providing such an interesting option... :D

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The Boo Boo Mobeel: 1966 Shelby GT350 Mustang Fastback. Scarlett Red with White Le Mans stripes with matching co-ordinated Pony interior. 289 Hi-Po Cobra currently mated to a close ratio 4 speed Top Loader. 17" Torq Thrust II's and 13" Baer Racing disks all round with PBR 4 spot calipers.

outback_ute

Won't do much for the originality of your car though.

Boo Boo Foo

What you need to be aware of however is that recent magnaflux tests are showing that all uprights/spindles produced for Mustangs between 64-73 are failing due to stress cracks. Now this means bad news... one day either the left or right front spindle is gonna let go, and that'll be ugly. Hence, I'm happy to keep all the original parts and install newer technology in this instance because it's all bolt-in, superior, and doesn't cut up the car in anyway.

I don't ever intend to sell the car, hence, the question of "originality" relates more to worrying about what other people think than what the owner thinks.

Also, it's worth noting that the great man himself, Mr Shelby, actually asked for the famous TCP front suspension to be fitted into his prized GT350 Build # 001 for exactly the same reasons. My thinking is this, if Mr Shelby is happy to retro-fit superior bits to his own GT350, then so long as I can keep the original parts, I'm happy to do so too.

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The Boo Boo Mobeel: 1966 Shelby GT350 Mustang Fastback. Scarlett Red with White Le Mans stripes with matching co-ordinated Pony interior. 289 Hi-Po Cobra currently mated to a close ratio 4 speed Top Loader. 17" Torq Thrust II's and 13" Baer Racing disks all round with PBR 4 spot calipers.

outback_ute

Just to clarify, I was thinking the shock tower notching change was part of the kit (didn't click on the link before, just going on memory of seeing an article on it where the notching was done). I've got no problems at all with bolt-on mods, not so keen on cutting your type of car up though.