|
Re: Concourse or Custom?
I personally think that going the total "every nut and moving part must be totally immaculate and original stock" concours route is playing into everyone else's hands but your own to be honest.
I have very little interest in seeing a vehicle which is so immaculate that it can't be treated with a bit of anger. One of the reasons is as follows... anyone who prides themselves on being a "classic car" nut will gladly accept that the early years of unibody design were pretty dicey in terms of build quality. A 1965 Fastback Mustang for example exhibits only 2500lb/ft of torque per degree of chassis bend - which, when you consider that the new '05 Mustang hovers at almost 15,000 lb/ft per degree, you'll start to see how flimsy the early Mustangs truly were, handling wise.
Any serious restoration of a classic Mustang will incorporate a complete strip down, along with some super duper subframe enhancement. And I mean LOTS OF IT, too. I regularly read of engineers using up to 100 lbs of steel reinforcement throughout a classic Mustang making up extra frame rails and critical torque boxes etc. Then they do a full rotissere paint job, and then they get serious about the suspension - assuming they haven't gone the ultra Griggs GR350 route which requires a total rebuild of the front engine bay prior to the rotisserie spray.
But the upshot to such a job is this - you end up with a classic Mustang which can ****ing fly. I mean, really, really fly. But they have to be totally rebuilt at the chassis level first. And don't let anyone tell you that you can take shortcuts here. Any 38 year old unibody without chassis stiffening is going to be as flimsy as Kleenex box. Believe me, I've seen a '67 GTA Fastback on a rotisserie prior to the subframe enhancements and you could wobble the chassis - by hand - that's how flimsy the rails get after 35 years.
And that, you see, is the problem with a genuine concours Mustang. At the end of the day, the only thing it's REALLY GOOD at, is looking pretty. But by todays standards? It's a wobble box. My humble Lexus ES300 would poop on a Concours Mustang in every respect - except perhaps straight line acceleration. But in every other department, that is, steering geometry, chassis stiffness, Noise Vibration Harshness, suspension arc geometry, roll centre coupling, scrub radii, motion ratios, braking - the humble Lexus would crap on a Concours Mustang - oh, but yes, I have to concede the Mustang remains an infiniitely better looking car of course. Which is why we're all here! (smile)
But you're seeing my point here by now, yes? In 20 years from now, any classic Mustang which has gone through the total chassis strip down and stiffening rebuild is going to be worth a very pretty penny. Simply because people will understand by then what a strong chassis means - already I'm seeing such knowledge getting about amongst younger car fans. It's like a new generation of car knowledge is coming through.
So, strip the classic Mustang I say. Build it up with sub frames and torque boxes. Then fit every bit of modern, state-of-the-art suspension and steering and brakes you can get. You don't have to change a thing after that. Keep everything else totally original. No other resto-mod crap. No skirts or flashy trims. Just totally brand new interior and exterior bright ware and you'll have the best of both worlds - a car which "looks" concours, but has actually been tricked up underneath to handle like a Porsche.
OK, upgrade the wheels and brakes to 17" and 13" respectively. But that's easy as pie.
__________________
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.
|
Linear Mode
