GT350: F.A.Q.

[CH53Driver]

HEY CHRIS,

 

SCOTTY HERE, I WANTED TO CHIME IN ON THE WEIGHT OF THE GT350. I

 

RECENTLY TOOK MY SHELBY GT/SC OVER TO THE LOCAL TRUCK STOP AND

 

MY CAR WEIGHED 3,420 WITH A 1/2 TANK OF FUEL , BIG BRAKES , 18" GT500

 

WHEELS/TIRES , GT REAR WING , SHAKER 1000 W/SUB WOOFER AND

 

NO DRIVER.

 

HOPE THIS HELPS.

 

SCOTTY

 

 

I ask this question not to be a smart a$$, but just because I don't know. Do you know what the +/- tolerances are on a truck weight scale?

[ChrisSD]

I ask this question not to be a smart a$$, but just because I don't know. Do you know what the +/- tolerances are on a truck weight scale?

 

 

His car is lighter than a stock no option S197 GT.

[amyb]

HEY CHRIS,

 

SCOTTY HERE, I WANTED TO CHIME IN ON THE WEIGHT OF THE GT350. I

 

RECENTLY TOOK MY SHELBY GT/SC OVER TO THE LOCAL TRUCK STOP AND

 

MY CAR WEIGHED 3,420 WITH A 1/2 TANK OF FUEL , BIG BRAKES ,

 

18" GT500 WHEELS/TIRES , GT REAR WING , SHAKER 1000 W/SUB

 

WOOFER AND NO DRIVER.

 

HOPE THIS HELPS.

 

SCOTTY

 

 

I said "that is what I was told, I am waiting on numbers but everyone is at car shows or BJ, as soon as I know, I will post them

[Dig-It]

Amy link didnt work, so here it is

 

 

I like it with the stripes going all of the way down

 

WANT!

[swa737]

Amy

I love the car. I plan on getting one. I am a BIG proponent for stripes all the way down and moving the letters to top center or left corner !!

[SGT/SC#0471]

Amy, I have to say I have not seen the car in person, but as a visual artist, the all the way down stripes look really nice, I'd bet if it was a painted on option a lot of folks would opt for it.

 

Thanks again for taking the time to listen to your customers, that is a rare thing these days! Cheers!

[SGT/SC#0471]

Scotty that scale is wrong I think, and probably so is the trcuk scale I used.... but I came up with 3,605. With the items in my signature installed on the car, no driver, a little over 1/2 tank of fuel.

 

BTW I am waiting on the lines and then the Brembos you flowed me are going on now that I got the new wheels on...Cheers Scotty!

[01ROUSHSTAGE3]

Is there anyway of removing the GT350 stripes on the hood, they just don't like right and doesn't go with the body lines?

[cwilder]

Amy

I love the car. I plan on getting one. I am a BIG proponent for stripes all the way down and moving the letters to top center or left corner !!

 

 

 

+1, seriously considering this car!!

 

CW

[DutchGT500]

I want one too.

[Five Oh B]

I ask this question not to be a smart a$$, but just because I don't know. Do you know what the +/- tolerances are on a truck weight scale?

 

 

The state run truck scales in our state are accurate to +/- 20 lbs. My supercharged '07 Mustang GT automatic coupe weighs 3,480 lbs with 17" wheels and stock brakes. The 2010-11's are a bit heavier, so it'll really come down to what is removed by SAI from the factory GT vs what they install as part of the GT350. Some have indicated that it must be heavier because SAI is adding stuff (which they are), but they are also removing stuff and some of what is being installed may be lighter materials (fiberglass vs steel/aluminum, for example).

[khood1]

Hey I really like this rendering. I hope Amy B and the team sees this.

 

Overall I love the car. Thanks SAI! Since this is the place for it I will use this drawing as my starting point and make a few more suggestions.

 

1) Don't move the "S H E L B Y" lettering to the trunk but REMOVE it from the back of the car completely. I love the round Cobra badge...that's all that's necessary IMHO.

 

2) Remove "GT350" imbedded in the hood stripes and make the stripes continuous, just like the '60s cars.

 

3) Replace the "GT350" grill emblem with the classic tri-bar pony, like the '65.

 

That's it! I love everything else. Love that the hood scoop, rockers and front end stuff is functional. You'll notice all my suggestions had to do with badging. Basically getting rid of a lot of it. That's an easy mod. I'm not very good with photoshop but if someone could try what I suggested that'd be cool.

 

I just feel all of this badging isn't necessary. Think about it this way...if a guy flew down from the sky and landed in front of you wearing a red cape, red shorts and blue tights with a big red "S" on the chest you wouldn't need the word "Superman" stitched below the "S" to know who he is.

 

Likewise, the GT350 is an icon. I've loved it since I was 6 years old. The only thing keeping me from buying this one is the price. I did buy a 2010 GT500 two months ago. If the GT350 were the same money I'd swap in a heartbeat. But it's looking like it'll be $15k to $18k more than I paid. I just can't swing that. Oh and by the way, I love my GT500.

 

Still even if the car doesn't change at all from the one I saw this past Monday...I love it and appreciate SAI bringing it out. Thanks ShelbyEra08 for the rendering. Nice job.

 

 

Amy link didnt work, so here it is

 

 

I like it with the stripes going all of the way down

 

could the word SHELBY be placed on the trunk like every other Shelby, or just not enough room for it?

 

[NordicShelby]

The more I look at the car the more I LOVE IT. Yes make the stripes all the way down, Remove the Shelby Letters off the bumper, remove most of the badging, and now the reverse lights finally hit a bingo with me they look like giant NIPPLES so now I love them since I see them as Big Juicy nipples.

[bpmurr]

Amy link didnt work, so here it is

 

 

I like it with the stripes going all of the way down

 

could the word SHELBY be placed on the trunk like every other Shelby, or just not enough room for it?

 

 

Now if they can just flush mount those lights into the rear it would be perfect. They need to find a better vinyl guy if they are telling Amy it can't be done.

[SGT/SC#0471]

The more I look at the car the more I LOVE IT. Yes make the stripes all the way down, Remove the Shelby Letters off the bumper, remove most of the badging, and now the reverse lights finally hit a bingo with me they look like giant NIPPLES so now I love them since I see them as Big Juicy nipples.

 

 

 

[09 Red GT500]

My 2 cents worth...

 

I really like the stripes all the way down in the rear.

 

I really dislike the Shelby letters below the rear lights.

 

I like the hood including the "350" in the stripes.

 

Too much badging.

 

I assume a one piece front fascia will take care of this, but the front looks like an add on in the pictures.

[DubbsFaris]

Chad, you crack me up, man!

 

Now if they can just flush mount those lights into the rear it would be perfect. They need to find a better vinyl guy if they are telling Amy it can't be done.

 

 

Actually, those stripes are painted on and look beautiful....I believe Amy said they made the rear look a little fat. As a fat guy, I've always been told vertical stripes are slimming...

 

Note to self:

Do NOT put stripes on my blue jean pockets...

[Son of GT]

I would like to see a straight on (unangled) rear photo of the car with the full stripe rendering on it. It's quite possible that people may not care for the full stripe looking at it straight on.

[Morty99]

Nice job Amy and SAI, I'd like to see less badging all around and definitely remove the GT350 from the hood stripe. It just doesn't look right. The original GT350 was a simple design with great performance. I'd like to see more of that simplicity incorporated into the modern car. Whatever direction you take I'm sure 45 years from now your design will be as coveted as the original.

[tony356]

nice job. car looks great. i'm thinkin' i'm in.

[COBRA SCOTTY]

Nice job Amy and SAI, I'd like to see less badging all around and definitely remove the GT350 from the hood stripe. It just doesn't look right. The original GT350 was a simple design with great performance. I'd like to see more of that simplicity incorporated into the modern car. Whatever direction you take I'm sure 45 years from now your design will be as coveted as the original.

 

 

 

I could not agree more, stripes from front to back and no #'s or lettering on the hood. Also less is more when it comes to the badging.

 

Scotty

[FiaCobra]

The stripes going all the way to the bottom of the car definitely looks better. It actually makes the reverse lights look better.

 

I think EVERYONE is in agreement with the rear lettering. It needs to be moved to the trunk. I suggested using the smaller SGT rear lettering. It should then fit under the 3rd brake light nicely.

[Tob]

Why not eliminate the tacked on lettering? Cast each individual letter into the spoiler itself, allowing it to be the third brake light. When you depress the brakes you see S H E L B Y in red. Take your foot off the brakes and it goes away. You'll get all the attention you want every time you stop.

 

Tob

[Frank S]

I don't know how authentic this is, but it seems to me that the modern GT350 might well profit from refreshment along the lines depicted. Calculate the width of the new car versus the old classic one, make the new stripes in proportion.

 

Shelby GT350 Stripes Specifications

 

The rear-end "S H E L B Y" lettering must be such that it produces the classic " H E L B " within the stripe. No two ways about it. I wouldn't believe it was a genuine Shelby if the " H E L B " wasn't clearly in evidence.

 

The wiggly hood stripes are a bit much. First thing I would do with my new GT350 (as if!) would be to paint the whole hood and maybe the top of the front fenders non-shiny black, to reduce reflected glare in the eyes of the driver. Looking back at cars of the era, many of the best were configured that way.

 

The body-color quarter-window blanking plates are really kind of adding insult to injury in a car that has a pretty hippy look to begin with; that's "fat-butt", not "flower-child". I'm generally opposed to blocking any vision from inside to outside, but if you gots to do it, do it with something that reduces the un-tilled acreage of that hip, and does it in a way that is functional, not decorative. Given the way the external metal is laid out in this area, it may not be an achievable goal.

 

Trying to think of a way to break up that area without it looking like a Band-Aid® is a real challenge. Maybe paint from the fender break-line (up or down) in the original

"Chevrolet Commercial White 1347-E R-M 2185 Ditzler 817 Dupont" color. Not that different from High Performance White (HP), and a subtle break from one plane to another. Go a step farther and do a full Mako Shark/Manta Ray fade job. Maybe a car in this price category could afford it.

 

Just as an aside to the "Rallye Stripes" article: I drove a nice dark metallic blue Austin-Healey 3000 for a while. I put a single four-inch white vinyl stripe on it, fore-and-aft and off-centered to the right so that it lined up with the apexes of freeway off-ramps when I was motoring around in something of a hurry. My response to the question "Why not in the center?" was a lie: "No reason, just to be different".

 

Well, the new GT350 is already different in many pleasing ways, but it shouldn't be too different, nor different just for the sake ...

[amyb]

Thanks guys I am away on business and we will be making some changes but nothing to major we will update you when I get back , thanks for all the ideas

 

Amy

[Torch40]

Is there anyway of removing the GT350 stripes on the hood, they just don't like right and doesn't go with the body lines?

 

That's an easy one. Order the car with vinyl stripes then peel them off when you get your car.

[Small Block Driver]

Here are a couple of things I know. Questions that I do not know, we all here will find out.

 

1. As Robert stated--the hood is a one piece fiberglass functional hood. It draws air in and and helps dissipate the hot air out.

 

2. On the front (1 piece production fascia) has 3 inlets directing air straight to the intercooler/radiator area.

 

3. The front brake ducts are located under the car--same as the 2010 SS

 

4. Rear brake ducts. Here is one thing I think that has not beem mentioned yet. The side rockers are functional directing air to the rear rotors, but--here's the new part--it ALSO collects air from the bottom of the car too!! There are actually 2 inlets that are channeled to the rear brake rotors. It really is a cool set up

 

5. The suspension is a fully adjustable Eibach kit (when I get more info, I'll post it)

 

6. Interior. The concept car has the optional upgraded interior. If you do not want this option, you can go with the stock seats (I have a pic of them somewhere LOL)

 

7a. The rear centered exhaust has a tone like no other Shelby I have heard. To me, the tone is awesome!!

 

7b. After reading all of the comments--both positive and negative (both are contructive tools) people wanted side exhaust. In my opinion I do not think it would work because of the rear brake duct set up. And agin, this is MY opinion, you can ask some of the Terlingua owners how careful they have to be going over speed bumps or dips---I think they may say something like, yup, it scrapes a bit. Plus, looking at a ton of original GT350 pics, I didn't really see any side exhaust on them. Maybe on the "R" models, but not on the "350" models (I could be dead wrong here)

 

 

 

I personally do not have all of the answers to all of the questions. BUT, WE DO have a FANTASTIC team that we can go to and ask. In this thread if a question is asked and we do not know, we will go and try to find the answer. I am sure that after our team reads these threads, some changes will be made because of YOUR suggestions

 

And as I stated before in another thread, as soon as I get the go, I will do highly detailed pictoral build of the car. You will see exactly what the team went through to design, build,redisign (LOL) rebuild this vehicle. You will also see how the fascias came together (not from JC Whitney--I think I read that somewhere LOL). How the exhaust was formed and other little bits and pieces of the car.

 

So please, ask away, but please keep in mind "how" the question is asked. Nobody likes to get yelled at

 

Bud

 

 

 

Bud and Others,

 

As the owner of a 1965 Shelby GT-350, serial number SFM5S238, from 1980 to 1993, I can verify this car and most if not all '65 GT-350s DID come with side exhausts. Visit this site to see some photos of the car after a total restoration: http://www.comfortcarconnection.com/sold_car_gallery/65_gt_350/65_gt_350.html

 

Take a look at the exterior shots of the car to see the side exiting exhaust pipes. This car has been restored to factory (Ford & Shelby) original except for the 4 exterior tires (spare is an original Blue Dot) and the oil filter. It has won numerous Best of Shows and is a nearly 100 point restored vehicle per the judges from the Shelby American Automobile Club.

 

I have attached a side view of SFM5S238. If you look under the car you will see the bottom of the muffler and the side exiting exhaust pipe. This exhaust system are verified NOS Shelby parts from a well known Mustang & Shelby Parts Supplier/Restorer/Owner of Many low mileage Mustangs.

 

If you do some research in the Shelby American Automobile Club's "The Shelby American" publication and their Registry's for the '65 cars, you will be able to see that most photos of the cars will show side exhausts. Even most of the early "Left Over '65s" that became the early batch of 1966 GT-350's had side exhausts. The rest of the '66s did have rear mounted exhaust pipes. The most compelling reason the exhausts outlets were changed from the sides to the rears was that a bunch of states laws prohibited the side exhausts just like the prohibited the center mounted headlights on the 1967 Shelby Mustangs.

 

Sure wish I kept the car and sure wish I could afford to get the same matching number (238)!

 

If the current owner of SFM5S238 reads this, please contact me. I have more information on the car I can give you and also I would like to correct some info I have read on a couple web sites about this car.

 

Ron Gratreaks

Las Vegas, NV

captg@cox.net

[amyb]

Guys, on the stripes, we will offer painted and if you want them all the way down we will do it as an option. we don't like the vinyl look and there are too many cuts, we are worried about stripe issues as well... after a few days on this its not what we want on this car.

 

Amy

[swa737]

Guys, on the stripes, we will offer painted and if you want them all the way down we will do it as an option. we don't like the vinyl look and there are too many cuts, we are worried about stripe issues as well... after a few days on this its not what we want on this car.

 

Amy

 

 

 

Amy

 

Thank you for giving us the option on this! I will be going with painted stripes all the way down. Any idea on the cost?

[cwilder]

Amy

 

Thank you for giving us the option on this! I will be going with painted stripes all the way down. Any idea on the cost?

 

 

Is this going to affect the price of the car now? I'm considering but want the interior upgrade and if you add in the painted stripes it's almost 10K more.

 

CW