resto/project question

[sportscars]

I am thinking about a potential project for my 11 year old and I to work on. It would be great for him to be able to say that he owned a Shelby when he was just a kid.

 

That said, I profess my ignorance with the Dodge Shelbys. I was thinking a Dakota, but would something else be better? I know, what does better mean?

 

What would be the least difficult as far as parts availability? Of course money IS an object, so a lower cost would be a plus. I'm not looking to make a 100% perfect restoration here. Just something reliable that runs good and is a Shelby. That way if he decides to mod it or track it later it isnt a big deal.

 

I'm open to any and all ideas and suggestions.

 

Thanks,

 

Sean - aka Sportascars

[Matts]

I am

 

Legend?

[Matts]

I was always a fan of the Chargers and csx's, just because they were lightweight and fun to drive. They are cheap to build too, and I think that the parts are very easy to come by.

[GLHS988]

 

That said, I profess my ignorance with the Dodge Shelbys. I was thinking a Dakota, but would something else be better? I know, what does better mean?

 

 

 

I'd recommend a Charger or CSX as well - preferably a Shelby Dodge numbered car. When I think Shelby, I think fun to drive performance cars. And the numbered ones will be the one to have in the future. I'd also add the GLHS Omni to the list, but they are harder to find and prices tend to be higher.

 

http://www.hemmings.com/mus/stories/2005/06/01/hmn_feature13.html

 

A Dodge Shelby (Shelby Charger, GLH-T, etc) will be a fun car, but they are "Shelby inspired" and were not actual Shelby factory Whittier cars.

[sportscars]

See, I am ignorant. I did not realize the difference between the Shelby inspired cars and the Shelby built cars.

 

Can someone point me to which cars and years are Shelby built. I am not really interested in the "inspired" cars.

[glhs0075]

"Of course money IS an object, so a lower cost would be a plus. I'm not looking to make a 100% perfect restoration here. Just something reliable that runs good and is a Shelby. That way if he decides to mod it or track it later it isnt a big deal."

 

Based on the description of your plans, I'm curious why you're not interested in an "inspired" car? They are cheaper, easier to find, can be fixed up without worrying about hard to find Shelby specific parts, and if you "decide to mod it or track it later", you're not doing this to limited production numbered car.

[BobsShelbyDakota]

See, I am ignorant. I did not realize the difference between the Shelby inspired cars and the Shelby built cars.

 

Can someone point me to which cars and years are Shelby built. I am not really interested in the "inspired" cars.

 

This link expains it all.

 

Shelby Dodges

[GLHS988]

I'd recommend a Charger or CSX as well - preferably a Shelby Dodge numbered car. When I think Shelby, I think fun to drive performance cars. And the numbered ones will be the one to have in the future. I'd also add the GLHS Omni to the list, but they are harder to find and prices tend to be higher.

 

 

But of course, if you can find a deal on a Shelby Dakota... Or maybe a Shelby Lancer? Anything Shelby worked his magic on is worth the price of admission.

 

Agree on not wanting to modify a numbered car. With 21 years old being new for a Shelby Dodge, they are at the age that restoring or keeping them as a solid future resto candidate makes more sense than modifying a numbered car for the track IMO. The consolation is that more power just an ecu swap away.

[shelbymotorsports]

Sean

 

These are the Shelby built cars:

1986 Shelby GLHS

1987 Shelby GLHS

1987 Shelby Lancer

1987 Shelby CSX

1988 Shelby CSX-T

1989 Shelby CSX-VNT

1989 Shelby Dakota

 

Each model presents their own unique restoration and or replacement parts problem. The Dakota truck would be the easiest restoration money wise but will cost you more money with its initial purchase price of $2,500 on up.

 

While you can find the FWD Turbocharged cars for as little as $500 they will cost many thousands of dollars to restore that you can not recoup if you decide to sell the car.

 

Like any restoration project its best to purchase the car that needs the least amount of restoration work that your budget allows.

 

Let us know when you narrow down your choices and we can give you more specific info for that model Shelby.

 

Steve

[Sherri Leicht]

What an awesome dad/son thing

[sportscars]

Agree on not wanting to modify a numbered car. With 21 years old being new for a Shelby Dodge, they are at the age that restoring or keeping them as a solid future resto candidate makes more sense than modifying a numbered car for the track IMO. The consolation is that more power just an ecu swap away.

 

 

So do I understand this correctly: That the Shelby "inspired" cars just need a computer swap to bring the HP up to the Shelby "built" levels?

 

 

Another question - Are the inspired cars in the Registry? If not then I am not interested.

 

 

Thanks for your patience with me.

[sdac guy]

So do I understand this correctly: That the Shelby "inspired" cars just need a computer swap to bring the HP up to the Shelby "built" levels?

 

 

Another question - Are the inspired cars in the Registry? If not then I am not interested.

 

 

Thanks for your patience with me.

2nd question first. Most registries do not include the inspired cars (Omni GLH, Daytona Shelby, Daytona C/S, etc). There was talk of including some of them in the Team Shelby Registry but I think that idea has been ditched for the most part. The 7 cars Steve listed are the main ones in all the Shelby Registries that currently exist.

 

The 7 Shelby built cars did not have power levels that were beyond what was available in production. Shelby just got some engine configurations a year earlier than Dodge production models did. For all of these models there are "Stage II" factory performance computers available, plus a growing field of aftermarket options for the engine controllers.

 

The Stage II option is fairly rare and hard to find for the Shelby Dakota. It included both a throttle body from a 360 c.i. and a recalibrated ECU, providing about a 25 HP gain. In fact, support for the repair of the Shelby Dakota engine controllers is also lacking as the electric fan control was custom wired into each one of them. For most of the FWD Shelby Dodges the power level available is limited only by your wallet and imagination.

 

If you are looking to restore one of the Shelby produced vehicles, you most likely will never recoup the money invested, though it could come close. If you modify the drivetrain it is advisable to keep the original parts so the car can be restored to stock appearance as modifications can hurt resale value.

[shelbymotorsports]

So do I understand this correctly: That the Shelby "inspired" cars just need a computer swap to bring the HP up to the Shelby "built" levels?

 

 

Another question - Are the inspired cars in the Registry? If not then I am not interested.

 

 

Thanks for your patience with me.

 

 

It was decided that the Shelby American Registry would only track the Dodge cars built at the Shelby Auto's facility in California. One of the main reasons for not including the inspired cars is because we have practically no factory paperwork on those cars. That also includes production numbers, we have very little production data from Chrysler and at this point in time we have no contacts at the Fiat owned company.

 

That doesn't mean that someones Shelby Charger, Shelby Daytona or GLH Turbo isn't welcome at Team Shelby or our events it just means that they are currently not part of the SAI Registry.

 

It was a little more than a computer swap for an inspired car to become a built level car. Besides the computer most of the turbo cars received an air to air intercooler, larger turbo and a revised intake/ fuel delivery system. There were also many suspension/braking changes made along with cosmetic changes.

 

If you can narrow your choice down to two or three cars we can get into more detailed differences between them that should help you make the best choice for your father/son project.

 

Steve