Eleanor Mustangs Australia?

Early last year the Australian magazine Unique Cars ran a story with a new company called Eleanor Mustangs Australia. The story, below, got me a little worked up due to the fact the makers of this clone were claiming so much, yet the car in their story was obviously far from a clone. and they were offering them for an absolutely absurd price. For that money you could buy one from Unique Performance and it would be an official Shelby continuation vehicle included in the registry.

I ended up sending in a reply which i was told got published, unfortunately i don’t have a copy of what i wrote. but here are some comments from members of the Justmustangs forum.

eleanor mustangs actually “featured” (ie. 2 page advertisement disguised as a report) in Unique Cars a few months back.

they are definitely pricey – from memory about $140,000 —- EVEN MORE if they had to source a fastback for you!!! Shocked

and there wasn’t a very specific list of what you got for that kind of money.

ps. Unique Cars sorta redeemed themselves the following month by publishing a letter from someone saying just how poorly they compared to Unique Performance cars in the US price wise.

It’s worth noting that late last year the companies site, which wasn’t really updated or informative, was taken down and it appears that the company has gone under or folded. A few of us emailed and tried calling them when they were a float but not one of a us got a reply.

While i do love and encourage more quality builders keeping these classics alive and reviving some from the wreckers, I’m not too fond of those in it to make a quick buck. Much like what is happening in the states right now with the MPSS Eleanors and the people who lost all their money.

RRS coilover and rack & pinion steering

RRS or Revelation Racing Supplies is an Australian company manufacturing quality race bred components for various vintage cars, including the Ford Mustang of course.

They mainly produce steering and suspension components, much like the US based companies like Total Control Products or Flaming River, however for the budding Australian enthusiast RRS is the only option as TCP and Flaming River are both illegal in Australia due to not having engineering certificates amongst other things, believe me, I’ve looked into it.

One of my first purchases was the RRS Phase one lightweight front coil over suspension seen here.

Obviously I haven’t had a chance to fit them yet, but I’m very excited about how they are going to handle. In this purchase i also got myself a RHD power rack & pinion setup. I’m not really keen to use the original steering. I want to have a vintage car with the handling of a modern one.

I’m not done with RRS yet though, I still have to get the rear disc brake setup, the 3 link rear suspension get and the molycarbide brake discs for the front. More on these later.

New Dynacorn body shells

I’ve known about these for sometime now and think they are a brilliant idea, however i can see some authentic Mustang enthusiasts being against it. Either way Dynacorn has come up with a complete 1967 Mustang Fastback chassis.

Straight off the bat some questions come to mind. How much will they cost? What will the quality be like? and how will the VIN arrangement work? will they be issued with new VIN’s from Ford or classed as a ‘kit car’.

In any respect it will still eliminate the need to find a donor car, which let’s face it, is a hard task for a 1967 Fastback. It will also save the buyer money on body work and removing rust which would be the case with most donors.

Early reports from those who have seen one up close indicate these are unibody cars, with the front and rear subframes integrated into the floor much like the originals and early pricing rumors are suggesting a $15k USD price tag. I would certainly consider it.

Photos from SEMA thanks to David Arredondo

Iblogmustang.com – A wealth of Mustang information

Recently i stumbled upon iblogmustang.com, which is a blog by Microsoft marketer, Kris Hoet. And In his own words he says,

This blog is about a project, a journey, … to get something I really want in my life someday and that is (you could have guessed) a 1965 Ford Mustang.

I thought It was worth writing about because it’s not often you find someone who was once in the same position you were. I too hunted and searched for two years to find my Mustang and I know the fun, sadness, good times and bad with buying a mustang.

If you get a chance have a look, apart from his journey’s he also has some specialized and intimate Ford Mustang information.

PIAA 959 lights arrive!

I had a nice surprise waiting fro me when i returned home this evening. A box from the states with my PIAA 959 projector fog lights! If you remember my previous post, I was a little excited about scoring these as they are now sold out and impossible to find at a good price. I managed to purchase them brand new off one of the members on the Eleanor forums.

My first thoughts were of the sheer size of the units themselves. I’ve never actually held a pair, I’ve only seen them installed and thought they were small, but they are quite large, just fitting into the palm of my hand.

They turned up in record time, under a week, and safe and well. Here are some pictures i just took.

The Mustang arrives for some final body work

So last Monday she was put on the trailer and taken to the panel shop for the last of the body work and fitting of parts of the Eleanor body kit.

Everything went well and without a hitch. Now it’s a waiting game as the guys at the shop are quite busy, so it may be a month or so to get her back, maybe quicker if I could pump some cash into it.

Here are some pictures of the car arriving at the shop, unfortunately the camera battery died while loading her up so I have no pictures of the journey.

Air Conditioning and AC Vents

Originally my car wasn’t equipped with air conditioning and in Australia where our winter’s are the equivalent to the hottest day in other countries and our summer’s are hotter than the sun i thought it would be best to investigate and implement air conditioning.

Two major tasks were required. One, find original 67 ac vents and control unit, which is becoming a tall order these days, and two, decide which air system i would install.

Let’s start with the later. Rather than finding bits and pieces to reconstruct an original setup I’ve decided to fork out the cash and buy a complete new setup and adapt it to the original vents and control unit. However i haven’t decided which to buy and so I’m still researching that bit. I’ve come across Vintage Air but i know there was another major one i cannot seem to remember from when i researched these last year.

On to the ac vents and controller setup. I managed to purchase these through eBay from an Australian seller for a reasonable price. They are however from a non-deluxe interior car, meaning for it to go into my car with deluxe interior it will need to be chromed. It also has a fair bit of pitting which will need attention. The centre vent is complete (although the picture will tell a different story) the other bits and pieces did come with it, they just need to be put back in.

Top Gear road test the Shelby GT500

OK I’ve been anxious and excited over the last few days so I’ve been trying to calm myself down by looking over videos on Youtube. So as you can see by previous posts I’ve found some good stuff. Now I’ve come across this little beauty from the guys over at Top Gear. On last weeks show they road tested the new Shelby GT500 and they compared it to a vintage mustang, which in fact was Richard Hammond’s personal car.

The Stig gives it a lap around the track, which wasn’t all that good, in fact it was exactly the same time as the the locally made Australian Monaro! They also compare it to the Roush Mustang, which has less BHP but still manages to produce a better lap time.

To be honest I’m not a fan of the new GT500, I’m not sure if it’s the review Hammond gave it or it’s the looks? Either way, I’ll let you be the judge, enjoy 9 minutes of Mustangs.

The unfortunate loss of a 1967 Mustang

There’s some things that you just don’t want to happen when you’re restoring a classic. It’s your pride and joy and most of the time you love it more than your own mother.

This week it came to light that the founder of Customfastbackca.com and all round great bloke, David Ambler lost his mustang in a tragic fire. Some of you may know him from his time with Unique Performance. On many occasions David helped me with my orders and it was a breeze for him to organise parts to Australia.

Below are his own words on his loss and the aftermath and also why he left Unique Performance.

At the age of 15 I spawned my first true love affair, the Ford Mustang. A 1964 ½ Cherry Red Mustang that I spotted a local car show would soon be mine. As this enthusiasm grew, I channeled my inspiration for this vehicle to a 1991 Mustang GT, then a 1996 Supercharged Saleen Mustang and then to my favorite of all, a 1967 Shelby GT500 clone named “Eleanor”. In July 2001 I bought a project 1967 Ford Mustang from Kamloops, British Columbia hoping to build the car that inspired the movie “Gone in Sixty Seconds”. Little did I know I was about to start a six year love affair that would entail starting a website that now has over 1,000,000 hits, moving to Dallas, Texas to work for Unique Performance who shares the same passionate pulse as I and spending more money in this creation than my grandmother’s first house. Countless hours were spent underneath my creation with a best friend scraping dirt and grime and wrenching, I started a fire while trying to weld a bracket onto the firewall, I ordered subscription after subscription of car magazine trying to perfect this dream of mine and I even got a tattoo on my thigh that says “Eleanor” (just kidding). All this momentum to my shock would be halted Friday February 2, 2007 by a scorching blaze. The next day I went to see the remains of what was once the culmination of years of hard work and joy. The next day I went to see the building that used to shelter my creation, burned to the ground.

It’s funny, my initial reaction was shock and disappointment. Then brief anger; especially when I realized I had just cancelled my insurance just 2 months before because the insurance company had haggled me about the VIN number. I suddenly realized however that I was sublimely overjoyed. The epiphany, like you see in some Hollywood tales, was that I was happy to know that the call I received was not to inform me of the death of my baby brother, or that my Dad had a heart attack or any other countless irreplaceable things in my life that I cherish so much. That same weekend I rested calmly in the absence of regret, sadness, anger or shame. I sat humbled, but not by heartbreak. Sad only for my dear Mechanic friend Jerry who was building my car in his new shop that contained every tool he had been accumulating his whole life. Sad that his livelihood had been stripped in just five minutes.

Misfortune, however, was met with hope. Jerry’s friends reached out. Jerry’s friend convinced the shop where he works to let Jerry finish some work he planned to complete in his own shop. Jerry’s other friends also vowed to establish a benefit to help resurrect the tools and equipment lost in the fire. So while Jerry still sits stunned, saddened and sorry for my loss, he has been lifted by the grace of his friends and family.

So what about the burned and decrepit shell you see in the pictures? Surely I can’t bear both financially and psychologically to start from ground zero. Well there is even more good fortune. Doug Hasty, the man who brought me to Texas to share this mutual passion, called me that next day and offered to help get my project back on its feet. Doug offered on behalf of Unique Performance to send a new shell I’ll provide back through sheetmetal and bodywork and to help rebuild. A truly selfless offer that sets me even more in shock than I was that day.

Despite this tremendous offer, another opportunity showed its face. A Super Snake, built by Unique Performance, showed up at a government auction in South Texas. To make a long story short I picked up this Snake for myself at a steal of a price. My intention then and now is to run through this 175 mile car and ready it for sale, turning a profit. This profit would then allow me to take on whatever endeavor I so choose in the near future. The Snake by the way is grey w/ black stripes.

Now on to my life and why I left Unique Performance. During my time at University I majored in Philosophy, Pre-Law emphasis. Immediately after graduation I began my application process to Law Schools around the country. In this interim period is when Doug Hasty offered me the job in Texas at Unique Performance, which I took with some reservation given my plans, but mostly with open arms. It was never my intention to make my life in Texas permanent and so I sit here again today readying myself again for Law School. Although I believe that action is guided always by more than one reason, I can honestly say that my absence at Unique is a blessing only to my aspiration to become a lawyer.

I still have tremendous loyalty to Unique Performance and the people who make that company such an exemplar of thriving passion. Many of the posts I see are wildly speculatory. I will not clear up every post in all the threads, but I will say many of your conspiracy theories are unfounded. One clear thing you have all found through observation and experience is the lack of help in the parts department. The focus of Unique Performance is and will always be the production of vehicle. I will say that Ryan Howard is working very hard to fill all the orders. Please be patient with him as he has many other responsibilities to accomplish besides parts orders. I will say that my intentions and Ryan’s were (Ryan’s still are) to help all the incoming calls. I remember when the part’s department was up in running in full gear I would get about 60-70 voicemails a day. It would literally take my days just to answer all of one days calls and so I was always behind. Things are not that crazy there now (thank the Lord!), but Ryan was behind when I left.

If technical questions arise, post them on the board to my attention and I will try to answer them all. Just know that I don’t check the board that often and that my response may take time. Thanks for reading guys.

David
CustomFastbackCA

I wish David all the best in the future and hope he gets back on his feet with his project soon enough.