Well it’s been quite some time since I bought parts for my project. I can’t even remember what the last thing I bought was. Though this week I felt the urge to spend a bit of cash, mainly because RRS had a great deal going on for their rear suspension kits but also because I was just itching to have something happen with my project.

So here is what I got. The RRS 3 Link Watts Rear Suspension Kit. The RRS site says this. “The RRS 3-link is designed to transform the handling of an early Ford chassis to match or exceed the demands of new millennium performance production Fords.”

The outcome of installing an RRS 3-link rear suspension kit is a superior ride and neutral handling characteristics able to handle high torque loads and reducing chassis beaming and torsioning effects which makes the chassis a more stable platform.

At A Glance
- Extra long torque arm for better road control
- Bolt in construction
- Adjustable ride height
- Coil over shocks for 2-inch drop, 3 inch drop or 4 inch drop
- Quality chrome silicon steel springs

The deal was too good to be true, though it meant it didn’t come with a Diff Housing or U-Bolts, but no matter as we already have this.

This is going ot go great with the RRS stuff I already have which include the RHD power rack & pinion steering and the front suspension and disc brake kit.

So basically that just leaves two more major thing for me to purchase from RRS, the rear disc brake kit and possibly the RHD dash panels if and when they have matching plastics.

Anyway more to come.

For Australians and the British It’s always been a big problem when converting your mustang to right hand drive trying to find someone who can do a good job and not ruin your beautiful car. It’s been incredibly hard trying to find a Mustang in it’s original right hand drive, as not many were sold in Australia back in the 60’s. And for those who didn’t know no Mustangs came out of the original factories in right hand drive. Ford Australia originally imported the cars and converted them in their local Ford factories.

The introduction of the RHD Dynacorn body could only bring good news for those wanting a RHD Mustang because now RRS in Australia has started selling RHD kits which include RHD inner fender, firewall, cowl lower, cowel vent, dash panel and wiper trans. So for those looking to save time and have nice clean job this is certainly a great option.

For me though, my RHD conversion has already begun so I’m committed to paying my guys but what does interest me is the RRS dash panel and I’ll tell you why.

While reading RRS’ documents regarding their RHD kit I noticed this:

Coming soon is the RRS/dii RHD plastic bezels and di-cast air con side vents.

The instrument bezel is tooled to allow the LHD instruments to be transferred into RHD bezel. The only detail on the appearance of the Bezels that is not a mirror image is the wiper switch control which remains in the LHD position. The Bezel also allows for the fitment of LHD aftermarket gauges. Optional wrinkle finish black, brushed alloy or wood-grain will be available. RRS/dii RHD dash assy. allows the use of all original fasteners, support stays, handbrake assy., air con vents, centre consol or factory style radios.

Notice the bold text! Yes that’s right coming soon will be RHD brushed alloy bezels and AC vents! Though upon tryign to confirm this with RRS I was told “Yes the bezel is designed to fit the new RHD dash. However I do not have a price for this nor do I have confirmation that the bezel will be finished in the brushed aluminum you request. I have been informed that there is a bezel ready which is in wood grain finish and have not yet received a photo or a price.”

These RHD bezels are precisely what I have been waiting for. The deluxe aluminum dash never came in RHD with all the RHD mustangs sold in Australia only coming in the standard black (to my knowledge).

So I will be looking at purchasing the RRS RHD dash panel and bezels. Though RRS say the ‘coming soon’ can be anywhere up to 6 months. It will certainly be interesting to see how these look.

If you’re interested in the RRS right hand drive kit it retails for approx $AUD5,100 plus freight. Available here

Thanks to Daniel for the tip.

It may sound like an absurd thing to say but I believe there was actuall a few good things to come from the company that was Unique Performance, mainly helping to commercialise the whole idea of Eleanor builds and also bringing a few new products to the market including Carrol Shelby Signature seats, Shelby Shifters, Pedals and of course the now very rare Carroll Shelby signature gauges.

To those who have had a close look at a Unique Performance car you will notice they had special Carroll Shelby Signature gauges, which also had a cobra logo and to my understanding were Autometer brand gauges, buti cannot confirm. Unique originally had these supplied by JME Products but later swapped to Classic Instruments out of Michigan after supposed issues with cracking in the JME products trim rings.

After the demise of the company an unknown bidder bought the entire left over stock of gauges at the Rosen Systems Unique Performance Auction.

Since then these gauge clusters have been rarer then hens teeth, but some have popped up on ebay and have sold for over $US1500 a pop!

What’s more it has been noticed that there are some variations meaning there is more than one company producing or having produced them. They’re probably keeping quiet due to liscening issues, who knows.

What is interesting is that last week I reported that Riley Performance and Kustom Classics are now liscended to produce the Shelby Continuation vehichles. Does this mean they will produce the guages as well? We can only wait and see. But a third company, mustangponycars.com, has come out this week saying “Just finished the deal with Shelby to make the original gauge cluster and the gt500e floor mats that were used in U/P cars.” but have only said they should be available “soon”.

Personally I would love a set of these but having forked out close to $1000 Australian dollars a few years back for Autometer metric gauges(that’s gauges showing Kilometres and Celsius, not Miles and Fahrenheit) I feel I would only be wasting my money.

Here’s a nice video of a nice Shelby signature cluster.

It’s been a good few months for restorers of classic Mustangs, firstly with the arrival of the new reproduction 1967/1968 A/C Register Kit and now another hard to find rare part is being reproduced, the 1967 68 Mustang Fastback Weatherstrip Channel Retainers. Ok big whoop you may say, but every new bit makes the difference.

“The roof side rail channel has historically been one of those pieces that is a pain in the ass to find. Even when a FB is being “parted out”, most people do not want to seperate these pieces from the car as the car would be useless/unbuildable without them.” Said Dave Sanborn of the Eleanor Forum.

After looking around these appear to be very new on to the market with only one retailer selling them, Classic Recreations, the official builders of the Eleanor cars.

It’s good to see more and more parts being reproduced for vintage Mustangs. I’ll have to have a look at the condition of mine to see if i need these. but the idea of having more ‘new’ peices on the car is a tempting one.

It was just a matter of time before someone came out with a reproduction 1967 and 1968 A/C control unit and vents kit and i’ve just noticed Mustangs Unlimited now selling a brand new kit that boasts greater strength than the original.

Unfortunately for me you may remember last year I hunted down an original set a great cost that was going to be brought back up to new. Now i may just sell these and purchase this new reproduction kit. Here’s what Mustangs Unlimited is saying:

“Finally! An answer to the much needed, delicate 1967 air conditioning side vents. Visually these are very hard to tell apart from the originals but in functionally are much better. The originals were very prone to breaking and often when you close the door on your 1967 Mustang lower portion of the vent falls off. Because of it’s cast one piece design, this will not break and flex when you close your door. ”

The comes in at $295.95 and although the picture shows the left and right vents it doesn’t not show if you receive the center vent and assorted bits and pieces that are needed. Looks like I’ll be getting this kit as it saves a lot of hassle fixing my original kit that is standard and not deluxe like this new product.

I’ll let you know what the outcome is.

[Source]

The guys over at RRS have been talking about it for a while and now it’s finally happened. The Australian outfit have finalised a deal with US reproduction body manufacturers, Dynacorn, to import their 1967 body shells. RRS then takes it further making their products to fit out and suit the 1967 Fastback. All for the starting price of $AUD 25,800 incl. GST customs duty FOB Australian Port.

This provides a great alternative for those busy Mustang enthusiasts that would like a 1967 Fastback but don’t have the time to restore one or look for a decent one to buy.

Some of the finer details are yet to be determined but these fine details are what RRS are concentrating on. One must remember it’s not as simple as importing the shells, adding parts and selling it. There are engineering certifications, compliances and lot’s more. For instance, to comply with Australian Road Authorities the engines installed into this Mustang body kit are to be emission controlled (ref. IM240). The fibre-glass and steel Shelby GT 500 style bonnet is supplied as part of the build kit to allow clearance for late model engines like the Ford 5.4 litre quad cam V8.

Another great feature is that you can order your car RHD right from the start, no chopping and messing about with dodgy builders. For an extra $AUD 7,700 (Including GST & duty FOB Australian Port) you can purchase the RHD Build Kit which gives you the following:

Now for the RRS RHD “Road Ready” conversion, the price is still to be determined but here’s what the kit will include:

Dash Panel/Cowl/Cowl Grille/Notched Shock Towers (for modular V8)/RHD Firewall/Floor pan (to suit4, 5 & 6 speed manual and auto transmission)/Trunk floor (3 link mountings )/Safety belts and approved anchor points/Side maker lights/High back seats/Collapsible column/Heater demister/Tandem braking system with proportioning valve/Approved safety glass/Intermittent wipers/Padded internal sun visors/Speedo – kilo per hour only/Anti theft device/2002 noise level/Side door intrusion bars/Centre high mounted stop lamp (chimsel)/In tank fuel pump (assembled within new unleaded only petrol tank)

Overall I think going down this road is a great idea, I mean if I had the opportunity to go this way when I started i probably would have. Starting with a brand new straight body, not to mention reinforced and thicker than the originals would provide a financially better option then sourcing a car from the states and getting it sent over and then having to fix the body.

I’m very eager to see some examples of the RRS version when some finally pop up on their site.

Back in April last year I reported about RRS’s new Strut Tower Brace’s and Under Dash Brake Booster. Well it’s been a good 8 months but they are now available to purchase.

The Strut Tower Brace is advertised as providing “unique chassis reinforcement” which “reduces beaming and torsioning (chassis flex) improving road holding and steering accuracy.” It also is accompanied with some nice roded billet top caps, although i much prefer it without but I’m just nitpicking.

The under dash booster kit is used to eliminate the firewall mounted Booster & Master Cylinder.

The kit incorporates a Master Cylinder & Booster into an “RRS designed pedal box (tower) complete with all mounting hardware as a straight bolt in replacement.”

I haven’t heard back about prices as yet and cannot find them online, but RRS parts are usually reasonably priced so i wouldn’t be too worried about that.

I’ll have to do some research because I’m not too sure if I will need either of these items. It’s more like a want rather than a need so to speak if you know what I mean.

Last week I posted about ordering some Shelby valve covers and the much needed Eleanor headlight buckets for my custom Bosch Xenon headlights. Well after only a week they have arrived safe and well from the states.

The quality of the valve covers is amazing, Scott Drake produces some really great parts. The headlight bucket setup is also great. the quality looks second to none and they look very strong. I just can’t figure out why they came sealed in a Chicken Chow Mein bag? While I ponder about that why do you take a look at the photos.

Well it’s slow going but finally I’ve had to feed my addiction and place an order with Mustangs Unlimited. Today I spoke with my builder and he in turn spoke with the body guy and they both confirmed that the Aeroform headlight buckets WILL fit my custom Bosch Xenon headlamps Hoorah!

The headlight buckets and brackets are especially made for the Eleanor kits. They allow you to mount the headlight inside the kit which is often tricky with these kits. The buckets fit inside the brackets and then the brackets are secured from the inside so there is no movement.

This means that I don’t have to send the units back to the states to be refitted into the Shelby 5 3″4 housings. So this morning I contact Chris over at Mustangs Unlimited and placed an order and me being me I couldn’t help myself so I ordered some other bits and pieces such as the Shelby Valve covers.

Here’s a rundown of what I purchased:

VALVE COVERS SHELBY POWDERCOAT 65/85 289/302/351W

HEADLIGHT BRACKET ASSEMBLIES PAIR 67/68 ELEANOR

VALVE COVER GASKET SET 289/302/351W (EDELBROCK)

VALVE COVER MINI STUD KIT CHROME 8 CYL (FRPP)

They’ve arrived! The Bosch Xenon projector headlights with D2S bulbs are here, along with the ballasts and wiring harness.

They look fantastic however I have found some issues I’m a little worried about. I couldn’t get them on camera but you can tell the resin used to seal up the casing produced some kind of fumes which have settled on the inside of the unit. One of them you can see small finger prints on the inside and the other has a bit of a ‘fogging’ like look to it.

I would be interested to see what happens when the lights are fired up because i know the produce and high intensity beam that produces quite a substantial amount of heat. Will it just burn these imperfections away, or will they effect the beam? I guess we’ll have to wait an see.