Posts by cchesley_old

  • Anyone use the '65 shelby side-exhaust kit?

    I have them on my '65 K Fastback and I love em'. They remind me of the new Arvinode System. They have a low growl at idle and are relatively quiet at highway speeds. But when you run through the gears they will make you smile!!!


    I highly recommend them. By the way, they are extremely easy to install and if you ever have to take them off (Tranny work, etc) they come loose at the headers and one clamp toward the rear. Thats it...

  • Arvinode system reproduction

    Rode in a "Node".


    Dave was kind enough to rescue me from a rental car and offered a ride in his Vintage Burgandy K fastback on the "Pony Run" up a mountain outside of Park City, Utah at the MCA Grand National Show. I quickly accepted and was excited when I found out that he has one of the newest Arvinode exhaust systems on his car. I was somewhat concerned how his car would do at 11,500 feet, but it performed flawlessly. The "node" was relatively quiet at cruising speeds but came to life as he went throught the gears. It has a performance car sound to it and was one that I would be proud to have on my K car. I don't think anybody would be disappointed with it. By the way, you can hear it on UTube by searching for "round2k"


    Thanks to Dave for rescuing me from a rental car!!!!

  • 65 fb pricing

    I am a real estate appraiser by trade and have some experience with appraising personal property. I also own 3 K code cars and I am a Gold Card judge for MCA. The way I look at the value of a car like this is to back into it. I look for sales of finished cars (which are much more plentiful than cars that need restoration) and deduct the estimated cost to get them to a finished condition.I guess that the market participants typically do not know what the actual cost of restoration is, because most people pay way more than they should for cars that need restoring. A quality restoration should run $20-$40K depending on how work much the owner does himself. New parts and materials alone can run $15K.


    Another problem with valuing unrestored cars is the extent of restoration required. A severly rusted car can cost double what a solid strucute would run. Some unrestored cars are sold with a lot of parts that could be used in the restoration. All of this should be taken into consideration.


    As an example: If the finished car is worth $45,000 and the cost of restoration is $25,000, the you should pay no more than $20,000 for the car. The cost of restoration is always more than anticipated.

  • 65 Conv Coil Springs

    I don't know if there is a good stock spring out there. I bought a set for my '65 vert and they were way too tall. I compressed them until I was afraid of them. After I got them in the car and released the tension, they were so tight that they arched to the outside of the car. I am a heavy guy and I couldn't move the front of the car an inch. I had to stand on the car to get my shocks to bolt to the tower caps. After finishing, I stood back to look at the car and it looked like it was launching. I took them out.


    I would recommend the 620# springs that lower the car 1". I have had good luck with them. Since the car I was working on was a Hipo, I put the original springs back in the car.

  • Autolifter M80 lift

    I have had an Autolifter for about ten years and just recently moved it. It takes a couple of guys to lift the posts, but the rest is easy (just heavy). I backed a flat bed trailer into my shop and lowered the two posts on to it. The arms can be removed and moved separately. It probably took about two hours to reinstall including drilling the concrete slab. Electrical is another matter. Mine is a 220V motor and of course I had to have that installed.


    Good luck on your move.

  • 65 Convertible Exhaust Question

    My experience has been that most after market systems have to have modifications. The last two "stock" Hi Po systems that I installed had to be moved or stretched to fit so I took them to a muffler shop for heating and bending. I would recommend you do the same.


    Good luck with your new system.

  • Wanted 65 Deluxe Blue Seat Belts

    Ralph - Thanks for the kind words. Ssnake Oyl can furnish a set of '65 deluxe belts for you or if you have some, we can restore them. It doesn't matter what color you send in because we repaint the tops and reweb the belts. There is no charge for a color change.


    Call the plant at 800-284-7777. Thanks.


    Craig (The Ssnake Oyl man)

  • Intake Manifolds, S2MS vs S1MS

    The 1S is much more difficult to come by and came only on the '65 Shelbys. The 2S is reproduced and readily available. Shelby put a Holley 715 on the early Shelby's and it is designed for road racing. Your particular application will affect what kind of carb you want.

  • U-joints

    I was told by my drive shaft guy that Spicer has filed for bankruptcy and he is unable to get the correct U bolts for an early Mustang new. He is also having trouble getting a lot of other parts, but under normal conditions, he can build a drive shaft just like the factory ones with correct U joints. The main difference is that most of the new ones have zerk fittings on them. Very difficult to see once installed. You may can find one without the fitting, but I wouldn't recommend it.

  • LIFE

    Cool Story... Who knows, it could be the same car. I found a 68 1/2 Cobra Jet Coupe that belong to a friend in 1969. It was one of 104 made and was in a pasture in an adjoing county.

  • 64 1/2 Hipo convt.

    I gave $15,000 for a rusty '65 HiPo convertible that had most of the parts with it. The motor was freshly built with mexican caps and NOS piston and the tranny was original to the car. Most of the parts were there including two sets of '65 HiPo motor mounts.