Purist Build

To Cut or Not to Cut—That Is the Question.

There are as many different opinions about building, rebuilding, customizing, or hot rodding cars as there are butts for the seats of those cars. Twenty or even ten years ago, collectors and restorers would cry out foul when somebody cut up a restored, original car to make some kind of hot rod out of it—didn’t matter if it was a ’32 Ford, a Mustang, a Mopar or a Porsche. But as we are beginning to see significant changes to the hobby, as we know it, people care less and think, well, I might as well cut it up. Others think, well, if I cut one up it will make all the others that are left more scarce and therefore more valuable. Others might think, there are not many survivors; I’d better restore it.

I guess I’m on the fence a little as I love modified cars of all kinds but I can also see and appreciate folks who prefer it as the factory delivered it—the purist outlook. Just take the Porsche market. Before Rod Emory’s Emory Motorsports started building “Outlaw” Porsche 356s more than 20 years ago in 1996, nobody dreamed of cutting up and customizing a Porsche, especially not a 356. Pretty soon, other companies such as Rob Dickinson’s Singer Vehicle Design were doing same to the revered 911. Prices of these re-imagined Porsche have escalated to over $1 million. Who’d a thunk it?

Of course, Porsche is not the only marque to succumb to the cutting torch. I was watching an auction show on TV recently and watched as two customized Ford Bronco’s crossed the block at well over $100K each. What suddenly made the Ford Bronco so valuable if it wasn’t for what companies such as Icon and ASC Bronco have done to elevate their desirability?

Look at the flip side of the coin though. It wasn’t that long ago that owners and restorers of early Fords such as Model Ts, Model As and ’32-’34 Fords totally frowned on anybody cutting up and hot rodding those cars. There were some who wouldn’t even sell a car to a known rodder. Now, most of the people who liked stock early Fords have passed or, are too old to care. Consequently, there’s a glut of those cars on the market and prices have fallen drastically. So, one could ask, did their protectionism matter in the long run? No, because in reality there are many, many more cars than there are people who want to cut them up.

Consider all the classic cars that lay rotting in fields, yards, and garages. Their owners saying, “I’m going to restore it someday.” Well, someday came and went and now the car has rotted into the ground. Which is worse? To let the car rot or to let it go to somebody who can restore or modify it and enjoy it because all the hoarder has done is destroy it.

I take equal umbrage with those restorers who are anal about so-called factory overspray and the like. Talk to anybody who worked a factory line in the fifties and sixties and they will tell you there was no specific factory overspray pattern. It came out the way it came out and to give or take judging points for something as subjective as overspray is, in my opinion, asinine.

“What I like to do is use factory reinforcement pieces such as those from a convertible model; torque boxes and frame connectors, etc., as a way to strengthen a chassis.”Steve Strope, Pure Vision Design

When looking at the pureness of a build one also has to take into consideration the state of the donor vehicle. I know of several guys that have started with little more than a rusty frame and firewall and they have spent thousands of dollars fitting new panels when they could have replaced the whole body more easily and for less money. “But,” they say, “It’s not original.” Well, you’ve replaced almost the entire car so what makes that more original than a new body?”

Another thing to take into consideration when deciding what to do is progress. Compare whatever it is you drive every day with a car of the fifties or sixties. It’s night and day, black and white, good and bad. A modern car with all its convenience and connectivity is amazing to drive. Yet a stock, classic-era car that is 50 or 60 years old can be an absolute pig to drive with drum brakes, no power steering, no real air conditioning, no retractable seat belts, no cup holders, no USB port and no connectivity. Some people love it but my guess is, most people don’t.

I have a friend in England, Dan Clare, with a funky Model T Ford hot rod that to see driving on the street is magical because it’s so out of place. It’s like seeing a punk rocker at a bus stop in Los Angeles. It’s an anachronism that is kind of amusing. But talk to Dan about driving his rod and he says, “Sixty miles is about the max I can drive. It just flat wears you out.” You would never say that about a modern car that you can jump in and drive 1,000 miles with little or no thought.

Because those classic cars are what they are and drive as they do is why people modernize them with stronger frames, better suspension, better brakes, more power. I spoke to Steve Strope of Pure Vision Design, a well-known builder of highly modified cars. Steve has cut up some of the best from Mustangs to Road Runners—nothing is too sacred, however, in his opinion he likes to retain the stock frame where possible because, “The stock frame fits and as long as it’s up to the task of the power we’re adding, I don’t see any good reason to change it. You know the body will fit without modification and will not need hacking.

“What I like to do is use factory reinforcement pieces such as those from a convertible model; torque boxes and frame connectors, etc., as a way to strengthen a chassis. These are simple mods a guy can probably do at home and not degrade the integrity of the car. That’s what we did on the recently unveiled PGA ’73 Challenger.

“The addition then of aftermarket suspension components from somebody such as Hotchkis will improve the suspension for probably less than the cost of restoring the stock suspension. With a new kit, the work is already done and you will get a new, stronger, improved suspension and your old car will handle and stop like a modern car with no significant loss of integrity.”

I have to agree with Steve, I like a stock frame, as long as it’s sturdy that has been updated to accept modern suspension and brakes. However, when the frame is rotten or weak then a new frame is totally acceptable.

It doesn’t get more pure than a Shelby G.T.350 so what can be wrong with taking a boring stocker and re-engineering it into a pure-bred, road-going racecar?

One question often asked when builders are sinking money into a project is, is it worth it? I know several guys that have invested mucho dinero into a show car project only to not win. That’s a gut-wrenching, disappointing feeling that nobody likes and to make matters worse the car can now possibly be somewhat devalued. It didn’t win; you overbuilt the neighborhood, as realtors say, and invested too much in a project that is not worth the investment.

Call me cheap but I just don’t get the idea of investing hundreds of thousands of dollars into a project that ends up being worth 10 cents on the dollar—makes no “cents” to me. That said, to some people cost doesn’t matter and bless them, they are building cool cars that inspire and excite us and help keep a hobby, industry, and lifestyle afloat which is, after all is said and done, what it’s about.

Consequently, you have to pick your car. Take for example that of OVC Mustangs who take old ’65 Mustangs and turn them into Shelby G.T.350 Mustangs. It doesn’t get purer than a Shelby G.T.350 so what can be wrong with taking a boring stocker and re-engineering it into a pure-bred, road-going racecar? And, the value of that new G.T.350 would far exceed that of the stock Mustang.

In ten or twenty years, the hobby, industry, sport, call it what you will, will have moved on. Change is inevitable. What’s hot today will probably not be hot tomorrow. So, in my opinion, it doesn’t matter if we cut up cars or not—no matter how special they might be. There are lots to go around. Unless, of course, that car is really rare, a one-off or a very special model that by modifying it you destroy both its integrity and its valve.

OVC Mustangs

In April 1964, after Ford sold 22,000 Mustangs the first week it was on sale, General Manager Lee Iacocca called Carroll Shelby and asked for a Mustang that could beat the Corvette in SCCA B Production road racing. The Mustang had in fact already been proven in Europe where Alan Mann Racing had prepared ten for rallying. They were successful and to prevent any competition from Mann in the U.S., Shelby got hold of a coupe and tested it at Willow Springs, California. Sensing the cars’ potential in both street and race trim; Shelby ordered a batch of Wimbledon White 1965-1/2 2+2 fastbacks from Ford’s San Jose, California, plant. They came less hood and less back seat to meet the SCCA’s sports car requirement.

Also ordered was the high-performance, 289 “K-code” engine. Upgrading the engine of the R-is-for race model included blueprinting, balancing and high-compression pistons. External add-ons included an aluminum “high-riser” intake with a 715-cfm Holley, a 6.5-quart oil pan, Tri-Y headers and an X-pipe exhaust system that exited ahead of the rear wheels. The transmission was an aluminum Borg-Warner T-10 four-speed with a limited-slip, 9-inch Dana rear end.  The upgrades increased horsepower to 306 from the stock 271 rating.

The suspension mods included 11.375-inch Kelsey-Hayes front discs and heavy-duty, 10 x 2.5-inch Ford Galaxie drums in the rear with adjustable Koni shocks all around. 

The interior was left almost stock. The back seat was deleted and the space used for the spare. The seats were stock and offered little lateral support beyond the addition of wide lap belts from Ray Brown Automotive. Tach and oil pressure gauges were added and a flatter, wood-rim, Cobra-style steering wheel replaced the stock, deep-dish factory wheel.

The G.T.350 listed for $4,311, plus $273 for the cast magnesium wheels, however, the R version, sold through Shelby’s Venice, California, factory added almost another $2,000. Despite Shelby predicted building 200 a month, however, only 562 G.T.350s were built of which 36 were R-spec. Rumor has it #37 was destroyed but that’s just a rumor so let’s stick with 36 original cars. It makes sense, therefore, in Shelby tradition, to build a few continuation cars which is exactly what ex-Shelby employee Jim Marietta is doing with OVC Mustangs (OVC).

Marietta formed OVC with Ted Sutton while Peter Brock, the father of the Cobra Daytona Coupe, acted as a consultant. Marietta grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, going to the races as often as he could. One day, after seeing him hang around, Al Dowd, Shelby’s race team manager asked 17-year-old Marietta if he wanted a job. “Yes.” He replied and he soon received a letter from Dowd telling him to be in Los Angeles, January 2, 1965, and to bring his tools. Upon his arrival, one of Jim’s tasks was to work with Brock, Sutton, Chuck Cantwell and later designer Klaus Arning on the independent rear suspension (IRS). It worked but just didn’t provide enough ROI for the Mustang and it was shelved for the time being. 

With licensing from Ford and Shelby, OVC was officially in business in September 2014. Subsequently, two prototypes were built in 101 days at Brock’s in Henderson, Nevada, the shop where Brock was able to incorporate some of the design elements he originally suggested for the G.T.350R including a new front lower valance, new Plexiglas three-quarter windows, and a new Plexiglas rear window. Subtle but significant parts that should also be available separately for retrofit.

The first two prototypes were built, as will be the 36 continuation cars, using original ’65 Mustang Fastbacks licensed-for-the street, however, the first pair will not be serial-numbered cars as will the 36 subsequent cars.  

Each car is carefully selected before it is completely stripped and blasted clean prior to any necessary repairs. A new original-spec, iron-block 289 is sourced from Bill DenBeste’s Carroll Shelby Engine Company, Windsor, California, however, customers can specify any spec. Each engine even has a cone-shaped air filter hand formed by Jere Kirkpatrick who worked at Shelby and drove a Cobra DragonSnake to the 1964 NHRA National Championship. Kirkpatrick also fabs the cone-shaped splash guard around the gas cap on the trunk-mounted gas tank—tasks similar to those he performed 50 years ago.

After the body shells are prepped, including the addition of original-style steel fender flares, they are painted Wimbledon White with Guardsman Blue stripes on the rocker panels and Le Mans stripes over the top of the body. Other external additions include the original-style scoops behind the doors, the new Pete Brock front valence and windows and an original-style fiberglass hood complete with a scoop. 

The suspension is somewhat similar to the original; however, OVC is able to offer an IRS option comprising a limited-slip Dana center section with vented discs. Up front, there’s a period-correct aluminum 4-speed with the stronger cast-iron tail shaft. The wheels are 5-spoke Americans shod with Goodyear 15 x 7 race tires.

The interior is Henry Ford-black and comprises the shallow-dish, wood-rim wheel, deleted back seat, an original-style, four-point roll cage with a non-original kill switch, a driver’s race seat, a stock seat for the passenger and a new instrument cluster.

Prototype testing took place at Willow Springs Raceway on February 14, 2015; exactly 50 years since Ken Miles’ first G.T.350 win at Green Valley Raceway, Texas, February 14, 1965. The test team included Vince LaViolette, Shelby American’s current test driver, Rick Titus, son of Shelby Trans-Am winning driver Jerry Titus. Former Shelby American driver and Le Mans winner John Morton was also on hand to help tune the car’s suspension. The first new-old G.T.350R went on to win its very first race in June 2016 at Hallett Motor Racing Circuit, Oklahoma.

In 2017, OVC moved into the old Shelby International headquarters engine building on S. Figueroa Street in Gardena, California. It’s a huge, 9,000 square-foot space dwarfing the production area but affording room to grow. While visiting I counted about ten vehicles in the process from being blasted to assembled. With original K-code Shelby street G.T.350 Mustangs fetching more than $500,000 and G.T.350R models tipping the scales at $1 million, the $250,000 price tag of the continuation cars seems reasonable.