1968 Shelby GT500KR Convertible Restoration at V8 Speed and Resto Shop V8TV

This 1968 Shelby GT500KR 4-speed convertible is a very clean car, and a pretty rare specimen of the breed. There were 4450 1968 Shelbys built in total, with 318 convertibles, and far fewer wearing Medium Blue and sporting a 4-speed manual transmission behind the Cobra Jet 428. This particular car was treated to a restoration at some point, but there were some details that the owner wished were nicer, so it came to visit the V8 Speed and Resto Shop.

The original, numbers-matching 428 Cobra Jet engine is rated at 335 HP, but they’ve always been rumored to create more in reality. Under rating engines was becoming commonplace in the late 1960s, as auto insurance rates skyrocketed with higher horsepower numbers, so automakers began to fudge the numbers a bit to make the cars more attractive to buyers who didn’t want a high insurance bill. These saw 335 HP at 5400 RPM, but modern dyno testing on stock-spec engines show they easily tickled 365 HP.

This engine didn’t seem to make the power it should, so after an in-car diagnoses, it was pulled and sent to Fast Times Motorworks for a tear-down, inspection, and re-fresh. While the engine was out, it was obvious that the engine bay required some attention to make it not only look nicer, but also to be as correct as possible for a ‘68 GT500KR.

While the existing paint was being stripped from the firewall, the V8 team noted some hidden rust repairs down low and in the floor, so a plan came together to perform an under car restoration as well as under hood.

свернуть