What about using a roll pan instead of the rear bumper then put the tail lights in that? I think that would be much easier and look better.

 

WOW, guys...thanks for the feedback! Let me clear a few things up.

gstanfield: The '67 Cougar lights ARE the Shelby lights. The only thing that Shelby did different was make the chrome finless bezels to hold the lenses on.

first today: Well, actually, this is for everybody's info...

The real Shelby GT500 and the "Eleanor" cars are vastly different. Look at two of them side-by-side and you will see the difference. Eleanors are, to me, a horribly bloated and grossly plasticized, cheapened version of Shelby's cars. Kinda like the '70 AMC AMX and its '71 successor, the Javelin AMX. Or the '70 Charger and the '71 Charger. Keep this in mind also..."Eleanors" are kit cars. Real GT500s are most certainly not!

No original GT500s had flared fenders, whilst all the Eleanors seem to. I have considered side scoops in the bed right behind the doors, but I'm not sure if I could bring myself to cut a good bed if I managed to find one.

1977f150xlt: Yes, there are separate electronics that go with these lights, but no, I do not have them yet. For the time being, I am just getting potential parts to see how I can make them work. I'll worry about functionality a little later.

carny: That's right, that is what a '67 would look like. The only "bling" or whatever you want to call it, is the gas cap and the emblem. That's what I will be sticking to.

Bullitt390: Correct, the sequencing units were mounted in the trunk. All of the other wiring was standard from the turn switch to the trunk.

1977f150xlt: The side exhaust is another Eleanor thing. I'm staying away from that. The original GT500s had dual rear-exiting exhausts. The disgusting "blister" or "ski jump" non-functioning scoop is an Eleanor thing, too. I will be fabricating a real GT500 scoop for the hood and I'll make it in proportion to the higher stance of the truck. My truck is a long bed, not a short bed...and that's the way I like it. I can't stand short beds because they look out of proportion to me...stubby, actually.

I do have a wooden Cobra wheel! Look earlier in the pics.

Blown 331: I thought about that...briefly...roll pans are a dime a dozen, and I don't like the idea of not running a rear bumper. I have not seen any GT500s with roll pans, nor without rear bumpers.

 

I think I would like them better smack dab in the middle of the tailgate, or maybe a little bit lower. You should mock it up before you cut steel.

And I would go with the earlier ones. And don't forget to try the 64-66 Thunderbird lights that were used on the 69-70 Shelbys.

Nice work so far.

But what about the motor? Has to be a rompin stompin FE. 454? (before I get flamed, a 454 FE uses a 427 bore and a 428 crank. butt kicker.)

 

You know, I've put a lot of thought into the motor, and in trying to figure out what Shelby would have done, I kinda settled on a hot 390. Sure, a 428 would be nice (and more accurate for a Shelby car), but in that Shelby was concerned with usable performance, I don't believe he would have gone with a 428 in a truck. It would be pretty hard to get it to hook up due to a lack of weight over the rear wheels. A built 390 could probably propel the truck as well as a 428, but without so much wheel hop/ spin. Also, I have a 360 2V right now, and when it loses traction, it gets SQUIRRELLY!!!

 

I think he went with the most power that he could get usually myself. 427 Cobras are squirrelly little buggers!

 

I like the rollpan idea, the bottom of the bodywork on the shelby kinda looks like a rollpan to me.

 

awsome build keep it up

 

on the contrary, Bowtie_Schmowtie

I was not referring to the Nicolas Cage Eleanor GT500 side exhaust, i was thinking of the actual Cobra cars or AC Cobras as there also known, as they have side exhaust or Lake pipes (which are exposed not enclosed like the Eleanor car) and the side exhaust is a very Shelby design, (also i didn't know you where just sticking with Shelby Mustang only design ideas, i thought GT500 was for name only)



also the hood scoop below is what i was suggesting, you can find it on late 60s and early 70s Mustangs and Torinos, and its nothing like the Eleanor Ski jump hood,



also here is the original Shelby hood and molded hood scoop for '67 GT500s also the louvers would be a nice touch (The louvers are found on the Super Snake cars, hence the specific three stripes in the picture, thus identifying it as a Super Snake), again i only suggested you the bolt on Mustang/Torino scoop because i wasn't sure of your auto body talents, and wasn't sure if you could fab up such a hood, i guess maybe even these hood louvers would be easy enough for you to fabricate, or possibly find a aftermarket company that reproduces them, then you can blend them into your hood,



in addition i am a huge fan of the short box trucks (hence i got one), and in my opinion they look more sporty to me, and the funny thing is the long box trucks look out of proportion to me, as the rear wheel wells are not centered to the box sides (as the front of the rear wheels is a longer section) but to each there own i guess, i really don't mind any of the box styles (as long as its a Ford!), i just prefer short box trucks,

also on the topic of the Eleanor cars, i don't get all the hate, personally i like it, now i understand the Shelby purist's despise the "Movie" car, but in all reality its just a interpretation of a car (just like many of our trucks ironically), and was built and designed to excite people in a new era, which can be difficult, now don't get me wrong, a original Shelby gets me just as accited, but sadly the average modern day child or teenager of 2000 (movie release year), would see old or classic cars as boring or not connect to them (dang tuner craze!), thus they felt they had to spice things up, thus they built the "movie" car Eleanor to create something unique and new, just like the Back to future car, or Ecto-1 from Ghostbusters or any other movie/TV vehicle

not trying to start anything, this is all my two cents,

also let me remind everyone, Carrol Shelby's Mustangs are just his interpretation of a high performance Mustang, just like Saleen or Roush Mustangs, also Shelby Dentsides, or even my own truck and many others on here, are all just a interpretation of what we want and like, some may not like what we do to our trucks, but many do, thus we do what we want to our trucks, from lowering them to the ground, to raising them to almost Monster truck heights, cars and trucks are meant to make our own,

so that's my rant, and lets see some more great projects like this Shelby Dentside! maybe someone can tackle a Harley Davidson Dentside? the sky is the limit! get building! and don't let anyone tell you different, my only concern, is use some common sense when modifying your rides and stay safe! we all share the road together!

-Brent

 

I figured i would share this, you can buy this Shelby '79 Ford Truck model on the Carrol Shelby site, i got the same truck (same company that makes it, but with a different paint scheme, red and black, with Canadian Tire logo in fact, its a everything hardware/autoparts store here in Canada)

http://www.carrollshelbymerchandise....c-79_81/-p-886





also found this awhile back, Shelby made a Shelby F-150 Super Snake, its the previous generation of F-150, but it had a neat grille badge on it, maybe you can find one on Ebay or online somewhere? maybe Carrol Shelby sells them on his web site? as he has a lot of different things for sale on there,



also note the side exhaust, and scoop



here is a link to see the rest of the truck,

Shelby American, Inc. - GALLERY

the rear roll pan would make the truck look more sporty and slick for sure, maybe a rear original dentside non-step bumper would look more slick,

also the taillights would be neat in the tailgate (the bumper would be way to low!), and i would try and incorporate the duck tail spoiler into the box sides top (instead of just on the tailgate), thus it would have the same duck tail side profile the '67-'68 GT500 cars had, as there spoiler wasn't only on the trunk,

-Brent

 

This was an interesting tail light design ford used for a concept truck,

 

not to over crowd this thread,

Denice Halicki Sues Carroll Shelby over Rights to ``Eleanor'' Star Car from ``Gone in 60 Seconds''. | Legal > Legal Services from AllBusiness.com

but i felt this was interesting to note, Carrol Shelby actually endorses the Eleanor car, and has a different scale models of it for sale on his site, also partnered up for a few years with allowing a company to reproduce the Eleanor car, as it does have Shelby Cobra badges,

funny thing is the wife of H.B. "Toby" Halicki aka the creator and director and actor in the original 70s Gone in 60 seconds, well he died in a stunt accident in 1989 filming a sequel to Gone in 60 seconds, well now his wife owns the rights to the movie and the title "Eleanor" well she was seeking a lawsuit against Carrol Shelby some years ago, over the fact he allowed Eleanor's to be re-produced at a profit for him, yet the 2000 Eleanor is nothing like the original 70s movie Eleanor, not the same year or color, and the original wasn't even a Shelby,

i have respect for the Haliki family and it was a sad loss in 1989, but his wife just seems to be looking for some coin, as did anyone contact Carrol Shelby about putting a modified Shelby (well suggested Shelby modified with Shelby Cobra badges) in the 2000 movie? and what about the money she made off that 2000 movie? so i think Carrol Shelby has the right to reproduce the car, as its just a assortment of parts put together to create a Eleanor, its not like there is a movie specific emblem or badge, but then this gets into a tricky part of the auto industry and movie industry and other industries for that matter, and when money is in jeopardy, watch out! people will look for every cent they can get!

i guess no one better not ever name there vehicle Eleanor, other wise Denice Halicki will be knocking at your door! lol lol

-Brent

 

This concept Lightning had a nice exhaust treatment,

 

I hear ya, Brent. Nothing personal, just opinions.

I am staying with the GT500 design and not branching out into other cars, such as the Cobra. The real GT500s never had side exhausts.

As far as hood scoops, I am going to make one like was on the original Shelby Mustang, but make it a bit higher....probably 3" at the front opening.

I am a purist. The Eleanor, to me, is a cross between an overgrown bumblebee covered in plastic fairings and a classic musclecar, and that b*st*rdization is in my opinion unacceptable. If you're gonna build a tuner, build a tuner. If you're gonna build a musclecar, build a musclecar. We already have enough crappy crossovers these days...let's not sacrifice a classic American icon simply to fill a gap between those who know and those who don't even bother to look at it if it doesn't have voice controls, a 5 gallon can for a muffler, and neon lights all over the interior.

The funny thing is, millions of people in this country didn't even know what a GT500 was until the remake of that movie came out...and now they think that the Eleanor is the real deal. Look on YouTube and see how many guys own an Eleanor now. Then look and see compare how many actually own a GENUINE Shelby GT500. I'll bet you that the vast, vast majority of Eleanor owners can't even tell you the difference between their car and a GT500...and don't care either.

That's my rant...flame me if you want.

 

What year GT 500 exhaust are you looking at? Don't forget the '69-'70 models were a bit different. Could make for an interesting fab into your truck.

 

Each of our trucks is our own vision, how can anyone complain about anothers ideas?? Please keep us up to date with your progress.