The 1968 Mustang Shelby GT500 convertible is a highly sought-after collectible vehicle. This particular vehicle, VIN

8T03S179586, is of special interest due its relatively intact original condition and extensive documentation.

An examination of the vehicle reveals the following:

Documentation:

The original window sticker, build sheet, and dealer invoice are original and authenticated.

Although it is common to find build sheets in 1968 Shelbys, they are usually not found in such good condition. Original

window stickers for 1968 Shelbys are extremely rare. Typically, less than 2% of these vehicles have such

documentation. Even rarely is the original sales invoice from the selling

dealer with less than 1% having this valuable piece of history. Further, the

original factory order form to Shelby and the original factory to dealer

invoice are available. As noted on the window sticker, this vehicle was sold

at Chaffee Motors. The original front license plate frame is still present on

the vehicle. Having this complete set of documents is so rare that probably

less than 10 1968 Shelbys have all of these documents.

Factory ID tags:

The most important tags on a 1968 Shelby are the dash VIN tag and the underhood VIN tag. These tags are constructed

of aluminum. As such and being over fifty years old, they are commonly deteriorated to the point of unreadability due

to galvanic reaction. For this reason, many 1968 Shelbys carry reproductions of these two tags. The tags on this vehicle

are original and in very good condition. There is very little of this corrosion present, indicative of the relatively dry

climate this vehicle has been subjected to for the last

fifty years. In addition, the buck tag, used by the

assembly workers to properly prepare the vehicle for

paint and options, is original and in excellent

condition. It is also composed of aluminum and, as

can be observed in the accompanying photo, has no

evidence of corrosion.

Ford used many other tags for the purpose of

assembly of the vehicles on their assembly lines. One

of the key tags used for this is the engine tag, a small

aluminum tag that is attached to the engine typically on the intake

manifold. Referring back to the build sheet that accompanies the

vehicle, in line F of the sheet the Engine Code is listed as “405 J05”.

Note that on the engine tag, this same code appears in the lower

right corner. This is the correct code for the engine of a GT-500 with

an automatic transmission. The lower left corner of the tag shows

“8 B”, which decodes to a production date of February, 1968. This

particular Shelby was produced on March 1, 1968 so this engine code

fits correctly.

Again referring to the build sheet on line F, the transmission

code is shown to be “PGBW”. Observing the accompanying

photo of the transmission tag reveals the same code “PGB W”

present on the tag.

The center section of the rear axle assembly contains

another ID tag. This axle tag has the code “935” in the

lower right hand corner. Checking this against the build

sheet on line G shows the code “8935A” present there.

This is a match. The “8” on the build sheet stood for the

1968 model year and the “A” was a revision code that

wasn’t incorporated on the axle tag that year. The date

code on the axle tag, “8AC”, corresponds to a

production date of 1968, January, the third week. This

being about six weeks before the actual manufacture of

the vehicle is what would be expected for typical

production in that era.

The door data plate, shown to the left, is

another aluminum tag placed on the

vehicle and contains useful data for

mechanics when repair was necessary. This

tag is quite often also missing from

vehicles. The door data plate on this

vehicle, like all of the other tags, is an

original tag. It contains the correct

notation, “SPECIAL PERFORMANCE

VEHICLE”, which was used on all but the

earlies 1968 Shelbys. The data on the tag

correctly matches the build sheet for the

vehicle as can be observed.

Drive Train:

The engine block has the casting date

code of “8B1” that corresponds to

1968, February 1st. This date matches

perfectly for typical production,

namely the block was cast one month

before the production of the vehicle.

No comments can be made about the

internal construction of the engine

because it was not disassembled.

However, the engine runs smoothly,

no smoke is noticed while the engine

is running, and no ticking or knocking

is present.

The carburetor on the engine is the correct Holley carburetor, but appears to have been replaced. However, the

replacement is period correct in that the date code on the air

horn is “832”, which corresponds to a production date of 1968,

March, the second week. This is a week after the vehicle was

produced. This would indicate that early in the life of the

vehicle the carburetor was replaced. Warranty repairs of items

like carburetors were relatively common on these vehicles so

this isn’t a surprise. What is nice is that it is a production

carburetor from this time period and not an aftermarket

carburetor.

The transmission used on the GT-500 Shelbys was a C-6 model. The particular

servo used for this transmission has an “H” cast into it. While no disassembly of

the transmission was performed, the vehicle does shift through the gears

correctly. It cannot be stated what the internal condition of the transmission is

and it would be a good idea to have the transmission internals inspected for

signs of corrosion or wear of the shift bands to protect as much of the originality as possible.

The casting date for the center

section of the rear end is

“7M21”, corresponding to

1967, December 21st. This

date is in line with typical

production for the 1968 model

year. To the right is a picture

of the driver side axle tube.

There is evidence of the

original paper ID sticker that

would have been on the axle

assembly for production. As this ID was made from paper, they virtually never survive due to

their location. However, the fact that it is partially visible speaks to the lack of driving in wet

conditions.

The original exhaust system is still present on the vehicle. This is

another outstanding

feature of this particular

Shelby as less than 2% of

Shelbys retain their

original exhaust systems.

The date code below the

Ford part number for this

production exhaust muffler is “12-67” which decodes as December 1967

and corresponds to what would be expected for a production vehicle for this time. The resonators and clamps used are

all original pieces as well as the rear chrome tips.

Suspension/Brakes:

Most of the original suspension components are still present on this original

vehicle. Although the front shocks have been replaced by aftermarket

components, the original rear Autolite adjustable shocks are still present.

Note on the build sheet on line H the designation for the rear shocks of

“Z7ZDA”. On the shock shown in the illustration to the right is the complete

part number of “Z7ZD 18080 A” which is a perfect match. Below is the

designation “T8AC”. The T is a plant production code, but the “8AC”

corresponds to a date of production of 1968, January, third week. Below

this can be seen the terms “SOFT”, “NORMAL”, and “FIRM” indicating the

correct adjustable nature of these shocks.

Other

suspension

components,

as seen at the

left, have the

patina that

demonstrates

their

originality. All the rust present is nothing more than

expected surface rust.

Certain brake lines have been

replaced (see picture to the right),

likely due to safety concerns about

fifty-year-old rubber brake hoses.

Some of the original suspension

components, like the front coil

springs, still show evidence of their

original ID paint daubs. See the

pink still present on the coil spring.

Note the build sheet shows the

original daubs were gold and pink

on line H. Although the gold does

not show up in the photo, the pink

is clearly visible in the photo on the

left.

The tires on the vehicle are not

original. However, the spare tire is

the original tire that came with the

vehicle. It is in phenomenal shape.

It has never been on the ground as

can be observed by seeing the ink

markings still present on the tread. The tire date code on the right is the old format before the USDOT (United States

Department of Transportation) created a universal tire

code. For this tire, the date code was found in the first two

characters (TU), which decodes as February 1968. This

code agrees with the production date of the vehicle. It is

unknown whether there are other 1968 Shelbys with the

original tire in an unused condition.

Body:

The sheet metal and fiberglass is intact and still contains most of the original paint. The underside shows the correct

red oxide primer with minimal overspray of paint. Because of the heavy application of primer on the underside, it was

common for drip marks

to appear. These are very

hard to imitate when a

vehicle is restored. In the

photo to the left, the

drips are most

prominent toward the

bottom of the photo as a

several rows of drips.

Various sealers and

sound deadeners were

applied to production

vehicles. The sealers and

sound deadeners are

well-preserved as seen in

the photos on the right and below.

The stripes are originally and correctly wrap around the

ends of the body panels. Body panels have date codes

stamped in them. As an example, the rocker panel

picture below shows a date code of 11 20D2, which

decodes as November 20th.

The left fender has a date stamp of 2 15 3D,

which decodes as February 15. The ink stamp

above is a paint OK inspection stamp. Another

example of this is shown on the cowl on the driver side near the windshield washer hoses.

The inside driver side rear quarter shows

the typical patina of an unrestored vehicle.

The sound deadener, which is visible in the

lower left is correctly applied. Most

restorers apply way too much when they

are restoring a vehicle. The factory

instructed

their workers

to minimize

the use of

materials like

this. The

wiring for the

rear mount

radio antenna

and taillights

is properly routed. The loom for the taillights is in remarkable condition. Usually these looms are tattered.

The two photos shown on the bottom of the previous page demonstrate that there is no “bubbling” evidence of severe

corrosion on the body panels and floor pans.

Fiberglass panels are original with their smooth finish, not the rough texture like reproductions.

Interior/Trim:

The original interior is present and in fine condition. An extremely rare item

present is the glovebox ownercard. The date shown at the bottom of the picture

on the right is the start date for the warranty. This is confirmed by looking at the

dealer invoice sales date of June 23, 1969.

The ownercard

belongs in the

metal tongue

shown in the

picture on the

right. The correct

Shelby tire

pressure decal is

also shown here.

The picture on the left shows the TOP and FOG

LAMP controls to be correctly mounted and in

great condition. The pedals show minimal wear as

well as the carpet and heel pad. The faux wood

paneling on the console is in great conditioning

and is not peeling, which is typical of this material

at this age.

Corrosion is present on the pot metal

portion of the convertible top header. This is

very typical of this part and is a result of the

particular manufacturing process that was

used to fabricate this part fifty years ago.

Remarkably, the original

convertible top is still present

on the vehicle. Some of the

seams show slight degradation

but there is no major splitting of

the top canvas.

The original convertible top

boot is present including the two foam inner liner pieces. Usually an original

boot is missing these pieces.

The convertible top welt that is used to hide the staples that affix the top to the

frame is the correct two-piece vinyl rather than the typical aftermarket canvas

replacement.

The convertible top guard

in the trunk is unmolested.

With the rear seat

removed, it can be

observed how the vehicle

has retained its configuration as originally built.

This vehicle has not been taken apart before. It

retains its condition as assembly on the

production line over fifty years ago.

Like other interior components, the seat

belts retain their originality. The picture on

the right shows the date code of “4-68”

representing the fourth week of 1968.

Other date codes on the other belts are

appropriate for this vehicle.

The factory roll bar has its correct original

welds intact in this view of the passenger

side of the vehicle.

Bright trim shows minimal corrosion and

weathering, a testimony to this vehicle

spending little time out in the elements.

The black-out treatment is well-preserved

and not subject to curling.

Summation:

This is one of the finest examples of an unrestored 1968 Shelby. Its value is enhanced by being relatively untouched.

Further, it is a desirable GT-500, has a popular color scheme, and is a convertible. The rarity of the documents present,

along with the rarity of the original parts present put this in the top 3 of original 1968 Shelbys that I have had the

pleasure to observe. This will be a fine piece of automotive history to own and will someday belong in a museum.

_______________________________

Kevin Marti

Marti Auto Works