68 Mustang Fastback Shelby Decklid Problem

MustangMando · Jul 19, 2012

Just purchased a decklid for my 68 mustang and noticed that the extensions leave a gap . I am using a stock tailIght panel. I cant return it, does anyone know how eliminate the gap? Or how to make it work?

rbohm · Jul 19, 2012

pics of said gap?

horse sence · Jul 19, 2012

i have done several shelby replicas 67- 69 got an idea of what your talking about can you post a coupe of pics, usualy a litle grinding on the top edge of end cap towards the trunk lid and it will roll towards the trunk lid and close the gap, but need to see a pic.

robbz28 · Jul 20, 2012

I assume the parts are fiberglass? I know the convertible style extensions i have on my car are. Anyway they had to be completely rebuilt...I have never heard of any of them just bolting on and looking right. I had a guy who was really good with fiberglass (fixes boats for a living) cut and re-shape mine to get them to fit properly.

MustangMando · Jul 20, 2012

The end caps are designed for the shelby taillight panel, and not the recessed taillight panel of the 68 mustang

horse sence · Jul 20, 2012

MustangMando said:
The end caps are designed for the shelby taillight panel, and not the recessed taillight panel of the 68 mustang

you would have to fill the gap with fiberglass

Couped Up · Jul 21, 2012

You've acquired the wrong style kit for your application. As mentioned above, the quarter extensions you have purchased are meant to be used with the Shelby overlay, rear light panel. They make different extensions for use with the factory Mustang rear light panel. See the link below.....

http://www.mustangsunlimited.com/itemdy01.asp?T1=X19067A 01&Category=Body&subCategory=Deck Lid & Quarter Panel Extensions&CatKey=EMUSTANG

It appears that these folks may be able to solve your problems with part #X1104LH, and #X1104RH.

MustangMando · Jul 22, 2012

Thanks, guys i'll buy the end caps from mustangs unlimited.

horse sence · Jul 22, 2012

i would recamend getting the end caps from the same company as the deck lid
they usualy wont match up with other companies

zookeeper · Sep 3, 2012

I'd have to respectfully disagree. I bought my whole front end and hood from Mustangs Plus and nothing, not even one part even came close to fitting. The hood was so narrow the fender bolts showed and the nose piece probably would've fit my '88 GT just as well as it fit my '68 fastback. But I persevered, cutting it all apart and getting it to fit. On the rear of the car, I went whole hog and bought all my stuff from Tony Branda, the self-proclaimed experts in Shelby repro parts. I paid top dollar and got stuff that fit just as bad as the Maier stuff from Mustangs Plus. My experience is it's all horrid, and it's a good way to separate who REALLY wants a Shelby clone and who THINKS they want one.

horse sence · Sep 4, 2012

yes but if you try to fit these parts with some other companys parts the fit can be even worse, a 67 shelby origional hood does have wide gaps probably about 1/4 inch on each side and the bolts usualy do show. but i do know some of these repro parts are worse than that

zookeeper · Sep 4, 2012

Of all the real Shelbys I've ever seen in my life, none had gaps as large as mine. When I say the bolts showed, I mean the ENTIRE bolt head showed! The hood was 9/16" narrower per side than my original steel hood. The nose was so narrow, I had to cut it into 5 separate pieces just to get it on the car. The fit was horrendous. The trunk was 1/2 inch short at the front, 1/2" short where it meets the taillight panel and 1/4" short per side. To top it off, it had a twist in it. The end caps would lay flat on the table if the studs were removed, and anyone who knows '67-'68 fastbacks knows that end of the quarters is not flat. Not only that, but they didn't have nearly enough of a compound curve on the side, nor would they bolt in place with the Shelby taillight panel in place. The Shelby taillight panel needed to have the upper mounting lip cut off, then the end lips needed to be ground to match the curve of the steel panel, then re-glassed back together. Nothing was even close to fitting and I had hundreds of hours into fitting all the fiberglass. The trash that was being sold when I built my car in '01 was so bad that more than once I wanted to return the car to stock and sell it. I helped a local shop reassemble a basket case GT500 a few years ago and I can tell you that the original Shelby 'glass was far superior to the aftermarket stuff I bought. Until you've had the opportunity of working on both, you really can't understand it, I guess.

horse sence · Sep 4, 2012

i do understand i have restored both real and replica and i agree with you, most repro fiberglass is worthless, what i am saying is the fiberglass on the origional cars is not a perfect fit, far from it ,any one thinking the origional fiberglass had the same standards as todays mustangs steel pieces or even the origional steel is in for a big let down it was bassicly what you would find on a race car. i have bought trunk lids from mustang plus the edge towards the back glass diped down about a half inch and had to cut the under brace in several places to get the right arch .it was to short and to narrow,my 67 has glass from stang-aholics i have been using them for several years now and i am very happy with them.
the end caps follow the body, the trunk lid fit very well , it has a gap at the top prety much the same as the origional glass,but wider than a metal lid but that was normal for a 67 shelby, the hood does not have a bow in it as they normaly did but it does have atleast 1/4 inch gap at the sides like an origional , the nose fit beter than an origional i had to sand the mounting flange to fit the fender but i didnt have to add any thing, no mater where you get fiber glass you will have to fit it ,no way around it,but there is some alot beter than others,some is just plain old crap. another problem i have noticed on the forrums is guys are tring to fit the nose sections with the fenders bolted in place, the nose is one piece and not adjustable so all adjustments must be made at the fenders other wise it just wont fit

zookeeper · Sep 9, 2012

Nice car and nice fit on the 'glass parts! A co-worker wanted me to build him a clone until he found out the total cost of both a decent fastback and the glass parts. That took care of that, which is exactly why I think we see so many "half-way" clones with just a spoilered deck lid and some stripes on an otherwise stock fastback. People start adding up the cost of the "unseen" parts to do a Shelby clone the right way and give up. The extended bumper brackets, center light mounts, hood pin extensions, taillight buckets and on and one add up quickly and builders who thought they wanted an exact clone quickly adjust their vision to fit their wallet.
I also have heard nice things about and from Stang-aholics and only wish I'd bought my stuff there. But I was flying blind as I think we all do the first time through any project and thought I was doing the right thing. I'm extremely picky about fit and finish and to find my Mustangs Plus stuff was so far off was discouraging, to say the least. To find my high-dollar Branda stuff didn't fit any better was also a let-down, but since I already had done the whole front end, it was less of a shocker. By the time I made installed the roof and brake scoops, I expected to have to rebuild the whole part. But in the end, it was worth every cuss word and shard of fiberglass under my skin. I haven't been on here much and haven't seen a pic of your car finished, if you have one, I'd love to see it. Here's a few of mine:

horse sence · Sep 9, 2012

thats nice and your right .people get into one with out figureing the total cost and wind up selling before they finnish . if my nephew would not have wanted the car black it would have been white with blue stripes,looks good on a 65-66 but looks great on a 67,nice job. i am still not finnished with the black one,that was my up to date pic,
speaking of fiberglass splinters ,i have one in my knuckle right now.
how long did it take you to finnish yours?

zookeeper · Sep 9, 2012

From start to finish, mine took 5 1/2 years, but that included everything, interior, engine, suspension and all the bodywork and paint. My main problem was money, I refused to put anything on a credit card so it was strictly a build until I ran out of money, then save, then go again kinda thing. In fact, I didn't get everything done exactly how I wanted (mechanically), and am now filling in the blanks on that stuff. But I'd much rather do that than either pay someone to do anything or owe a ton of money on a car I drive very little.

horse sence · Sep 9, 2012

thats the smart way to do it,spend what you can when you can . dont go in debt,i know several people who have ,just by putting every thing on a credit card . i do every thing my self except macine work. save a bundle that way.i put Johnnys car in storage when he passed away in 1999. started working on it again in 2005, but couldnt bring myself to work on it. just recently started on it again . i just have to build the 390, wheels and tires ,i want the magstars thats what Johnny wanted on it.and a lot of little parts. the body and most of the interior is finnished . it was a factory black with red deluxe interior gt 390

68 Mustang Fastback Shelby Decklid Problem

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68 Mustang Fastback Shelby Decklid Problem

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