In 1964 my family traveled to New York City to visit my
grandmother. I was four years old at the time and remember how big
everything was in New York. One of the tourists attractions that my
family saw while in New York was the World’s Fair in Flushing Meadows
New York. On April 17th 1964 the Ford Mustang was unveiled to the
public at the World’s Fair, and I was there. My dad worked for the Ford
Motor Company River Rouge plant, located just outside Detroit. I’m
sure my dad was very proud that day when the Mustang made its’ debut but
had no idea that he and his co-workers would play a such a major part
in the success of the Mustang.
When the Ford Mustang was released in 1964 it set the automotive
world on fire. One of the advertising slogans that Ford used to
describe the Mustang called it “The Car You Always Promised Yourself”.
The slogan proved itself correct as 22,000 orders were placed for the
Mustang within
days of its’ debut. Within the year Ford had sold over 400,000 Mustangs.
The 1964 1/2 Mustang was a combination of parts from the Ford Falcon
and Fairlane but a body style of its’ own. Available with a 170 cubic
inch straight six engine, 260 cubic inch V8 or the 289 cubic inch Hi-Po.
The vast majority of ‘64 1/2 Mustang were purchased with six cylinder
engines.
In August 1964 a very young Ford executive named
Lee Iococca placed a
call to the late
Carroll Shelby asking him to build a high performance Mustangs
that could hold its’ own on the track and street. Shelby was reluctant
but agreed to build the cars. The Shelby
GT350 was unveiled on January 27th 1965. The sticker price for the Shelby
GT350
was $4,547.00 which wasn’t attractive to your average car buyer while
the sticker price for the base Mustang was $2,500.00. The Shelby
GT350 wasn’t a hit in terms of sales but it was a hit on the track.
The ‘65 Shelby
GT350 has several
performance upgrades including a high rise manifold, holly carburetor, 4
speed manual transmission, side exhaust pipes with two-inch Glasspak
mufflers, trunk mounted battery, fiberglass hood with functional scoop,
deleted rear seat for weight savings and 15 inch wheels. One of the
exterior modifications were Side Brake Scoops which were functional and
included air ducts to cool the rear brakes. Side Brake Scoops on a
domestic car was very new territory. The first side scoops that came on
the
GT350 were made from fiberglass. Not all the the ‘65
GT350 were fitted with Side Brake Scoops.
Having the capacity to cool the brakes on a race car was very
important to insure brake reliability and the Mustang Side Scoops were a
vital part in the performance of the
GT350. Functional Brake Side Scoops have become a thing of the past on the
Ford Mustang and have been replaced by the Mustang Side Scoops that are
cosmetic. When the 2005 Mustang was released, aftermarket Mustang
accessories flooded the market, everything from spoilers, hood scoops,
mirror covers, window louvers, window scoops and Mustang side scoops
were quickly added to the Mustangs to bring about the old school retro
look.
There are several brands of Mustang Side Scoops on the market today
for the ‘05-’10 Mustang some of the brands are Xenon, Willpack, Ford,
3D Carbon, Street Scene and Cervini. Most of the Mustang Side Scoops
manufactured today are made from urethane, injection molded plastic and
some are made from fiberglass. Selecting a Mustang Side Scoop for your
Stang may take a while because of the wide selection and your budget.
Not all Mustang Side Scoops are created equal.
Installation is pretty simple provided you follow the directions
and take your time. The most important factor when installing Mustang
Window Scoops is temperature. The vast majority of Mustang Side Scoops
on the market are installed using 3M double-sided tape. The outdoor
temperature
needs to be at least 65 degrees for the 3M tape to bond. If your
Mustang is sitting in the garage and it’s the middle of winter it’s
probably not a good idea to install side scoops using 3M tape, there is a
good chance the tape will not bond, which could cause your side scoops
to fall off while driving…not a good thing. Now let’s assume it’s a
80 degree day and you’re ready to put your scoops on, your first step is
to clean the surface where your side scoops will be attached. Using
soap and water clean the area of all dirt and grime and let dry. As
added insurance use some household rubbing alcohol and wipe the surface
to remove any wax residue. Here’s a tip before installing any accessory
using 3M double-sided tape, visit your local auto paint supply store and
pick up a bottle or Promoter. Promoter is a clear liquid that acts
like a super glue to help the adhesion process of the 3M tape. We highly
recommend using Promoter when applying accessories that attaches with
3M tape. Okay now, it’s time to lay that side scoop on your rear
quarter panel but first do a test fit to make sure you line up the scoop
properly it might be a good idea use a grease pencil and mark the lines
where the scoops needs to go. Remove the backing on the 3M tape and
apply a light coat of promoter to the 3M tape surface, be careful not to
spill any promoter on your car it will stain your paint. Push the
scoops
onto your quarter panel making sure the 3M tape makes contact
with all the edges. Do not drive your Mustang for several hours, you
need to allow the 3M tape to bond to the surface of your Mustang. As
much as you would like to show off your newly installed side scoops to
your Mustang buddy across town don’t, give your scoops sometime to dry
you’ll be glad you did.
Question, did
Carroll Shelby design the original Side Scoops for the Mustang? Were side scoops used on domestic cars prior to the GT350?
Carroll Shelby leaves behind a long history in the automotive business that touched many and will continue influence Mustang and other cars for years to come. Thanks Carroll Shelby.
To see our selection of Mustang Side Scoops click on the following
Mustang Side Scoops
Mr. Bangastang
Visit our website
www.bangastang.com
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