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WOLFF'S
CLOTHING |
From
"Mustang
&
Fords
Magazine"
November,
2004
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USING
A VANILLA C TO MAKE A STRIKING
GT350 REPLICA |
 ou've
got to admit your imagination
can be limitless in the exciting
world of Restomod. With a
restomod mindset, you can take a
vanilla C-code Mustang
convertible and dress it to the
nines, pump it full of power,
and surround yourself with
greatness. What's more,
you can strap it to your
backside, cruise Main Street,
tackle a twisty road. come home,
and be a renewed person for the
experience.
Meet Jack Wolff of Grand Rapids,
Michigan. Grand Rapids is
a terrific place to live.
The winters are tough, but
afford you time to play with
your cars (if you have a
heated garage), and the
summers are incredible.
This dreamy project dates back
to 1999, when Jack owned a '66
six-cylinder convertible and a
'69 Cougar hardtop. Jack
liked his convertible and the
way it looked, but he realized
he wanted something more than a
six-cylinder Mustang, so he sold
the convertible and the Cougar.
Jack's
dream began as a '68 Shelby
clone. However the cost of
fiberglass and other Shelby
nuances was way out of reach.
So Jack turned his attentions
back to 1966 knowing that would
be a cheaper path to a Shelby
clone. He thought about
the limited number of '66 GT350
convertible that Shelby-American
built and decided to build one
for himself. He located
this gem in Virginia. It
had 150 miles on a ground-up
restoration. Luckily for
Jack, the owner had lost
interest and was willing to
sell.
After he brought the car home to
Michigan, Jack began building
his GT350 clone. The
289-2V engine ran like a clock.
A white interior just needed a
few features to make it
extraordinary - Flo-Fit seats, a
JME instrument cluster, a Shelby
rollbar, a Classic Console, a
Kenwood AM/FM cassette and CD
changer, power windows,
three-point safety belts, and
that groovy LeCarra wheel.
Outside,
Jack installed Shelby mirrors,
new tires, a GT rear valance,
hood pins, and an interesting
front valance. He managed
to find the front valance at the
Spring Swap Meet in Columbus,
Ohio. The valance and the
GT fog lamps are actually all
part of what Ford called the
"2+2 Night Rally Kit" available
from Ford Dealers coast-to-coast
in 1966.
In 2002, Jack enlisted the help
of Rick May, also a member of
the West Michigan Mustang Club,
who helped him rebuild and hop
up the 280. These
gentlemen fitted the original
iron with Manley forged pistons,
a Comp Cams bumpstick, roller
rockers, valvesprings, and more.
An MSD ignition system lights
the mixture. A Pertronix
40,000 volt Flame-Thrower coil
supercharges the spark.
Jet Hot Tri-Y headers scavenges
the hot exhaust gases. On
top is a Blur Thunder tri-power
intake manifold with three
Autolite 2100 carburetors, which
means great reliability and
performance beneath that long
air cleaner.
Because
Jack believes in the wise
management of power, he opted
for front disc brakes, a 1 1/8
inch front sway bar, subframe
connectors, and Shelby-style
underride traction bars.
The upper control arms have also
been lowered to improve negative
camber.
Behind the warmed up 289 is a
Tremec T-5 five-speed shifted by
Hurst. A Flaming River
tilt column makes the drive
easier.
By the
time you read this, Jack will
have installed rear disc brakes,
a limited slip, and a cable
clutch conversion. Not bad
for this Wolff in wolf's
clothing.
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