1966 GT350 Owner’s Manual questions

[60's*dream*]

I have an original 66 GT350 owners manual (or so I believe, I’ve owned it since 1976) and at the time when I got it I was told it was an original. It’s been kept in a filing cabinet in a folder, it’s in perfect condition no tears, it has yellowed a bit both the card stock cover and its internal pages. There are rust marks from the 2 staples in the center pages.
I don’t know how to confirm if it’s real or not.

Here are the facts:
#1. I have truly owned it since 1976.
#2. At the time I was told it was an original. I got it from Bill Maier of Bill Maier Racing in Hayward CA when his shop was still off Washington Street in that old military type building next to the bakery.
#3. At that time no one was doing reproduction anything. Shelby’s were just 10 year old+
used cars. At least that was the mind set then, to most.

I bought both a 1966 and a 1965 original owner’s manual. I was into the 65’s not so much 66’s so in a file it went. The 65 went into the car at the time; I still have that one too. But it’s more tattered from being in the glove box. My interests in old Shelby’s really started to soar after the SAAC convention at the Oakland Hilton and also the SAAC “Real Picnic” at Heather Farms in Walnut Creek CA in 1977; I even have a dash plaque from that event.

I bought a reproduction 65 manual at SAAC 13 in Santa Rosa. Its size is a little different than the original one I bought in 1976, but knowing it was a reproduction I didn’t care at the time, but here is where my question emanate from.

Here are the denimsions to the 66:

I’ll take the SAAC approach for confirmation. I’ll provide the sizes, and I’ll hope the community can say yeah or nay on them.

1966 original 7 13/16” tall by 4 13/16” wide

1965 original 4 1/16” tall by 7 3/16” wide

1965 reproduction circa 1988, 4 5/16” tall by 7 ¼” wide

Thank you,
Earl

[vernonestes]

I cant say i am all that sure of what you are asking. I think you want to know how to tell for sure so here we go.

Here is a thread from a month or so ago for the 66 manual......
1966 GT 350 owners manual

As for the 65...it is the easiest of all. On the originals, the front and back covers fold out like a centerfold. The back cover foldout was the gt350 owners club registration form which was never started...this was perferrated so it may have been torn out. No reproductions have the fold out covers.

Hope this helps...
Best Regards,
Vern

[60's*dream*]

Hey Vern,

Thanks for the link. I checked it out. I think o'l Bill Maier sold me a reproduction back in 1976. I have an early reproduction! So If I understood the link correctly the letters in (OPTIONAL) and then again down by the lower staple a few bolded letters. I'll post a photo on this center page later this evening.

Thanks,
Earl

[roddster]

However, Meirer Racing must have bought a pile of Shelbys "Going out of Business" stock. I bought the 4 piece poster set back in 1973, seems original stuff to me, again, nobody was repoping this stuff then. I also bought a Monte Carlo bar. It came in a box labled "Carroll Shelby racing parts" or something to that effect.

[vernonestes]

There were two runs of 66 manuals. one had no punched out holes and therefore, everything appears normal. however, repops are always getting better, the new repops are not as heavy bold as the older ones so you must concentrate hard to make sure that it is not a repop. the second run had the two punched out areas and niether were filled in. I havent seen a repop with niether filled in. mine has the one on the left page filled but not the hole on the right page.

Best Regards,
Vern

[Texas Swede]

Did you guys see, an original 65 manual went for $1,990 on ebay
and the Detroit Locker manual went for $412. I bid on both but
there is a limit to everything.
/Texas Swede

[vernonestes]

Yeah, saw that one.....way too much money. Also saw the 1965 sales pitch card that he had for sale.
Best Regards,
Vern

[tommyleea]

I know it seems like Shelby stuff wasn't being produced/reproduced in the
70's, but I have a sales booklet/magazine from 1972 that is exclusively for Shelby parts and accessories. I am sure many bought Shelby stuff back then to put on their plain jane stangs. Why pay $1500 for a Shelby, when you can get a regular Mustang for $600 and put the stuff on it!

Tommy

[60's*dream*]

Tommy, the cost Mustangs was less than that in 1975 My best friend bought a souped up A code fastback w/ a 4 speed for $250.00 complete. another friend bought a 66 K code fastback for $800.00. I paid a guy $50.00 to take a running white convert with a red interior out of my driveway. It needed a tune up. I had an opportunity to buy Tim Mitoma's #5S465 for $3200.00 but thought it was too much money. We bought a bunch of stuff for 65 & 66 GT350's original stuff that I'm now re-using (that 69 Rambox manifold from another thread on this forum) from Maier Racing, Westcott Racing, Bob Tillius (sp?) at Group 44, up in Petaluma (next door to Sears Point) he raced those white British converts he also had GT350 stuff. Dolphin Coventry in Mountain View was the local Weber specialist. This was the mid 70's
Now that we're older and wiser (55+) driving the current German stuff on a regular basis and working in plush offices, weeding through things stumbling across stuff from the past, now building a clone car because real 65's and for that matter 66's have escalated to prices rivaling the cost of real estate just to thrash around as a hobby car. you know what, it's still fun.
I got off on a crazy tangent here. Anyway here are a few pics I took a few minutes ago of the 66 the Owners Manual. Is it real or not? This was form Bill Maier from 1976. There is a file size limit so I may have to post a second reply with pictures. Let me know Thanks ~Earl

[vernonestes]

Yep, that is a reproduction. An old one at that! I know that nobody likes to here that stuff is fake but you should take pride in the fact that you are one of the few who would ask for a second opinion before listing it on weeeebay for big money.
Best Regards,
Vern

[Snakepit]

Originally Posted by tommyleea

I know it seems like Shelby stuff wasn't being produced/reproduced in the 70's, but I have a sales booklet/magazine from 1972 that is exclusively for Shelby parts and accessories. I am sure many bought Shelby stuff back then to put on their plain jane stangs. Why pay $1500 for a Shelby, when you can get a regular Mustang for $600 and put the stuff on it!

Tommy

Yes there was allot of "reproduction" pieces in the 70's as many of us were building fakes since we could not afford the $2000 for a real car.

Did my first in 72

[eljimb0]

Originally Posted by Snakepit

Yes there was allot of "reproduction" pieces in the 70's as many of us were building fakes since we could not afford the $2000 for a real car.

Did my first in 72

...mine in 1974 (still have it)
For me, the choice to build a clone was partly the initial buy in cost, but mostly the quality of the cars available was the clincher. All the real Shelby's (and K-cars) had been thrashed. You could find no rust ever, perfectly straight absolutely "all original parts" ...A and C code fastbacks for a few hundred bucks. If you are going to do the whole thing over anyhow, .. Why not start with a perfect "car"

jimbo

[tommyleea]

[quote=60's*dream*;34159]Tommy, the cost Mustangs was less than that in 1975 My best friend bought a souped up A code fastback w/ a 4 speed for $250.00 complete. another friend bought a 66 K code fastback for $800.00.

OK, I got ripped off as usual. I paid $600 for my 65 convertable in 72. (still have it).

Tommy

[vernonestes]

Hell, if you think you got ripped off, ill give you a nice tidy profit.....hows $1000 sound?
best regards,
Vern

[s2ms]

Originally Posted by vernonestes

Yep, that is a reproduction. An old one at that! I know that nobody likes to here that stuff is fake but you should take pride in the fact that you are one of the few who would ask for a second opinion before listing it on weeeebay for big money.
Best Regards,
Vern

Earl, that manual looks just like the repop I posted a pic of in the thread mentioned by Vern above. Another give away is the Suspension section on the right page. Originals say "One inch front stabilizer bar" while at least this style repop says "1.0 inch front stabilizer bar". It also has a lot more bleed through from the back side page than you see in originals.

Dave

[60's*dream*]

Hey Guys,

Thanks for the confirmation on this 66 manual, much appreciated. Lately I've been cleaning out old stuff. I would have hated to post this on weeeBay (eBay) as an original item then receive a tongue lashing from the SAAC and Shelby forum community only to be informed that it's a reproduction. I've noticed alot of the same players on both forums.
It's still heading to ebay along with someother small things.

Cheers,
~Earl

[6S1431]

In the early 70's Shelby's were just used cars. I bought my 66 GT350H car with 40,000 miles on it in Jan 71 for $1,000. I found out later he would have taken $750 for it. Still got it and hopefully it will be finished this summer. I also bought another 66 for $2500 in 1978 because I couldn't talk anyone else into buying it. Had been changed to a four speed and had 67 buket seats, one of those street "R' front valances and the rear seat was gone and it had the fiberglass cover ( don't know if it was original or not, but I'm guessing repro). Sold it in 1979 for $5,000 to Bill Collins. Two that got away were 68 GT500KR convertible 4 speed, mint for $500 in 1972, guys girl friend got pregnant and he had to sell it to get married, didn't want a "big block" and turned it down. But the one I still kick myseld in the A$$ for is CSX2017, 14,000 mile red Cobra for $3500 or $2,000 if I traded in my 66. Didn't do it because it didn't have a roof. Had Webbers in a box in the trunk, still had Blue Streaks on it. To this day my brother still reminds me. Same guy taht had this car had a broken and damaged 427 ex race car for $1500, needed right front suspension, fender, grille etc, and the engine had spun a main bearing, car was rough and run real hard. Somebody gave me a box that had an owners manual in it in 1971 or so. It may be an original, I'll check based on this information
Steve 6S1431

[rsimkins]

And I paid $2400 for my '67 G.T.500 in 1977 (the guy wanted $3000, I offered $2000, he was willing to split the difference and I still talked him down another $100!) and my dad paid $3000 for his '66 G.T.350H the next year(1978). When I went to register the '66, the woman at DMV couldn't believe that we had paid that kind of money for a used 12 year old car!