Quick Fill Gas Cap:
The original Daytona Coupes were equipped with an Aston roller "quick fill" gas caps much like their Cobra siblings. Several of them had two to allow filling the tank from either side, (I'm assuming that not all pits were on the passenger side at every racetrack). Gas caps like these don't grow on trees and Cobra parts suppliers are asking $150+ for one. I was fortunate to locate one on Ebay. A $50 bid and I was the proud owner of a '96 Viper GTS Coupe filler cap! One departure from the Daytona styling was the way I chose to mount the cap. Shelby simply mounted them recessed in a large circular opening. The Viper style appealed to me more with its indentations to clear the latch and hinge.
Here's a shot of a Viper cap taken at a local parking lot. That's me reflected in it :)
To install the cap on a Mustang II involved removing the factory filler cap and neck and gently enlarging the opening using a hammer and dolly. I also applied heat with a torch to help stretch the metal without tearing it. The hammer and dolly was also used to form the indentations for the latch and hinge. Once the opening was formed, I had to figure out a way to build a flange to mount the cap to. A trip to the hardware store with my tape measure in hand resulted in the perfect piece...an ABS toilet flange! Fiberglass was used to bond the flange to the opening and also to seal the inner fender well from the outer as the original rubber seal was now too small.
Here's a shot of the freshly installed "toilet flange". The hole in the center is about the size of the original gas cap; this new cap's huge!
The "quick fill" in place, a regular cap will be used on the inside for safety (just like the Viper). The Dodge "Premium Unleaded Fuel Only" sticker stays too as a reminder!
And another shot:
Originally I dressed up the rear quarters of my Mustang II with the Cobra II side window louvers. I now decided to take it one step further by removing the windows completely and installing a pair of upper scoops from another of my favorite cars, the 1967-'68 Shelby G.T 350s and 500s. Since the release of "Gone in 60 Seconds", a new generation has fallen in love with these cars.
Above: "Eleanor" Right: Original 1967 G.T. 500
A pair of reproduction scoops was purchased from M/P Motorsports in Florida and I went about adapting them to the Mustang II. First step was removal of the original quarter windows from the frames. The glass was then used as a form to create new fiberglass side panels with the correct curvature. I then created mounting flanges by taping the panels to the car and laying fiberglass along the original sills using saran wrap to prevent them from bonding to the car. Next the position of the scoops was determined and they were fiberglassed permanently to the panels.
Here's a view of the inside of one of the scoop panels. The mounting studs (for mounting to a real Shelby) will be removed since the panels will be bonded to the car. These scoops, though a bargain represented my single largest investment in any part to-date. You just can't find these in a junkyard!
Trial fitting.
The aluminum trim that originally surrounded the rear quarter windows will no longer be used. In their place I found trim from a '75 Ghia with a vinyl top that will fit perfectly.
All of the seams will be filled smooth once the panels are permanently bonded in place.
Originally the '67-'68 scoops were used to extract air from the interior. In my case I will be plumbing ducts from the inside to provide brake cooling for my rear disc swap (in the works). Some early '67s had a small turn signal light mounted at the back of the scoops. I'm planning to install rectangular ones flush where the rear opening would have been.