1968 Help identifiying a CS car!

[pizzle]

Hi everyone. First off, I must admit that I'm not all that well versed in Ford products. My brother is looking for a pony/muscle car that we can work on together. I'm more a GM guy (please don't hold that against me! :smile. He found a '68 mustang that has a body tag that reads as follows:

243
09 06C 65A
8T01C178633 N DIA BL (I can't see the resf of what's after the "BL")
CS ST

I tried to lay out the text/numbers above as they appear on the VIN tag.

Is there any way to determine whether or not he's looking at a real CS? It certainly has the look....shelby tails, side scoops, chrome "California Special" script trim.

I noticed in the registry that most of the cars are "8R..." cars.

Thanks for any help you can offer.

-Paul

 

[somethingspecial]

welcome

This is not a real California Special. All California Special Mustangs were built at the San Jose Ford plant. The 8R01 should appear in the first four of the VIN. The T designation in the second digit of the VIN indicates it is a Metuchen Assembly Plant build. R in the second digit indicates a San Jose assembly plant build. When ever looking for a California Special, I can't stress enough to purchase a Marti Report from Marti Auto Works. This will confirm if it is a true California Special or not. Hope this helps.

 

[candycal]

As somethingspecial said. And here's a "how to identify" link from this website:

http://californiaspecial.com/1968-GTCS-identification.htm

And FYI - Marti AutoWorks (you can order an express report by email):

https://www.martiauto.com/reports2.cfm

 

[pizzle]

Mike,

Thanks very much for the quick reply. I really appreciate it! I will look into the Marti Report. Like I said in my posting, I'm not a Ford guy, so I didn't even know about the CS offering until last night.

I'm a sucker for the Shelby tail lights though! What a sweet looking car!

Take care,
Paul

 

[somethingspecial]

check this thread

We discussed this same car a while ago. See http://californiaspecial.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9901

 

[pizzle]

Rick,

I did see the "how to identify" page on this site. The vehicle meets all of those requirements on the page. It really does look the part of a real CS car. I would think that it would take decent amount of money to rework a car into a CS?

Thanks very much for the quick reply!

-Paul

 

[pizzle]

Ha! Looks like this one "gets around" a bit! :grin:

Thanks to everyone that replied. I greatly appreciate it! This sort of hospitality just may turn me into a Ford guy after all!

We discussed this same car a while ago. See http://californiaspecial.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9901

 

[somethingspecial]

Ha! Looks like this one "gets around" a bit! :grin:

Thanks to everyone that replied. I greatly appreciate it! This sort of hospitality just may turn me into a Ford guy after all!

There is hope. I was a Chevy guy until I purchased my first car, A California Special. The rest is History. LOL

 

[pizzle]

Well, I'll have to see if the same applies when purchasing a "not-so" California Special! :smile:

There is hope. I was a Chevy guy until I purchased my first car, A California Special. The rest is History. LOL

 

[dalorzo_f]

it would take decent amount of money to rework a car into a CS

Other than the VIN, not really... 5 pieces of readily reproduced fiberglass, if you are repainting anyway not much additional work.

A '67 grille, some fogs and simple wiring, add hood locks and you're done...

Maybe a few grand from non to "GT/CS" in a repaint. Not "cheap", but not that excessive in the scheme of restoring a car. Folks pay way more for suspension upgrades like TCP or RRS everyday... and engine rebuild can be double the cost to fake a Cali!

 

[di81977]

Other than the VIN, not really... 5 pieces of readily reproduced fiberglass, if you are repainting anyway not much additional work.

A '67 grille, some fogs and simple wiring, add hood locks and you're done...

Maybe a few grand from non to "GT/CS" in a repaint. Not "cheap", but not that excessive in the scheme of restoring a car. Folks pay way more for suspension upgrades like TCP or RRS everyday... and engine rebuild can be double the cost to fake a Cali!

You are missing the tail lights, not an inexpensive addition. In my opinion, lots of money to add to a Mustang Coupe.

 

[robert campbell]

Paul,
Price was never displayed. A nice GT/CS "clone" for a good price is alot of fun to drive. You never revealed engine, tranny, and such. A couple of GT/CS clone convertibles have passed through our site lately. They looked awesome!! As long as you and the seller know it is not the real deal you may find a lot of fun for a great price.

Rob

 

[dalorzo_f]

Ok, add a few hundred bucks, I picked of a OEM tail panel and buckets for about $250, $100 worth of wiring from Branda, llight caps and cardboard covers. $500.

I also forgot the Cal Special scripts, Mustang on the trunk lid, GT/CS stripe kit, and debadging the fenders too. it was not a compelte and itemized list, but an indication of effort, which is not that much.

In the context of a bare metal resto it adds ~2 grand, not $19.85, but well within the range of what folks spend for RRS or TCP suspension, strokers, big rims and rubber band tires, etc.

Point was, it is not hard, and is not a huge outlay in the realm of what one pays for a proper restoration if you want to make a fake...