Topic: 68 GT 350 tilt vacuum clamps

[ruppstang]

Recently our 68 GT350 built 12-02-67 was judged and deducted for having a incorrect tilt vacuum clamps in the forward location and the one in the center of the shock tower that should not be there.

Today I looked at a unrestored 68 GT350 and found the front location empty and the center with the base of the clamp still intact. Does some one have some pictures of what is correct location and style of clamp?

[Bob Gaines]

Recently our 68 GT350 built 12-02-67 was judged and deducted for having a incorrect tilt vacuum clamps in the forward location and the one in the center of the shock tower that should not be there.

Today I looked at a unrestored 68 GT350 and found the front location empty and the center with the base of the clamp still intact. Does some one have some pictures of what is correct location and style of clamp?

All I could put my hands on at the moment is a couple of broken clips.They get very brittle. One has the bottom tab that plugs into the hole missing and the other has the bottom tab intact but the upper portion broken.You can get the idea from using parts of both to visualize what a intact one looks like .They would go in the holes that the big clamps in your picture occupy. 

[Coralsnake]

That is the clip for your car. In the front position only. I believe the back position is usually absent or a thinner strap. 

Your example appears to have a couple other items that appear to have been changed so may not be reliable.

The clip Mr Gaines pictured is not used on all 1968s and definitely not KRs

[ruppstang]

The unrestored car has been off the road for many years it seams unlikely that someone would bother to replace one of these clamps. The is however a later build 04-04-68 so may have used a latter style clamp. What is left of the clamp appears to be similar to what I used on our car.

Pete pictures of what you think is correct would be helpful.

I have not seen any of these clamps reproduced so if someone has some to sell please PM me.

[Coralsnake]

We can agree on the front clamp, it is the one Mr Gaines posted. It is not reproduced, but found on other Ford products.

As for the rear strap, let me see what I can find, but I fell confident in saying what you found is atypical and unusual.

Remember the Shelby wiring was added later, so it does not go through the rear strap.

[CharlesTurner]

The general rule is that if there's a hole in the front area of the shock tower, it should have one of the unique clamps for the Shelby wiring.

[Coralsnake]

I believe the rear strap should be like the plastic, windshield washer hose strap on driver’s side

[Bob Gaines]

I believe the rear strap should be like the plastic, windshield washer hose strap on driver’s side

This later 68 production GT350 example confirms your belief.

[ruppstang]

Thank you gentlemen, that helps a lot.

Any ideas on what other Fords and where they used the front clamps?

[67gta289]

If we can pin down a part number we would have a much better chance of finding other applications.  Here are a few candidates from the 1965, 69, and 75 Ford standard and utility parts catalogs.  Do any of these match up with a known one?  Another option would be if anything is listed in a Shelby drawing. 

Once we have the part number we can search through Jim's fastener spreadsheets and I can do text searches on multiple years/versions of the MPCs.

[Bob Gaines]

If we can pin down a part number we would have a much better chance of finding other applications.  Here are a few candidates from the 1965, 69, and 75 Ford standard and utility parts catalogs.  Do any of these match up with a known one?  Another option would be if anything is listed in a Shelby drawing. 

Once we have the part number we can search through Jim's fastener spreadsheets and I can do text searches on multiple years/versions of the MPCs.

352357 S looks like it.

[67gta289]

So for 352357-S (GG-323) I found:

1. No hits in the 1965 MPC

2. One hit in the 60-68 MPC
   (picture 2) 1967 Thunderbird wire harness in the engine compartment along the driver's side

3. Hits in the 65-72 Ford MPC
   (picture 1) 1967/68 Ford 14290 wire harness in the engine compartment along the driver's side
   (picture 2) 1967-1969 Thunderbird wire harness in the engine compartment along the driver's side

4. Hits in the 65-72 Mercury MPC
   (picture 3) 1968 Cougar fog lamp and sun roof circuit breaker feed

5. No hits in the 73-77 MPC

I think that picture #3, being a Cougar, and looking at the location which matches the Shelby application, lines up pretty good.

Maybe someone with a fog lamp and/or sun roof equipped 68 Cougar can post some pics?

Does the 68 Shelby assembly drawing show this part and identify the part number?

[ruppstang]

Thanks John for you search. It makes me feel a bit silly for not checking the Shelby assembly manual first. The other ford models and locations are helpful on my search. I had better get to the junk yards before they are covered in snow.

[67gta289]

No problem at all.  If you don't find anything let me know; the yard I go to has plenty of 67-69 T-birds and 67-68 Galaxies.

[RoyceP]

That clip is only used on Cougar XR7-G with sunroof. So approximately 437 cars total. They are usually missing or broken.

I think they are not used on typical 1968 Mustang / Cougar with tilt away. Maybe Shelby only for some reason? It would make sense since the 1968 Shelby and XR7-G Cougars were both modified at AO Smith for Shelby Automotive.

So for 352357-S (GG-323) I found:

1. No hits in the 1965 MPC

2. One hit in the 60-68 MPC
   (picture 2) 1967 Thunderbird wire harness in the engine compartment along the driver's side

3. Hits in the 65-72 Ford MPC
   (picture 1) 1967/68 Ford 14290 wire harness in the engine compartment along the driver's side
   (picture 2) 1967-1969 Thunderbird wire harness in the engine compartment along the driver's side

4. Hits in the 65-72 Mercury MPC
   (picture 3) 1968 Cougar fog lamp and sun roof circuit breaker feed

5. No hits in the 73-77 MPC

I think that picture #3, being a Cougar, and looking at the location which matches the Shelby application, lines up pretty good.

Maybe someone with a fog lamp and/or sun roof equipped 68 Cougar can post some pics?

Does the 68 Shelby assembly drawing show this part and identify the part number?