Cars
May 10, 2012 5:17 PM
One man's barn finds
Steven Neitzel with a supercharged Thunderbird 390 V-8, one of many Ford engines he has collected for project cars.
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This mid-'60s Griffith followed the Shelby approach to creating fast, fun sports cars: an ultra-lightweight British chassis fitted with a high-revving Ford smallblock V-8 engine. A fresh 289 Hi-Po engine is slated to be installed in this one.
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Power for the '67 Shelby GT 500 is supplied by this immaculate 428 high performance Ford V-8, which drinks premium fuel from a pair of 4-barrel carburetors. The engine is mated to a 4-speed toploader transmission.
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Not everything is Ford-powered or Ford-built in Neitzel's sprawling collection. This old cabover White truck was believed to have been a phone company vehicle. Now nestled near a lush green tree row, the White is destined to someday become a car hauler.
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Powered by a 429 Cobra Jet Ram Air engine, this 1970 Torino is a rarely seen Twister Special. It's equipped with an automatic transmission and a bench seat.
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In the dark recesses of one of Neitzel's car sheds rests this amazing 1967 Shelby GT500 sold new at Standifer Ford in Derby. It has accumulated only 33,000 miles on its odometer in the intervening years.
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Even Neitzel 's wood-chipper is powered by a big Ford 390 cubic inch V-8 engine. `It's a tree-eating son-of-a-gun," he says.
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The Twister Torino is motivated by a 429 Cobra Jet engine outfitted with the Ram Air shaker hood scoop package.
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Neitzel plans to slip a heavy-duty Ford truck chassis under this 1957 Ford panel and bolt a huge 1,100 cubic inch aluminum V-8 engine out of a Sherman tank into it.
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