Flooded 1968 Shelby GT350
The recent hurricanes have yielded massive property claims, with entire communities wiped out due to high winds and flooding. From Florida to North Carolina, entire cities and towns were absolutely decimated. The speed of the storms likely meant many collector car owners didn’t have time to get special vehicles out of harm’s way, which is why we’re seeing cars like this 1968 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 listed here on Copart as a flood victim with documented water lines well above the wheels. Would you take a chance on a flooded muscle car like this one?
That piece of paper right there indicates how high the water got before it receded or this Mustang was moved from its watery grave. Flood cars are always mildly deceptive in photos because they don’t necessarily look all that bad from this side of the monitor, but you know the damage is significant. It’s in the carpets, the wiring, behind the dash, and everywhere else you can’t see. That being said, you’ll still see a shiny paint job, spotless wheels, and Shelby-specific decals and stripes still in good condition. Given how many of these vintage muscle cars have been previously restored, it seems likely this car has previously been gone through.
Of course, the interior is where you are most likely to see the tell-tale signs of water intrusion. Cloudy gauges, stains in the carpets, and streaks of dirt on the seats, along with some missing parts likely washed away by the torrent of storm surge and flash flooding. The car may look significantly better after a simple wipe down, but you’ll be finding evidence of the several feet of water this Shelby sat in for years to come. I honestly don’t blame the owners for simply taking the insurance money and walking away; unless the car is approaching near one-of-one levels of rarity, it’s simply not worth it.
In ’68, Ford did away with the hi-po 289 engine and began using the 302 with a fairly docile 250 horsepower. While the Shelby GT350 will always be an iconic muscle car, it could be argued that a ’67 car wouldn’t have gone to the salvage lot once the waters receded. That being said, a vehicle of this vintage has zero electronic nannies and wiring is a fairly simple affair compared to modern vehicles, so it likely can be repaired and returned to the road. The value will forever be diminished due to the flood record on its history report, so the next owner will hopefully just enjoy owning an iconic car for well under the going rate of a restored example. Thanks to Barn Finds reader John S. for the find.
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Comments
It would be good to know if it were submerged in fresh or salt water…
Would also be good to know exactly how high the water got. If it was salt water it’s a big problem anyway as getting to all the enclosed areas of frame work etc. and running gear that wasn’t flushed right away doesn’t leave a lot left. Been there, done that with a Bugeye Sprite in a Key West salt water flood and our own Mini Cooper in 4 feet of water from the ’17 hurricane Irma. 10 days after the flood we finally got the disc brakes loosened up enough to move it out to the street and when the truck came to haul it away rusty water poured out of the rear of the car. If it was fresh water this car was in I wouldn’t hesitate to save it but Punta Gorda is as close to the ocean as you can get. Picture of red Mini that had water 2 inches above the top of the door. As I was pushing muck out the door the right door window came down by itself which was good as we couldn’t get the doors unlocked.
I for one am grateful that you and yours got out in one piece, Bobhess.
Thank you Nevadahalfrack. We sat up in a friend’s back yard in our motor home watching it happen on satellite TV.
I’m not familiar with the site this Shelby is listed on. I did see that the estimated retail price is $21k. So, my thoughts. I’m going to figure this car was in NaCLH2O. Bad stuff. The comfortable price to me is $4k-$5k range. Alot of rinse and replace. Whew!
Have fun ya’all.
Compartment is nation wide, they used to sell to the public, not sure if they do anymore. I’m not sure if that’s a California thing.
Steve R
I believe that you need a dealer’s, dismantlers or some other type of “vocational” license to bid on vehicles at Copart. I used to work for a guy who had a dealer’s license and he used to drag all kinds of vehicles back from one of their lots. I went to the Copart site for this vehicle and it had a banner headline “Florida sales daily!” I imagine that they will be busy for awhile getting rid of the vehicular debris from the “weather as usual” in Florida… Thank goodness climate change has been outlawed there or they would really have weather-related problems.
Thanks for your 2 cents on climate change, John. Since we know hurricanes are a very recent occurence.
@ Big C
Hurricanes are old news. Sea level rise, land subsidence and storm surge, along with heavier rains than normal and landslides (N.Carolina) seem to be relatively recent phenomena in my experience. I have read accounts of numerous people who have previously weathered major storms, floods, etc express that the recent storms have been the worst in their lifetime. Time will tell.
And it’s $.03. Inflation, you know…
In 2017 I bought a Copart car (as a private party)) in CA and towed it to WA. Lots of added-on fees. I recently inquired about a flooded DeLorean at this same FL lot and was told I would need to provide a copy of my photo ID before I could bid. With all the ID theft these days that was a deal breaker for me.
Just speculating that the owner had an agreed value policy so has enough insurance funds to buy another one. That said I hope someone saves this one.
A big pass on any level, for us.
is this a 350 shelby nothing indicates it is on copart??
The front fender Shelby VIN tag is the last photo in the listing.
Louis,
Re-read the excellent write-up.
So what do we think a 68 Shelby with the less powerful engine should go for in the retail/undamaged world
Wow, surprised it has just been allowed to dry out with salt and sand soaked into it’s DNA. The first thing you do when you can get it out to a dry area is immediately taker a high pressure hose and blast this thing from head to toe. Its already wet so extra water isn’t gonna hurt it. You have to get as much of that salt rinsed out that you can, engine and all. Then you coat the entire engine and drivetrain in a light oil and let sit and totally dry. Then you start assessing the damage. To see this still sitting with all the muck dried out is heartbreaking. The engine and compartment are already corroding and rusting.
It’s very, very sad to see, but it’s likely the owner(s) had bigger issues with their home, etc. Plus, as others mentioned, this likely had agreed value insurance.
My 68 Olds 442 was flooded by salt water in a storm on the west coast of Florida in the early 90’s. After the waters receded, I drove it to the car wash using an outboard fuel tank on the hood and with no interior, blasted it top to bottom on the WAX mode then changed the trans, rear end, power steering oils and drained the tank. The water line was just below the fuse block but in spite of this, it was put back together with new carpet, door panels and I have enjoyed it since. Point being, buy it at a deal price, replace the affected upholstery and wiring, use rust preservers in all the seams, button it up and have fun.
Not as bad as it would be with newer cars with computers.
This is one of those that will require a full strip down. AS they say rust never sleeps. Obviously, it was not a concourse car to start but probably a good driver. Anyone who thinks this going for anything less than the $21K estimate simply has no clue about the Shelby market. Complete rust bucket Shelby’s pull more than the $21K estimate. However, this one is now titled as salvage. So, the number will be lower purely because it has a salvage title. It will be interesting to see the number it pulls
Shelbys sitting out in the field for 30 years and rusting bottom up go for more than this. This is a complete car. I get that it needs to be taken apart and reassembled, but that is what happens to all old cars at one time or another. The salvage title should be a non issue with old cars. They get rebuilt from the ground up all the time. Keep a detailed log of the rebuild. How is it different than rust buckets that have all of their panels replaced and completely rebuilt. Sells for less than a survivor, but if done correctly should sell for similar to other rebuilt cars.
Oh jeez. I’m crying right now.
ALL 1968 Shelby GTs were RED
Who ever told you that. There were 10 color options available for the 1969 GT-350
That should have said 1968. Big fingers hit the wrong button and I didn’t catch it in time. Lol
Colors and codes for 1968 Shelby
A-Raven Black
I- Lime Green metallic
M- Wimbledon White
Q-Medium Blue Metallic (this car)
R- Dark Green Metallic
T- Candy Apple Red
W-Meadowlark Yellow
X- Dark Blue Metallic
Y-Gold Metallic
No code- Orange or Calypso Coral.
Falcon, are you sure of that or are you pulling our toolbox?
I had a good friend who bought a showroom new white one with blue guts and stripes with a chrome roll bar in fall of 67.
Anyway, one thing we might all keep in mind is that the old owner obviously doesn’t have a TV or a radio or a phone where he resides. Because if he had and this car was as perfect correct as what may have been implied it would have been moved out that part of Florida.
I’m kinda wondering if it might have had some serious mechanical issues. B-4 the terrible storm hit.
Ya know, that $21k average retail is probably for a car with the title that this car has now.
I’ve had friends that had to be evacuated from fires, you take what you need, then worry about “wants” if you have extra time, room or a spare driver. Taking the collector car might not be practical, my friends filled two mid-sized SUV’s with 2 kids, documents, pictures, heirlooms, pets, a few changes of clothes and food/water. He left his Mustang, which subsequently burned along with his house because there were more important things, besides, there was no one to drive it.
Did you see news reports of some of the recent hurricanes, traffic was bumper to bumper for hours, how well would this handle that traffic.
Steve R
Steve R.,
Please read between my lines. My comments are tongue in cheek.
Let me spell it out for you.
I know for a fact that everyone had plenty of warning about the impending approach of the hurricane. Agreed?
My point is, that the owner, if he valued this car, would have been days ahead of the “bumper to bumper” traffic. UNLESS he wanted to claim the actual cash value of the car. Then turn around and buy it back for resale.
Which leaves us at this point in time. Kappesh?
Hope I defined my thoughts.
Have a great weekend!
Treat it like a complete tear down and restoration and it should be fine. Will be interesting to see where the price ends up at once the auction starts. But I would place a value on it with the understanding that it may need completely disassembled and have the body dipped.
Louis,
Re-read the excellent write-up.
As long as it was a fresh water flood I wouldn’t think twice before pulling the trigger. Pull the seats, door panels, carpet etc and let it air out good and to get rid of the inevitable stench then vacuum the buckets of sand out of every nook and cranny.
If it was salt water, oof. That adds a degree of difficulty. You’d have to strip it back to the shell to rinse it out thoroughly enough to save it. I’d buy stock in Ospho then start dousing every bit of it. Disconnecting, cleaning and reconnecting the wiring would be a stone cold witch of a job.
I hada bronco 2 that i learned after was submerged in a tidal pool. Nothing, i mean nothing escapes the ravages of salt water.
Even driving on a beach the salt in that sand lodges in nooks and cranies wreaking havoc
This vehicle is Totaled
Sometimes mother nature is like a jilted girl friend. When you’re good she’ll be nice but when she turns on you she’ll destroy the thing you hold most dear to you. My heart bleeds for this one.
As a montrealer , rust has been a daily struggle , taking 3 cars to rebuild 1 is normal !
So this thing is a walk in the park , disassemble , clean, wash, rinse , rustproof the rails , rockersand hidden spots and reassemble …
Electric on these is very basic and parts availability is high
Labor intensive for sure but many have done similar while restoring their cars
yOLO