Aus Trans-AM Mustang + Vid

This tribute to the legendary Bud Moore Racing number 15 as raced by Parnelli Jones in 1970 currently competes in the Australian Trans-Am Championship.

The Australian Trans-Am Championship is set to make its Sydney debut at Muscle Car Masters this weekend and Shane Wilson’s Parnelli Jones tribute Mustang was built specifically for this category.

The original Bud Moore Mustangs of Parnelli Jones and George Follmer gave Ford the 1970 Trans Am Championship in North America after getting their season off to a flying start by winning the first four races between them, including a 1-2 finish at the 4th round in Mid-Ohio, plus they won the final two races with another 1-2 at the season finale at Riverside in California.

Parnelli Jones was the most successful driver to help Ford win that year, having personally won five of the 11 races in a yellow Mustang bearing the #15. We can also tell you that he used at least two different chassis in 1970, and although they were presented and raced as Boss 302s, they didn’t necessarily roll off the Ford production line as Boss 302s.

This yellow tribute is the second car that its owner Shane Wilson has run in the relatively new Australian Trans Am series. The first was a red ’69 model that he wasn’t planning to sell, but when Laurie Donaher made him an offer, Shane decided it would be a good chance to have a little break from motorsport.

However Shane missed the red ‘69 as soon as it rolled out the shed door and he began looking for something to replace it with immediately. He came across the shell that they used to build this yellow one locally in Brisbane. It was a surprisingly rust-free example and a full strip-down and rotisserie rebuild began in August 2011, with the car ready to hit the track in May 2012.

The car was taken to a number of places during its construction to have various work done such as installation of the full safety cage structure, the shell seam-welded and the suspension modified, including relocating the front control arm pivot points to improve the geometry as allowed in the rules.

The engines allowed in the current Australian series are those that would be categorised as small block V8s. They can be bigger than the original imposed limit of 305ci (5L), but if they are they have to carry some extra weight. Propelling Shane’s car at a violent rate is a 351ci Windsor V8 built by Fataz Competition Engines. The chosen combo includes World Victor Snr heads, 11:1 static comp’, a custom roller cam, an Edelbrock Vic Jnr intake, a Holley 750 carby and a Canton oil pan made for circuit racing.

The rest of the driveline features a Jim Berry twin-plate race clutch, a close-ratio Toploader 4-speed gearbox, and a 9in diff with a Currie housing, a Detroit Locker centre, 31-spline billet axles and 3.88:1 gears.

As for the interior the additional safety items, including the window net, are just about the only modern alterations to the cabin; even the steering wheel is ‘of the period’. The original-style dash holds old-school needle gauges from Stewart Warner (with no shift light as they’re not allowed), the door trims remain, and the gear shifter is a bolt-on part from Hurst.

Once the car was painted and assembled the final touch was to accurately re-create the original Parnelli Jones 1970 livery, with the only exceptions being the name for the tyre sponsor to match the Australian Trans-Am Championship’s control-tyre supplier, and the name of the driver on the roof.

For those who’d like to hear this thing in action, below is a clip of dual in-car footage with Shane Wilson swapping places back and forth with Dale Mathers in another Mustang at Queensland Raceway.

Shane has an extensive list of people to thank for their input into this car’s build so here they all are;

Neil Barker of Custom Brakes and Automotive (07 3848 7788) for all the brake and engine plumbing, Raf at Moorooka Car Electrics (07 3392 8522) for all the wiring, Quantum Racing Industries (07 3240 5911) for the steering wheel the brake ducting and race parts, Ken at Accurate Suspension (07 3808 2848), Mark Brady of Brady’s Body Works (07 3275 1222) for the panel and paint, Mark Lidgard of M&D Autoline and Signs (0412 721 565) for the graphics and stickers, Cusso of Customline Motors Traveston (07 5485 1956) for rolling the fenders, body prep’ and the grey paint, Woody and Rob of Fataz Competition Engines Wynnum (07 3396 1459), and Brian at Exhaust Innovations Capalaba (07 3390 3200)

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