[Les Quam]

We all hope nothing is missing. And I can understand the confusion regarding my posts. I would suggest that if you cut and paste two distinct posts from different days that will only serve to cause more confusion. Much of the confusion is due to the limited amount of information I am able to disclose due to it's priviliged nature. It will not make complete sense because some of the information not being made public is priviliged.

Let's exercise some common sense here. I think Chip's car was restored prior to 1999 and won a SAAC premier in 99. That is six years ago and a long time for parts to come and go. It's possible parts were sold? It's possible that replacement NOS parts were put back on. I believe my information to be accurate and reliable but since none of it was collected while people were under oath I leave open the possiblity in fairness to all that people had their own agenda's when making representations.

I am certain however from private emails with Chip that Chip's ONLY agenda is to find the truth. There is no doubt in my mind that Chip honestly believed when he offered this car for sale on this forum that it had the factory original engine and has nothing but honest and sincere intentions for the finding out whether it still is a thoroughbred level car. I hope and want to believe it is. And if it is not I will do everything I can to help Chip make it one again.

We should all consider one important thing with regard to this thread. At some point someone restamped the engine on Chip's car knowing it was not the factory original engine. Whomever restamped it chose not to include in the restamp a designation such as SR for service replacement block. Or any other way for owners down the line to see that it was a restamp. IMHO an acceptable way to restamp a block is to include a designation that it is NOT the original block. Any thing less in my book creates the kind of problems we are having here. No matter how good an expert is they can be fooled by a good restamp especially if the block is date code correct. Let's not condemn or judge harshly any of the prior owners of this car and assume they took the time to research the SAAC registry and assume they knew it was a restamp but represented it as original. They same goes for the parts on the car.

Finally even IF it is proven that parts are missing only about 12 anal retentive obsessive Ford people in the world really care whether the plug wires and other crap are date code correct. Maybe another 20 people expect a drag pack engine car to have the original engine after 35 years. The overwhelming majority of the rest of the prospective buyers only want to be certain it is a real Shelby and a real drag pack with the real colors. As the owner of a collection of over 30 cars I don't think it makes any real difference in value to 99.9 % percent of buyers whether or not the carb is date code correct or the air cleaner is correct for the car.

This car is the real deal and is one of the three best 69 CVs in the world even if the car may or may not have a correct radiator cap? LOL