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In 1964 my family traveled to New York City to visit my grandmother. I was four years old at the time and remember how big everything was in New York. One of the tourists attractions that my family saw while in New York was the World’s Fair in Flushing Meadows New York. On April 17th 1964 the Ford Mustang was unveiled to the public at the World’s Fair, and I was there. My dad worked for the Ford Motor Company River Rouge plant, located just outside Detroit. I’m sure my dad was very proud that day when the Mustang made its’ debut but had no idea that he and his co-workers would play a such a major part in the success of the Mustang.

When the Ford Mustang was released in 1964 it set the automotive world on fire. One of the advertising slogans that Ford used to describe the Mustang called it “The Car You Always Promised Yourself”. The slogan proved itself correct as 22,000 orders were placed for the Mustang within days of its’ debut. Within the year Ford had sold over 400,000 Mustangs.

The 1964 1/2 Mustang was a combination of parts from the Ford Falcon and Fairlane but a body style of its’ own. Available with a 170 cubic inch straight six engine, 260 cubic inch V8 or the 289 cubic inch Hi-Po. The vast majority of ‘64 1/2 Mustang were purchased with six cylinder engines.

In August 1964 a very young Ford executive named Lee Iococca placed a call to the late Carroll Shelby asking him to build a high performance Mustangs that could hold its’ own on the track and street. Shelby was reluctant but agreed to build the cars. The Shelby GT350 was unveiled on January 27th 1965. The sticker price for the Shelby GT350 was $4,547.00 which wasn’t attractive to your average car buyer while the sticker price for the base Mustang was $2,500.00. The Shelby GT350 wasn’t a hit in terms of sales but it was a hit on the track.

The ‘65 Shelby GT350 has several performance upgrades including a high rise manifold, holly carburetor, 4 speed manual transmission, side exhaust pipes with two-inch Glasspak mufflers, trunk mounted battery, fiberglass hood with functional scoop, deleted rear seat for weight savings and 15 inch wheels. One of the exterior modifications were Side Brake Scoops which were functional and included air ducts to cool the rear brakes. Side Brake Scoops on a domestic car was very new territory. The first side scoops that came on the GT350 were made from fiberglass. Not all the the ‘65 GT350 were fitted with Side Brake Scoops.

Having the capacity to cool the brakes on a race car was very important to insure brake reliability and the Mustang Side Scoops were a vital part in the performance of the GT350. Functional Brake Side Scoops have become a thing of the past on the Ford Mustang and have been replaced by the Mustang Side Scoops that are cosmetic. When the 2005 Mustang was released, aftermarket Mustang accessories flooded the market, everything from spoilers, hood scoops, mirror covers, window louvers, window scoops and Mustang side scoops were quickly added to the Mustangs to bring about the old school retro look.

There are several brands of Mustang Side Scoops on the market today for the ‘05-’10 Mustang some of the brands are Xenon, Willpack, Ford, 3D Carbon, Street Scene and Cervini. Most of the Mustang Side Scoops manufactured today are made from urethane, injection molded plastic and some are made from fiberglass. Selecting a Mustang Side Scoop for your Stang may take a while because of the wide selection and your budget. Not all Mustang Side Scoops are created equal.

Installation is pretty simple provided you follow the directions and take your time. The most important factor when installing Mustang Window Scoops is temperature. The vast majority of Mustang Side Scoops on the market are installed using 3M double-sided tape. The outdoor

temperature needs to be at least 65 degrees for the 3M tape to bond. If your Mustang is sitting in the garage and it’s the middle of winter it’s probably not a good idea to install side scoops using 3M tape, there is a good chance the tape will not bond, which could cause your side scoops to fall off while driving…not a good thing. Now let’s assume it’s a 80 degree day and you’re ready to put your scoops on, your first step is to clean the surface where your side scoops will be attached. Using soap and water clean the area of all dirt and grime and let dry. As added insurance use some household rubbing alcohol and wipe the surface to remove any wax residue. Here’s a tip before installing any accessory using 3M double-sided tape, visit your local auto paint supply store and pick up a bottle or Promoter. Promoter is a clear liquid that acts like a super glue to help the adhesion process of the 3M tape. We highly recommend using Promoter when applying accessories that attaches with 3M tape. Okay now, it’s time to lay that side scoop on your rear quarter panel but first do a test fit to make sure you line up the scoop properly it might be a good idea use a grease pencil and mark the lines where the scoops needs to go. Remove the backing on the 3M tape and apply a light coat of promoter to the 3M tape surface, be careful not to spill any promoter on your car it will stain your paint. Push the scoops

onto your quarter panel making sure the 3M tape makes contact with all the edges. Do not drive your Mustang for several hours, you need to allow the 3M tape to bond to the surface of your Mustang. As much as you would like to show off your newly installed side scoops to your Mustang buddy across town don’t, give your scoops sometime to dry you’ll be glad you did.

Question, did Carroll Shelby design the original Side Scoops for the Mustang? Were side scoops used on domestic cars prior to the GT350?

Carroll Shelby leaves behind a long history in the automotive business that touched many and will continue influence Mustang and other cars for years to come. Thanks Carroll Shelby.

To see our selection of Mustang Side Scoops click on the following Mustang Side Scoops