84 GT to Saleen

[GTBane]

Would it be possible?
What problems might I run into?
How much different were the GT and the LX as far as body is concerned.
Which leads me to the question, would I be able to purchase the 85-86 LX only Saleen Kit and put it on an 84 GT?

With the questions out of the way I say this...
My 84 is in no way modified other than under the hood.
My GT doesn't have any ground effects the rear bumper is factory, as well as font fascia. It's all factory.
What do you think?

[flyintiger]

Will fit perfectly. The body lines of a GT/LX are identical, unless it is an 84 1/2. Then you have a lower bumper cover. Either way, the kit will stick right on. Remember that some of the 85/86 Saleens were based off of GT platforms.

[GTBane]

That's awesome, thanks for the help.
What about the trim?
And if you were wondering, no, I have no plans to kit my current GT.

[Not4you]

it depends on how close to original you want to make it. here's what comes to mind:

1) whether you use your LX or your GT as the base car, you will want to have the GT airdam on the car to be under the saleen airdam but you will want to have the LX trim piece behind the doors so that the embossed "GT" is not there. you will want the GT interior but the cruise-control delete from the LX.

2) the rear spoilers are pertty difficult to find, almost impossible to get one of the early "big wings". your best bet would be to go with an 87+ rear wing that are widely available in the aftermarket (cervinis etc).

3) the front airdams are also impossible to get and there is a long waiting list once they do come available (if the honor system holds up). there are not too many replicas out there but the '79 Pacecar airdam can be made to look pretty close. the side skirts and rear spats are extremely tough to find as well.

4) the original racecraft springs may be hard to find and the Bilstein shocks/struts were custom valved to match the springs and so not available unless custom ordered from Bilstein. However, these details are not too important for a clone so any spring and Bilstein combo should be fine - unless you are trying to be exact.

5) the complete decal kits (window banner, stripes, racecraft decal, ford motorsports side window decals etc) are available from performanceautosport.com (ask for Mark) so that part is easy. I think he also sells the saleen emblem for the hatch. production number decals are not available without a correct VIN so best to leave that off if its a clone IMO.

6) the steering wheel originally from wolfcraft racing (and original horn button) will be impossible to find. the shift know will be equally difficult to find but they do pop up at performancepartsinc.com from time to time. The chrome air cleaner cover and decals are very rare as well. performancepartsinc.com do sell these from time to time but the decal is not even close to correct so buyer beware.

7) gauge inlays were hand crafted (printed on paper, cut with scissors and glued on by hand) so there is no chance to find them for sale anywhere. I guess you could make your own though ...

correct wheels do come available once in a while.


I just re-read this and man does it sound discouraging. sorry, that was not my intent. but the truth is the 4 eye cars were put together with a lot of prototype parts, miss matched parts, some parts changed design/materials mid year and they rented a bay in a muffler/brake shop to build them. it will be a challenge to replicate this now, but worth the try!!

good luck and let me know if you want pics of any details on my car to help you out.

[SVT Rob]

Here's what my 85 GT - Saleen clone looked like. Pretty much everything was Cervini's aside from the lower front cover. PO custom ordered it from somewhere. This one caught on fire while I was doing 80mph on the highway :

[svo85]

Good info above Matt. I'd like to add a couple of items as well. Depending if you want 85 or 86 Saleen parts will make a huge difference in the likelihood of finding parts. The 86 body kit is available and is not too difficult to find with the exception of the wing as mentioned above. 85 front air dams are like gold in the saleen community so the closest option is going with an 82 GT front if you want to stay fairly close to the original 84 Saleen design. Here's the original for reference:


As Matt mentioned, the 84-86 rear wings are near impossible to find so your best bet is the later rear wing.

86's used the Momo V-35 steering wheel so a Momo Monte Carlo wheel is a very close appearing item. Not 100% correct but close enough that only expert eyes will spot.
86's and some 85's had 16 inch Enkei or Riken wheels where the earlier cars had 15 inch Hyashi wheels. The Riken and Hyashi's are getting more difficult to find but the 16 inch Enkeis are still out there.

All in all it depends on how authentic you want a clone to look. It's going to come down to how much $ you want to spend in the long run so you may actually be better off looking for a 4 eye Saleen car if you like the look. They don't come up often however they do from time to time for affordable prices.

Good luck!

[flyintiger]

Here's what my 85 GT - Saleen clone looked like. Pretty much everything was Cervini's aside from the lower front cover. PO custom ordered it from somewhere. This one caught on fire while I was doing 80mph on the highway :

The 2 piece rear wing is pretty rare. Built for the '90-91 models.

[DeraldRice]

The 2 piece rear wing is pretty rare. Built for the '90-91 models.

Looks like a cevini stacked wing to me.


Stacked Wing
Part # 210
Price: $299.00
Add to Cart


On all models, holes must be drilled through the factory wing for installation. The stacked wing includes T-stems which simplify locating the holes to be drilled. The wing comes complete with hardware and gaskets that seal the holes.
Material: Fiberglass

[Not4you]

^^^^ I believe Cervinis uses the Saleen design for that stacked wing.

[GTBane]

I just re-read this and man does it sound discouraging.

I didn't take it as discouraging, you've pointed out alot that I didn't even think about, thank you so much for the info.

Saleen has always interested me, and you see so many of the later models so much anymore it almost makes it feel like your just seeing the same ol' thing when you see an SN95 or 99-04's.
Just something about those four eye's that get me, that's why we put so much care into ours.

[SVT Rob]

The 2 piece rear wing is pretty rare. Built for the '90-91 models.

That's my favorite of all the fox Saleen wings.

Looks like a cevini stacked wing to me.


Stacked Wing
Part # 210
Price: $299.00
Add to Cart


On all models, holes must be drilled through the factory wing for installation. The stacked wing includes T-stems which simplify locating the holes to be drilled. The wing comes complete with hardware and gaskets that seal the holes.
Material: Fiberglass

It is a Cervini's, as I stated in my post. However, it is identical to the Saleen wing it was molded after, for a fraction of the cost. $800 for the Saleen piece, when it was available, versus $249 for the Cervini's piece.

[tiresmokindad]

Would it be possible?
What problems might I run into?
How much different were the GT and the LX as far as body is concerned.
Which leads me to the question, would I be able to purchase the 85-86 LX only Saleen Kit and put it on an 84 GT?

With the questions out of the way I say this...
My 84 is in no way modified other than under the hood.
My GT doesn't have any ground effects the rear bumper is factory, as well as font fascia. It's all factory.
What do you think?

I think yes it is possible to replace 84 GT to Saleen. And you can already purchase the 85-86 LX only Saleen Kit. Try it.

[DeraldRice]

It is a Cervini's, as I stated in my post. However, it is identical to the Saleen wing it was molded after, for a fraction of the cost. $800 for the Saleen piece, when it was available, versus $249 for the Cervini's piece.

I was not aware that saleen used the 2 piece rear wing. I thought that it was a cervini creation. Now that I have looked in my catalog, I see it listed. Should have known that cervini would have copied it from someone else.

[BaconB8]

The 86 kit can be used with a 85-86 GT front bumper cover.

If you want 'the look' nobody will shame you for using Cervinis or aftermarket non-Saleen parts. You may be better off buying the real thing instead of building one though. Prices are down now, but may not be for long. Some guys have bought real 86 Saleens recently for as low as 3,500 dollars! They needed work, but were the real deal. Better cars always sell for more but getting an entry level one is good too.

[Motorcity]

I've been slowly giving my '85 "the look" too. I would encourage you to do the same but I have the opinion that you probably shouldn't put any of the logos or Saleen named decals on it. Just doesn't seem right to me...

[dvs bullet]

I have an 85 Saleen spoiler on my 87 gt. Didnt know what it was when i bought it, found out through this site............. keeping though lol

[thecrimsoncat]

Agree with all stated. "the look" shouldn't be hard to pull off. I wish you luck!

[TopGear85]

Not4You, what did you mean when you spoke about a waiting list for parts? Who is that through? To the OP, if you want the Saleen look, I say go for it. They are the coolest looking fox mustangs ever made. I would think about how much money you plan to spend, then decide if cloning is the best way, or if you should just sell your 84 and put that money plus the cost of the Saleen parts into a real four eyed Saleen. They come up for sale every now and then and it might be a better way to go. I believe the fox Saleens will appreciate in value, so in the long run you might make out ahead.

Good Luck!

[thecrimsoncat]

I don't believe he is talking about an "official" waiting list. But when someone is selling they generally trade hands before they hit the "public market." And generally they only get sold to owners of '85's that actually need a bumper.

[mongos82ttop]

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