Читать книгу Steve Magnante's 1001 Mustang Facts - Steve Magnante - Страница 11
Оглавление1967–1970 Enter the Big-Blocks
126 Former President Bill Clinton is a fellow Mustang enthusiast, holding title to a light blue 1967 convertible for many years, including his two terms in office. One might expect the world’s most powerful politician’s car to pack lots of engine, perhaps the new-for-1967 390 big-block or 428 dual-quad GT500? But no, Bill’s ’Stang is more of a cruiser with the base 120 hp T-code 6-banger under the hood.
127 Even though many Washington, DC, tourists claim they’d seen it, there’s no truth to rumors Bill Clinton frequently took late night, solo rides around the capitol in his prized Mustang to ponder world affairs. In reality, Bill’s 1967 convertible was loaned to a Morrilton, Arkansas, area classic car museum during his two terms in office. It was never stored at the White House nor was it ever part of the official White House motorcade.
128 Did you hear the one about the mid-engine Boss 429 Mustang program? It’s true! In 1969, Ford Special Vehicles and Ford prototype contractor Kar-Kraft teamed up to build at least one Boss 429 LID Mustang. An acronym for Low Investment Drivetrain, the stated goal was to improve the stock Boss 429 Mustang’s 60/40 (front/rear) static weight distribution by relocating the engine and transmission rearward in the chassis. It worked and the LID Mustang’s front tires carried only 40 percent of the total load; the rears were tasked with the remaining 60 percent.
129 The story of the LID Mustang first appeared in the December 1970 edition of Motor Trend and was accompanied by several photos showing a Candy Apple Red 1969 Mach 1 with a Boss 429 mounted in the rear seat area. Lifting the Sport Slats revealed a chromed passenger car–style (single snorkel) enclosed air cleaner and those massive “Boss Nine” rocker covers. The Motor Trend story included pictures of the special engine cradle, one-off transfer case that re-directed power 180 degrees toward the rear of the car to meet a rigidly mounted 9-inch rear axle center section. From there, power was delivered to the rear tires through stub axles. Teamed with a C6 automatic transmission, the LID Mustang broke with the regular 1969–1970 Boss 429’s 4-speed-only recipe. Blending the gearshift and clutch release linkage into the project would have certainly complicated things.
130 The Motor Trend LID Mustang story raises as many questions as answers. First, there was nothing inexpensive about the Boss 429 engine. After the 427 SOHC, the “Boss Nine” was Ford’s most expensive semi-mass-produced engine of the day. A true low-investment powerplant choice would have been the 200-ci inline-6 or 302 Windsor V-8. More likely, the low investment terminology stems from the cost effective means of installing the engine, transmission, transfer case, differential, axle half-shafts and rear suspension aboard a self-contained, modular unit. Photos show that, after the Mustang’s rear seat and trunk floors were sliced away, the modular engine cradle could be rolled under the body and welded in place with minimal changes to the host vehicle.
131 So how many LID Mustangs were built? A close look at the December 1970 Motor Trend story includes photos of complete mid-engine Boss 429 Mustangs with (both) 1969 and 1970 taillamp treatments. Does this mean two were built? Or could the initial 1969 LID have been “tail-lifted” (the opposite of a face lift) to 1970 appearance for the car show circuit? The case remains open for research. What is puzzling is that the LID Mustang wore Mach 1 body graphics and not the more specific Boss 429 fender callouts and upsized hood scoop.
132 Like many things in the realm of factory engineering research prototype vehicles, the LID Mustang may not have been what it seemed. Rather than a mid-engine specialty Mustang, it is plausible that the program was a means of exploring potential Boss 429 power for the upcoming DeTomaso Pantera. Remember, the LID Mustang was constructed in 1969 (or perhaps even 1968). The Pantera didn’t arrive until 1971. Could it be the that LID was a cover for a dead-end Boss 429-driven Pantera? The compact LID engine cradle depicted in the Motor Trend story looked tight enough for Pantera use. Research continues.
133 Jay Leno isn’t the only late-night legend with a thing for Mustangs. Conan O’Brien is an avowed Ford man with a collection that includes everything from a Taurus SHO to a real-deal aluminum-skin 427 AC Cobra. Conan’s car-guy status was confirmed by his June 1996 decision to pose for the cover of TV Guide with his Wimbledon White 1969 GT350.
134 Detroit automakers call it benchmarking. It’s the practice of securing a competitor’s model and comparing it to your offerings. In the case of the 1970 Plymouth AAR ’Cuda (Plymouth’s bid for SCCA supremacy), Chrysler Corporation purchased a Bright Yellow 1969 Mustang Boss 302 for evaluation. The car survived whatever tests and scrutiny Chrysler put it through and exists today in fully restored condition. The Boss warranty sticker indicates it was sold new to Chrysler Corp., 341 Massachusetts Ave., Highland Park, Michigan, on May 7, 1969. One can only imagine the influence the car had on the final rendering of the AAR ’Cuda of 1970.
The door sticker on this 1969 Mustang Boss 302 says it was purchased new by Chrysler Corporation! Fact No. 134 tells why.
135 One of the best movie car chases of all time is seen in the 1968 action-adventure flick Bullitt. Lasting 10 minutes and 53 seconds, Frank Bullitt (played by Steve McQueen) piloted a Dark Highland Green 1968 Mustang GT in a thrilling road battle against a pair of hit men aboard a 1968 Dodge Charger R/T. Both cars were 4-speed equipped. The Mustang packed a 325-hp 390 (S code), the Charger was motivated by a 375-hp 440 Magnum (L code). Initial plans called for the duel to be an all-Ford affair. Production parent Warner Brothers Studios, had a promotion agreement with Ford Motor Company that called for the hit men to drive a full-size Galaxie sedan. Two Galaxies were supplied for shooting, but the rough landings and extreme maneuvers quickly damaged them, so Chargers were chosen to replace them.
136 Continuing with the Bullitt chase scene, the failure of the Galaxies (two were supplied to the movie’s San Francisco set) is odd because Galaxie-based police cruisers had an excellent reputation for durability and strength in taxi and police fleet service. But as body-on-frame cars, you can assume that the jumps likely bent their frames at the firewall that led to badly misaligned front fenders and hoods. This sort of stress likely also caused overload to the transmission tailshaft, which then led to instant immobilization. The Dodge Charger shared the Mustang’s unitized body and frame construction, which is likely why these cars surpassed the Galaxie’s suitability/survivability for the jump scenes. Regardless, two Mustangs and two Chargers were “used up” during filming.
137 With all of the violent treatment absorbed by the two Bullitt Mustang movie cars, it is difficult to imagine that one of them survived and is in private hands today. But it is true. Thought to be garaged in Tennessee, it has purportedly been repainted (in the same Dark Highland Green it wore during filming) but otherwise appears the way it did when filming ended. The other Bullitt Mustang suffered a bent body shell and was scrapped in 1968 or 1969 (accounts vary).
138 Sometimes it is better to ask for forgiveness than it is to ask for permission. When the producers of Bullitt met with the city leaders of San Francisco, the unstated agreement was that cars wouldn’t exceed 35 mph on public roads. So when shooting commenced in May 1968, outraged citizens along the route of the chase scene are reported to have called City Hall and police authorities with news that the cars were traveling as fast as 110 mph. The resulting action stands as one of the most exciting filmed car chases of all time, and none of it was “faked” with computerized graphics or other trickery. Bullitt film editor Frank P. Keller earned an Academy Award for film editing.
139 Luckily, the Bullitt stunt vehicle coordinator elected to customize Frank Bullitt’s Mustang GT390 with American Racing Torq-Thrust wheels before shooting began. That helped it avoid the embarrassing continuity lapses that plagued its Dodge Charger R/T partner car. As the sinister black Dodge careened about, the standard 14×6JJ steel wheels flexed enough to repeatedly dislodge the full wheel covers. Because the chase scene took nearly two weeks to film, there were plenty of opportunities for well-intentioned production assistants to reinstall the lost wheel covers. As a result, the Charger suffered repeated “now you see them, now you don’t” continuity lapses. No fewer than eight wheel covers were jettisoned in action, only to reappear in the next sequence. This error would have been avoided if the Chargers had been equipped with mag-type wheels similar to the Mustang’s, or the optional ($67.30) 14×5.5 chromed Magnum 500 road wheels.
140 Speaking of Magnum 500 wheels, the 1969 Boss 429 and Boss 302 Mustangs stand as the first Ford muscle cars fitted with these popular chrome wheels. Exclusivity was added by the fact the Boss-spec Magnums employed massive (for the time) 15 × 7–inch hoops to allow fitment of the latest low profile rubber. All previous 1967–1968 Chrysler and GM assembly line installations of the Magnum 500 used smaller 14-inch rim diameters of 5.5 or 6 inches width.
141 Love ’em or hate ’em, miniature-sized spare tires are a fact of life today on cars not otherwise equipped with run flat tires. But did you know the 1968 Mustang was the first Mustang to offer a collapsible spare tire? Optional on all three body types, a canister of compressed nitrogen was supplied to inflate the tire before use. At 16 inches in diameter, the collapsible spare tire was nearly a foot shorter (deflated) than the standard full-size spare. The reduced bulk added cargo capacity.
The Boss 429 was so hot that its battery was installed in the trunk. But what about 428 Cobra Jets? See Fact No. 142 for some cool details.
142 As cool as the mighty Boss 429 was, drivers and passengers did plenty of sweating on hot days. The engine bay was already so full, the battery had to be relocated to the trunk. Cramming the $379.57 SelectAire A/C system in there too was not an option. But what about the Mustang’s second most potent engine offering, the 428 Cobra Jet. Was A/C offered? Yes, but only when the automatic transmission was included, to tame rapid RPM spikes that could otherwise harm the belt-driven compressor. So 4-speed 428 drivers sweated it out. That said, Mustang VIN specialist Kevin Marti has verified the existence of 11 1970 4-speed 428 Mustangs with air conditioning. Assembled late in the 1970 model run, the handful of warranty-taunting mechanical combinations were all fitted to luxurious Mach 1s. All of them exist today in various states of preservation.
143 It is not difficult to imagine Carroll Shelby’s paranoia as Ford began to encroach onto his turf in 1969 with specialized Mustang performance models including the Mach 1, Boss 302 and Boss 429. That Shelby was impressed by the high-revving canted-valve Boss 302 was proven by the recent discovery of an aborted scheme to build 36 GT350s with Boss 302 power and suspension upgrades in place of the usual 351 Windsor engines and GT suspension settings. Research reveals that the cars were to have been painted yellow with black stripes, and offered a mid-point performance level between the mild 351 GT350 and brutal 428 CJ GT500.
144 The Boss 302/GT350 hybrid program never materialized, but a single prototype was built and it exists today. Based on an early production Acapulco Blue 1969 Boss 302, Shelby had the car shipped to Kar-Kraft, where the full GT350 body and interior conversion package was installed. No external reference to the car’s Boss 302 origin was retained and conventional GT350 graphics were applied. The prototype was the only 1969 Mustang built with both a Shelby and Boss 302 VIN sequence: 9F02G482244. Deciphering it, the “G” in the fifth spot designates the 290-hp Boss 302 and the “48” in the sixth and seventh spots identifies Shelby models. The car was tested at Kar-Kraft before it was purchased by a Ford engineer and used for personal transportation. Billy Jay Espich can be thanked for identifying and restoring the car. In the end, the Boss 302 GT350 was simply the wrong car at the wrong time. As Shelby production wound down, the program was abandoned.
145 If Shelby toyed with the idea of a Boss 302 GT350, it’s reasonable to imagine he also envisioned a Boss 429–motivated extra-duty GT500. Or did he? Although it’s a fascinating idea, there are no records to support the scheme. Remember, the Boss 429 Mustang existed for no reason other than to homologate the exotic twisted-hemi big-block for NASCAR super speedway competition, where it raced in fastback Torinos and Mercury Cyclones, not Mustangs. Despite its hefty $1,208 surcharge over the Mach 1, it is public record that Ford lost money on each of the 1,358 Boss 429 Mustangs it built (859 in 1969 and 499 in 1970). As for Shelby’s Mustang, he was stuck with 789 unsold units at the end of the 1969 model run, which had to be re-badged and reassigned 1970 VIN numbers. That Shelby and Ford ever considered combining the two unwieldy programs just doesn’t make sense. Let’s call this one a myth.
146 Did a casual lunch bet between Ford high-performance product boss Jacques Passino and plucky East Providence, Rhode Island, Ford retailer Bob Tasca result in the 1968 Mustang Cobra Jet? According to interviews published in CarTech Books’ The Tasca Ford Legacy, author Bob McClurg recounts how Tasca had built a 428 demonstration car called the KR-8 (for King of the Road with a 428). Based on a Medium Gold Metallic 1967 Mustang GTA hardtop, Tasca’s garage replaced the 390 with a 428 Police Interceptor topped with 427 medium-riser heads, hot cam, and a cowl-fed 8V induction setup. Ford’s Passino saw the car but was sure his Experimental Garage had built a better car in the form of a Candy Apple Red GTA fastback that packed an exotic 427 with LeMans origins. Even though Tasca’s car was beaten three straight during the quarter-mile shootout at Ford’s Dearborn Test Track, the use of an economical Thunderbird-sourced 428 proved to Passino that the engine had potential he hadn’t previously considered. The fruits of this showdown were unveiled in April 1968 as the Mustang Cobra Jet.
147 Tasca’s 1967 KR-8 Mustang was one of many freestyle engineering exercises that persuaded Ford to offer similar retail replicas. A 1962 collaboration with Andy Hotten’s Dearborn Steel Tubing (DST) resulted in a 6-barrel 406 big-block Fairlane 500 that ran well in NHRA A/Factory Experimental competition and planted the seed for the eventual 427 Fairlane Thunderbolts of 1964. Unlike the dragstrip-intended 406 Fairlane, Tasca’s KR-8 was meant to show Ford management how to remedy the Mustang 390 GT’s poor street credibility by showcasing the performance (and sales) potential of a 428 Mustang seasoned with a well-chosen gathering of components from Ford’s parts bins.
148 As one of the top-selling dealers in the nation, Tasca had a direct line to the decision makers at Ford, running right up to Henry Ford II himself. Tasca also enjoyed a healthy relationship with the automotive press. When Hot Rod flew feature editor Eric Dahlquist cross country to test Tasca’s Mustang KR-8, Dahlquist challenged Hot Rod readers to flood Ford’s mailbox with demands to offer the 428 in future showroom Mustangs. Although no actual ballot was presented in the November 1967 issue of Hot Rod, the story’s title page included Henry Ford II’s mailing address and a simple Yes/No vote box. According to a recent interview with Dahlquist, “Thousands of ballots turned up at Ford’s offices, most simply torn out of the magazine (page 58) with the ‘yes’ circled. Henry Ford II’s personal secretary Jim Cummings about went crazy.” Soon after, a Ford public relations man called Dahlquist to say, “Enough already, we’re going to build it.”
149 When Carroll Shelby transitioned from the use of Police Interceptor 428s to Cobra Jet 428s halfway through the 1968 GT500 production run, he added two letters to denote the extra-performance units; KR, and the GT500 KR was born. By all accounts the letters stood for King of the Road and were inspired by country music star Roger Miller’s 1964 number-1 single (in the Hot Country category) of the same name. Oddly, Tasca’s full-year-earlier use of the designation was lost in the shuffle and is rarely recognized today when the 1968 Shelby GT500 KR is discussed.
150 Tasca Ford used the KR-8 designation on not only the gold 1967 Mustang hardtop development mule car, but also a series of performance improvement packages that could be installed on brand-new Mustangs in Tasca’s service department. The gold coupe was lost one night when Bob Tasca Jr. crashed it into a utility pole.
151 During an April 1994 celebration of Mustang’s 30th anniversary, former U.S. President Bill Clinton’s 1967 Mustang convertible seemed more clunker than treasure. Before a gathered crowd of camera-toting spectators and various officials, but he grasped the door handle and pushed the latch button but the door remained shut. This forced him to reach inside and open the driver-side door using the inner latch. It seems that the rod linking the external door handle to the latch had become disengaged, a common problem on tired Mustangs.
152 Although this book is all about the Mustang’s many splendors, the new 1967 Mercury Cougar was actually a better place for rear-seat passengers to spend long hours on the road. That’s because when the Cougar’s designers added an extra 3 inches to the Mustang platform’s wheelbase (111 versus 108 inches) they didn’t squander it on cosmetics. They could have extended the cowl-to-front axle distance to get a longer, sleeker hood, similar to the approach taken when General Motors stretched the A-Body LeMans/Chevelle to get the 1969 Grand Prix and 1970 Monte Carlo. But function prevailed over form and the extra inches were placed beneath the passengers; Cougar’s rear seat legroom jumped from Mustang’s 28.8 to 31.7 inches.
153 Speaking of Cougars and Mustangs, one item shared among all 1967–1973 Cougars and Carroll Shelby’s 1967 Mustang GT350 and GT500 was the sequential taillamp treatment. Thanks to multiple relays that cycled power to the taillamp filaments in series, signaling for turns triggered a nifty light show. To defuse overt copycat criticism, Shelby omitted the Cougar’s 22 vertical chrome bars in favor of a simple translucent red lens. All 3,225 1967 Shelby Mustangs received the modified Cougar taillamp treatment.
154 In 1968, Shelby once again raided the Ford corporate parts bin for a unique taillamp treatment. This time, the donor was the 1965 Thunderbird, which used the same sequential blinker system as the Cougar but with the red lenses divided into six segments. To camouflage them from their Thunderbird roots, assembly workers removed the standard black painted outlines with lacquer thinner (by hand) before installation on the 4,451 Shelby Mustangs built in 1968.
155 The 1965 Thunderbird sequential taillamp assemblies returned on the 1969 Shelby Mustang. This time, the laborious task of removing the black painted borders was eliminated, thanks to the blacked-out taillamp panel assigned to all 1969–1970 Shelby Mustangs. This meant the lamp assemblies could be installed right from the box. A total of 3,153 1969 and 1970 Shelby GT350 and GT500 Mustangs were fitted with surplus 1965 T-Bird taillamps.
156 Raising and lowering the side window glass in all pre-1971 Mustangs was done strictly by hand using traditional rotary cranks. Surprisingly, power windows were not available from the factory during Mustang’s peak sales years. By contrast, competing Camaro and Firebird pony car models offered power side windows from their 1967 launch onward. Oddly, the Mercury Cougar offered power side glass starting in 1969 ($104.90) but Mustang didn’t, not even on the most costly Shelby GT500 convertible, despite its $5,027 base sticker price.
157 Rotund Mustangers appreciated the new-for 1967 Tilt-Away steering wheel. For an extra $59.93, the vacuum activated system rapidly swung the steering wheel hub 45 degrees inward any time the driver’s door was opened. Cars so equipped came with a metal vacuum canister bolted below the passenger-side hood hinge, or under the battery tray (depending on engine size, presence of A/C, build date, and build plant). To prevent accidents, electrical circuitry ensured that the transmission was in Park (or Neutral) and the ignition key was in the off position before an electric solenoid triggered the vacuum motor to kick the wheel inward for easy exit.
158 The convenience of the Mustang Tilt Away steering hub was short-lived. Federally mandated anti-theft measures for the 1970 model year caused Ford (and all of Detroit) to move the ignition key switch from the dashboard to the steering column to form part of the ignition-steering wheel interlock system. The revised steering column clashed with the Tilt-Away hub so the system was canceled after 1969. A simpler up/down-only tilt steering wheel took over for 1970 and beyond. Its simpler components led to a price reduction to $45.
Something killed the convenient Tilt Away steering wheel in 1970. See Fact No. 158 to learn what it was.
159 A noteworthy exception to the federal mandate requiring anti-theft locking steering columns for all 1970 model year U.S. passenger cars came in the form of 789 leftover 1969 Shelby Mustangs. Thanks to increasing in-house competition from the Mach1 and Boss Mustang performance models, demand for 1969 Shelby Mustangs dropped drastically. As the 1969 model year approached its end, A.O. Smith (by then in charge of assembling Shelby Mustangs) still had 789 unsold units. Beating the January 1, 1970, deadline, A.O. Smith converted the unsold cars by adding chin spoilers, hood stripes, and 1970 VIN plate switch overs. Because they were built during calendar year 1969, the steering column-mounted ignition key and locking steering wheel hub did not apply. This made the 1970 GT350 and GT500 the only 1970 Mustangs with the ignition switch still located on the dashboard.
160 Although extremely uncommon, in 1969 and 1970 it was possible to get the sexy Shaker hood factory installed on 351 2-barrel and 390 2-barrel (1969 only) Mustangs for a mere $84.25 ($65 in 1970). A beautifully restored 1970 Mustang 351 2-barrel Shaker hood convertible sold at the 2015 Barrett-Jackson collector car auction in West Palm Beach, Florida. Verified with a Marti report, the 2-barrel Shaker was correct right down to the standard single exhaust system. With its limited intake-tract capacity, the single muffler and tail pipe were adequate for the needs of the mild 351 small-block. Thus, 2-barrel Shaker Mustangs lack the special under-bumper rear valance panel fitted to dual-exhaust Mustang applications. The tail pipe was a simple, unadorned unit made of mild steel tubing.
Did Ford really offer the Shaker hood option on base 351 2-barrel Mustangs? See Fact No. 159 for the scoop.
161 The 1969 Mustang Shaker hood option was the U.S. auto industry’s first mass-produced engine-mounted, through-body air scoop. Copycat efforts from Chrysler and Pontiac followed in 1970 although neither one shared Ford’s rugged die-cast metal scoop construction. Even though Ford dropped the Mustang Shaker hood option after 1970, it remained available on the Ford Torino through the 1971 model run. Beware: Mustang and Torino Shaker scoop housings are not identical. Numerous design differences abound, barring interchangeability.
Similar but different, 1969–1970 Mustang and 1970–1971 Fairlane Shaker scoops are not interchangeable.
162 Add-on brake cooling scoops were an integral part of the Shelby Mustang’s muscular look but were they functional? Yes. No. Yes. First appearing in 1966, 3-inch flexible ducts fed cool air from the scoops to the rear brake drums on all fastbacks. The quartet of experimental 1966 GT350 convertibles posed a problem. Their folding-top mechanisms interfered with the plumbing, so their brake cooling scoops marked Shelby’s first use of bogus scoops. In 1967, Shelby continued using the brake cooling scoops on all GT350 and GT500 fastbacks (no convertibles were built in 1967) but only cars built in the early part of the model run were fitted with functional brake cooling tubes. The GT350 and GT500 lower bodyside scoops were purely ornamental for 1968. The 1969 and (leftover) 1970 Shelbys returned to functional lower bodyside scoops on all models, including convertibles.
163 The 1969 Boss 302 Mustang program provided many challenges to workers in the Ford paint shop who had to apply matte black paint graphics to the hood, rear window surround, trunk lid, and taillight panel during assembly. The most problematic blackout treatment was applied to the outboard headlamp bezels. There, a razor sharp definition line had to be maintained between the outer (body color) ring and the sunken blackout sections. Expert application of masking tape and drop cloth shielding was called for. Today, unrestored survivors show fuzzy parting lines, proof of the challenging nature of the job when attempted in a mass-production setting. The headache-inducing Boss 302 masking job was repeated 1,628 times in 1969.
164 Another detail found only on 1969 Boss 302 Mustangs was the elimination of the faux rear quarter panel brake-cooling body duct inserts. Mustang styling studio boss Larry Shinoda is known to have hated them because they weren’t functional. All other 1969 Mustang SportsRoof fastbacks (including the Mach 1 and Boss 429) retained the scoops. Ironically, the SportsRoof’s faux scoop openings allowed Shelby’s return to brake air scoop dignity for the final two years of production (see Fact No. 162).
165 If the 1969 Boss 302 bodyside tape stripes look familiar to fans of Ford’s international road race program of the 1960s, it’s because they were inspired by the C-stripes applied to Ford’s 1967 Le Mans-winning Mark IV GT40. Boss 302 stylist Larry Shinoda liked them so much he adapted them for Mustang use.
166 Although the 1970 Boss 302 repeated the blacked-out trunk panel treatment of 1969, a subtle change was made to the stainless steel trim surrounding the backlight. Physically and functionally identical, the 1970 trim was coated with matte black to enhance the blackout effect. The 1969 backlight retained the same bright chrome appearance used on non-Boss 302 SportsRoofs.
167 New for 1969, Boss 302 and Mach 1 buyers could pay $19.48 for a trunk-mounted spoiler. Because of its plastic construction, the horizontal wing drooped visibly (and embarrassingly) in hot climates. A thicker (and heavier) fiberglass wing was employed for 1970. Because the stock trunk lid support springs were not upgraded, 1970 Mustangs equipped with the trunk spoiler were equipped with a mechanical support rod to prevent finger-nipping from sudden trunk closures. Speaking of plastic, the 1969 models were the first Mustangs to incorporate plastic grilles instead of metal.
168 Often overlooked, the 1969–1970 body shell came in for numerous dimensional tweaks. The windshield rake angle was increased an extra 2.2 degrees and the fastback roof line was lowered by .9 inch. The altered greenhouse added sleekness but rendered all pre-1969 glass panels non-interchangeable.
169 The 1969 Mach 1 was Detroit’s first-ever application of body-colored dual racing mirrors on a regular production model. Within a decade, virtually every auto maker on the planet had borrowed the scheme in one form or another.
170 The (1969-up) Mach 1 recipe deviated from previous Mustang performance models in its inclusion of a standard-issue (no extra cost) luxury interior that included full carpeting, a console, clock, simulated teakwood appliques, bucket seats, and sports steering wheel, all standard issue. Ford’s decision to coddle the passengers in luxury was successful and helped sell 72,458 Mach 1s in 1969 alone (about one in four).
171 One controversial aspect of the posh Mach 1 package was its inclusion of an additional 50 pounds of insulation and sound deadening material. Consisting of asphalt mats, sprayed-on rubberized body coatings, and fiberglass pads, many devoted drag racers spent hours liberating the dead weight or selected a base SportsRoof or GT model, neither of which carried the baggage. Remember, in a quarter-mile acceleration contest, every 100 pounds shed is equal to .1 second at the finish line. That same tenth is also equal to roughly a full car length at the finish.
172 Often overlooked, the rear side markers added to the Mustang in 1968 came in two distinct and non-interchangeable varieties. Cars built before approximately February 15, 1968, received rectangular red reflectors set into simple, nearly flush-mounted, body color bezels (as seen on Steve McQueen’s fastback in the movie Bullitt). But in mid-February, a switch was made to much more ornate surface-mounted reflectors set inside chromed metal frames with engraved black perimeters. Two different quarter panel stampings were required for each reflector type, so the revision wasn’t painless for Ford production accountants.
173 The 1968 Mustang also received new federal front side markers, but unlike the passive red reflectors used at the rear, the trapezoidal clear frosted lenses covered amber bulbs that lit up at night in accordance with federal mandate. Surrounded by bright metal bezels, one might think the mid-February change to the rear reflectors was made to bring design harmony to the front and rear markers. But comparing the second-series rear reflector frames with the front marker frames revealed totally different efforts. A peek through the window of the local Lincoln-Mercury dealer solved the mystery. The same reflector was used on the 1968 Cougar, Comet, and Montego (see Fact No. 153 for more).
What’s behind the odd two-tone effect seen on the fender and hood graphics of the 1970 Boss 302? Fact No. 174 sheds light on the truth.
174 The entire 1969 Boss 302 side stripe graphic turned a pearlescent, reflective white when illuminated by headlamps at night, but the same cannot be said of the 1970 Boss 302 graphics. Expanded to embellish the horizontal surfaces of the front fenders and hood, only the vertical markings were rendered in the special reflective 3M tape. The remainder of the graphic consisted of solid, non-reflective material. The result is an odd two-tone effect under certain lighting conditions.
175 It’s difficult to imagine today, but non-Shelby Mustang buyers had to cough up an additional $54 for a tachometer in the 1967–1970 period, and this included Mach 1s and Bosses. This helps explain why so many 4-speed Mustangs today lack their original engine blocks. In a move calculated to control excessive crankshaft speed (and warranty claims), the 1969 Boss 302 was equipped with a standard Autolite ignition governor set at 6,150 rpm. Oddly, the 1969 Boss 429 did not share this vital ounce of prevention. But as 1969 Boss 429 customers began dropping valves, the 1970 Boss 429 adopted the 302’s ignition cutout unit, also set at 6,150 rpm. A similar unit was installed on 428 Cobra Jets but with a 5,800-rpm limit. Today, lost Autolite governors are available as faithful nonfunctional reproductions (they’re empty cases with no electronics to avoid legal hassles should a faulty unit trigger the loss of an irreplaceable numbers-matching engine).
176 On the handful of factory-built 1969 and 1970 Mustangs produced with the 351 2-barrel (H code) and optional Shaker hood scoop, Ford inserted a 1-inch-thick aluminum spacer between the cast-iron intake manifold and the carburetor base plate. Without the spacer, the low-rise, dual-plane, 2-barrel intake manifold reduced the total component stack height, causing the Shaker to sit too low in the hood skin cutout.
177 The Boss 429 1969 LID Mustang concept car (see Fact No. 128) broke the Boss 429’s 4-speed-only transmission recipe. While every one of the 1,358 Boss 429 Mustangs (859 in 1969 and 499 in 1970) sent power into a clutch-controlled Ford Toploader 4-speed manual gearbox, the LID Boss 429 was coupled to a heavy-duty C6 automatic. The LID Mustang existed in the heady realm of factory-built experimental machinery and cannot be included in the normal scheme of things. Its brief existence, however, must be acknowledged.
178 Ford’s desire to keep a lid on the raucous nature of big-block Mustangs led to the use of single cross-flow mufflers on all 1967–1969 factory dual-exhaust systems (including Shelby and Boss). Although they were often discarded in favor of completely separate piping and a dedicated muffler for each bank of cylinders, faithful restorations must include the somewhat restrictive canister-style muffler fitted sideways between the rear axle and gas tank.
Mustang dual-exhaust systems were improved dramatically in 1970. See Fact No. 178 for more.
179 Performance fans cheered in 1970 when Ford eliminated the restrictive cross-flow muffler and switched to more efficient true dual-exhaust plumbing under all high-performance Mustangs. Even though advertised horsepower ratings were unchanged, the reduced back pressure certainly increased power and greatly improved the Mustang’s “street credibility” thanks to a more aggressive burble at idle and a throaty roar at full throttle.
180 The amount of power gained from the improved 1970 straight-through exhaust system strategy depended upon the engine. Conservative powerplants such as the 300-hp (rated) 351 Windsor and Cleveland 4-barrel likely saw an extra 5 to 10 hp. The 335-hp (again, rated) 428 CJ and CJ-R appreciated the improved plumbing even more and responded with an extra 15 hp. But the Boss 302 and Boss 429 saw the greatest gains. Born to breathe and rev (the 302 was fitted with a 6,150-rpm limiter, because it was apt to spin high), the 1969 transverse exhaust was particularly stifling. Again, although no advertised claims were made (Boss 302 = 290 hp, Boss 429 = 375 hp), the true duals are said to have been worth 25 to 30 hp on these rev-happy stormers.
181 Before the Fox body Mustang gave it a high-performance image makeover as the 5.0 HO, the 302 small-block was marketed as a bland work horse. There were two exceptions, the mighty 1969–1970 Boss 302 and the often overlooked 1968-only J-code. While the Boss 302 truly was a detuned racing engine with unique canted valvehe-ads, four-bolt main caps, and numerous ultra-duty parts, the J-code arrived in mid-1968 to fill the spot vacated by the A-code 225-hp 289 of 1965–1967. Rated at 230 hp, the J-code inhaled through a single 441-cfm Autolite 4300 series 4-barrel carburetor but shared the same single exhaust system as its 210-hp 2-barrel 302 cousin (engine code F). The Boss 302 and J-code 302 stand as the only factory 4-barrel 302s prior to the Holley 4-barrel 1983 HO edition.
182 The lone exception to the J-code 302 Mustang’s single-exhaust-only penance came when it was combined with the GT Equipment Group. Then, fashionable chrome tips emerged from both sides of the specially stamped rear valance panel. Advertised horsepower remained at 230.
183 The demise of the spirited solid lifter K-code Hi-Po 289 at the end of the 1967 model year forced Shelby Automotive to adopt the new 302 for the 1968 GT350 Mustang. Naturally, the A.O. Smith assembly team started with J-code 4-barrel cars, then added cast-aluminum single 4-barrel intake manifolds, finned (black) Cobra valvecovers and a mild vacuum-secondary 600-cfm Holley 4-barrel under an ovoid cast-aluminum Shelby air cleaner. The standard J-code iron exhaust manifolds and Mustang GT-spec dual-exhaust system remained in place, although Shelby added a new pipe-within-a-pipe dual chrome-tip configuration. The Shelby top-end engine upgrades bumped power from 230 to 250 hp. With 1,657 built (1,253 fastbacks, 404 convertibles) the 1968 GT350 was the only Shelby Mustang, but the 302, and at 250 hp, the least powerful of the breed.
184 Many of the first 1968 GT350s delivered to customers lacked the Shelby intake and Holley carburetor due to delays in the emissions certification process. Afflicted cars received the special Shelby valvecovers and air cleaner but retained the clunky Ford 4-barrel induction system. Vouchers were issued with these cars so that (after the certification delay was ironed out) their owners could have the Shelby inductions installed at a later date, free of charge, by the retail dealer. Surprisingly (or maybe not, considering the GT350s de-emphasized performance theme), many customers ignored the Shelby alert and never returned for their upgraded parts.
185 Restoring some of the performance lost during the 1968 302 escapade, the 1969 GT350 took full advantage of the 1969 arrival of the 351 Windsor on Mustang option sheets. Fundamentally similar to the 221, 260, 289, 302 small-block engine family, the 351 shared the 302’s 4.002-inch bore diameter but received its extra displacement via a taller engine block (9.480 deck height) with which to accommodate its 3.50-inch stroke. Sharing virtually identical Windsor-style (inline valves) cylinder heads with the non-Boss 302, the 351 Windsor was offered with a single 2-barrel and 250 hp (engine code H) or a single 4-barrel and 290 hp (engine code M).
186 For the 1969 GT350, the A.O. Smith conversion workers (who’d been handling the job since Mustang’s 1968 model run) were spared the task of swapping carburetors atop the new 351 Windsor. Its standard 470-cfm Autolite 4-barrel was retained for emissions reasons, but the job of swapping from the stock iron manifold to an aluminum unit remained, as did the installation of finned aluminum Cobra valvecovers. Oddly, Shelby didn’t revise Ford’s 290-hp rating despite the undoubtedly improved intake efficiency provided by the larger ports within the replacement manifold.
187 Research shows that Ford and Shelby American product planners toyed with launching the big 351 Windsor aboard the 1968 GT350 rather than settling for the comparatively weak-kneed 302. The idea mirrored Chevrolet’s 1967 launch of the 350 small-block exclusively in SS350 Camaros. In the end, Ford waited until 1969 to launch the 351 across nearly all model lines with less fanfare.
188 Despite magazine advertisements, dealer sales brochures, and a factory-designated engine VIN code (W), Ford never offered the 427 big-block in any 1968 Mustang. Mustang’s sister, the Cougar, shared the W engine code, and 357 low-riser 427 Cougars were built in 1968.
189 The only factory-blessed 427 Mustangs came in the form of the 1965 Holman & Moody–built 427 SOHC and high-riser wedge A/FX cars (10 built) and in 1967 when Shelby built three GT500s with medium-riser 427 side-oiler engines. The cost of the 427 nearly equaled the 1967 GT500’s $4,195 base price.
190 Beyond the scope of showroom available retail offerings, Shelby American did whip up an exciting 427 Mustang test car in 1967. Based on an unsold 1965 GT350 R-Model (5R537), the body was severed at the firewall where a Fairlane-based 1967 front clip was installed. With the big-block-capable, pre-production Fairlane nose clip stampings replacing the narrow Falcon-based structure, the car was used to help develop the 1967 GT500 package, Shelby’s first retail-available big-block Mustang offering. The production 1967 GT500 employed a 428 Police Interceptor-based engine, but this test mule was powered by a full race 427 side-oiler and was completely gutted. With a 1964 Thunderbolt “teardrop” hood bubble and wearing gray primer paint, the cobbled 427 mule car looked more like an NHRA FX dragstrip entry than a road racer but lapped the Willow Springs test track nearly as quickly as Dan Gurney’s GT40 MKII LeMans racer.
191 It would be easy to dismiss the 11 SelectAire (A/C) 428 4-speed Mach 1s as the hasty work of an over-zealous plant manager looking to dispose of obsolete parts inventory (see Fact No. 142). With the totally redesigned 1971 Mustang’s pending elimination of the 428 engine option, the leftover A/C parts would be useless, so packing them into a few lucky 428, 4-speed Mach 1s might seem a good solution. However, this view is complicated by news that the rule-breaking Mach 1s were assembled at all three Mustang plants. Eight came from Dearborn, two from Metuchen, and one from San Jose. Records show that although all cars were built with the gentle 3.25:1 rear axle ratio, only one car came through with the $54 tachometer/trip odometer gauge. All the better to help the driver avoid over-speeding the compressor.
192 Kevin Marti’s records on the 11 A/C-equipped 1970 4-speed 428 Mach 1 rule benders offers an interesting insight into Ford’s notoriously conservative stance on limited-slip differentials on its muscle models of the 1960s and early 1970s. While most competing auto manufacturers standardized a limited-slip “posi” differential in more instances than not, unusually large numbers of high-performance Mustangs (and other models) were delivered with “open” differentials, which was an instant handicap in any drag race. To wit, of the 11 4-speed 428 Mach 1s built with A/C, only 2 carried the optional ($43) Traction-Lok differential inside their 9-inch rear axle housings. Years later, Ford made glorious amends by including clutch-type limited-slip differentials in all 1983-up V-8 Mustangs.
193 It’s only a guess why Ford didn’t include more limited-slip differentials as standard equipment during the super-car 1960s. One theory holds that it was an intentional move to prevent accidental throttle oversteer and subsequent loss of driver control, acting as a precursor to the electronic vehicle stability systems found on modern Mustangs. Instead of using wheel speed (and other) digital sensors to detect tire spin and then manipulate braking force, ignition timing, or throttle position to restore traction and stability, the open differential simply sent the right rear tire up in smoke. With the remaining three tires in contact with the road, directional control wasn’t compromised that much.
194 Criticism of Ford’s preference for open differentials must be tempered by the fact that Ford offered the industry’s best and strongest differential in the form of the optional No-Spin Detroit Locker. Standard in the 1965 Shelby GT350 (see Fact No. 82), the legendary Detroit Locker was offered sporadically throughout the ensuing years for those who cared enough to step up to its $207 price tag (four times the cost of the standard Traction-Lok). Ford was also very proactive by offering over-the-counter rear axle (and other vehicle system) upgrades through its Muscle Stuff dealer parts retail program. No competing clutch or cone-type limited-slip differential assembly was as strong and effective as the famed Detroit Locker.
195 Often overshadowed by the headline-grabbing 428 Cobra Jet and Boss 429, the 390 was Mustang’s most common big-block offering with 50,769 built (28,800 in 1967, 11,475 in 1968, and 10,494 in 1969). Without Ford’s decision to switch Mustang’s architecture from the compact Falcon to the midsize Fairlane, fitment of the wide FE series big-blocks would have been impossible. Look for an “S” in the fifth spot of the VIN tag to verify factory-installed 390 GT power.
196 The most potent of the Mustang’s 390 offerings were the 1967 and 1968 models. Even though major ingredients remained unchanged, their use of 600-cfm Holley 4-barrel carburetors brought them close to their 320 (325 in 1968) horsepower rating. A switch to the smaller 470-cfm Autolite 4-barrel in 1969 undoubtedly dulled the edge, but Ford didn’t adjust the engine’s 320-hp rating.
197 Many are shocked to learn that the 1967–1969 390 GT engine and 428 Cobra Jet shared the same camshaft. With .475/.486-inch valve lift and 270/290 degrees of overlap, it was a fairly hot item compared to competing muscle car cam specifications of the same time frame. This zero-maintenance hydraulic cam is but one of the many nails that sealed the coffin of the 271-hp Hi-Po 289 small-block, which used a solid cam and required periodic valve lash adjustment. Its meager 312 ft-lbs of torque paled against the 390’s 427-ft-lb rating. Finally, the 390 GT cost $169.84 less than the 289 Hi-Po ($263.71 versus $433.55). A mere 472 Mustangs (plus another 1,175 Shelby GT350s) carried the Hi-Po 289 in 1967.
