StangNut

I am constantly seeing people making references to the wrong years of the early Mustangs. Especially when it comes to styling. So here's a quick lesson.

64 1/2- 66 were one style, 67-68 were the next style, then 69-70, then 71-73.

The fastback first came out in Augustof '64 so there weren't any 64 1/2 fastbacks. (not sold to the public anyway) Also, this is where the '05 roofline, quarter window and trunk come from... not the 67-68 fastback or 69-70 Sportsroof (they renamed the fastback in 69)

A 65 or 66 fastback looks almost nothing like a 67, but is almost identical to a 68. Neither of which look like a 69 or 70. One of the easiest ways for me to tell the difference between a 67 and 68 Mustang is the two little "vents" on the side.

I know it's trivial to some, but think about how many times someone says they want their '05 to look like the style of a 67-69 Mustang. It's either or, not both. I have also noticed newspaper and magazine articles are the worst by saying the '05 was designed with the 65-69 Mustang in mind. Why not include the 70 model? It's the same basic style as the 69.

For more info, Brad has a GREAT timeline on here to compare the different years. Better yet, go to a show. There's nothing like seeing them in person.

OK. I'm done venting. (for now) Stepping off the soap box and putting on my flame suit.

StangNut

1965 and 1966

StangNut

1967 and 1968

StangNut

1969 and 1970

StangNut

1971, 1972, and 1973

Giddyup

Hao Tai-Tang (hope I spelled it right) said that the styling of the '05 Mustang was based on styling cues from each of the '67-'68'-'69, and this was after 40 years of Mustangs were studied......

Lime05owner

you beat me to it.....

I saw 3 video interviews and atleast 8 direct quotes stating he looked to the 67-68 models for styling ques...


Jay

dcpirani

I think they are refering to the grill fogs of the 69'. The 70' model had a diffrent headlamp set up.

1 COBRA

Great lesson for all the eight year olds who visit TMS after their playground time.

Flyinlow

I agree with Stangnut. If you look at the slope of the rear window and then the flat trunk lid, this is identical to 65-66 fastbacks. The 67-68 slopes all the way down to the edge of the trunk lid.

There's an easier way to tell the 67 from the 68 (this applies to all cars that had the same look from 67 to 68). In 1968 they had to add the mandatory side marker lights. Look at any Firebird, Camaro, Ford F100 and you will see the same thing.

GOFISCH

Not all of us our experts. I appreciated this post. Thanks StangNut

Dark Horse

Stang Nut,

I'm not quite sure if I'm reading your original post correctly or not, but a '67 and '68 are almost identical (the '65 and '66 doesn't resemble the '68 any more than the '67).



The roofline of the '05 is very similar to the '65-'66 fastback's, the shape and angle of the front (viewed from above) is close in shape to the '67-'68, the grille is similar to a '68 GT ( but without the inner chrome ring and corral of the '68), also the grille of the '05 GT is similar to the grill and quad headlights of the '69 (but the hood doesn't have as a pronounced "beak" as the '69), the '05 tail lights probably resemble the '70 more than any other model year.

'65-'66 are very similar with mainly grille and side trim differences (early '65's, incorrectly called 64 1/2's, have many differences from late '65's)

Early '65 and late '65 differences are, but not limited to;
Different letter sizing
stationary passenger seats
generators instead of alternators
different engines (170 inline 6, 260 V8 vs. 200 inline 6, 289 V8- HiPo 289 wasn't offically available until Sept '64 meaning late '65 Mustang's)

'67-'68 Again same body style (very similar)

differences include but not limited to;
Side marker lights on '68's mandated by the Government, but not '67's( as mentioned above)
'67's have chrome trim around tailights, '68's are similar but with painted black centers of chrome rings.
Gas caps are different in style
Side trim (also mentioned above) '67- 2 body coloured grilles, '68 thin chrome trim piece in "C" concave.
'67 didn't have a collapsable steering coloumn, '68's did (Govern Mandate).
'67 GT's and GTA's (only year Mustang had a GTA) had rocker stripes similar to '65-'66 GT's, '68 had Chrome rocker trim with GT badges and "C" stripes.
'67 engine options were, 200 inline 6, 3-different 289's, and the first Mustang "big block" the 390 FE ( Shelby's had 428's in GT500's and possibly a few 427 FE's)
'68 engine options were, (before Jan. of '68) 200 inline 6, 2-289's, 390, and hydraulic cam 427 but only with C-6 automatic transmission, (after Jan 1, '68) 2-302's (three if you count the tunnel port 302's of which none made it to "regular" consumers), 390, and after April 1st the 428 Cobra Jet.

'69-'70 same body, different detailing

differences include but not limited to;
'69 qaud headlights, '70-2 headlights with "wiskers" on either side.
faux scoop on '69 quarter panels (but not Boss 302's), '70 without faux scoop identical to '69 Boss 302 quarter panel.
Mach 1's first year was '69 also last year for "original" GT's (reintroduced in 1982)
'69 Mach 1 had side stripe and flat black hood, '70 had stripe starting on hood down fender and back (somewhat like the '70 Boss 302), also had wide chrome trim at rocker panel.
'69 had cocave rear panel with raised tailights, '70 had flat rear panel with trimmed rear tailights.
Also several differences between '69 and '70 Boss 302's and 429's (too many to get into here).
'69 engine options were, 200 inline 6, 250 inline 6, 302, 351 Windsor, 390, and 428.
'70 engine options were, 200 inline 6, 250 inline 6, 302. 351 Windsor 2V, 351 Cleveland, and 428.
Also '69 and '70 had both Boss 302's and 429's which differed completely from any other engines in their respective years.
(Boss history can be quite "long" and somewhat complicated, so again I won't delve into it here).


This info is off the top of my head so some details I may have left out.

In short the '05 is a mixture of styling "cues" of all the "original" Mustangs of model years '65-70 IMO.

06VistaPony

And thus the "magic" that is causing all of us to fall in love with a new Mustang all over again and why sales are off the chart...

EACH of us probably has a favorite early Mustang model through 1970. In that model there were styling touches that we remember fondly.

EACH of us finds many of our favorite Mustang styling touches in the new Mustang. It's like it has the best of ALL of them.

No matter which model we like 64-1/2 through '70, all of us are drawn to the new Mustang and love it for how we see it. It's drawing all of us classic Mustanger's together.

Me? I have yet to see somebody else point this out, but while the GT with it's 4 lights looks like a '69 model, the V6 with the single lights and the running horse in the middle of the grill is like my old 1970 Fastback has come back to life.

Sonic05

All that was off the top of your head? :worship:

rrobello

Since we are nitpicking over details of the Mustangs history here....

The first Mustangs were not labeled as 1964 models, all of the first Mustang cars were registered as 1965 models. It debuted early in 1964 as a 1965 model, and sales lasted 16 months until the 1966 model. But there are differences. 1965 models are differentiated as "early" and "late" Mustangs. Early Mustangs were built from March 1964 through Aug. 17, 1964, The electrical system used a generator and not an altenator. An easy way to check is that the instrument panel warning light says GEN or ALT. They also had a small chrome trim piece on the side scoop and the passenger seat wasnt adjustable. The engine also changed, they started w/ a standard 6 cylinder was 170 ci and produced 101 HP, the base V* was 260 ci and produced 164 HP, later the base 6 was 200 ci and 120 HP and the V8 was bumped to a 289 ci and 210 HP w/ an optional four-barrel carburetor that cranked out 225 HP. In June 1964 Ford offered the K package with a 271 HP 289 ci V8, with a high performance cam shaft, available only w/ a 4 speed manual trans and a wider 14" tires w/ a red band where the white wall would've been and a special handling package. In April 1965 the GT package became available w/ 225 HP 289 V8 as well as the 271 HP engine. It came w/ front disc brakes, special handling package, grille mounted fogs, rocker panel stripes and twin chrome exhaust pipes. In Sept 1964 Ford introduced the 2+2 fastback model in addition to the already existant coupe and vert, surprisingly the fastback was the least popular at the time.

The 1966 model was pretty much the same as the 65 w/ some minor changes....
the cross shped chrome on the grill for the 65 was dropped in 66 and the running pony was corraled by a chrome box floating in the middle of the grill. The 66 GT was the exception, it kept the cross chrome treatment and Ford added fog lights to the far ends of the horizontal bars. The rear mounted gas cap design was also changed in 66, the 13" wheels and tires were eliminated from the 6 cyl models and all stangs had 14" wheels w/ 14x6.95 tires, w/ white walls, red stripe, or no sidewall design. Buyers could opt for a front bench seat w/ a center armrest instead of the bucket seats. The 66s also changed the instrument panel to a 5-dial setup w/ an oval 120 mph speedo in the center flanked by smaller oval fuel, voltage, water temp and oil pressure gauges, no tach. The Sprint 200 was also introduced in 66 w/ a 200 ci 6 cyl engine and special trim. There were no engine changes in 66 but the 3-speed auto was now available w/ the 271 HP V8.

In 1967 the stang was redesigned to be longer, wider and bigger, although the chasis shared the same 108 inch wheelbase as the original. The front grill was wider and scooped out and the triple taillights were more widely separated, the scoops were exaggerated, the fastback model had the slope of the roof extend all the way back to the rear end. In 67 an integrated air flow system was incorporated into the dash and the AC fed into them. The fabrics and vinyl surfaces on the inside were upgraded. On fastbacks the rear seat folded down to access the trunk as an option, as well as an tilt-away sterring wheel that moved to the right. Cruise control was also offered for the first time, but only on the V8 auto. The vert came w/ a glass rear window w/ 2 glass panels that hinged in the middle. Another cool option was a hood that had 2 rear facing louvers that had turn signal lights inside. The front end of the chasis was redesigned providing a smoother ride. A big block 390 ci 320 HP V8 was also added to the lineup.

The easiest way to tell a 68 from a 67 is to look for the side markers (in 1968 the government mandated that all cars have side marker lights or reflectors). The agressive faux side scoop on the 67 was replaced w/ a small chrome trim piece and the horizontal grill trim bars introduced in 67 were deleted in 68. A 2 toned painted louvered hood was an option. The 68 had faux wood trim on the dash and locks on the back of the front bucket seats (another mandated government change). Headrests were an option. If you lived in Cali or Colorado you could buy a SE Stang hardtop. In Cali it was called the California Special and in Colorado it was the High Country Special. Except for decals, both were identical. They came w/ the same rear deck, spoiler, sequential tail lights and side scoops found on the Shelby Mustangs. The Mustang ornament was deleted from the grill and replaced w/ a pair of rectangular fog lamps. Special side stripes and decals completed the package. For a limited time from Sept 67 to Dec 67 Ford offered a 427 ci 390 HP V8 as an option. In April 67 it got better... a 428 ci V8 rated at 335 HP but was actually closer to 400 and it was called the Cobra Jet, which would be used more in 69 but for 68 about 2,800 stangs were made with this engine; about 2,200 were fastbacks, 550 were hardtops and only a small handfull were verts. The 428 also came w/ wider tires; Goodyear Polyglas F70-14. Also in 68 the 289 was only available early in the year and then was replaced by the larger 302, which was a bored out version of the 289 rated at 210 HP w/ a 2 barrel carburator and 230 w/ a 4 barrel. (The 302 remained in production, in one form or another for the next 27 years.)

Well thats enough for tonight, its back to Friday night hijinx....in the mean time here are some trivia questions for you all.....

Who was the first President (of the USA) to own a Mustang?
What year was the car?
What color and style? (vert, coupe or fastback)
Name another president who owned a stang and what color and style was it?

1 COBRA

My mistake. A offer my sincere apologies. Make that a great lesson for all the thirty eight year olds who visit TMS after their playground time.

Montrose

Did anyone mention the clear rear quarter window on the 05 came from the early (66?) Shelby?

Dusty1

Excellent topic!!! I love learning more about the early Mustangs. Those pictures are priceless too!

rarecat

Brad has already done it all for you...

http://bradbarnett.net/mustangs/timeline/

StangNut

1 Bullitt, Yes, I was trying to keep it simple without getting into details and obviuosly there must be a lot of 8 year olds getting into the Mustang hobby latley. (Welcome by the way) j/k

Flyinlow, Thanks for adding that tip. The vents were just the first difference I ever picked up on and it's always stuck with me.

Dark Horse, Yes that's what I was saying.

06VistaPony, Good explanation on the popularity of the '05. For instance, my favorite parts are the roofline and quarter window. But that goes w/o saying since I love the 65/66 fastback and the '66 Shelby.

GOFISCH & Dusty1, Thanks. That's a response I didn't expect.