In reply to nimblemotorsports :
That's the one I've seen. It's a nice looking piece.
In reply to nimblemotorsports :
That's the one I've seen. It's a nice looking piece.
I don't hate the Mustang II. I think it has some interesting lines that just need cleaning up. I would love to build a Pro Stock-esque Mustang II with a screaming tunnel-rammed Cleveland and a 4-speed.
NickD said:I don't hate the Mustang II. I think it has some interesting lines that just need cleaning up. I would love to build a Pro Stock-esque Mustang II with a screaming tunnel-rammed Cleveland and a 4-speed.
In the 80s, ths was called Pro Street.
Pete. (l33t FS) said:NickD said:I don't hate the Mustang II. I think it has some interesting lines that just need cleaning up. I would love to build a Pro Stock-esque Mustang II with a screaming tunnel-rammed Cleveland and a 4-speed.
In the 80s, ths was called Pro Street.
Yeah, but when you say Pro Street, people tend to think of pastel-painted cars with weak-sauce 383s under the hood, heartbeat stripes on the side and tweed interiors (which is really more Pro Fairground). The more violent stuff like Steve Lisk's '71 Challenger or the Roush Sudden Death Mustang II or Gary Kollofski's '55 Chevy are more my style.
I've always like the Mustang II. I know that by most objective measures they're not great cars but in fastback form with a small block in them I think they're kind of cool looking and they're fun to drive. Not necessarily fast but fun.
They're not any crappier of a car than a Chevy Nova or a Dodge Dart from the same era. Not that that's saying much.
In reply to APEowner :
Novas are way better cars than darts or m2's.
In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :
I had assumed it was a bit more refined vs. the mk1 Falcon but I did know it was the same bones to work with. It's kind of wild to think about that same setup lasting up through the US market Granada into 1980 or so. At least there should be some aftermarket solutions that don't take too much re-engineering work to improve the car with.
This guys appears to love his! 1978 MUSTANG KING COBRA 302 4 SPEED PRO STREET FORD 9 INCH REAR VERY NICE ORIGINAL PAINT NEW TIRES CAR RUNS AND DRIVES GREAT ALOT OF FUN SOUNDS AWESOME $10,900 CASH ONLY
pres589 (djronnebaum) said:In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :
I had assumed it was a bit more refined vs. the mk1 Falcon but I did know it was the same bones to work with. It's kind of wild to think about that same setup lasting up through the US market Granada into 1980 or so. At least there should be some aftermarket solutions that don't take too much re-engineering work to improve the car with.
AMC used the '59 Rambler until 1987, too.
Use it up, wear it out!
The front suspension on those cars changed around 1969, right? Kingpins to balljoints? It seemed like AMC's actually evolved a little bit over time more than the Falcon to Maverick to Granada situation.
I almost mentioned thinking that a Hornet liftback coupe also tickles my fancy more than the Maverick or MII but I didn't want to threadjack (more).
Pete. (l33t FS) said:pres589 (djronnebaum) said:In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :
I had assumed it was a bit more refined vs. the mk1 Falcon but I did know it was the same bones to work with. It's kind of wild to think about that same setup lasting up through the US market Granada into 1980 or so. At least there should be some aftermarket solutions that don't take too much re-engineering work to improve the car with.
AMC used the '59 Rambler until 1987, too.
Use it up, wear it out!
AMC was still using flathead engines into 1965, which is just amazing.
I always refer to Subaru as "the Japanese Rambler" because they did the same sort of stuff.
Patrick (Forum Supporter) said:In reply to APEowner :
Novas are way better cars than darts or m2's.
You're wrong. Darts are the best of the three.
nimblemotorsports said:There are some still around.
What would be amazing is to find a Ford EXPs, they were the mini 2-seater FWD Fox Mustangs. I had one when I lived in Gainesville was going to build into a drag car, but never did.
There's a thing that I say: Good enough for Bob Glidden, good enough for me.
Avoid the ‘74. By ‘75 they’d figured out a few things - like it’s darn near impossible to put gas in uphill. Yep. ‘74 has the filler cap below the belt line. Pump will cut off constantly when filling.
tuna55 (Forum Supporter) said:nimblemotorsports said:There are some still around.
What would be amazing is to find a Ford EXPs, they were the mini 2-seater FWD Fox Mustangs. I had one when I lived in Gainesville was going to build into a drag car, but never did.
There's a thing that I say: Good enough for Bob Glidden, good enough for me.
Except that Bob Glidden said that the EXP was his least favorite car that he ever raced. He hated that thing.
IMO the Mustang II was an epic failure and one of the low points in Ford's history. To go from the 60s and early 70s Mustang to that. Huh?? But at least Ford built their own vehicle. Does anyone one remember the rebadged Mitsubishi that Dodge unloaded on the public as the new Challenger?
Or how about the Korean produced Daewoo rebadged as a Pontiac Lemans?
Oh please, don't get me started.
The Mustang II was going back to the original Mustang. Take the compact Falcon and make it sporty looking. They took the compact Pinto and made it sporty looking.
As a hotrodder, do we really care too much how they come from the factory? The original mustang was also slow and the suspension sucked!
APEowner said:I've always like the Mustang II. I know that by most objective measures they're not great cars but in fastback form with a small block in them I think they're kind of cool looking and they're fun to drive. Not necessarily fast but fun.
They're not any crappier of a car than a Chevy Nova or a Dodge Dart from the same era. Not that that's saying much.
There was absolutely nothing fun about driving my Mustang II. Maybe if it hadn't been an automatic.
parker said:APEowner said:I've always like the Mustang II. I know that by most objective measures they're not great cars but in fastback form with a small block in them I think they're kind of cool looking and they're fun to drive. Not necessarily fast but fun.
They're not any crappier of a car than a Chevy Nova or a Dodge Dart from the same era. Not that that's saying much.
There was absolutely nothing fun about driving my Mustang II. Maybe if it hadn't been an automatic.
Or maybe it needed more motor. I admit I've never driven one with less than 350HP. Or, maybe our idea's of fun differ. That's OK too.
Well, the Mustang II must have gotten at least one thing right, as the MII independent front suspension has been ubiquitous in the hot rodding world for decades.
https://www.hagerty.com/media/car-profiles/mustang-ii-suspension/
parker said:APEowner said:I've always like the Mustang II. I know that by most objective measures they're not great cars but in fastback form with a small block in them I think they're kind of cool looking and they're fun to drive. Not necessarily fast but fun.
They're not any crappier of a car than a Chevy Nova or a Dodge Dart from the same era. Not that that's saying much.
There was absolutely nothing fun about driving my Mustang II. Maybe if it hadn't been an automatic.
One of the things I'll always remember is this guy named Ron that I worked summers with at an Ethyl Corp. plant in NJ back in the mid-80's. We worked a rotating shift--7 days 8-4, 7 days 4-midnight, 7 days midnight to 8. Every day (or night) we clocked out, he'd fire up his 302-powered Mustang II (white with blue stripes) and rev it up and dump the clutch pulling out of the company parking lot. He preferred to work nights, since the company brass used to give him E36 M3 when he'd pull out with much tire squalling and smoke. I guarantee he was having fun. But yeah, it wasn't an automatic.
There was something good associated with the car besides the 9-second Sudden Death street car. Product Placement already in the 70's..
Feedyurhed said:IMO the Mustang II was an epic failure and one of the low points in Ford's history. To go from the 60s and early 70s Mustang to that. Huh?? But at least Ford built their own vehicle. Does anyone one remember the rebadged Mitsubishi that Dodge unloaded on the public as the new Challenger?
Or how about the Korean produced Daewoo rebadged as a Pontiac Lemans?
Oh please, don't get me started.
The Mustang was supposed to be a "secretary's car", a cutesy cute coupe version of the Falcon. It only turned into a performance car because Americans will race anything and Ford, fresh from having their asses kicked by the Edsel "invent a market" fiasco, decided wisely to give the consumers what they want. I saw pictures of the cars that two of my aunts had as teenagers. One had a '69 Mustang and the other had a '70 Mustang, because they were girly-cute. (And imagine being a factory worker and having five kids and being able to buy them new cars when they turned 16)
The LeMans is an unsung hero. Yes it is a Daewoo, but it is a Xerox cope of another GM vehicle, the Opel Kadett, which had a nice strong motorsports career and a lot of people think it was the best hot hatch of the 80s. But because it was being sold as a cheap car, it got the same love and attention in the US that makes people trash and abuse Pontiac Vibes while meticulously maintaining their Toyota Matrixes.
In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :
The previous version of the Mitsubishi Lancer, which was mechanically very similar, and the Dodge Colt variant driven by Doug Shepherd, both had very successful rally careers too.
In reply to Pete Gossett (Forum Supporter) :
And the early Hyundais that were wholesale bought and duplicated Mitsubishis of the same chassis.
And Protons, which were Malaysian built Lancers. (Not sold in the US, obvs)
This is one of the things I kinda liked about my Volvo S40, as it was a Lancer chassis with a Volvo drivetrain. The chassis dynamics were excellent, it just needed more power, and more all wheel drive. I'd still love to find a clean S40 and an Evo III drivetrain and merge the two. (The front bits are, literally, a bolt-in, and there have been numerous front drive 4G63 swapped cars, for people who are afraid of the potential of the Volvo whiteblock)
You'll need to log in to post.
