the taillight panel to a spot above the driver-side rear tire. Had it reached production, the retractable hardtop Mustang would have likely earned a reputation for being tail-heavy and prone to oversteering because of the added mass concentrated behind the rear axle.
48 Ford did Mustang collectors a great favor by stamping the so-called “warranty plate” with information describing body configuration, color, trim level, vehicle assembly date, dealer location, engine type, transmission type, rear axle type, and the full VIN. It’s all very helpful in verifying how a Mustang was originally built. The downside is that while the plate is permanently affixed to the driver’s door with rivets, if the bolt-on door is lost to an accident or rust repair, so is the warranty plate, unless care is taken to retain it. The availability of reproduction warranty plates further complicates matters for today’s collectors.
49 Early and late 1965 Mustang warranty plates measured approximately 2×3 inches. For 1966, the 3-inch length was retained but the height of the tag was cut in half. Both tag configurations shared the same amount of data (see above) and rivet mounting-hole spacing. Ford stamped the tags from aluminum to prevent rust although severe climate exposure can still trigger corrosion. The aluminum tags were used until the 1970 model year when a more vulnerable adhesive-backed sticker was substituted.
50 Speaking of identification badges, the subtly elegant die-cast metal Mustang logos affixed to the front fenders of all non-GT models came in two sizes. Early 1965 emblems are smaller (4⅜ inches long) than late 1965 and 1966 units (4¾ inches). The two emblems share the same font, but the later design pulls the letters a bit taller. There is no record of why this subtle change was made.
When it comes to front fender emblems, one size fits all, right? Not so fast. Fact No. 50 tells the tale.
51 The quartet of 1966 Shelby GT350 convertibles (see Fact No. 13) stands as the only Hi-Po 289 Mustangs built with factory installed air conditioning. Although Ford engineering had not certified the Hi-Po cooling system for the added burden of A/C, Carroll Shelby worked with Ray Geddes, head of Ford’s Special Vehicles department, to successfully sway the San Jose plant manager into filling the order for four A/C equipped K-code ragtops. To deflect heat, each GT350 convertible had a white top. One of the four GT350 convertibles (6S2378, Sapphire Blue with an automatic transmission) was shipped to Geddes in Dearborn when it was new; it served as his employee car.
52 Contrary to popular belief, the 271-hp 289 Hi-Po (K-code) engine blocks did not feature four-bolt main bearing caps. Yes, the Hi-Po caps were slightly wider for improved bearing stability but otherwise there was no difference between the blocks used in 200 (C-code), 225 (A-code), and the K-code 271-hp 289 engines.
53 Another Hi-Po myth claims they inhaled through Holley 4-barrel carburetors. The only 289 Hi-Pos issued with Holley jugs (715 cfm) were found in 1965–1967 Shelby GT350 Mustangs with 4-speed transmissions. By contrast, all 1963–1967 289 Hi-Po 289s (and most 1966 and 1967 automatic equipped GT350s) inhaled through Autolite 4100 series 4-barrel carburetors rated at 460 cfm. Often referred to as the “shoe box” carburetor, the Autolite 4100 debuted in 1957 and was last used on the 1969 Thunderbird 429 engine (not to be confused with the Boss 429).
54 Hi-Po 289-equipped Mustangs all featured a black push/pull knob mounted to the underside of the dashboard below the headlamp switch. It was there to activate the Autolite 4100 series carburetor’s manual choke. A similar Autolite 4100 was used on 225-hp 289 Mustangs (different jetting and accelerator pump settings) but with an automatic (heat controlled) choke assembly, so the manual “choke” knob was absent.
55 To survive the vertical lurch-load imposed by high-RPM clutch dumps, Ford equipped all 289 Hi-Pos with unique cast-iron engine mounts. Much stronger than the stamped steel units used on less potent 289-4 (A-code) and 289/260 2-barrel V-8s, the fortified mount counteracted the violent load induced during dragstrip launches.
56 The early 1965 Mustang option sheet included three engines that were discontinued on August 1, 1964. They were the 101-hp 170-ci 6 (U-code), 164-hp 260 2-barrel V-8 (F-code), and 210-hp 289 4-barrel V-8 (D-code). These engine codes often confuse Mustang newbies. To stir up things further, Ford later revived these Mustang engine codes with the 1967 200-ci 6 (U-code), 1968 302 2-barrel (F-code), and 1980 255 2-barrel (D-code).
57 If the thought of a 101-hp, 170-ci 6 in a ’64½ Mustang coupe sounds lethargic, it could have been worse. The 170 engine family also included a 144-inch version with 90-hp, which (mercifully) was never offered in Mustangs. In fact, the 170 proved to be so tame that Ford made the 200 Mustang’s base engine from August 1, 1964, through 1970. The 200 6 returned as the mid-power engine offering in the 1979 Fox-based Mustang, slotted between the 2.3-liter 4, 2.8-liter V-6, and 5.0-liter V-8.
58 The Ford 144, 170, 200-ci 6-cylinder engine family first appeared in 1960 to motivate Ford’s first post war compact offering (and Mustang’s platform sibling), the Falcon. The block initially used four-main-bearing architecture but thanks to foresight, an upgrade to seven main bearings was easily made for the 1965 model run. Four-bearing 200s appeared in 1963 but were never installed in Mustangs. The seven-main-bearing 200 (and 170) engines are identified by the presence of five core plugs on the side of the block. Four-bearing blocks have three.
59 Today, every new Mustang that Ford builds features overhead cam (OHC) engine architecture. The very first Mustangs with OHC technology were built in the fall of 1964 for sanctioned drag race competition in the NHRA’s 1965 A/Factory Experimental class. Packing Ford’s 600-plus-hp 427 SOHC “Cammer” V-8, only five of these exotic Mustangs were built by Ford’s go-to NASCAR job shop, Holman & Moody in Charlotte, North Carolina. These cars were campaigned by a team of hand-picked drag racers including Gas Ronda, Bill Lawton, Dick Brannan, Les Ritchey, and Jerry Harvey. Another five lightweight Mustangs were constructed at the same time but with 427 wedge power (cam-in-block) due to an initial shortage of the exotic Cammer engines.
Decades before the Modular 4.6 and later Coyote OHC V-8s invaded Mustang engine bays, Ford Factory Experimental drag racers struck fear into the hearts of Mopar 426 Race Hemi drivers with the mighty 427 SOHC Cammer. Fact No. 59 tells more.
60 Ford began its long-running policy of painting Mustang engines Ford Corporate Blue in 1966. The lone exception was seen under the hoods of 252 Shelby GT350s, which retained the 1965 basic black engine paint scheme. That’s because those 252 Shelbys were based on leftover 1965 Mustang platforms. After those 252 cars were completed, all subsequent 1966 Shelby engine blocks and heads were dressed in blue.
If Ford switched to all-blue Mustang engines in 1966, why did 252 1966 GT350 engines still wear all-black paintwork? See Fact No. 60 for the story.
61 Offered initially with only a 4-speed manual transmission, the 271-hp 289 Hi-Po (K-code) was finally made available with an automatic transmission for 1966, much to the satisfaction of would-be customers who wanted the K-code’s 6,500-rpm capability but didn’t want (or know how) to operate a clutch. The K-code High-performance 289 was first offered in 1963 on Fairlane models but never made its way to the Falcon option sheet, despite rumors to the contrary.
62 To ensure reliability when teamed with the rowdy K-code Hi-Po 289, Ford upgraded the C4 Cruise-O-Matic
