1965 Mustang High Performance Convertible

As we posted a few weeks ago, work is again underway on our early '65 Mustang HiPo Convertible project.

This post may go just a bit too far for some readers, but I hope that some of you may find it interesting. Almost all sheet metal on the Mustang is dated. The date consists of just a month and a day. The remaining two characters represent a shift number and perhaps a plant code. Here are several pictures showing the various dates on our convertible.

Keep in mind that this car has a scheduled build date of August 10, 1964 on the original data plate. The "scheduled" build date is just that, and the date was often not the actual production date. It is interesting to note that the earliest date on this car is June 2nd, and the latest date is August 15th. With a date of August 10th on the date plate, this Mustang obviously was not completed on the scheduled date.

Mustang Radiator Fan Spacers

Finally!!! We now have a very nice, original looking fan spacer for your Mustang. When you install a larger (thicker core) radiator in your car, it is often necessary to use a shorter fan spacer. Up until now, you had to use one of those "universal" style spacers. They do the job, but it is a whole lot nicer to use an original looking fan spacer.

We just got these in. They look just like originals and are 2 1/4 inches in length. They are available in a natural aluminum finish like the original and a cool custom polished aluminum finish.

Check them out or order by click on the part number below.

EG6441 Natural finish fan spacer

EG6442 Polished Aluminum fan spacer

Mustang Convertible Padded Sunvisor Color

Here is an interesting detail that I have noticed recently while observing some original cars. I have looked at three different Mustang convertibles equipped with padded sunvisors. Padded sunvisors, by the way, were an option. The standard visors were really thin. I wish that I had a picture of the standard ones to post, but I could not find one quickly.

Anyway, it is generally accepted that the sunvisors on a convertible match the interior. Well, these cars have all had Black Sunvisors, even though their interiors have been colors other than black. These cars are all Dearborn built convertibles with May '64, July '64 and January '65 scheduled production dates. It would be interesting to find out more about this.

1964 1/2 Mustang Horns

There are an absolute ton of differences between an early '64 1/2 Mustang and later production Mustangs (including tiny changes in between.) It's fun to learn about all of this stuff. I've been doing this for 30 years and learn something all of the time.

The horns on a generator equipped '64 1/2 are totally different from the ones on an alternator equipped car. The generator horns are mounted down low on the strut/frame brace. I've posted a picture of one of the horns on a car along with the location of the relay (IN459.) Lots of customers ask about the location of these parts.

Now-back to the transition thing...our early '65 Mustang Convertible was scheduled to be produced August 10, 1964. This was not too long after the transition from generator to alternator equipped cars. This car had an alternator and the radiator support mounted horns. Since it was produced soon after the transition though, you will note in the picture that it has the strut/frame brace with the holes for early style horns. Just a neat little detail to note.

More 65-66 Mustang Fastback Rear Interior Trap Door Parts

We posted about the new 65-66 Fastback Rear Interior Trap Doors in Metal (IN6885) on Friday, and here are some new related parts.

We now have the the Prop Assembly for this Trap Door. This is the assembly that opens and then holds the trap door open. Order part number IN6902.
We also just got the hinges in for the Trap Door. These are sold in a pair and are part number IN6894.

65-66 Mustang Fastback Rear Interior Trap Door

We now have the 65-66 Fastback Rear Interior Trap Door in a METAL reproduction. I know a lot of these need replacing, because it was popular back in the early years to cut them and install speakers. These also feature the grain as shown in the close up picture.

Order part number IN6885.

Original Owner 1964 1/2 Mustang Convertible

We recently visited with an old friend and customer that purchased his 1964 1/2 Mustang Convertible on June 3, 1964. Yes, he still has it. Not only does he still have it, but it is in very nice condition. It still has very nice, original paint and even the original convertible top.

It has been garage kept all of its life, of course, but it has also been enjoyed. It has been on a few trips cross country, along with trips from Virginia to Florida.

I took a few pictures here of some of the original paper work including the bill of sale, owner card, and a couple of letters from Ford that I had never seen before.

Boss, Shelby and Cobra Cruise In

In what is becoming an annual event every May, Larry Boyd from near Richmond, Virginia hosts a "casual" cruise in limited to Shelbys, Bosses and Cobras (real and replica.) I call it a "casual" show, because there are no dash plaques, trophies or awards, just folks checking out some rare cars and sharing information.

The turn out was great this year. There were four Boss 429's and a Shelby from each production year from 1965 to 1970. There were supposed to have been more, but the threat of rain kept some of the cars away. Enjoy the pictures that Larry sent.

1965 Mustang High Performance Convertible

If you have been reading our Blog for a while, you know that we are restoring an early 1965 289 HiPo Convertible. There was a break in the work on this particular project, but it has now been put on the "front burner" again.

It is now mounted to a rotisserie to clean some of the inside areas of some frame rails and panels and repair some of the rust.

These pictures show the process of hoisting the car up and beginning to mount it on the rotisserie.

289 High Performance Air Cleaner Decal

Here is a new item that just arrived. It is a show quality reproduction of the original 289 HiPo Air Cleaner Decal. I tried to put together some good images here, but the orange color of the decal that shows here on your monitors (all monitors will vary anyway) does not really show the actual color of the decal.

This decal is cool because it even features the clear lamination on the top like the original decal. Speaking of the color, the color is way different from the cheaper reproduction - DF15. This new decal is a much brighter orange. The fonts are correct and the printing is much, much sharper also.

Order Part Number DF15A.

Sorry, but the color is not accurate in these pictures. You can see that there is quite a difference though. The fonts are correct and the printing is much sharper.

64 1/2 Mustang Original Owner Display

One of the really cool displays at the 45th Anniversary Mustang Show was the 64 1/2 original owner display. This was a collection of early '65 Mustangs that were still owned by the very first purchasers. There were lots of good stories and original paper work displayed. Enjoy the pictures.