Pennsylvania State Police Mustangs

[clayjo]

Below is the magazine ad text from 1988 when my dad purchsed from some sort of specialty Ford magazine from the second owner. I'm trying to get word from Fox Ford (the dealership in PA where delivered to from factory) who originally bought this car. Apparently the original owner was a retired PA detective.

So, should I restore it? or, part it out? What should I do?

Not sure if they are correct, but those are the wheels that it came with....


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[NoDrama43]

clay check your pm's

[clayjo]

Can anyone explain to me why it would have (when we got it '88, 3k) it would have no emission control system (no cats, no tubes in air cleaner, etc.), what we assume to be factory installed Hurst shifter, and ford undercoating (with blue logo plug caps). These seem to be very specific, unusual features.

[GSPI]

They did not have factory installed Hurst shifters at the time since Hurst wasn't a supplier for Ford at the time. That would have been installed as an aftermarket item.

If memory serves me correctly, there were three different colors of plastic caps that rust proofing shops were able to use back then which were black, red and blue. Black was the standard that everyone used. I don't remember the company that would use blue as an aftermarket provider. Ford did not do factory rust proofing either as that would have been a dealer installed item due to the way cars were being built back then (similar to the way now) and could have used the different colored cap for the rust proofing. I checked my dealer books and there are no factory authorized corrosion control items as an option. They did ad a high zinc "wax" to the high corrosion areas or dog legs of the car but that was added right after the car came out of paint from the interior areas. Looks like that was a dealer installed item.

The lack of emissions would make that an off road car only which would have been done by a racer or someone building the car for racing. Someone tampered with the emissions and it was not noted with the inspection in PA from what I can tell.

Indications are that this car was to be raced due to the shifter and the emissions being removed. With the name Kaufman on the card in the photo above, that also indicates that the car was getting Kaufman performance upgrades which would be aftermarket and Ford would have not done any of that. Being that it was PA where this car came from, it would also be likely that people were "up charged" to add the "rust proofing" with the way salt would be used in the winters there. Best explanation that I've got for you.

[FoxChassis]

The only kind of protective coating that was done at the factory was the Lower Bodyside Protection option (urethane coating, painted body color), and that was only on the lower sides of the car (below the molding) between the wheel wells, and maybe behind the rear wheels. It was not under the hood or under the car like a normal aftermarket rust proofing was. The factory books say is became standard on all models in '85 but I don't believe that to be true.

Some here might be familiar with that urethane coating, especially on cars from Canada and the Northeast states. There would have been a third buck tag saying "ROAD ABRASION" (usually repeated at least once on that tag) and an "RA" code on the other non-DSO buck tag.

[GSPI]

Absolutely FoxChassis! The exterior coating is the one you indicated but there also was a wax seam material that was added on the interior panels around the rear wheel well areas which was what I was referring to. For reference, the body panels were all zinc coated (galvanized and many times hot dip method especially in the front fenders as it held up better) when the steel was manufactured prior to stamping. The steel in it's untreated form could stay unrusted for approximately 3 months. When the panels were stamped an additional coating was and still is added to keep them rust free until they hit the paint shop after initial assembly. Since the car was painted and had the galvanized metal there was little or no need for rust proofing as the car was designed.

The fact really was that the methods and materials were changing in the early 80's for production and people still had the misconception that they absolutely needed the aftermarket rust proofing of the 70's. My dad was one of the testers and evaluators for that wax coating process in 1972 when it was developed in Germany. Our car lasted over 6 years before the first sign of rust without the extreme use of galvanized panels which was a breakthrough in those times. This newer coating process later was used in conjunction with the galvanized panels in the early 80's and allowed for longer periods without rust.

In general, the advent of E-coating and the use of these corrosion protection methods in manufacturing actually just about destroyed the aftermarket rustproofing companies. Interesting history!

[FoxChassis]

You must be talking about seam sealer. It is a paste-like substance that looks very similar to caulking that was applied to all cars by hand at the factory.

[clayjo]

Well, I suppose my best guess at this point is that this car was bought by a retired (or soon to be) police officer new in 85 and performed what seems to be a few "upgrades" by...

1. Replacing the transmission with the current Hurst 'quickthrow' T-5 model
2. Removing the emission control system (apparently for more power or he knew a mechanic that would pass his emissions test for him)...a lot easier to do that back then!
3. Replacing the stock exhaust and removing the cat converters.
4. Adding chassis stiftening kit (no sure if that was factory installed)

Obviously there is no way to know if this was his personal car or if it was to be eventually used as an unmarked car. All I know is that it was obviously 'build for speed'. The officer sold it (due to a divorce my father recalls) to the gentleman that we bought it from.

Crazy to think that this car had all those mods put on when it brand new. The mystery continues.....

I will take a bunch of photos of the car in its current state and condition and will post in the Mustangs for Sale section of the forum.

[28HopUp]

Originally Posted by clayjo

Crazy to think that this car had all those mods put on when it brand new.

Have you seen what guys are doing to their new S197 Mustangs for more power? The aftermarket is HUGE for those cars, and their level of performance is VERY impressive.

G/L with your future sale. You might also have good luck selling it on the Four Eyed Pride Forum.

[GSPI]

Originally Posted by FoxChassis

You must be talking about seam sealer. It is a paste-like substance that looks very similar to caulking that was applied to all cars by hand at the factory.

Yes sir. Correct. It is wax like when first installed after paint.