I'm 68 years old and I can promise you that things change whether you like it or not. Those new fangled lights were never going to replace those whale oil lamps, were they? A car's name doesn't mean anything, except to people stupid enough to believe the car company's advertising.
@@jsh454 You're not that much older than me, and I know that cars names DO mean something, at least if a car has been built for decades. When a car has been built for over fifty years, as the Mustang has been, the name means something because it's got history and heritage. When an automaker decides to use that name for something else it lessens... cheapens the name. A prime example is the Cadillac Cimarron. That four wheeled disaster cheapened the Cadillac brand and I'm not sure it's ever really recovered.
My second car I owned during H.S. days was a 1975 Mustang II Hatchback 2.8 L V-6 4-speed manual, power steering and brakes, metallic copper with tan cloth and vinyl interior. It actually was a fun car to drive and I never had any problems with the car. In fact three of us buds drove from Ann Arbor, Mi to Ft. Lauderdale for spring break, we took turns driving, put the back sheet down and one slept while the others drove and shotgunned. Definitely fond memories of my Mustang and friends.
These cars have never gotten the respect they deserve. Great video. Bought my first one in 1982. Bicentennial white and blue '76 Cobra II. That package is still a head turner and now a classic. Still a chick magnet too. Handled like a dream and saved my ass many times, being able to stay on the roadway when my rowdy young lead foot got the best of me. The 4 cyl / 4 spd was under powered in that one though, especially choked down with all that new emissions crap, smog pump, and A/C to boot. If I remember correctly it was only rated at 95 hp from the factory. Rebuilt it with a new intake, carb, and a header with duals. Helped some but it was still a 4 banger... In about '86 I found a yellow and black '76 with the 2800 V-6 / 4 spd. Loved that car and it had a lot more power, but still great on gas mileage. Drove that car for over 200,000 miles with zero problems. All I did to it was new brakes, a Cobra II trim package and interior swap (from a black & gold '78), and custom dual exhaust. In '93 I found another white & blue Cobra with a V8 4 spd finally! Was built to the hilt, with bored block, older high compression heads, hi lift Crane cam, 600 Holly and Edelbrock intake, double roller timing chain, and headers -w- duals Thrush Turbo mufflers. Steel braided wires, lines, & hoses, and those black crinkle cut Cobra valve covers made it look really nice. Upgraded front and rear sway bars, Hurst shifter, all new carpet, headliner, and new paint job too. Don't listen to anyone saying those cars have no power, that beast was a screamer! Needs some body work now after a tree fell on it, but I still have all 3 of them and want to put the V6 and V8 cars back on the road one day. Next year will mark 40 years since I drove the first one. Love these cars! I just wish I could get my hands on one I can salvage the T top from and swap out.
disc brakes in the front from the factory, rack and pinion steering, staggered rear shocks, small block drops right in, front and rear sway bars, great looking appearance at least on the cobra, great looking and feeling interior very simple and clean! bad things are the metal used to make them was garbage, the rear gas tank was offset which makes running do exhaust kind of a pain in the ass, the engine is offset, no aftermarket support for anything other than the engine as long as it's a 302 or small block, somewhat weak 8 in rear end! it has it's good and bad points but definitely didn't and doesn't deserve all the hate!
@@edreynolds8721 I recently learned that I need to spend several hundred $$$ on a set of weights to to calibrate my passenger seat airbag so the light will go off.
@@thehopelesscarguy I have seen old pickup trucks with that kind of room. My 63 Falcon with the inline 6 in pretty easy to work on, but no power steering, power brakes, or air conditioning equipment in the way.
@@thehopelesscarguy Yeah, LOL, I guess you are right on. I also admired Kate Jackson's orange Julius in and out 76 Pinto Runabout with a swirly white stripe.
To this day I don't know why many Mustang enthusiasts didn't like the Mustang 2. I had one, a 1978 model and loved it. It had the 4 cylinder engine, so it wasn't exactly a dragster but with the manual 4 speed transmission it was adequately powered. Besides attractive styling, it was comfortable to ride in even on long trips, and handled very well with that rack and pinion steering. It was quite reliable, and fairly easy to fix when anything did require repair. I thing it was built fairly rugged for a small car, as it stood up quite well to the punishment of travelling many rough back roads of Northern Ontario. About all that was missing is it didn't have air conditioning. Periodically one turns up at an antique car cruise night and, because you see so few of them they get a lot of attention from onlookers, myself included. They are now quite a conversation piece.
You want to know why mustang enthusiasts don't care for the mustang 2? Well that's because it's a POS. Does that clear up any confusion you may have now? The mustang 2 was just a pinto dressed up a little better but not by much. I've seem go carts that are faster. We went from Steve McQueen to Farrah Fawcett (Charlie's Angels)
How do you know about the Mustang 2, did you ever own or even drive one? As I said above, the one I had served me very well. It met an untimely end in 1992 when someone hit me. Had that not happened I would have EASILY enjoyed driving it another 4 more years or more as it was so reliable, Yes, it used some of the same parts as the Pinto, but was a more comfortable riding car. That included the same great handling rack and pinion steering. I later had a 1980 Mustang that I liked, but that's another story. As for Charlie's Angels, being one of those rare men we call a heterosexual, I rather admired them. Of course, I also admired their fine Mustang 2. Any more questions? @@rodmoore1577
An important thing to remember is that every generation of the Mustang needs to be measured on its own merits. When the Mustang II arrived in showrooms, most first-gen Mustang drivers were quick to name it a disgrace for the stallion badge because of its significantly smaller size and underpowered engines.
the original Mustang, the 64 1/2, were under powered when they first came out, too. Imagine having a very sporty car that 'barely' got up to highway speed and wasn't Quick. I only need my car to do a bit over the speed limit without breathing hard...not 100 mph. But what my car MUST do is...be Quick...that will get you out of a lot of SUDDEN tight spots you find yourself in. If I stomp on the gas peddle, that car should GET before we both become scrap.
My first car was a Mustang II that was two years old at the time, it was a well equipped car even if it wasn't the three door hatch version that I preferred. After two years, maintenance became an issue including replacing the timing belt, I later owned a Land Rover and realized that in comparison the Mustang required little maintenance! You're right about the people looking to the imports for more efficiency, it was the only North American car I've owned. Thanks for the video and your perspective.
Thank you. I am not a "Mustang Guy", but I have driven every year from '65 to '88, and although I've never been driven to own one, I do appreciate them.
You can blame GM for giving the world timing belts; they first appeared simultaneously on Vaxhalls and Pontiacs for 1966. But I have to say that nowadays, timing belts last as long as many timing chains, which were often riding on nylon sprockets even in the 1960s.
Agree about the Ghia versions. As I recall, the Ghias were the most popular ones, the ones you'd see most often on the street, in line with consumer trends of the time toward seventies luxury trim like landau roofs, opera windows, and velour upholstery. I had a classmate in the mid-seventies whose parents had a Silver Edition Ghia, silver exterior with "cranberry"-colored (a purplish pinkish red) velour seats, a gorgeous car.
My mother had a mid 70’s Mustang II, my father had a mid 70’s Capri and now I have 1999 SVT Cobra convertible with all the upgrades. Mustangs truly run in my family. 🐎🐎🐎
Although there were grumblings of the change it kept the Mustang alive and evolving Minor tweaks to the chassis also made them handle better as well in seat of the pants feel.
@jim brewer Well, the Maverick coupe was to short, with a V-8 it was to nose heavy to be much of a performer. But they did make a limited tri-carb straight six version that was cool.
The Mustang II was the first mustang that didn't wonder all over the road like a Twin I beam pickup! The suspension in the early Mustang was junk and even worse if they had power steering. I owned early mustangs of every Year from 1965 to 1971 and the one i kept was my 1978 because i feel more attached to it, because I am responsible for the way it performs. i do miss the Styling and performance of My 1970 Mach I, I will never miss the way it wallowed down the road.
First time viewer here. I really enjoyed your presentation on the Mustang 2. You have certainly changed my view of that era of Mustang. Nicely done sir... and well met. I'll be watching. peace clb
Thanks for bring up gross versus net hp. It drives me crazy when people compare 60's to 70's cars output without taking that into account. Although the Mustang II was to have been based on the Pinto's Arizona platform it was so extensively altered, I believe only the trunk pans are the same. Lastly the 1974 Mustang was available with a 302 V8, albeit only from the Ford factories in Mexico.
Thanks. I did a video on the 70's and took a closer comparison to gross vs net. My first Pinto (I've had 2) ended up with many parts salvaged from a friends Mustang II, including the rear axle, but yes, based on, is far from being the same.
It had a longer wheelbase than the Pinto and the front suspension strut rods were attached to an extension of the cross member rather than the unibody. Other than that there was little difference.
@@don2deliver You completely wrong. The Arizona platform was so radically altered for the Mustang that only the trunk pans are interchangeable between it and the Pinto. Very little else is compatible.
@@lunaticfringe8066 I took parts off a Mustang II that was headed to the junkyard and put them on my Pinto and bolted up my more worn parts back on the Mustang. I swapped control arms brakes and a motor mount. If I had more time and energy I would have checked to see if I could swap the rear. The only suspension difference was the lenght and bend of the strut rod. Of course the body panels were different, they had a different shape and wheelbase than the Pinto.
I recently bought a 78 cobra, original engine, original interior, but she lost her paint over the years and needs to be redone. I have a 2+2 with t-tops hatchback so I attribute my liking if the body style to the longer body. She’s old and needs a bit of fixes but she still runs just fine, and I’m not ashamed to say I love it
Quite true! I had a friend whose first car in 1977 was a 6 cylinder 65. I loved that car and always wanted one. My only Mustang was a 73 and I loved it! But my big love was my cousin's '74 that he got while in the navy. It sat in his parents driveway while he was at sea, and I got to start it up every now and then and just sit in it and dream.
I remembered my colleague having 1 with the 302 2v auto. That car was able to do burnouts just bc. But, @ hi speeds it would get scary. It was pretty cramped inside. The power steering was way overboosted. But, compared to my car, ('78 L82 4spd vette) his was like a limo. He lost it to theft. He loved his 1st brand new car. (78). 3weeks l8r the insurance labeled it a total loss. We all felt bad. But, it was very reliable. Gr8 gas mileage for a V-8. Live & Learn. Gr8 & informative video, thanks
You are dead right in saying that it was a refurbished Pinto under that body aside from the toilet seat under the front suspension. The rest was a munch nicer Pinto I know I owned one with a 2.3 liter with a hot cam, headers, and an Offenhauser intake Holley 2 barrel carb it was pretty fast for the time. The sway Bars were Mustang and disk brakes direct bolt-on. The toilet seat was not a part easy to put on a Pinto You had to remove the front clip to do that, all in all, a pretty nice setup for 1976. Great video brings back memories. Thank you
I had 2 Mustang II's. I loved them. They were compact, easy to upgrade, had a good punch. Could be an everyday driver, because the mpg was not that bad. 302 was a good motor to upgrade and a 351 would fit in there too
@@thehopelesscarguy At the time I was told the Cleveland was superior so I went with it. That said, sense then I have heard that Windsor turned up faster. Wheter or not that is true I don't know. I do know Chevy always turned up faster, but blew up quicker.
@@thehopelesscarguy Yep, the 70s was a pretty terrible decade for collectible cars, and good riddance to most of them, unless they can be switched to electric power. Ha ha. Compare the original GTO to what it became in the 70s. Good grief, what an ugly tugboat it became.
Always liked the sporty look of these little cars, and since I use my car for transportation and not racing, I don't CARE if it's not actually a performance beast. I'd LOVE to have a Cobra II, it's a nice looking little car.
The biggest problem I had with the Mustang II was the 13" wheels with 4 bolts. The 13" wheels just looked too small and cheap. Even though it was based on the Pinto, I think it would have satisfied more purists if it would have sported 14" or 15" wheels with 5 bolts. The Camaro and the Firebird of the time just looked better with their larger wheels and more aggressive stances. Look at the Cobra at 2:46 - see how small the back tire and wheel look tucked under the fender. If Ford could have found a way to beef up the tires and wheels, it would have been fine.
The early six cylinder Mustangs were also 4 lug and you could often tell one that was hot rodded because it would have 5 lug in the back but the original 4 lugs still in the front. You see it occasionally with the Mustang II as well. I had a friend that put 13 inch wheels from a Corvair on the front of his 65 Barracuda to give it that raked look. Of course wheel and tire upgrades are easy and common but you know somebody will always over do it. I'm sure if I googled "donked Mustang II" I would find at least one example, but maybe not.
My first car was a Mustang II. And I loved it to this day. It was one of my favorite cars. It was probably because it was the first, but I have owned 23 Mustangs over my lifetime. I had a 1977 Mustang coup 2.7L V6.
I’ve always loved the mustang ll and I also love every Mustang I absolutely think every model is beautiful and legendary to me any mustang as long is well equipped especially T-Top ones are my favourite and Saleen are top class too , thank you for the video .
I’ve loved ALL Mustangs throughout my existence. Whether it’s Steve McQueen, Farrah Fawcett, Michael Douglas or Robocop driving one. I love them all. 🐎🐎🐎🐎
You bring up very good points on the Mustang II. I was about 13 years old when they came on the scene and I do remember having so many mixed feelings. I was afraid all cars were going to look like Toys and some did well into the 80’s. I did like the Ghia Look on the Mustang II. The Marketing was affective.
Thanks. Perspective make a big difference. One of my dads friends bought a new Mustang II King Cobra (Blue on White) while our elderly neighbor had a Green 65 notchback with wire wheel hubcaps and whitewall tires. Naturally, as a kid I was more taken in by all the scoops and stripes and fancy wheels.
You should have mentioned all of the modifications that we're done to the pinto platform , after they had gone over everything it was nothing like the original setup- they stretched and reconfigured the falcon platform too when they were designing the first mustang so it is a much better offering than the base pinto underpinnings and with all of the restomod parts you can have a lot of fun making this relatively light car go!
I agree, now their making it a mach- e which is a really fast ass Ford but l do not like it being a 4-door? it also needs to be reconfigured with a longer hood and 2 less doors because it has the cool fastback roofline but it just has that me too design look to it that every other automobile seems to have so can't say that Lee would have green lighted this rendering if he was still running Ford but they will probably sell hundreds of thousands anyway just based on it's performance( is it any wonder why nobody as excited to go to an international auto show anymore, the last time l saw something l thought was new and cool was the Lincoln navigator and this was 1998 ) since then no coupes or anything other than 4 wheel drive station wagons and toasters on wheels and super exotics that only the elites would ever afford !
All I remember about my brand new II was that the T-top leaked, the engine leaked oil and the rear bumper was 1/2 inch out of level. I was told the bumper was within spec, the leaks were within spec and they never could repair the T-top correctly, although they did replace the upholstery. I couldn't dump that car fast enough and I haven't purchased a Ford since.
The quality of the big 3 was pretty awful in the 1970s. I graduated from college and bought a new Mustang II(which I still have). Came from the factory with a bent axle and was repaired at the dealership before I got it. I can also tell you horror stories about friends who bought from the GM and Chrysler during the same time. My first boss and a co-worker bought Toyota Celica's and had no problems. This is how the Japanese got into the US car marker and the US manufacturers were to blame.
Thanks for this vid. A good friend of mine bought a used Mustang II fastback in Red with a 302 V8 and 4 spd. trans. It sounded amazing and had some go for itstime. Wonder how many V8 Mustang IIs Ford sold? I do not see these very often. Were these Mustang II V8s with the 302 rare? It was a ton of fun cruzing the streets of Richmond VA in the early 80s.
I knew a poor guy that had 2 so that should tell you they were common. Both were bought with the same driveability symptom, but each had a different cause.
My first car was a 1974 Mustang II hatchback in Saddle Tan Metallic (aka Brown) with the 2.3l four cylinder that I bought used in 1978. It was a heavy car for a four banger. That was one of the years that Ford was using bad steel in their cars - there were lots of occlusions in the body metal - contributing to rapid rust out. I am glad to see that you have brought the Mustang II from being considered as "one of the worst cars ever made" which I run across on the internet - usually written by someone who has no knowledge of the cars they are writing about. Thanks.
I sold by 1970 Mustang Cobra Jet to get a brand new 74' Mach 1 Mustang. At first, I hated the looks of the Mustang II, and I can't tell you why that changed. 2:04 That's what mine looked like. I would take it to the strip and turn in a "lap" that was 1 second quicker then what Hot Rod Magazine did, and I could take it to about 105mph on the highway, but was more versatile than you think. I also had a Honda ATC 90 that needed hauled around. No problem, I just carried it in the back of my Mustang. Just back the ATC up to the rear bumper, lower the back seat, open the hatch,, go in the back, take a hold of the grab bar on the ATC, and lift it up to hook on the opening. Then go out side and lift the front up, rolling it until the front wheel dropped inside the back. I couldn't shut the hatch, but I didn't need to, plus it was in there snug enough it didn't need to be strapped down. Boy, did I get looks going down the road. Drawbacks? If you left your hand on the shifter while in first or second it would wear out the fork inside the tranny, and it came with faulty Firestone 500 radials. The cords were so bad that it driving at 20mph down a smooth street felt like it had bumps everywhere.
A friend of mine drove a 70 Mustang in High School and later got a Mustang II Ghia Coupe ( I don't recall the precise year ) that he swore was a much better car. Who was I to argue.
I had a 1977 ford Pinto I bought in 1978 and I fixed up the suspension by adding Bilstein shocks, front and rear anti-roll bars and wider wheels and radial tires. I thought it was a really nice looking car and with the suspension mods it handled really well. But it was slow with a four speed manual and the 2.3 engine and I didn't do any engine mods.
Thank you for doing this video and setting the record straight. I loved the Mustang II when it came out, and I still do. I remember some of my friends back then (who were muscle car purists) deriding the II and becoming Camaro or Firebird fans. I personally hated the Camaro/Firebird bodies, not to mention the fact that they guzzled gas like crazy. The II was pretty, comfortable and efficient ... all of which mattered back then. And today, when I see one, I have only good memories.
My first "toy car" was a '77 coupe that had a 302/4 speed. I had a mildly hotter than stock motor ,and went through a few transmissions. This was '87 and it was faster than a stock 5.0 foxbody of the same era. The stock 4 speeds were like glass. I made a wide ratio top loader fit . Changing the sleepy rear end gears made all the difference in the world.
My buddy had one. It was a fun, peppy car (even with the 4 cylinder) but handled like a slot car. In my opinion better than some the fox bodied cars. When we finally blew it up we cut the front suspension out of it and put it under a 36 Ford hot rod! Good times.
My best friend from high school had a 74 with a 2.3 when it blew up we already had a 5.0 built waiting to go in it. Made a 15.90 car go 11.40's with a 100 shot of an OG Nitrous Oxide System from Scott & Mike out of Cypress, Ca! ✌
Beautiful car. I had a friend - he put a perf. Cam and 12 to one pistons in his stang 2 , with a built c4 and low gears he made 120 mpg in mid gear!! That's it. ..
Please tell me where he got the high enough octane(pre-ignition) fuel to run 12 to 1(compression ratio) pistons? I had to use high octain aviation leaded gasoline from the local airport in my '70 Mach1 428c.i Cobra Jet 'Drag Pack' with 10.6 to 1 pistons that i had to put into 5 gal. military 'jerry' because aviation gasoline had no 'road tax' that was applied to fuel sold at your common gas stations.
Dodge has a big of history of making small performance cars that get no respect from either fans of American cars or fans of imports. It's not a V8 RWD so it isn't Murican and import fans couldn't admit an import fighter might have won. Too much like an import but from an American company means no love? Well, not no love, there are GLH clubs and such.
Everyone needs to remember- this was the 70's- a time of drastically detuned cars. Big V8's were no stronger than many small engines. The Mustang II was light by comparison so a small engine worked. I wanted one in the worst way...
My dad bought the first year of the Mustang II, a 1974 2 door coupe, white with a dark blue vinyl top, 2.8 litre six , 4 speed and factory air. He gave it to me in 1979 when I changed jobs and lost a company car. The Mustang was very reliable, and my wrenchhead buddy who taught me everything about cars, made carburetor and timing modificaitons almost from the day my dad took delivery, that seemingly boosted response by about 25 horsepower and made it much more fun to drive. I ran it up to 200K miles. A/C never gave us trouble. The valves needed to be manually adjusted periodically, and my friend did a great job. The engine was gutsy but quiet. Pet peeves....the six was very torquey, but the gearing was ridiculous. At 60 mphin 4th gear, the engine was roaring at 3,000 RPM. The set up begged for a 5th gear for high speed cruising at lower RPM's. I always considered that a cheap move by Ford at the time.. Also, the syncros gave us occasional trouble from the start, with palm-zapping gear clashing when you least expected it. We never had that fixed, just drove it carefully over its life. I loved the rack and pinion steering...very precise. All in all a good car that never let us down. That german v-6 in particular was a terrific engine. Very stout. Never burned oil.
Nice. Makes me wonder if it was an optional gear ratio. I too have found those 4-speeds to be a bit clumsy at times, but they were decent drivers for a car of that size and time.
@@thehopelesscarguy I know my dad had ordered the Mustang (and traded in his '70 lincoln Continental 4 dr immediately, because at the time I had a company car and he drove my 68 Galaxie during the interim...which I later sold and regretted...great car as well), which was unwittingly brilliant, because the first oil embargo hit after he traded it and there was no way the dealer would have taken that land yacht if he had waited. If there had been a lower axle ratio as a choice, the car would have been so much more pleasing to drive on the highway.
@@BillofRights1951 I know there were different ratios for the mustang II, but I don't know that you got an option with the V6. As the original performance option you would think so.
They were hated and resented both at the time and later on for different reasons. But surprisingly, only by a certain segment. There were others who loved them because they filled the exact same gap that the original one did. Many of us muscle car guys failed to see that. Why did we hate it so much? Well, you have to understand the feeling and the general atmosphere at the time. We had gotten used to big performance and thought it'd be around forever. Then it started to go away. In '74, we had a Mustang with no V8 while only 4 scant years before that, we could get 428 Cobra Jets. Also that same year, you could still buy 'Cudas and Challengers with 360s, Camaros with 350s, Javelins with 401s and Trans Ams with 455HOs! A lot of guys were very bitter about what was happening in the car world and this decaled up, glorified Pinto was the very embodiment of that. It never really stood a chance. It absorbed the hatred and bitterness we were all feeling towards the whole car scene at the time. It did save the Mustang model but it wasn't until years or even decades after that we came to realize that. Once the Fox bodies came along and performance started to go up again, we couldn't wait to send these things to the dump! They represented a bad time and we wanted to see the end of them. Today, it's a different story. There are so few of them left in good shape that they've become a real novelty. I was in a Mustang club for 15 years and at any of our shows, we'd have all the classics and more Fox bodies than you could count but the ones which always drew the crowds were the little Mustang IIs.
I traded my '74 Plymouth Fury ex-police car in on a '74 Mustang II hatchback. There wasn't a chance in the world that 2.3 was gonna run anything like that 440 did. But it could squeal the tires going into second even with the automatic trans in it. Sure was a fun little car though.
I had a 76 Cobra 2 2.8. black and gold. Only the smog stuff got gone but dead stock Automatic. Then I got the 78 Black King Cobra. I I eventually put a 68 289 Cali GT motor. Eagle 1 headers TRW Cam. Dual point distributor, and topped off a Edelbrock torker intake and a dual feed double pump Holly 800. It only lost one street race which I participated in every chance I got at a stoplight LOL. The only thing that beat me was a 427 El Camino and that was in a top end deal. I got him out of the hole. Surprise me when he passed me at about 120 he just went. LOL but yeah my little cobra was nasty. I kept tearing the synchronizers out of the shifters. I took on and beat all Smokey and the bandits I could find.
My best friends sister had one when i was in 9th grade ( 1979) it had a 4 speed v -6 she let me drive it thats how i learned to drive a standard shift on the road.
A good and interesting take. Iacocca was right when he said the Mustang was no longer a horse but a fat pig. While some of those big Mustangs are great looking they are all that was wrong with Detroit cars. The II was one of the most right cars for the time. A sad time, but they were right.
When I first met my new girlfriend/to be wife I had a 2000cc Pinto she a '77 Mustang II her kids named Pickle (It was green) true to form they named my Pinto Pumpkin because it was orange 😅 Handling - like rails Easy to work on, once you realized some shit on the II was Metric ! Both Pinto and Mustang II served us well . In a way wish we still had them.
I remember at the time consumer magazine car reviewers debating whether to categorize the Mustang II as a performance car or as a non-performance subcompact like the Pinto and Vega.
In 1974 people were questioning the performance of a lot of cars, after the addition of catalytic converters and 5mph bumpers and such. Loosing 15hp and gaining a couple of hundred lbs at the same time can be noticeable.
I had a 74 Mustang ll Mach I V6, 4 speed. For the era, it was reasonably quick, comfortable and easier on gas and more dependable than the 74 350 2bbl Automatic Camaro I had previously. I'd like another one just like it.
You forgot to mention the fact that the Mustang II had the best front suspension/steering design of ANY Mustang . . . ever, including today's models (stupid MacPherson struts, yecchh). That front suspension is the go-to for hot rodding and vintage muscle cars regardless of brand. The Pinto chassis was heavily modified for the MII, and the front suspension was attached to a subframe bolted to the body for reduced NVH, while in the Pinto it was attached directly to the body structure. Agreed, the MII deserves a lot more love.
@@thehopelesscarguy what I liked about the video is you pointed out the truth! That these Mustangs were good performance cars!! And that they were quicker than people give them credit for!! I love that!!
@@georgeferrier9461 Thanks. One of my objectives for this channel is to question popular opinion and the Mustang II a car that often gets treated unfairly.
I admire the balls it took to change the way it did and the V8s were respectable red light to red light cars without spending $40 on gas to run one. I still own a 1983 GT with a 302 4bbl tremec 5 speed and I never put up the backseat its black carpet from the buckets to the taillights. That little beast is basically an engine with bucket seats bolted to it, wicked fun to drive and she can take care of herself red light to red light. I admit though that I tried to reach 140 mph cause speedometer says that much and at 132 I almost got killed front end got light and squirrelly and I almost didn't get it back, lol, I sweat a few bullets that day.
I owned a Mustang II, MPG, hatchback - with the 2.3 liter and 4 speed. At approx. 44,000 miles the engine started knocking, because the piston cylinders were wearing (into an oval shape) due to inadequate upper cylinder oil lubrication. It had very poor acceleration, for passing. Its only benefit was mileage. At 44,000 I spent over $500 to get the engine rebuilt. This rebuild lasted to 86,000 miles, when it started knocking again. At the same time the trans gear synchronizers started to go. I checked with a garage and they wanted $400 to check it out. By the time I got rid of it at 55mph on the freeway going up a hill I had to floor it, to maintain the 55mph. When I left it as a trade in the compression was so bad it wouldn't start. I know what you're thinking, I abused it. Wrong, the miles were mostly highway miles at 55mph.
Interesting how different people can have so different experiences. I had a 2.3 Pinto wagon and it was still going strong at 200,000 miles. Although neither the transmission or the rear end lasted that long.
I bought a '75 Ghia coupe in '91. Already had a 302 in it. i blew that up and built up another one out of a van. I put all the goodies on the drive train and it ripped. Blew fox body 5.0s away all the time.
They were nice looking cars and had nice lines ...but ...as I recall...the plugs on the V8 could only be changed by unbolting one motor mount at a time to slightly move the motor over to gain access to the rear plugs. I could see with a little bit of work, the V8's could be a lot faster ...and the brakes and suspension were way better than it's forgotten rival...the V8 Chevy Monza.
I like the Mustang II well enough, particularly the fastback/hatchback cars. The one reservation I have is that the '79 Mustang (shortened Fox **platform**, "body" is a GM term and Ford NEVER made a Fox "body" of anything) is simply lighter even though it's a little larger.
@@thehopelesscarguy , and with the 302HO of 1982 the Mustang finally seemed to be "back on track". But I do respect that Mustang II kept the name alive, and now we have the S550 generation and hard at work on S650 after that.
@@thehopelesscarguy , haha! I'm a Ford engineer on Mustang programs and I had a 2014 Mustang (S197) Premium V6 Coupe for 7 years. I figured 300+ Hp was enough for a commuter through Detroit to Dearborn daily. Also, there was actually space under the hood to reach things for maintenance. I just made sure to find one with the Pony Package so I got the GT's 3.31 axle ratio, it helped make up some of the difference. It was just right, I loved it.
I prefer the looks of the Maverick, but the Mustang II did have a few new things to offer, like rack and pinion steering. Maybe if they had kept the wheelbase. I have owned a number of Fairmonts and Fox body Mustangs. After trying in vain to road race them I grew frustrated and switched to BMWs and Mazdas.
The Maverick feels like it is going faster than a Mustang II, but it is mostly because the ride and handling are so . . . sloppy, at least on a V8 Maverick.
Read about that Pinto drag car with the offset scoop: Turbocharged 2.0L OHC engine w/draw-through carb, churnin' 306-hp and taking the class across the board! Too-bad the cam was too radical for the street, because option of such an engine in even 200-205 horsepower trim would've helped the Pinto-'Stang in sales immensely, and that would've helped push the "hot hatch" movement in America well-before the Volkwagen Golf GTI debut. But, the one thing that would've made that possible (EFI) wouldn't be seen by any American automobile manufacturer for several years. And when it was, they tried to kill/quash it... to spare the image of the 200-hp 5.0L V-8 offered at the time. :\ Oh-well... at least they didn't allow it to become a Mazda-based coupe, just to follow suit of Chrysler's success with their FWD lineup, respectively! ;)
Ford did time it perfectly or the fuel crisis.The 1974 auto show at the Hampton Coliseum in VA. was where a canary yellow 74 Mustang was on display and it looked like a Pinto with a mustang in the grille ! I was foolish enough to look under the hood and it was a tangle of vacuum lines and under there somewhere was a 2.3 four cylinder motor!
The 641/2 (65) Mustang as introduced in April 1964 was available with the 170 six (the standard powerplant) the 260 V8 (4.2) and the 289 (4.7) V8 in three versions- the C code with a 2V single exhaust and 8.5 compression at 195hp, the A code with a 4v, dual exhaust and9.5 compression at 210 hp, and the K code with a 4v, dual exhaust, 10.5 compression, a solid cam and 271 hp. Your report makes it sound life the 260 was the only V8. The Mustang II started with ONLY the 2.3 four cylinder and the 2.8 V6. They were nice cars at the time but they did not carry on the Mustang as a performance car. The Pinto was equal in performance. Technically you could buy a Falcon in 1964 with the same engines as the Mustang but if it happened they are extremely rare.
Although the Pinto would be available with the V6 it wouldn't be until later, after the V8 had returned to the Mustang. My understanding was that the 289 was not available at the Mustangs initial release in April of 1964. Even it if was, we are still comparing gross to net hp figures and the Mustang was hardly the performance car it would become.
@@thehopelesscarguy From Motor Trend Magazine April 17, 2013 "These cars - billed as "1964.5 Mustangs" by Ford but technically date-coded as '65s, were available in coupe, and convertible forms. Engine choices largely mirrored the Falcon - a base 170-cubic-inch I-6 with 101 hp; a 164-hp, 260-cubic-inch V-8; and a 210-hp, 289-cubic-inch V-8. A high-performance 289, offering 271 hp, was added to the Mustang lineup in June of '64." Besides that in April 1964, a parent of a friend from school, Renee Ward, bought a Mustang from the local FOrd Agency which had a 289 and a 3 speed auto. I know because I looked under the hood. THe car was gold with a white top. The engine was black with gold rocker covers and air cleaner.
@@thehopelesscarguy Not sure what you read- it states the Hi-Po 289 was released in June. The C-code and A Code 289s were there from the beginning. With just a little looking I found a Car & Driver article from May 1964 on the Mustang and they road tested a 289 Mustang.
@@timmccreery6597 What I said was that the v8 in the Mustang II was only a 302 but it was still bigger and more powerful than what the Mustang offered at introduction. And that a 260 Mustang was not quicker. Even IF the 210 gross hp 289 was available at introduction in May, it was neither bigger nor was its NET hp rating higher than a V8 Mustang II. So the point still stands, even it it shaved a tenth or two off. Saying the 289 Hi-Po came out 2 months later doesn't contradict that. I think it is safe to say your point is that you see the earlier mustang as sportier, and you are not alone in that.
The Mustang ll was the perfect car to carry Ford over from the bloated, oversized 1972 Torino based mess to the sensible Fox platform. My favorite is still the 1979 model.
The thing I hated the most was the steering wheel, it was too big and not adjustable. If you were in the drivers seat, and you tried to bring your legs together, you couldn't. The wheel hung down too low. The wheel wells were also too small and low. Hard to put bigger wheels/tires on without looking weird.
....My soon to be wife..back when...had a Mustang II when we met. At this time, it was only nine/ten years old It was a good looking car. Hers was copper with a white vinyl Lando roof.... ....HOWEVER...at the time, we didn't know it, but the engine was Dying. The cam shaft was wearing out and it became slower and slower. It was 'o-k-ish for the city streets where our college was, but her Home was about 20 miles away and if we put it on the Interstate...the fastest way for her to get to her home...would have been Suicide. ....So we took 'the back roads'. When she couldn't get past 25MPH...it was beyond time to take it a mechanic. ....I guess because her Mustang II was the only one I had encountered on a personal basis, it kinda set my mind about them. "If Hers is crap, then they're All are Crap." thought was embedded in my brain. But...from what little I know of the Mustang II, I have to say that 'putting the engine problem aside" What I Really Don't Like about the Mustang II is....The Grill. Not the shape of the grill..but the squires IN The Grill. It looked like no one put any effort into designing that part...and Ford kept using it!!! They started putting it on other Mustangs, the Granada, the Pinto.. I think Ford Motor Co. was trying to use it as a "Signature". Just like how Many Pontiacs have that pointed nose...That was one of Their 'Signature' things. ....And that Ford Motor, Co...making the squire grill their Signature. If I could have changed her car's grill, I would have. ....Those are my two complaints about the Mustang II...and while I liked the side scoops as you call then, to me...it wasn't 'sharp'...it looked like it might have been an after thought. Some one was trying to 'Style' and...to Me...failed miserably. Maybe if they had added 'Fingers' across the scoops like on the '66 Mustang....Yeah...if I got a Mustang II...I would change the engine, the metal pressed 'Scoops' and grill. Get the grill material from the '73 or '66 Mustangs and do it...maybe put in Maverick Grabber turn lights as well...I didn't like those either. .....Thank you for letting me ramble and complain. Rock on, HCG....rock on.
I don't think I've ever had a car that I wouldn't have changed anything on, presuming I had the time, money and skill. My experiences with the Mustang II have been both good and bad, and although it is far from my favorite Mustang, I've also had some pretty bad experiences with some supposedly superior Mustangs. I don't think Fords like me.
I have owned a lot of Pintos and love them. I currently own and drive a 1972 Squire wagon with the 2.0L/4 speed. I also love the Mustang II, but finding decent Pintos is hard enough. Finding a Mustang II is impossible. They have finally became collector cars. Unfortunately, like most of the Pintos, the Mustang IIs wound up getting crushed. The most hated Mustang for me is the Fox Body. It is disgustingly ugly, and no amount of engine or handling performance can make up for that. It is without a doubt the ugliest car Ford has ever sold in the U.S. The Mustang had always been a gorgeous looking car, from the very beginning through 1978, when it did a complete reversal (Despite it's size, I thought the 1971-1973 Mach 1 was one of the most beautiful cars ever made) The Fox Body looked liked it was made out of a cut and folded cereal box. The 1994 Mustang was a dramatic improvement, but the Mustang did not look like a Mustang again until 2005. Then they messed it up yet again in 2015, and it has been getting steadily worse. Sadly the newer Mustangs became a victim of the "donk" craze, with huge ugly wheels (reehuums in ghetto speak, which is where they originally came from) with no real tires on them. I own a 2003 Mustang, with a V6/auto, in bright yellow. I am not really a fan of this iteration of the Mustang, but I'm a Ford guy, and I was looking for a 2 door, rear wheel drive, solid rear axle American car at a reasonable price. The Mustang was my only real choice. The '05 and up was more my style, but quite a bit more expensive, and I do not like the chain driven OHC V6 engine used in those cars. And a really nice low mileage '03 turned up at a great price. I have been very happy with it for the past 3 years. I've grown to like it more than I originally did. My neighbor has a late model Subaru BRZ, and I think my '03 Mustang looks a lot better.
This deserves more respect. At least it is still a mustang, much more of a mustang than a "mustang" mach e
Someday Mustang fans will be insisting the Mach-E was more of a real Mustang than their next least favourite Mustang.
Agreed.
@@skaldlouiscyphre2453 I doubt it, a four door Mexican SUV can never be a real Mustang.
I'm 68 years old and I can promise you that things change whether you like it or not. Those new fangled lights were never going to replace those whale oil lamps, were they? A car's name doesn't mean anything, except to people stupid enough to believe the car company's advertising.
@@jsh454 You're not that much older than me, and I know that cars names DO mean something, at least if a car has been built for decades. When a car has been built for over fifty years, as the Mustang has been, the name means something because it's got history and heritage.
When an automaker decides to use that name for something else it lessens... cheapens the name. A prime example is the Cadillac Cimarron. That four wheeled disaster cheapened the Cadillac brand and I'm not sure it's ever really recovered.
My second car I owned during H.S. days was a 1975 Mustang II Hatchback 2.8 L V-6 4-speed manual, power steering and brakes, metallic copper with tan cloth and vinyl interior. It actually was a fun car to drive and I never had any problems with the car. In fact three of us buds drove from Ann Arbor, Mi to Ft. Lauderdale for spring break, we took turns driving, put the back sheet down and one slept while the others drove and shotgunned. Definitely fond memories of my Mustang and friends.
Nice. Thanks for sharing.
These cars have never gotten the respect they deserve. Great video. Bought my first one in 1982. Bicentennial white and blue '76 Cobra II. That package is still a head turner and now a classic. Still a chick magnet too. Handled like a dream and saved my ass many times, being able to stay on the roadway when my rowdy young lead foot got the best of me. The 4 cyl / 4 spd was under powered in that one though, especially choked down with all that new emissions crap, smog pump, and A/C to boot. If I remember correctly it was only rated at 95 hp from the factory. Rebuilt it with a new intake, carb, and a header with duals. Helped some but it was still a 4 banger... In about '86 I found a yellow and black '76 with the 2800 V-6 / 4 spd. Loved that car and it had a lot more power, but still great on gas mileage. Drove that car for over 200,000 miles with zero problems. All I did to it was new brakes, a Cobra II trim package and interior swap (from a black & gold '78), and custom dual exhaust. In '93 I found another white & blue Cobra with a V8 4 spd finally! Was built to the hilt, with bored block, older high compression heads, hi lift Crane cam, 600 Holly and Edelbrock intake, double roller timing chain, and headers -w- duals Thrush Turbo mufflers. Steel braided wires, lines, & hoses, and those black crinkle cut Cobra valve covers made it look really nice. Upgraded front and rear sway bars, Hurst shifter, all new carpet, headliner, and new paint job too. Don't listen to anyone saying those cars have no power, that beast was a screamer! Needs some body work now after a tree fell on it, but I still have all 3 of them and want to put the V6 and V8 cars back on the road one day. Next year will mark 40 years since I drove the first one. Love these cars! I just wish I could get my hands on one I can salvage the T top from and swap out.
Nice trifecta.
You willing to sell one of those?
I loved my Mustang II. I had a 1978 Cobra II, with a 5.0 and a manual transmission. It was a fun car.
Of course it was.
One thing about the Mustang II legacy: The "Mustang II type front suspension" is now considered as standard on almost all street rods.
Yes, no longer salvaged, but manufactured specifically for hot rods.
True- but that's the ONLY thing!
disc brakes in the front from the factory, rack and pinion steering, staggered rear shocks, small block drops right in, front and rear sway bars, great looking appearance at least on the cobra, great looking and feeling interior very simple and clean! bad things are the metal used to make them was garbage, the rear gas tank was offset which makes running do exhaust kind of a pain in the ass, the engine is offset, no aftermarket support for anything other than the engine as long as it's a 302 or small block, somewhat weak 8 in rear end! it has it's good and bad points but definitely didn't and doesn't deserve all the hate!
I had a 78 Mustang II with the 2.8 and a 4 speed. It was a fun little car. Also easy to work on. I hate working on a modern car.
Modern cars aren't meant to be worked on. Engines can't be rebuilt and parts quickly become unavailable.
@@edreynolds8721 I recently learned that I need to spend several hundred $$$ on a set of weights to to calibrate my passenger seat airbag so the light will go off.
Because mine has a V-8 stuffed into it, it is not that easy to work on. Much easier than a new, front wheel drive car though.
@@pattyeverett2826 Big old cars are much easier to work on. My 65 D100 you could actually sit beside the engine and work on it.
@@thehopelesscarguy I have seen old pickup trucks with that kind of room. My 63 Falcon with the inline 6 in pretty easy to work on, but no power steering, power brakes, or air conditioning equipment in the way.
I liked the Mustang II because Farrah Fawcett and Jaclyn Smith both drove these on "Charlie's Angels."
The sign of a true car guy, looking past Farrah Fawcett to see what she's driving.
@@thehopelesscarguy Yeah, LOL, I guess you are right on. I also admired Kate Jackson's orange Julius in and out 76 Pinto Runabout with a swirly white stripe.
@@ryanfgrantjr3009 See, now I have to go back and look. All I remember is Barnaby Jones getting a new LTD every year.
@@thehopelesscarguy Or Frank Cannon with his block long Lincoln Continental Mark III an IV.
@@HFX1955 Or seeing a Malibu or Coronet in CHiPs and knowing a car crash was coming.
To this day I don't know why many Mustang enthusiasts didn't like the Mustang 2. I had one, a 1978 model and loved it. It had the 4 cylinder engine, so it wasn't exactly a dragster but with the manual 4 speed transmission it was adequately powered. Besides attractive styling, it was comfortable to ride in even on long trips, and handled very well with that rack and pinion steering. It was quite reliable, and fairly easy to fix when anything did require repair. I thing it was built fairly rugged for a small car, as it stood up quite well to the punishment of travelling many rough back roads of Northern Ontario. About all that was missing is it didn't have air conditioning.
Periodically one turns up at an antique car cruise night and, because you see so few of them they get a lot of attention from onlookers, myself included. They are now quite a conversation piece.
Another few years and they may actually start getting respect again.
You want to know why mustang enthusiasts don't care for the mustang 2? Well that's because it's a POS. Does that clear up any confusion you may have now? The mustang 2 was just a pinto dressed up a little better but not by much. I've seem go carts that are faster. We went from Steve McQueen to Farrah Fawcett (Charlie's Angels)
How do you know about the Mustang 2, did you ever own or even drive one? As I said above, the one I had served me very well. It met an untimely end in 1992 when someone hit me. Had that not happened I would have EASILY enjoyed driving it another 4 more years or more as it was so reliable, Yes, it used some of the same parts as the Pinto, but was a more comfortable riding car. That included the same great handling rack and pinion steering. I later had a 1980 Mustang that I liked, but that's another story. As for Charlie's Angels, being one of those rare men we call a heterosexual, I rather admired them. Of course, I also admired their fine Mustang 2. Any more questions? @@rodmoore1577
Yes I did have one and it was a POS! Glad you enjoyed yours.
@@Abitibidoug Yes I did own one. Hated it!
I bought a new '76 Mustang II. I loved that car. A good all around car for me at that time.
They were very well liked at the time.
An important thing to remember is that every generation of the Mustang needs to be measured on its own merits. When the Mustang II arrived in showrooms, most first-gen Mustang drivers were quick to name it a disgrace for the stallion badge because of its significantly smaller size and underpowered engines.
And yet sales climbed dramatically.
the original Mustang, the 64 1/2, were under powered when they first came out, too.
Imagine having a very sporty car that 'barely' got up to highway speed and wasn't Quick.
I only need my car to do a bit over the speed limit without breathing hard...not 100 mph.
But what my car MUST do is...be Quick...that will get you out of a lot of SUDDEN tight spots you find yourself in.
If I stomp on the gas peddle, that car should GET before we both become scrap.
My first car was a Mustang II that was two years old at the time, it was a well equipped car even if it wasn't the three door hatch version that I preferred. After two years, maintenance became an issue including replacing the timing belt, I later owned a Land Rover and realized that in comparison the Mustang required little maintenance! You're right about the people looking to the imports for more efficiency, it was the only North American car I've owned. Thanks for the video and your perspective.
Thank you. I am not a "Mustang Guy", but I have driven every year from '65 to '88, and although I've never been driven to own one, I do appreciate them.
You had a Land Rover. Big mistake 🤣
@@garrisonnichols7372 You're right, 10K on the odometer, 8.5K of which was driven in the shop!
You can blame GM for giving the world timing belts; they first appeared simultaneously on Vaxhalls and Pontiacs for 1966. But I have to say that nowadays, timing belts last as long as many timing chains, which were often riding on nylon sprockets even in the 1960s.
@@pcno2832 Hate those nylon gears, pullers would break them off in chunks, and when a chain lets loose, it tends to take chunks of metal with it.
I've always held a special place in my heart for the Ford Mustang II (especially the 1975-1978 Ghia version), and I'm not ashamed to admit it!
One of my oldest friends bought a Ghia coupe and swore it was better then his '70 coupe in every way.
Agree about the Ghia versions. As I recall, the Ghias were the most popular ones, the ones you'd see most often on the street, in line with consumer trends of the time toward seventies luxury trim like landau roofs, opera windows, and velour upholstery. I had a classmate in the mid-seventies whose parents had a Silver Edition Ghia, silver exterior with "cranberry"-colored (a purplish pinkish red) velour seats, a gorgeous car.
My mother had a mid 70’s Mustang II, my father had a mid 70’s Capri and now I have 1999 SVT Cobra convertible with all the upgrades. Mustangs truly run in my family. 🐎🐎🐎
Or gallop even.
Although there were grumblings of the change it kept the Mustang alive and evolving
Minor tweaks to the chassis also made them handle better as well in seat of the pants feel.
Agreed
@jim brewer Well, the Maverick coupe was to short, with a V-8 it was to nose heavy to be much of a performer. But they did make a limited tri-carb straight six version that was cool.
The Mustang II was the first mustang that didn't wonder all over the road like a Twin I beam pickup!
The suspension in the early Mustang was junk and even worse if they had power steering. I owned early mustangs of every Year from 1965 to 1971 and the one i kept was my 1978 because i feel more attached to it, because I am responsible for the way it performs. i do miss the Styling and performance of My 1970 Mach I, I will never miss the way it wallowed down the road.
First time viewer here.
I really enjoyed your presentation on the Mustang 2.
You have certainly changed my view of that era of Mustang.
Nicely done sir... and well met.
I'll be watching.
peace
clb
Thank you.
Thanks for bring up gross versus net hp. It drives me crazy when people compare 60's to 70's cars output without taking that into account. Although the Mustang II was to have been based on the Pinto's Arizona platform it was so extensively altered, I believe only the trunk pans are the same. Lastly the 1974 Mustang was available with a 302 V8, albeit only from the Ford factories in Mexico.
Thanks. I did a video on the 70's and took a closer comparison to gross vs net. My first Pinto (I've had 2) ended up with many parts salvaged from a friends Mustang II, including the rear axle, but yes, based on, is far from being the same.
It had a longer wheelbase than the Pinto and the front suspension strut rods were attached to an extension of the cross member rather than the unibody. Other than that there was little difference.
@@don2deliver You completely wrong. The Arizona platform was so radically altered for the Mustang that only the trunk pans are interchangeable between it and the Pinto. Very little else is compatible.
@@lunaticfringe8066 I took parts off a Mustang II that was headed to the junkyard and put them on my Pinto and bolted up my more worn parts back on the Mustang. I swapped control arms brakes and a motor mount. If I had more time and energy I would have checked to see if I could swap the rear. The only suspension difference was the lenght and bend of the strut rod. Of course the body panels were different, they had a different shape and wheelbase than the Pinto.
I recently bought a 78 cobra, original engine, original interior, but she lost her paint over the years and needs to be redone. I have a 2+2 with t-tops hatchback so I attribute my liking if the body style to the longer body. She’s old and needs a bit of fixes but she still runs just fine, and I’m not ashamed to say I love it
Good on you. It is a classic and should be enjoyed as one.
Quite true! I had a friend whose first car in 1977 was a 6 cylinder 65. I loved that car and always wanted one. My only Mustang was a 73 and I loved it! But my big love was my cousin's '74 that he got while in the navy. It sat in his parents driveway while he was at sea, and I got to start it up every now and then and just sit in it and dream.
Nice
I remembered my colleague having 1 with the 302 2v auto. That car was able to do burnouts just bc. But, @ hi speeds it would get scary. It was pretty cramped inside. The power steering was way overboosted. But, compared to my car, ('78 L82 4spd vette) his was like a limo. He lost it to theft. He loved his 1st brand new car. (78). 3weeks l8r the insurance labeled it a total loss. We all felt bad. But, it was very reliable. Gr8 gas mileage for a V-8. Live & Learn.
Gr8 & informative video, thanks
Thanks. I got so used to those old overboosted power steering cars I'm disappointed when I have to use more than a pinky to turn.
Great video, I was in High School in 1975 and got to drive a 2.8 v6 fastback 2+ 2. Loved it, it was yellow with black trim.
That's cool. I knew a guy with a black and gold Cobra II with the 2.8 and he loved it.
You are dead right in saying that it was a refurbished Pinto under that body aside from the toilet seat under the front suspension. The rest was a munch nicer Pinto I know I owned one with a 2.3 liter with a hot cam, headers, and an Offenhauser intake Holley 2 barrel carb it was pretty fast for the time. The sway Bars were Mustang and disk brakes direct bolt-on. The toilet seat was not a part easy to put on a Pinto You had to remove the front clip to do that, all in all, a pretty nice setup for 1976. Great video brings back memories. Thank you
Thank you.
I had 2 Mustang II's. I loved them. They were compact, easy to upgrade, had a good punch. Could be an everyday driver, because the mpg was not that bad. 302 was a good motor to upgrade and a 351 would fit in there too
One Windsor is as good as another.
@@thehopelesscarguy At the time I was told the Cleveland was superior so I went with it. That said, sense then I have heard that Windsor turned up faster. Wheter or not that is true I don't know. I do know Chevy always turned up faster, but blew up quicker.
@@outdoorlife5396 The Cleveland was torquier but the Windsor was cheaper to build.
Always liked the white/blue '76-'77 Cobra II. But finding a nice one these days is a job.
Cars of this period are getting difficult to find in general.
I agree!!!!
@@thehopelesscarguy Yep, the 70s was a pretty terrible decade for collectible cars, and good riddance to most of them, unless they can be switched to electric power. Ha ha. Compare the original GTO to what it became in the 70s. Good grief, what an ugly tugboat it became.
@@rizzlerazzleuno4733 Most 70's cars are a few aftermarket parts away from being decent, which is more than can be said for most 80s cars.
I've got one. Evansville Indiana. 2.8 4 speed. Mostly original.
Always liked the sporty look of these little cars, and since I use my car for transportation and not racing, I don't CARE if it's not actually a performance beast. I'd LOVE to have a Cobra II, it's a nice looking little car.
I knew a guy that had a V6 Cobra II, and he sure drove it like it was a performance beast.
I think it's the (long) front overhang with these cars I can't (quite) get over. Great video!
Thanks. I think it is safe to say the Wheelbase could have been longer.
The biggest problem I had with the Mustang II was the 13" wheels with 4 bolts. The 13" wheels just looked too small and cheap. Even though it was based on the Pinto, I think it would have satisfied more purists if it would have sported 14" or 15" wheels with 5 bolts. The Camaro and the Firebird of the time just looked better with their larger wheels and more aggressive stances. Look at the Cobra at 2:46 - see how small the back tire and wheel look tucked under the fender. If Ford could have found a way to beef up the tires and wheels, it would have been fine.
The early six cylinder Mustangs were also 4 lug and you could often tell one that was hot rodded because it would have 5 lug in the back but the original 4 lugs still in the front. You see it occasionally with the Mustang II as well.
I had a friend that put 13 inch wheels from a Corvair on the front of his 65 Barracuda to give it that raked look.
Of course wheel and tire upgrades are easy and common but you know somebody will always over do it. I'm sure if I googled "donked Mustang II" I would find at least one example, but maybe not.
I totally agree I have always though the same my friend.... should’ve kept it 5 lugs and 14 or 15 wheels for sure
My first car was a Mustang II. And I loved it to this day. It was one of my favorite cars. It was probably because it was the first, but I have owned 23 Mustangs over my lifetime. I had a 1977 Mustang coup 2.7L V6.
Very informative and you make good points. I've always liked the Mustang II. I have a 2007 California Special with a 5sp. I love it.
Nice
I’ve always loved the mustang ll and I also love every Mustang I absolutely think every model is beautiful and legendary to me any mustang as long is well equipped especially T-Top ones are my favourite and Saleen are top class too , thank you for the video .
Thank you.
I’ve loved ALL Mustangs throughout my existence. Whether it’s Steve McQueen, Farrah Fawcett, Michael Douglas or Robocop driving one. I love them all. 🐎🐎🐎🐎
You bring up very good points on the Mustang II. I was about 13 years old when they came on the scene and I do remember having so many mixed feelings. I was afraid all cars were going to look like Toys and some did well into the 80’s. I did like the Ghia Look on the Mustang II. The Marketing was affective.
Thanks. Perspective make a big difference. One of my dads friends bought a new Mustang II King Cobra (Blue on White) while our elderly neighbor had a Green 65 notchback with wire wheel hubcaps and whitewall tires. Naturally, as a kid I was more taken in by all the scoops and stripes and fancy wheels.
You should have mentioned all of the modifications that we're done to the pinto platform , after they had gone over everything it was nothing like the original setup- they stretched and reconfigured the falcon platform too when they were designing the first mustang so it is a much better offering than the base pinto underpinnings and with all of the restomod parts you can have a lot of fun making this relatively light car go!
Shortened wheelbases, bigger bodies. With all the talk of platform sharing these days they sure don't do it like they used to.
I agree, now their making it a mach- e which is a really fast ass Ford but l do not like it being a 4-door? it also needs to be reconfigured with a longer hood and 2 less doors because it has the cool fastback roofline but it just has that me too design look to it that every other automobile seems to have so can't say that Lee would have green lighted this rendering if he was still running Ford but they will probably sell hundreds of thousands anyway just based on it's performance( is it any wonder why nobody as excited to go to an international auto show anymore, the last time l saw something l thought was new and cool was the Lincoln navigator and this was 1998 ) since then no coupes or anything other than 4 wheel drive station wagons and toasters on wheels and super exotics that only the elites would ever afford !
All I remember about my brand new II was that the T-top leaked, the engine leaked oil and the rear bumper was 1/2 inch out of level. I was told the bumper was within spec, the leaks were within spec and they never could repair the T-top correctly, although they did replace the upholstery. I couldn't dump that car fast enough and I haven't purchased a Ford since.
There is a reason you don't see T-tops anymore.
The quality of the big 3 was pretty awful in the 1970s. I graduated from college and bought a new Mustang II(which I still have). Came from the factory with a bent axle and was repaired at the dealership before I got it. I can also tell you horror stories about friends who bought from the GM and Chrysler during the same time. My first boss and a co-worker bought Toyota Celica's and had no problems. This is how the Japanese got into the US car marker and the US manufacturers were to blame.
Thanks for this vid. A good friend of mine bought a used Mustang II fastback in Red with a 302 V8 and 4 spd. trans. It sounded amazing and had some go for itstime. Wonder how many V8 Mustang IIs Ford sold? I do not see these very often. Were these Mustang II V8s with the 302 rare? It was a ton of fun cruzing the streets of Richmond VA in the early 80s.
The 302 isn't exactly rare as it was optional on any trip package, but standard on none, not even the Cobra.
I knew a poor guy that had 2 so that should tell you they were common.
Both were bought with the same driveability symptom, but each had a different cause.
My first car was a 1974 Mustang II hatchback in Saddle Tan Metallic (aka Brown) with the 2.3l four cylinder that I bought used in 1978. It was a heavy car for a four banger. That was one of the years that Ford was using bad steel in their cars - there were lots of occlusions in the body metal - contributing to rapid rust out. I am glad to see that you have brought the Mustang II from being considered as "one of the worst cars ever made" which I run across on the internet - usually written by someone who has no knowledge of the cars they are writing about. Thanks.
Thank you.
I owned the hath back 1974 4 cyl 4 speed and loved it. it was very simple and easy to work on car and fun to drive. looking to get one to restore.
Good luck.
I sold by 1970 Mustang Cobra Jet to get a brand new 74' Mach 1 Mustang. At first, I hated the looks of the Mustang II, and I can't tell you why that changed. 2:04 That's what mine looked like. I would take it to the strip and turn in a "lap" that was 1 second quicker then what Hot Rod Magazine did, and I could take it to about 105mph on the highway, but was more versatile than you think. I also had a Honda ATC 90 that needed hauled around. No problem, I just carried it in the back of my Mustang. Just back the ATC up to the rear bumper, lower the back seat, open the hatch,, go in the back, take a hold of the grab bar on the ATC, and lift it up to hook on the opening. Then go out side and lift the front up, rolling it until the front wheel dropped inside the back. I couldn't shut the hatch, but I didn't need to, plus it was in there snug enough it didn't need to be strapped down. Boy, did I get looks going down the road. Drawbacks? If you left your hand on the shifter while in first or second it would wear out the fork inside the tranny, and it came with faulty Firestone 500 radials. The cords were so bad that it driving at 20mph down a smooth street felt like it had bumps everywhere.
A friend of mine drove a 70 Mustang in High School and later got a Mustang II Ghia Coupe ( I don't recall the precise year ) that he swore was a much better car. Who was I to argue.
Had a 78 hatchback, V8 4spd, T-Top. It was a GREAT car, one of the funnest cars I ever owned.
Thanks for making video.My first car was a' 76 mustang 2,fastback red with black bottom ,2.3 litre good on gas,girls loved it.
Thanks for watching.
I always thought these looked cool! The Cobra II had great effects. How about the orange one in Starman? Love it!
Yellow means go very fast.
I have a 1978 factory cobra that was my dad's in great shape 🤘✌️
Nice.
Wow I love this one so much well done ❤️❤️❤️
It's white and red stripes🤘✌️
@@brentervin3686 I love red ❤️
I had a 1977 ford Pinto I bought in 1978 and I fixed up the suspension by adding Bilstein shocks, front and rear anti-roll bars and wider wheels and radial tires. I thought it was a really nice looking car and with the suspension mods it handled really well. But it was slow with a four speed manual and the 2.3 engine and I didn't do any engine mods.
Built to suit.
Thank you for doing this video and setting the record straight. I loved the Mustang II when it came out, and I still do. I remember some of my friends back then (who were muscle car purists) deriding the II and becoming Camaro or Firebird fans. I personally hated the Camaro/Firebird bodies, not to mention the fact that they guzzled gas like crazy. The II was pretty, comfortable and efficient ... all of which mattered back then. And today, when I see one, I have only good memories.
I'm glad you liked it.
The rack and pinion steering system , used in many hotrods for the next 20 years.
Answering the question; Where are they now?
I had a 75 with the 2.3 and 4 speed. It was a.great car.
Cool
My first "toy car" was a '77 coupe that had a 302/4 speed. I had a mildly hotter than stock motor ,and went through a few transmissions. This was '87 and it was faster than a stock 5.0 foxbody of the same era.
The stock 4 speeds were like glass.
I made a wide ratio top loader fit .
Changing the sleepy rear end gears made all the difference in the world.
Never under estimate the importance of gearing.
My buddy had one. It was a fun, peppy car (even with the 4 cylinder) but handled like a slot car. In my opinion better than some the fox bodied cars. When we finally blew it up we cut the front suspension out of it and put it under a 36 Ford hot rod! Good times.
Sounds like good times to me.
My best friend from high school had a 74 with a 2.3 when it blew up we already had a 5.0 built waiting to go in it. Made a 15.90 car go 11.40's with a 100 shot of an OG Nitrous Oxide System from Scott & Mike out of Cypress, Ca! ✌
Cool
Beautiful car. I had a friend - he put a perf. Cam and 12 to one pistons in his stang 2 , with a built c4 and low gears he made 120 mpg in mid gear!! That's it. ..
Doesn't take much to get performance out of such a light car.
Please tell me where he got the high enough octane(pre-ignition) fuel to run 12 to 1(compression ratio) pistons?
I had to use high octain aviation leaded gasoline from the local airport in my '70 Mach1 428c.i Cobra Jet 'Drag Pack' with 10.6 to 1 pistons that i had to put into 5 gal. military 'jerry' because aviation gasoline had no 'road tax' that was applied to fuel sold at your common gas stations.
Reminds me of the 1980´s Dodge Charger. Not very popular, but often they did outperform the 2nd gen. we love so much.
Dodge has a big of history of making small performance cars that get no respect from either fans of American cars or fans of imports. It's not a V8 RWD so it isn't Murican and import fans couldn't admit an import fighter might have won. Too much like an import but from an American company means no love? Well, not no love, there are GLH clubs and such.
I had a Mustang 2 Ghia that had a 302 and a 4 speed. That little car was a hoot! It would really cook those little 13 inch tires!
I bet.
Of COURSE it is. Thank you for bringing this to our attention.
We had one of those and it was fun to drive, stood out from other cars with the styling.
Nice.
Everyone needs to remember- this was the 70's- a time of drastically detuned cars. Big V8's were no stronger than many small engines. The Mustang II was light by comparison so a small engine worked. I wanted one in the worst way...
Right
My dad bought the first year of the Mustang II, a 1974 2 door coupe, white with a dark blue vinyl top, 2.8 litre six , 4 speed and factory air. He gave it to me in 1979 when I changed jobs and lost a company car. The Mustang was very reliable, and my wrenchhead buddy who taught me everything about cars, made carburetor and timing modificaitons almost from the day my dad took delivery, that seemingly boosted response by about 25 horsepower and made it much more fun to drive. I ran it up to 200K miles. A/C never gave us trouble. The valves needed to be manually adjusted periodically, and my friend did a great job. The engine was gutsy but quiet. Pet peeves....the six was very torquey, but the gearing was ridiculous. At 60 mphin 4th gear, the engine was roaring at 3,000 RPM. The set up begged for a 5th gear for high speed cruising at lower RPM's. I always considered that a cheap move by Ford at the time.. Also, the syncros gave us occasional trouble from the start, with palm-zapping gear clashing when you least expected it. We never had that fixed, just drove it carefully over its life. I loved the rack and pinion steering...very precise. All in all a good car that never let us down. That german v-6 in particular was a terrific engine. Very stout. Never burned oil.
Nice. Makes me wonder if it was an optional gear ratio. I too have found those 4-speeds to be a bit clumsy at times, but they were decent drivers for a car of that size and time.
@@thehopelesscarguy I know my dad had ordered the Mustang (and traded in his '70 lincoln Continental 4 dr immediately, because at the time I had a company car and he drove my 68 Galaxie during the interim...which I later sold and regretted...great car as well), which was unwittingly brilliant, because the first oil embargo hit after he traded it and there was no way the dealer would have taken that land yacht if he had waited. If there had been a lower axle ratio as a choice, the car would have been so much more pleasing to drive on the highway.
@@BillofRights1951 I know there were different ratios for the mustang II, but I don't know that you got an option with the V6. As the original performance option you would think so.
What a GREAT documentary ! The Mustang is as American as anything we know.
Thanks, glad you liked it.
They were hated and resented both at the time and later on for different reasons. But surprisingly, only by a certain segment. There were others who loved them because they filled the exact same gap that the original one did. Many of us muscle car guys failed to see that.
Why did we hate it so much? Well, you have to understand the feeling and the general atmosphere at the time. We had gotten used to big performance and thought it'd be around forever. Then it started to go away. In '74, we had a Mustang with no V8 while only 4 scant years before that, we could get 428 Cobra Jets.
Also that same year, you could still buy 'Cudas and Challengers with 360s, Camaros with 350s, Javelins with 401s and Trans Ams with 455HOs!
A lot of guys were very bitter about what was happening in the car world and this decaled up, glorified Pinto was the very embodiment of that. It never really stood a chance. It absorbed the hatred and bitterness we were all feeling towards the whole car scene at the time.
It did save the Mustang model but it wasn't until years or even decades after that we came to realize that. Once the Fox bodies came along and performance started to go up again, we couldn't wait to send these things to the dump! They represented a bad time and we wanted to see the end of them.
Today, it's a different story. There are so few of them left in good shape that they've become a real novelty. I was in a Mustang club for 15 years and at any of our shows, we'd have all the classics and more Fox bodies than you could count but the ones which always drew the crowds were the little Mustang IIs.
Ah yes, the era of paint on performance. Disco on wheels. Well, 4 wheels, as apposed to 8.
We had one of those in the 80s. Not a great, but a good car. Very reliable.
Perhaps late 70's Thunderbird size, early 70's Thunderbirds intimidate modern pickups.
I traded my '74 Plymouth Fury ex-police car in on a '74 Mustang II hatchback. There wasn't a chance in the world that 2.3 was gonna run anything like that 440 did. But it could squeal the tires going into second even with the automatic trans in it. Sure was a fun little car though.
If you had kept the Fury you could have left the Pinto in the trunk as a spare.
I had a 76 Cobra 2 2.8. black and gold. Only the smog stuff got gone but dead stock Automatic. Then I got the 78 Black King Cobra. I I eventually put a 68 289 Cali GT motor. Eagle 1 headers TRW Cam. Dual point distributor, and topped off a Edelbrock torker intake and a dual feed double pump Holly 800. It only lost one street race which I participated in every chance I got at a stoplight LOL. The only thing that beat me was a 427 El Camino and that was in a top end deal. I got him out of the hole. Surprise me when he passed me at about 120 he just went. LOL but yeah my little cobra was nasty. I kept tearing the synchronizers out of the shifters. I took on and beat all Smokey and the bandits I could find.
Not so much what you got, but what you do with it.
My best friends sister had one when i was in 9th grade ( 1979) it had a 4 speed v -6 she let me drive it thats how i learned to drive a standard shift on the road.
She must have liked you.
The 1974 - 78 mustang is my favorite mustang. Out sold the previous mustang version. Gotta tell us something.
Right.
My 1974 Mustang II cost me $63 a month for thirty-six months. It was a solid little car.
Cool.
A good and interesting take. Iacocca was right when he said the Mustang was no longer a horse but a fat pig. While some of those big Mustangs are great looking they are all that was wrong with Detroit cars. The II was one of the most right cars for the time. A sad time, but they were right.
Timing is everything, and it was the right car at the right time.
When I first met my new girlfriend/to be wife I had a 2000cc Pinto she a '77 Mustang II her kids named Pickle (It was green) true to form they named my Pinto Pumpkin because it was orange 😅
Handling - like rails
Easy to work on, once you realized some shit on the II was Metric !
Both Pinto and Mustang II served us well . In a way wish we still had them.
I remember at the time consumer magazine car reviewers debating whether to categorize the Mustang II as a performance car or as a non-performance subcompact like the Pinto and Vega.
In 1974 people were questioning the performance of a lot of cars, after the addition of catalytic converters and 5mph bumpers and such. Loosing 15hp and gaining a couple of hundred lbs at the same time can be noticeable.
I had a 74 Mustang ll Mach I V6, 4 speed. For the era, it was reasonably quick, comfortable and easier on gas and more dependable than the 74 350 2bbl Automatic Camaro I had previously. I'd like another one just like it.
Understandable.
We had 3 mustang II's when i grew up back in the 80's. Those 2.3 litres weree DAMN good motors!
Always wanted to SVO one.
Yes, they were good motors. I think of how much better they would be with electronic fuel injection.
@@Abitibidoug A fairly easy upgrade
You forgot to mention the fact that the Mustang II had the best front suspension/steering design of ANY Mustang . . . ever, including today's models (stupid MacPherson struts, yecchh). That front suspension is the go-to for hot rodding and vintage muscle cars regardless of brand. The Pinto chassis was heavily modified for the MII, and the front suspension was attached to a subframe bolted to the body for reduced NVH, while in the Pinto it was attached directly to the body structure. Agreed, the MII deserves a lot more love.
Yeah, not a fan of struts.
Thank you. Finally some respect for one of the best looking Mustangs ever!!
Glad you enjoyed.
@@thehopelesscarguy what I liked about the video is you pointed out the truth! That these Mustangs were good performance cars!! And that they were quicker than people give them credit for!! I love that!!
@@georgeferrier9461 Thanks. One of my objectives for this channel is to question popular opinion and the Mustang II a car that often gets treated unfairly.
I admire the balls it took to change the way it did and the V8s were respectable red light to red light cars without spending $40 on gas to run one. I still own a 1983 GT with a 302 4bbl tremec 5 speed and I never put up the backseat its black carpet from the buckets to the taillights. That little beast is basically an engine with bucket seats bolted to it, wicked fun to drive and she can take care of herself red light to red light. I admit though that I tried to reach 140 mph cause speedometer says that much and at 132 I almost got killed front end got light and squirrelly and I almost didn't get it back, lol, I sweat a few bullets that day.
That is why the early versions had 85 mph speedo's, to reduce temptation.
I owned a Mustang II, MPG, hatchback - with the 2.3 liter and 4 speed. At approx. 44,000 miles the engine started knocking, because the piston cylinders were wearing (into an oval shape) due to inadequate upper cylinder oil lubrication. It had very poor acceleration, for passing. Its only benefit was mileage.
At 44,000 I spent over $500 to get the engine rebuilt. This rebuild lasted to 86,000 miles, when it started knocking again. At the same time the trans gear synchronizers started to go. I checked with a garage and they wanted $400 to check it out. By the time I got rid of it at 55mph on the freeway going up a hill I had to floor it, to maintain the 55mph.
When I left it as a trade in the compression was so bad it wouldn't start.
I know what you're thinking, I abused it. Wrong, the miles were mostly highway miles at 55mph.
Interesting how different people can have so different experiences. I had a 2.3 Pinto wagon and it was still going strong at 200,000 miles. Although neither the transmission or the rear end lasted that long.
I still have my ghia 💪😤
Fancy
My Mother in Law loved her 302 Mustang. She always said it was her favorite car she ever owned.
People loved them.
I can remember these EVERYWHERE back in the day. I never cared for them, but some people liked them if they sold so many.
They were a big boost to Ford sales.
I bought a '75 Ghia coupe in '91. Already had a 302 in it. i blew that up and built up another one out of a van. I put all the goodies on the drive train and it ripped. Blew fox body 5.0s away all the time.
Tend to be lighter.
Always liked the Mustang II, still think is a great looking car.
It's alright.
The Mustang II, even the '74 without a V8 option, is FAR less of an abomination than the Mach E. Damn you, Jim Farley!
Yeah.
Car design is always a reflection of the times. It's always hard to improve upon what was seen as perfection. The '67 seemed to be the peak for me.
I like the 69.
Imo, the Mustang II looks the most like a direct successor to the original 65 Mustang than many other style updates.
It does have the styling queues.
I had a 76 cobra II black and gold
5.0 auto 11 gallon tank and 17 mpg.
Fun car, no power
They were nice looking cars and had nice lines ...but ...as I recall...the plugs on the V8 could only be changed by unbolting one motor mount at a time to slightly move the motor over to gain access to the rear plugs. I could see with a little bit of work, the V8's could be a lot faster ...and the brakes and suspension were way better than it's forgotten rival...the V8 Chevy Monza.
If fun required power the Miata would have been a flop.
The Monza is often forgotten and I'm not sure why. Perhaps I should consider a video on it.
I like the Mustang II well enough, particularly the fastback/hatchback cars. The one reservation I have is that the '79 Mustang (shortened Fox **platform**, "body" is a GM term and Ford NEVER made a Fox "body" of anything) is simply lighter even though it's a little larger.
The 3rd gen Mustang seemed like an upgrade at the time.
@@thehopelesscarguy , and with the 302HO of 1982 the Mustang finally seemed to be "back on track". But I do respect that Mustang II kept the name alive, and now we have the S550 generation and hard at work on S650 after that.
@@jeffbranch8072 A modern V6 Mustang can outperform most early Mustangs but purists will still look down on you if you buy one.
@@thehopelesscarguy , haha! I'm a Ford engineer on Mustang programs and I had a 2014 Mustang (S197) Premium V6 Coupe for 7 years. I figured 300+ Hp was enough for a commuter through Detroit to Dearborn daily. Also, there was actually space under the hood to reach things for maintenance. I just made sure to find one with the Pony Package so I got the GT's 3.31 axle ratio, it helped make up some of the difference. It was just right, I loved it.
@@jeffbranch8072 A respectable performance coupe and reasonable daily driver.
I prefer the looks of the Maverick, but the Mustang II did have a few new things to offer, like rack and pinion steering. Maybe if they had kept the wheelbase. I have owned a number of Fairmonts and Fox body Mustangs. After trying in vain to road race them I grew frustrated and switched to BMWs and Mazdas.
The Maverick feels like it is going faster than a Mustang II, but it is mostly because the ride and handling are so . . . sloppy, at least on a V8 Maverick.
I've always loved the way these looked
I have mixed feelings.
Hey the cobra mustang of this era is cool 😎 as hell.....love the body graphics body style add few performance parts it will go ....lightweight
The Cobra should had the look.
Love it. Keep up this great educational work.
Thanks
Read about that Pinto drag car with the offset scoop: Turbocharged 2.0L OHC engine w/draw-through carb, churnin' 306-hp and taking the class across the board! Too-bad the cam was too radical for the street, because option of such an engine in even 200-205 horsepower trim would've helped the Pinto-'Stang in sales immensely, and that would've helped push the "hot hatch" movement in America well-before the Volkwagen Golf GTI debut. But, the one thing that would've made that possible (EFI) wouldn't be seen by any American automobile manufacturer for several years. And when it was, they tried to kill/quash it... to spare the image of the 200-hp 5.0L V-8 offered at the time. :\
Oh-well... at least they didn't allow it to become a Mazda-based coupe, just to follow suit of Chrysler's success with their FWD lineup, respectively! ;)
Yeah, the Mustang almost did become a Mazda based coupe. Imagine where we would be now if the Probe had arrived with Mustang badges.
I seriously thought about a Mustang ll. Until I found out I couldn't order Farah Fawcett as an option. 😫
Somehow I doubt the Bill Cosby commercials got the same response.
Ford did time it perfectly or the fuel crisis.The 1974 auto show at the Hampton Coliseum in VA. was where a canary yellow 74 Mustang was on display and it looked like a Pinto with a mustang in the grille ! I was foolish enough to look under the hood and it was a tangle of vacuum lines and under there somewhere was a 2.3 four cylinder motor!
Remember when you popped the hood and saw and engine instead of a plastic engine cover shaped to look like an engine?
The 641/2 (65) Mustang as introduced in April 1964 was available with the 170 six (the standard powerplant) the 260 V8 (4.2) and the 289 (4.7) V8 in three versions- the C code with a 2V single exhaust and 8.5 compression at 195hp, the A code with a 4v, dual exhaust and9.5 compression at 210 hp, and the K code with a 4v, dual exhaust, 10.5 compression, a solid cam and 271 hp. Your report makes it sound life the 260 was the only V8. The Mustang II started with ONLY the 2.3 four cylinder and the 2.8 V6. They were nice cars at the time but they did not carry on the Mustang as a performance car. The Pinto was equal in performance.
Technically you could buy a Falcon in 1964 with the same engines as the Mustang but if it happened they are extremely rare.
Although the Pinto would be available with the V6 it wouldn't be until later, after the V8 had returned to the Mustang. My understanding was that the 289 was not available at the Mustangs initial release in April of 1964. Even it if was, we are still comparing gross to net hp figures and the Mustang was hardly the performance car it would become.
@@thehopelesscarguy From Motor Trend Magazine April 17, 2013 "These cars - billed as "1964.5 Mustangs" by Ford but technically date-coded as '65s, were available in coupe, and convertible forms. Engine choices largely mirrored the Falcon - a base 170-cubic-inch I-6 with 101 hp; a 164-hp, 260-cubic-inch V-8; and a 210-hp, 289-cubic-inch V-8. A high-performance 289, offering 271 hp, was added to the Mustang lineup in June of '64." Besides that in April 1964, a parent of a friend from school, Renee Ward, bought a Mustang from the local FOrd Agency which had a 289 and a 3 speed auto. I know because I looked under the hood. THe car was gold with a white top. The engine was black with gold rocker covers and air cleaner.
@@timmccreery6597 So not at initial release.
@@thehopelesscarguy Not sure what you read- it states the Hi-Po 289 was released in June. The C-code and A Code 289s were there from the beginning. With just a little looking I found a Car & Driver article from May 1964 on the Mustang and they road tested a 289 Mustang.
@@timmccreery6597 What I said was that the v8 in the Mustang II was only a 302 but it was still bigger and more powerful than what the Mustang offered at introduction. And that a 260 Mustang was not quicker.
Even IF the 210 gross hp 289 was available at introduction in May, it was neither bigger nor was its NET hp rating higher than a V8 Mustang II. So the point still stands, even it it shaved a tenth or two off.
Saying the 289 Hi-Po came out 2 months later doesn't contradict that.
I think it is safe to say your point is that you see the earlier mustang as sportier, and you are not alone in that.
The Mustang ll was the perfect car to carry Ford over from the bloated, oversized 1972 Torino based mess to the sensible Fox platform. My favorite is still the 1979 model.
My favorite is the '69, specifically the 429 Boss, but any would do.
And my favorite is the 1978 Mustang II Cobra II!! Five point O V8!!!! Either Red! Or Black!!
The thing I hated the most was the steering wheel, it was too big and not adjustable. If you were in the drivers seat, and you tried to bring your legs together, you couldn't. The wheel hung down too low. The wheel wells were also too small and low. Hard to put bigger wheels/tires on without looking weird.
You would think a tilt column would be an obvious feature for a small car, but even now it isn't.
No joke this is one of my dream cars along with an AMC Gremlin and a Trabant. I love oddball cars.
And 2 of the 3 may even be obtainable.
Excellent video, sir.
Thank you kindly
Gotta say, I would take that Black Cobra II at the 4:53 mark over any new car based on looks alone.
Yeah, but black can make almost anything look good. Or is that just to me?
Interesting and educational take on this car, thanks!
Thank you.
5.7? I don't think so. Or did I hear that wrong? 351 a 5.8. Great video.
Did not catch that. Perhaps because I currently have two cars with 5.7 V-8s (GM & Chrysler). My mistake.
It was as a placeholder. It was basically a Pinto with an appearance package.
It was a bit more than that.
So the original Mustang was a Falcon with an appearance package?
....My soon to be wife..back when...had a Mustang II when we met. At this time, it was only nine/ten years old It was a good looking car. Hers was copper with a white vinyl Lando roof....
....HOWEVER...at the time, we didn't know it, but the engine was Dying. The cam shaft was wearing out and it became slower and slower. It was 'o-k-ish for the city streets where our college was, but her Home was about 20 miles away and if we put it on the Interstate...the fastest way for her to get to her home...would have been Suicide.
....So we took 'the back roads'. When she couldn't get past 25MPH...it was beyond time to take it a mechanic.
....I guess because her Mustang II was the only one I had encountered on a personal basis, it kinda set my mind about them. "If Hers is crap, then they're All are Crap." thought was embedded in my brain.
But...from what little I know of the Mustang II, I have to say that 'putting the engine problem aside"
What I Really Don't Like about the Mustang II is....The Grill.
Not the shape of the grill..but the squires IN The Grill. It looked like no one put any effort into designing that part...and Ford kept using it!!! They started putting it on other Mustangs, the Granada, the Pinto..
I think Ford Motor Co. was trying to use it as a "Signature". Just like how Many Pontiacs have that pointed nose...That was one of Their 'Signature' things.
....And that Ford Motor, Co...making the squire grill their Signature. If I could have changed her car's grill, I would have.
....Those are my two complaints about the Mustang II...and while I liked the side scoops as you call then, to me...it wasn't 'sharp'...it looked like it might have been an after thought.
Some one was trying to 'Style' and...to Me...failed miserably. Maybe if they had added 'Fingers' across the scoops like on the '66 Mustang....Yeah...if I got a Mustang II...I would change the engine, the metal pressed 'Scoops' and grill. Get the grill material from the '73 or '66 Mustangs and do it...maybe put in Maverick Grabber turn lights as well...I didn't like those either.
.....Thank you for letting me ramble and complain.
Rock on, HCG....rock on.
I don't think I've ever had a car that I wouldn't have changed anything on, presuming I had the time, money and skill. My experiences with the Mustang II have been both good and bad, and although it is far from my favorite Mustang, I've also had some pretty bad experiences with some supposedly superior Mustangs. I don't think Fords like me.
Thanks for the video. 👍
Thanks for watching.
I have owned a lot of Pintos and love them. I currently own and drive a 1972 Squire wagon with the 2.0L/4 speed. I also love the Mustang II, but finding decent Pintos is hard enough. Finding a Mustang II is impossible. They have finally became collector cars. Unfortunately, like most of the Pintos, the Mustang IIs wound up getting crushed. The most hated Mustang for me is the Fox Body. It is disgustingly ugly, and no amount of engine or handling performance can make up for that. It is without a doubt the ugliest car Ford has ever sold in the U.S. The Mustang had always been a gorgeous looking car, from the very beginning through 1978, when it did a complete reversal (Despite it's size, I thought the 1971-1973 Mach 1 was one of the most beautiful cars ever made) The Fox Body looked liked it was made out of a cut and folded cereal box. The 1994 Mustang was a dramatic improvement, but the Mustang did not look like a Mustang again until 2005. Then they messed it up yet again in 2015, and it has been getting steadily worse. Sadly the newer Mustangs became a victim of the "donk" craze, with huge ugly wheels (reehuums in ghetto speak, which is where they originally came from) with no real tires on them.
I own a 2003 Mustang, with a V6/auto, in bright yellow. I am not really a fan of this iteration of the Mustang, but I'm a Ford guy, and I was looking for a 2 door, rear wheel drive, solid rear axle American car at a reasonable price. The Mustang was my only real choice. The '05 and up was more my style, but quite a bit more expensive, and I do not like the chain driven OHC V6 engine used in those cars. And a really nice low mileage '03 turned up at a great price. I have been very happy with it for the past 3 years. I've grown to like it more than I originally did. My neighbor has a late model Subaru BRZ, and I think my '03 Mustang looks a lot better.
When did 70's cars get so expensive? I turn around and suddenly can't afford any of them.