What if things had been different?

Unit 5302 · 02-24-2001, 07:31 PM

I remember back many years (1984, I think) to when my dad was shopping for a new car to replace our 1974 Mustang II Coupe 2.8L V-6 in Red. When he found the car he wanted to replace it with he let me come along for the ride to pick it up.

I remember thinking how long that ride seemed, he wouldn't tell me what kind of car he had chosen, I know now that it was only a few minutes into a neighboring city. We got to the lot, it was later in the evening. I got out along with my mom and my dad showed me the car he had chosen.

It was a White/Red bottom 1977 Mustang II fastback with the 302 V-8 and C-4 automatic. It had 76xxx miles on it, it was pretty clean. The price on the lot was $2700. Next to it was the car I wanted him to get. It was soooo much cooler. It was an early 80's newer body style Blue Pontiac Firebird hatchback.

It was more money, I think in the area of $3500, and I begged my dad to get it. I thought that Firebird was much cooler than the Mustang II.

Well, a long story short, you can imagine the outcome, although I must admit, Dad did hear me out(I was 6-7), we took possesion of the 77 Mustang and drove home. That car served us well for more than a decade and over 100xxx more miles. It became my first car, run down as it had been before I got it, it had been sitting for 3 years when I started driving it, but it still fired up and ran just as smooth as the day it rolled off the new car dealers lot. I whooped many an unsuspecting opponent with the little 139hp@3200rpm and 248lb/ft@1800rpm 2700lb Mustang.

The 302 revved quickly, and the C-4 was an excellent quick shifting tranny. That little Mustang II holds a special place in our family's heart and was a far better car than that Firebird could have ever hoped to be.

My little II was replaced by an 88 LX (4banger)

, but to this day I wonder, if I had gotten my wish and my dad would have bought the Firebird, would I be an F-body guy right now?

Many people call the Mustang II the red headed stepchild of the Mustang family. I've even heard the car referred to as a "crunchy turd" LOL, mostly because if it's close relation to the Pinto. I submit this, the 1979 Mercury Zepher actually has a fox based platform. Does that make the fox stangs unwanted?

Personally, I think the Mustang II's are cool little cars. They are fun to drive, they are "cute" as I've witnessed many girls say, and they can also be pretty nice looking. Check this photo out that I found on this website and downloaded for my personal collection.

[This message has been edited by Unit 5302 (edited 02-24-2001).]

MiracleMax · 02-24-2001, 07:49 PM

The Mustang II Cobra's where a neat looking little car. Seen, a few that have been restored and modded. One thing is for sure. Without the MII there wouldn't be alot of cheap hot rod front suspensions and racks. Almost all of the aftermarket chasis guys base some type of front suspension on MII components.

Jaydee · 02-25-2001, 11:23 PM

The Mustang II gets a bad rap most of the time from a lot of people, but it was the right car at the right time and Ford sold a lot of them. Also need to remember that it was the car that was the bridge between the original Mustang and the Fox body cars. 1973 was not a good sales year for the Mustang and a lot was riding on the success of the redesigned II. If it was not the success that it was, the beloved Fox Mustang may have never seen the light of day as Ford would have probably killed off the Mustang at that point as consecutive years of poor sales would have most likely sealed its fate.

------------------
1965 K code coupe - numbers matching - restoration ongoing. 1987 LX notch, stock heads and intake, 3.55's and typical bolt on's 13.89@100.25

RedLilPony · 02-26-2001, 12:20 AM

I had the same situation...
My next door neighbor was selling her 80something Camaro to buy a Ford Explorer. Well, my Chevy lovin dad wanted me to have the little blue camaro. Lucky me I was only 14.

I ended up getting hooked up with this Mustang guy and ended up with my own! lol! So I know how that goes... I just can't imagine me in an F-Body. Can you???

------------------
Jodi
AKA PonyGirl
Red 68 GT Fastback and Black 99 GT Coupe
"Not your average Mustangs..."
http://hometown.aol.com/redlilpony/Homepage.html

StangLady · 02-26-2001, 07:07 AM

When I went to get my first car, I actually looked at a Mustang II first, but it was in very very rough shape. I saw a Capri listed at a local dealership, so I went to take a look. It had a ton of things wrong with it, but it was love at first sight for me. The salesguy was trying to talk me into a "nice 4 door reliable Cavalier" I told him to get bent.

Thus started my fox-body love affair, and I eventually ended up with my 88.

By the way Unit...I am very glad you ended up a Mustang guy, or I never would have met you

joe4speed · 02-26-2001, 06:43 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by StangLady:
By the way Unit...I am very glad you ended up a Mustang guy, or I never would have met you

Romance??

------------------
Joe!
1988 GT, 167,000 miles!!! 13.71@105mph Check out my listing! Click here! Or my website:
www.joe4speed.com
1999 Ninja ZX-6R 10.32@135mph!

02-26-2001, 07:21 PM

We had a Mustang II with a warmed over 302 with a 500 cfm two barrel and a C-4 with a shift kit. That car would scoot. It had to run 14's. It would beat Shelby Z's, IROC's, Z28's, Trans AMs..... Ahhh the look on their faces when a fancy looking pinto with V-8 badges handed them their a$$....it was priceless.

------------------
88GT stock shortblock, ported GT-40 iron heads, Edlebrock Performer intake, 24# inj, Pro-M 75mm Bullet MAM, 3.73, hurst short throw, F-303, electric fan, alum rad, FMS HD clutch, R134a ac conversion, 70mm TB , and some other stuff I probably forgot, best run so far on ET streets is 13.02@106 with a 1.87 60ft Only been to the track once still alot more tuning to do and need more driving experience.(Full body weight GT, full tank of gas, and sway bars connected, gonna disconnect sway bars and dip

[This message has been edited by 88GT5.013.02 (edited 02-26-2001).]

Rev · 02-26-2001, 07:47 PM

Uhm, weren't Mustang II's with the 302, around 180 HP at 3000 lbs? Not complete slugs, but almost?

Rev

------------------
'66 Coupe, 306, 300 HP, C-4, 13.97 e.t., 100.3 mph
1/4 mi.

StangLady · 02-26-2001, 08:23 PM

JL1314...

A Lady never tells

Unit 5302 · 02-27-2001, 02:36 AM

The top engine option for 1975-1978 Mustang II's was a 139hp@3200rpm 248lb/ft@1800rpm 302cid with a 369cfm 2bbl. If they would have had 180hp, they'd run right with the 5.0HO's.

The 1974's top option, ack, 2.8L V-6 with 105hp.

The 302 car was good for 16's. Damn good for it's day. Oh and they are the lightest Mustangs ever build. A fastback tips the scales at about 2,700lbs. Same 302 could be suped up just like our 5.0's, with a C-4 or an SROD 4spd they could handle decent power too.

I'll have to fix that pic.

Are you making fun of me JL, hehe?

02-27-2001, 09:55 AM

Hey Rev are you trying to say that the car we had wouldn't beat the cars I said it did, if you are, read what I have posted, you could see that the car was not stock.

The motor was pretty healthy and the only thing holding it back was the Holley 500cfm two-barrel. No those cars were not that heavy, it was a *******' fancy looking Pinto. We bought the car off of one of those guys who sinks tons of money into something and then doesn't want to finish the project.

The transmission would chirp going into second and third gears. The little motor in that car ran real well. The heads were of older vintage (had a port clean up and gasket match) and as I said the only choke was the 500cfm Holley 2bbl (the guy said he did the 2bbl for fuel milage reasons, ?). The car had a fair amount of compression, cause anything less than premium would cause detonation. The cam was fairly mild, probably close to a stock H.O. mustang cam, maybe a little more. Oh yeah, the motor and trans were fresh when we bought the car. Another thing is our car was a stripper, and had no options (only had am/fm radio). So this must have made it even lighter than other MII's.

[This message has been edited by 88GT5.013.02 (edited 02-27-2001).]

[This message has been edited by 88GT5.013.02 (edited 02-27-2001).]

[This message has been edited by 88GT5.013.02 (edited 02-27-2001).]

02-24-2001, 07:31 PM	#1
Unit 5302 Registered Member Join Date: May 1999 Posts: 5,246	What if things had been different? I remember back many years (1984, I think) to when my dad was shopping for a new car to replace our 1974 Mustang II Coupe 2.8L V-6 in Red. When he found the car he wanted to replace it with he let me come along for the ride to pick it up. I remember thinking how long that ride seemed, he wouldn't tell me what kind of car he had chosen, I know now that it was only a few minutes into a neighboring city. We got to the lot, it was later in the evening. I got out along with my mom and my dad showed me the car he had chosen. It was a White/Red bottom 1977 Mustang II fastback with the 302 V-8 and C-4 automatic. It had 76xxx miles on it, it was pretty clean. The price on the lot was $2700. Next to it was the car I wanted him to get. It was soooo much cooler. It was an early 80's newer body style Blue Pontiac Firebird hatchback. It was more money, I think in the area of $3500, and I begged my dad to get it. I thought that Firebird was much cooler than the Mustang II. Well, a long story short, you can imagine the outcome, although I must admit, Dad did hear me out(I was 6-7), we took possesion of the 77 Mustang and drove home. That car served us well for more than a decade and over 100xxx more miles. It became my first car, run down as it had been before I got it, it had been sitting for 3 years when I started driving it, but it still fired up and ran just as smooth as the day it rolled off the new car dealers lot. I whooped many an unsuspecting opponent with the little 139hp@3200rpm and 248lb/ft@1800rpm 2700lb Mustang. The 302 revved quickly, and the C-4 was an excellent quick shifting tranny. That little Mustang II holds a special place in our family's heart and was a far better car than that Firebird could have ever hoped to be. My little II was replaced by an 88 LX (4banger) , but to this day I wonder, if I had gotten my wish and my dad would have bought the Firebird, would I be an F-body guy right now? Many people call the Mustang II the red headed stepchild of the Mustang family. I've even heard the car referred to as a "crunchy turd" LOL, mostly because if it's close relation to the Pinto. I submit this, the 1979 Mercury Zepher actually has a fox based platform. Does that make the fox stangs unwanted? Personally, I think the Mustang II's are cool little cars. They are fun to drive, they are "cute" as I've witnessed many girls say, and they can also be pretty nice looking. Check this photo out that I found on this website and downloaded for my personal collection. [This message has been edited by Unit 5302 (edited 02-24-2001).]

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02-24-2001, 07:49 PM	#2
MiracleMax Registered Member Join Date: Apr 1999 Location: Hayes, Va, USA Posts: 798	The Mustang II Cobra's where a neat looking little car. Seen, a few that have been restored and modded. One thing is for sure. Without the MII there wouldn't be alot of cheap hot rod front suspensions and racks. Almost all of the aftermarket chasis guys base some type of front suspension on MII components.

02-25-2001, 11:23 PM	#3
Jaydee Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: Conn. Posts: 220	The Mustang II gets a bad rap most of the time from a lot of people, but it was the right car at the right time and Ford sold a lot of them. Also need to remember that it was the car that was the bridge between the original Mustang and the Fox body cars. 1973 was not a good sales year for the Mustang and a lot was riding on the success of the redesigned II. If it was not the success that it was, the beloved Fox Mustang may have never seen the light of day as Ford would have probably killed off the Mustang at that point as consecutive years of poor sales would have most likely sealed its fate. ------------------ 1965 K code coupe - numbers matching - restoration ongoing. 1987 LX notch, stock heads and intake, 3.55's and typical bolt on's 13.89@100.25

02-26-2001, 12:20 AM	#4
RedLilPony It's been awhile, huh? Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: I'm from Texas, Bitch! Posts: 505	I had the same situation... My next door neighbor was selling her 80something Camaro to buy a Ford Explorer. Well, my Chevy lovin dad wanted me to have the little blue camaro. Lucky me I was only 14. I ended up getting hooked up with this Mustang guy and ended up with my own! lol! So I know how that goes... I just can't imagine me in an F-Body. Can you??? ------------------ Jodi AKA PonyGirl Red 68 GT Fastback and Black 99 GT Coupe "Not your average Mustangs..." http://hometown.aol.com/redlilpony/Homepage.html

02-26-2001, 07:07 AM	#5
StangLady Registered Member Join Date: Oct 1999 Location: Aurora, MN Posts: 85	When I went to get my first car, I actually looked at a Mustang II first, but it was in very very rough shape. I saw a Capri listed at a local dealership, so I went to take a look. It had a ton of things wrong with it, but it was love at first sight for me. The salesguy was trying to talk me into a "nice 4 door reliable Cavalier" I told him to get bent. Thus started my fox-body love affair, and I eventually ended up with my 88. By the way Unit...I am very glad you ended up a Mustang guy, or I never would have met you

02-26-2001, 07:21 PM	#7
88GT5.013.02 Guest Posts: n/a	We had a Mustang II with a warmed over 302 with a 500 cfm two barrel and a C-4 with a shift kit. That car would scoot. It had to run 14's. It would beat Shelby Z's, IROC's, Z28's, Trans AMs..... Ahhh the look on their faces when a fancy looking pinto with V-8 badges handed them their a$$....it was priceless. ------------------ 88GT stock shortblock, ported GT-40 iron heads, Edlebrock Performer intake, 24# inj, Pro-M 75mm Bullet MAM, 3.73, hurst short throw, F-303, electric fan, alum rad, FMS HD clutch, R134a ac conversion, 70mm TB , and some other stuff I probably forgot, best run so far on ET streets is 13.02@106 with a 1.87 60ft Only been to the track once still alot more tuning to do and need more driving experience.(Full body weight GT, full tank of gas, and sway bars connected, gonna disconnect sway bars and dip [This message has been edited by 88GT5.013.02 (edited 02-26-2001).]

02-26-2001, 07:47 PM	#8
Rev Registered Member Join Date: Nov 1998 Location: Houston, Tx. Posts: 3,887	Uhm, weren't Mustang II's with the 302, around 180 HP at 3000 lbs? Not complete slugs, but almost? Rev ------------------ '66 Coupe, 306, 300 HP, C-4, 13.97 e.t., 100.3 mph 1/4 mi.

02-26-2001, 08:23 PM	#9
StangLady Registered Member Join Date: Oct 1999 Location: Aurora, MN Posts: 85	JL1314... A Lady never tells

02-27-2001, 02:36 AM	#10
Unit 5302 Registered Member Join Date: May 1999 Posts: 5,246	The top engine option for 1975-1978 Mustang II's was a 139hp@3200rpm 248lb/ft@1800rpm 302cid with a 369cfm 2bbl. If they would have had 180hp, they'd run right with the 5.0HO's. The 1974's top option, ack, 2.8L V-6 with 105hp. The 302 car was good for 16's. Damn good for it's day. Oh and they are the lightest Mustangs ever build. A fastback tips the scales at about 2,700lbs. Same 302 could be suped up just like our 5.0's, with a C-4 or an SROD 4spd they could handle decent power too. I'll have to fix that pic. Are you making fun of me JL, hehe?

02-27-2001, 09:55 AM	#11
88GT5.013.02 Guest Posts: n/a	Hey Rev are you trying to say that the car we had wouldn't beat the cars I said it did, if you are, read what I have posted, you could see that the car was not stock. The motor was pretty healthy and the only thing holding it back was the Holley 500cfm two-barrel. No those cars were not that heavy, it was a *******' fancy looking Pinto. We bought the car off of one of those guys who sinks tons of money into something and then doesn't want to finish the project. The transmission would chirp going into second and third gears. The little motor in that car ran real well. The heads were of older vintage (had a port clean up and gasket match) and as I said the only choke was the 500cfm Holley 2bbl (the guy said he did the 2bbl for fuel milage reasons, ?). The car had a fair amount of compression, cause anything less than premium would cause detonation. The cam was fairly mild, probably close to a stock H.O. mustang cam, maybe a little more. Oh yeah, the motor and trans were fresh when we bought the car. Another thing is our car was a stripper, and had no options (only had am/fm radio). So this must have made it even lighter than other MII's. [This message has been edited by 88GT5.013.02 (edited 02-27-2001).] [This message has been edited by 88GT5.013.02 (edited 02-27-2001).] [This message has been edited by 88GT5.013.02 (edited 02-27-2001).]