1979 Mustang Indy 500 Options

[Anonymous]

Anyone know what options you could get with the Pace Car? Such as fogs? Rims? I know the standard engine and trans stuff, but what else was an option. I think you could get at sunroof. But not sure.

Thanks,
-§am.

[RACECAP97]

I was actually just trying to find info on this same thing for my pace car. So far I have come up with:

Rear louvers
tilt steering
premium sound
cruise control
power locks
rear window defroster
A/C
8-track tape player
regular cassette player
premium sound amplifier
remote mirrors (I think)

I know that the TRX suspension package was standard on all pace cars along with the recaro racing buckets, sunroof, among the other obvious pace car options


Hope this helps

[Anonymous]

Sunroof wasn't standard...
I believe I have rear window defroster, AC, no cruise, or tilt steering I believe. I bought my car and garaged it for the winter. I just drove her home and fixed a few little things up. The sound system has been changed so I'm not sure about the premium sound and I don't see no amp so I don't think I have that either.

-Sam.

[turbopacecar]

The sunroof is standard equipment on my car. It was included with the pace car package.

[RACECAP97]

Yes that was what I was saying. The sunroof came on ALL PACE CARS except the three cars that paced the event. They all had T-Tops. Oh yea another option was the interval wipers. I think I left that out of the first reply. I'm sure there are others, I just can't think of them at the moment.

[Anonymous]

My Pace Car doesn't have a Sunroof? Was maybe the 405 that left the US like that? I checked the thread about the Pace Car starting with 48 production code and mine has that so it's a real pace car, but just with no sunroof. Hmm... interesting stuff....

§am.

[turbopacecar]

I looked at some pics of your car and it is a nice car. I noticed some things that are different than on my car.

1) Your inside door handles are on the top of the door instead of on the bottom. (Different year doors?)
2) You don't have the center console
3) You are missing the cowl hood scoop.

I hope this helps

Sean

[Anonymous]

I also don't have the tri-ax rims. But I've seen a few pace cars that have mentioned they didn't come with them. I wish there was more official documentation with the Pace Cars. But mine is a Pace Car (or atleast according to the vin it is) Maybe cause mine is the Canadian version? Or the exported ones. My odometer reads in km's.

Hmm... leaves you to wonder.
-Sam.

[RACECAP97]

Hmm, actually this is starting to agrivate me a little bit now. I'd love to see pictures of your car. This sounds real fishy, yet interesting.

[RACECAP97]

Ok, I have a large book here specializing in the fox mustangs. Its called:

"The Official Ford Mustang 5.0 Technical Reference &Performance Handbook" "1979 through 1993"

I will quote what this book says word for word. Maybe this will clear up some issues.

EQUIPMENT

"Standard replica Pace Car features and equipment involved a long list of items that included power steering; power front disc brakes; TRX wheels and Michelin tires with their own engine-dependent Handling suspension system; halogen headlights with replaceable bulbs (first used this year); special pewter paint; black lower-body "Tu-Tone" paint treatment; front air dam with foglights; rear decklid spoiler; nonfunctional reversed hood bulge; selected blacked out trim and components; a uniquely configured horizontal bar grille; and special Pace Car tape treatment. Also included were dual orange molding accent stripes on black bumpers; Recaro reclining front seats in black and white "checkered" trim with gray mesh headrests; matching black and white rear seat trim; leather wrapped steering wheel; engine-turned instrument panel appliques; flip-up, open-air, tinted-glass lift-out sunroof panel; center console with digital clock; and premium sound system with AM/FM stereo radio (with cassette or eight-track tape player). Other features included interval windshield wipers; deluxe seatbelts; the Ghia line's sound insulation package and deep-pile (18-ounce) carpeting; dual remote outside mirrors; a light group; and an Indianapolis Motor Speedway rectangular plaque affixed to the right side of the dash."

Also another reference would be Ian Chapman's sight. Possibly email him also I believe that his Pace car was a Canadian version.

http://79indypace.stangnet.com/index.htm

[Anonymous]

I have a digital camera... give me 5 minutes and I'll have 2 pictures posted. 1 of my roof showing no sun roof, and one of my buck tag showing my vin number. I'm not trying to be an asshole here if you are getting that impression. I really don't know why I don't have a sunroof or anything....

-Sam.

[Anonymous]

Ok here is the picture with the VIN tag.... it's kinda hard to read but you can see the 48 identying it as a Pace Car. I'll try to get a better shot tommorow morning when I can bring it out in the day light so I don't need the flash.

http://community.webshots.com/photo/52068624/63095029cciqnT

And here is the picture of my roof... As noticed, I have no sun roof or t-top or anything. I have the Pace lights but I assume the previous owner put that on the car.

http://community.webshots.com/photo/52068624/63095169CGQNGb
-Sam.

[RACECAP97]

Yes your VIN is from a pace car. I'm not argueing that. But your car doesn't have anything signifying it as a pace car besides that and the paint job. Maybe someone had a title and vin plate from a pace car that was junk. Missing a title from a good car. Switched the VIN code from the bad car to the good car and painted it up to look like a one of a kind pace car. I know that sounds like a lot of work but it has been known to happen. As a matter of fact my dad has an extra title, cowl and VIN tag from a 79 mustang I owned when I was 14 that got parted out if anyone is interested. Maybe I'm wrong and your car is an exception. But from all the books i've read lately, and all the pictures i've found on these cars your car doesn't match up. They had all of these options standard because they were the top of the line stang that year. The most expensive. I know for sure that all 79 mustangs had the inside handles on the bottom of the doors but its very easy to change doors out. I'm just not too sure about the sunroof and the missing console. Again not hard to take out a console either. From what I could see in the pic of the roof the car has also been painted. Maybe the sunroof was rusted, leaking, damaged.........filled in, and poof sun roof gone. A million things could be different. Or maybe you have a concept car. I don't know anything about those, but I do know there were a few of them made for the pace car. I'll email a few people and see what else I can come up with. Its possible that you have a real "find". Its just a little hard to believe so far. Yet that is only because I can't find any other pictures of pace cars that don't have sun roofs, and all the literature i've come up with list the sun roof as standard. I don't want to sound like a dick either, I just want to get to the bottom of this. ITS A FULL BLOWN MISSION NOW!!!! I will find out. I live very close to the pace car registry. I believe its located in Lakewood CO and thats only about 20min from where I live. I'll definatly get back to you on this. I'm probably wrong anyway and making a big deal out of nothing.

[Anonymous]

Damn thanks guy, it'll be interesting what comes out of this. I was told it was a real pace car, I bought it from a Classic & Collector Auction, so I don't think they would sell fake **** there. But it'll be interesting to see what comes out of it. I'm going to try to find a previous owner and contact and see what's up with this. Who knows really..... It would be sweet to have one of the rare concept ones. :D :D But I doubt it, I may have got screwed over. :( :twisted: Who can you contact at Ford about getting a read out of the options on your car? Also is there anywhere I can look on the frame or block for my vin number? Is there one on the inner fender wall? firewall? Anyone know an easy spot to locate one? I'll have to check some more in the morning. I also have the Recaro seats. And the whole Recaro dash. Hmm... Come to think of it, I think I seen my car in the pace car registry by the previous owner. It was the only one registered in Ontario.

-Sam.

[RACECAP97]

Like I said you may have a really rare car. Try this. Take about an hour or so just looking at 79 pace cars that are posted on the net. Find just ONE that doesn't have a sun roof and post the link. I've looked at over 100 i'd imagine and I haven't found one yet. There is another post here somewhere I remember seeing where you could contact ford for your 999 report. Supposedly that is a list of all the options your car had on it among other things. You could try that but if I remember correctly it takes 6+ weeks. I'm not sure where else you could look to find the VIN on the car but i'm sure someone else reading this will know and let you know. As far as the Recaro seats, well for arguements sake those came out of a capri for all you know. And the recaro dash, i'm not sure i've ever heard of one of those, lol. Settle down man you seem to be getting a little up tight about this. Just a simple disagreement. I'd like to see some more pictures of your car if you could post them. If its been restored it looks good from the two I saw earlier. But those didn't really show much.

[Caprisvo]

Take about an hour or so just looking at 79 pace cars that are posted on the net. Find just ONE that doesn't have a sun roof and post the link.

You might also try to find a pace car that has a hood from a '83-'86 Mustang, like the one on your car. Or the same seat insert material.

You've got a very nice car, but it's missing some of the original parts, if it is in fact a pace car.

I'm not a pace car expert, but It seems possible that the car may have been special ordered without a sunroof.

I know it couldn't have been ordered with a hood that wasn't produced until 1983.

[Anonymous]

Sorry if I come across as getting excited. lol I'm not, serious! I appreciate all the help you are providing with my car. I'll upload some pictures after this post and post a URL for you guys to take a look. Yeh, I've always really wondered about my car. Could it be because it being 1 of the 405 that were exported. Maybe those 405 had no sunroofs. We don't get as much sun here in Canada. ;)

-Sam.

[Anonymous]

I uploaded a bunch of pics of my car
http://community.webshots.com/album/63167463AZZWmx

Let me know if you want to see anything specific cause I have a digital camera and can photograph it for you.

-Sam.

[evlgt85]

How is the VIN plate attached? What sort of rivets are in it? Is there a buck tag on the car? Any stickers left on the doors or underhood?

While I'm digging, here's a nice page of pics. They're thumbnailed, so you can click 'em for bigger pics:
http://79indypace.stangnet.com/pcphotos.htm

I noticed from the headlight bucket shot on your car that the paint on the nose isn't quite right.

On the legendary Roush 3: There were 3 Roush prepped cars that were the ones used during the race. It's said that all three are still accounted for but two were updated to slightly later model specs (early to mid-80s) and used elsewhere. All three's locations are known to a few ppl, so it's not going to be one of those.

Little blurb about options:
http://www.mustangmonthly.com/thehistoryof/62978/index1.html

[Mike Croke]

Not trying to be a jerk here. But some things seem off for a "restored" car.

- I see that the car has later dual exhaust ('85-'93) instead of the single split tip of the '79-'84 cars.
- The inside door handles being at the top is a dead giveaway that those aren't the original doors. !979 cars had the inside handle at the very bottom of the door and the door lock actually came horizontally from the arm rest instead of being at the top of the door panel.
- The lack of center console is odd.
- There's no A/C, no fog lights, no cargo cover.
- The battery hold-down is cheap.
- I might be off on this but the radiator brackets look wrong.
- The 10 hole wheels instead of the TRX setup is weird.
- The inner fenderwells in the engine bay are not body color. They should be Pewter like the outside of the car.
- The valve covers are incorrect also I think. They should be stamped steel instead of the finned cast aluminums you have.
- Your coil is on the wrong side of the intake manifold. It should be on the passenger side.
- The horn is mounted inside the engine bay. I think it should be on the frame rail behind the wheelwell liner/fender liner. In other words, we shouldn't be able to see it.
- As mentioned already, the hood is wrong.

Not trying to bash on your ride but there's a lot that doesn't add up.

[evlgt85]

Since we have a 79, but not a PC, in our stable here at home, I took a pic of the VIN to show how it was attached, which kind of rivets it has. I can not tell by your picture what you have. http://www.foureyedpride.com/temp/vin1.jpg
*note: I got rid of a couple of the digits in PhotoShop just cuz.

http://www.foureyedpride.com/temp/rivet1.jpg

[RACECAP97]

You do have a very nice car, theres no doubt about that. I'm not sure its a real pace car though. The 405 cars that were sent to Canada were pretty much the same as the cars that stayed here. I believe the main difference was the instrument cluster. The speedo in the Canadian cars obviously being in Kilometers. A couple things that I noticed from the pics that weren't mentioned by anyone else. The recaro seats do not have the correct cloth on them. That can't really be knit picked though because that cloth is next to impossible to come by. I'm looking for some at the moment myself. Also the shifter, I don't believe is a 1979 shifter. I could very well be wrong about that though. I think the car that I saw that shifter on was an 83-84 my dad used to have. Last thing is that recaro emblem on the right side of your dash bezel. I've also never seen that on a pace car either. There should be a larger sized dash plaque with an indy sign on it that says motor speedway on the bottom or something like that. My car doesn't have this either or I would send a picture to you. Most of them fell off. I think it would be possible to find one OEM on ebay though. The link that evilGT posted with the pictures is the same sight of Ian Chapmans that I mentioned in an earlier post. The car in those pictures is also a Canadian version. It does have a sunroof. I emailed this guy also since he is envolved with the pace car registry. I'm sure he knows a lot more than I do about these cars. Hopefully he will respond to my email in this post. Too many things don't add up on your car to in fact be a pace car. Unless while in restoration a lot of the pace car items were left off and the sun roof was removed. If thats the case whomever did the body work did one hell of a good job. Its too bad that you don't live a little closer, I have 6 extra TRX wheels.

[RACECAP97]

Thanks evil85 I was actually just outside trying to clean mine off to try to get a good pic of my rivits. The ones on my pace car look like the ones you have pics of. How hard would it be to come up with those same rivits? When my dad took the vin plate off of my old pace car he cut them out from the bottom so he still has the upper half to make them look original. I would think it would almost be impossible to get them unused.

[evlgt85]

I have to concur with what Racecap said. If it is a PC, I'd wager they started with little more than a shell and replaced the roof for whatever reason. It really can't be called a restoration for what all is wrong with it. It really seems as though they tossed whatever they could find onto the car and completed it that way, with little regard to originality. That fact is accentuated by the blatant hood problem. A regular 79-82 hood could be pretty easily found and would at least fit..

Mike and I were talking about this. The VIN should be stamped UNDER the passenger side fender. At least the consecutive unit number and a couple of other codes should be present in this stamping. You'd have to remove the fender, but that would at least help to confirm whether the shell really was a PC shell of some sort.

It's value as an actual Pace Car is close to nil. There is just too much wrong/missing at this point. Really all it has is the VIN, nose and stickers. Even the paint is a bit incorrect. :( Put a 79-82 hood on it, remove the stickers and just call it a Mustang, and you've got a pretty sharp ride.

I'd start looking into whether you have any recourse with that auction place should you be able to prove this car isn't legit. And if it isn't, you're looking at one heck of a legal can of worms.

You should be able to check the casting number on the block by looking in the area of the starter. The block might be factory, but little else attached to it is. :?

Hopefully with the assistance of some others, we'll be able to get to the bottom of this, but it's not a very cheery picture at the moment. I'm sorry.

[Anonymous]

Hey folks! Ok, this is going to be long, so my apologies up front here! :D

I thought that I would wade in here, as the 79 Pace Cars have a bit of a soft spot in my heart, so to speak. :D I lurk here every so often, but am not a regular so let me introduce myself quickly. My name is Ian Chapman, and up until a month ago I owned a 1979 Pace Car (I miss it already :cry: ). I am heavily involved in the Mustang Pace Car Registry, and have been researching these cars for about 8 years now. I think that one of my websites was mentioned here earlier ( http://mustangpaceregistry.stangnet.com or http://79indypace.stangnet.com ). I restored my Pace Car with the help of Bill Puck, who runs the Registry, and with the help of other Registry members who own documented low mileage, unrestored cars (less than 25,000 miles). Anyhow, those are my credentials (for what they're worth), so I'll try to clear up any confusion around these cars. :wink:

ALL of the 1979 Pace Cars came from the factory with the sunroof. That includes all the Canadian cars (my car was a Canadian car, and every other one I've seen has the sunroof, plus all the records from the factory show that there were none that got out the door without them). Here's a list of standard features:

- TRX suspension package and metric TRX rims with Michelin 190/65HR390 tires,
- special pewter metallic and satin-back exterior color scheme,
- blacked out trim,
- unique grill and deep front air dam,
- Marchal fog lights,
- a reverse-style cowl induction hood scoop,
- rear decklid spoiler,
- halogen headlights,
- Recaro bucket seats with a distinctive checkered pattern,
- premium Sound system with the amp and either the AM/FM cassette or 8-track,
- simulated engine-turned dash inserts,
- center console with digital clock and diagnostic panel;
- interval windshield wipers
- deluxe seatbelts
- sound insulation package,
- deep-pile carpeting,
- dual remote outside mirrors, and
- the Indianapolis Motor Speedway rectangular plaque affixed to the right side of the dash.

The OFFICIAL PACE CAR lettering was provided in a box with the car from the factory, and could be installed by the dealer, or left off the car, at the purchaser's request. Engine options were the 302 V-8 and the 2.3L turbocharged 4-cylinder. The 5.0 was offered with either a 4-speed manual or 3-speed automatic transmission, while the turbo-4 could only be ordered with the 4-speed.

Options included:

- tilt steering wheel,
- cruise control,
- A/C (this surprises a lot of people, but you could get these cars without A/C, but most of the none-A/C cars ended up going to Canada... I guess they figured it was too cold up here to need A/C :? ),
- interior lighting package (map light, etc.)
- power locks and mirrors,
- rear window defroster
- rear hatch window wiper
- rear louvers (dealer installed option)

These cars came pretty loaded from the factory, so the option list is fairly limited. The cars were EXPENSIVE too! Mine listed for $11,927.30 when new, and a similarly optioned 1979 Ghia or Cobra would have been around $6000, from what I have found. 8O Yowza!! I even heard that some dealerships tacked on premiums to this already inflated price (like some are with the current Cobras and Mach Is). I talked to one fellow who ordered one brand new in 1979, and when it came in the dealer added an extra $5000 to the price, to his surprise. He ended up walking away from the deal. Some of these dealers ended up with the cars on their lots for quite a while at these prices. :roll:

Sam, your VIN does indicate that your car started out as a Pace Car, but as pointed out here there are some discrepancies that would lead me to believe that your car has undergone a few changes over the years. I'm going to list these out a few that I see here, but please keep in mind that I'm in no way trying to tear your car apart, or trying to discount it as a Pace Car... these cars are now 24 year old, and a lot of things could have been changed over the years for one reason or another. Ok, here I go:

- Missing sunroof. Keep in mind that these sunroofs are notorious for leaking, and eventually rusting/rotting out the roof. Because of this I have known people who have had to replace the entire roof!! This may be the case with your car, as maybe the previous owner didn't want the sunroof problem to resurface later on and put a standard roof on the car.
- incorrect hood: looks like a modified 83-85 style hood.
- Ford badge on the rear hatch is incorrect, and should be just "FORD" block letters.
- Indy Wing decals on the rear ¼ panels should just be outlined, not solid
- interior door panels are incorrect (handle should be at the bottom front of the door panel, as were all 1979 Mustangs.. unique to that year),
- missing center console,
- doors have definitely been repainted, as the way the black has been done is not factory (should just wrap around about an inch into the door jam on the door and the body)
- dash panels appear to be correct, but the correct Indy Speedway plaque is missing,
- Recaro seats are the right ones, but the material is incorrect. This isn't too surprising, as the correct material is damn near impossible to find these days, and very expensive if you do locate any (over $1,500US for enough of the checkered pattern to do the front and rear seats),
- spare tire well is black, not body color (the whole interior floor should be body color);
- wrong air cleaner lid (looks like the 460 style lid that was used on the actual Pace Cars, however), and entire air cleaner assembly should be natural finish, not painted.

Not trying to be a jerk here. But some things seem off for a "restored" car.

- I see that the car has later dual exhaust ('85-'93) instead of the single split tip of the '79-'84 cars.
- The inside door handles being at the top is a dead giveaway that those aren't the original doors. !979 cars had the inside handle at the very bottom of the door and the door lock actually came horizontally from the arm rest instead of being at the top of the door panel.
- The lack of center console is odd.
- There's no A/C, no fog lights, no cargo cover.
- The battery hold-down is cheap.
- I might be off on this but the radiator brackets look wrong.
- The 10 hole wheels instead of the TRX setup is weird.
- The inner fenderwells in the engine bay are not body color. They should be Pewter like the outside of the car.
- The valve covers are incorrect also I think. They should be stamped steel instead of the finned cast aluminums you have.
- Your coil is on the wrong side of the intake manifold. It should be on the passenger side.
- The horn is mounted inside the engine bay. I think it should be on the frame rail behind the wheelwell liner/fender liner. In other words, we shouldn't be able to see it.
- As mentioned already, the hood is wrong.

Not trying to bash on your ride but there's a lot that doesn't add up.

Good eyes Mike, but I have just a few corrections here:

- There were no cargo covers on the 1979 Mustangs (at least not on any of the the Pace Cars I've seen)
- The inner fenderwells should indeed be body color. I've seen a couple of people repaint their engine bay black, but it was later determined that they did it themselves to avoid the difficulty of spraying the pewter metallic in the engine bay... and trust me, it's a b!tch to do! ;) )
- Radiator brackets appear to be correct
- My horn was mounted in the engine bay, right below the windshield fluid reservoir.

Don't let all this worry you too much Sam. Most of these things can be replaced with a bit of hunting on the internet (well, with the exception of the roof, which will be a bit more involved to replace), if you want a totally stock looking Pace Car. If it doesn't bother you that there are some incorrect items then don't worry!! Enjoy the car and have fun with it. They sure attract a lot of attention, and are a blast to drive. I even modified mine a bit from stock to make it more fun to drive last spring ( http://79indypace.stangnet.com/2002upgrade.htm ). The Registry isn't one of those organizations that look down on modifications and "personalizing" these cars. We figure that each person has their own idea on what the cars should be, and each can make their own decisions as to what their goals are with their own cars.

It's a bit hard to find out more about your car, as it is missing the door tag (should be on the driver's side door). However, as others have mentioned you can request a history 999 report on your car from Ford, and that will get you a bit more information. The Canadian number is 1-800-565-3673. They may transfer you to the Archives Department, as the 1979 stuff has been shipped over there, from what I remember

Whew, I'm tired now!! :D Anyhow, I hope that this clears a few things up about these cars. When it comes down to it we just have to remember that this is a hobby, and we just have to have fun with it. Enjoy your car, have fun driving it and don't worry too much about what other people say. I'd be happy to chat with anyone interested in these cars, and do what I can to help with locating parts and/or information. Keep the shiny side up everyone!!

[Mike Croke]

- There were no cargo covers on the 1979 Mustangs (at least not on any of the the Pace Cars I've seen)


Ian,

Thanks for the way helpful info. You've obviously researched this religiously.

I mentioned the cargo cover because it looked like the panels in Sam's car have the mounting tabs/brackets for the cargo cover. Thus, I assumed (incorrectly) that the car should have the cover. Sorry. Maybe it's the light in that particular picture?

[RACECAP97]

Well i've definatly learned a lot from this posting. All I really wanted to do was make sure I was right about the pace car comming standard with the sun roof. Looks like i've stirred up a lot more info though. Can't ever learn enough I suppose. :lol:

[Anonymous]

- There were no cargo covers on the 1979 Mustangs (at least not on any of the the Pace Cars I've seen)


Ian,

Thanks for the way helpful info. You've obviously researched this religiously.

I mentioned the cargo cover because it looked like the panels in Sam's car have the mounting tabs/brackets for the cargo cover. Thus, I assumed (incorrectly) that the car should have the cover. Sorry. Maybe it's the light in that particular picture?

No problem Mike! It does look like it may have the provisions for the cargo cover, but then there are other interior panels (doors) that don't really fit with the 1979 year on this particular car. I suspect that somewhere along the line the car was either wrecked or stripped, and somebody used a doner car to "fill in" the missing/damaged pieces. :?

BTW, I checked out your Capri on your website... one word: DROOOOOOOOOL!!!! :D Awesome job, you should be proud!!

[Ricky C]

I believe that the car may very well indeed be a restored pacecar. I am guessing that because of its location, it at one point got badly rusted. This would explain different doors and no sunroof and new paint.

I also believe it could just be an 82 GT with a pacecar vin attached.

Or it can be a car assembled from a parted out car.


But I believe it very well indeed may be a pace car that was restored somewhere along the line do to rust. Either way, it's a cervy nice car. I'd drive it! I've never been a fan of the "pace car" lettering but I like the paint job hehe :)

[PUNKFRIDAY]

there are tags on EVERYTHING in that car that says "PACECAR", under the dash panels, written in wax marker under the hood (PACE) and (MOON) and taped underneath most interior parts that are pace car only.

[RACECAP97]

You have personally seen this car? Where is the sun roof and other stuff that is pace car specific? READ THE WHOLE POST. :P

[PUNKFRIDAY]

whoa! easy there slick, it may be the most not a pace car-pace car i've seen, but i'd like to know where they got the front air-dam and grille. one of mine is smashed.

[hemicuda]

Here's a quick way to tell if it's a Pace Car. Take the top cover off the IP. There will be a white sticker glued to the dash skeleton that says 'PACE CAR'. It was the factory's way of identifying them going down the line.

All pace cars came with sunroofs, premium sound system, and TRX wheels and tires.