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  1. #1
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    Default 1979 Mustang Convertible

    Just acquired this car. Cannot find any info on it. Previous owner claims there were up to 100 made for the 1979 Indy 500. To shuttle people around the track. That these cars were given away in a lottery because they couldn't be sold. He has no documentation or proof, just a story.
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    more pics
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    Don't know about the backstory being accurate but it looks to be a AHA conversion. I think the vent windows give it away.

    http://www.ascmclarencoupe.com/Liter...Literature.htm

    There has been at least one other 1979 Fox platform conversion that surfaced here too.

    http://vb.foureyedpride.com/showthre...ury-Capri-Ghia

    http://vb.foureyedpride.com/showthre...i-Ghia-Convert
    '85 GT

  4. #4

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    Well, you were fed quite a line on the car you just bought, allow me to take some of the sting out by at least telling you it is a "AHA" Mustang convertible conversion. The nose and the seats were added after the fact and are not original to the car (a VIN tag on the inside of the nose cap/front bumper should confirm this). There were roughly 230 of these produced over the course of two years (1979-1980), and they were never(N-E-V-E-R) built for, or at the Indy race.....The actual cars/trucks at Indy were sold via lottery to the Ford dealer network, who then resold them as new/used cars. The Tomaso did not even have a car display at the 1979 Indy race, let alone provide 100 cars to the event to shuttle people around. I believe your seller got confused about the "Festival Cars" (Mustangs, LTDs, and a few F150 pick ups) and rolled that into the story/myth he or she was attempting to spin.....



    Now that the basics are out, tell us a little more about your new acquisition

    Have you run a Marti Report yet?


    Bill S.
    Last edited by mrmustang; 12-26-2016 at 07:34 AM.

  5. #5
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    Bill, thanks for the history on these cars. I searched the internet for hours and came up with nothing. But I was putting Indy in the search which is why nothing was popping up. Did find a pic of another one just like this, but no info.
    This is all I know about the car. I was dropping my tractor off at my bosses old farm house last summer so he could york rake some loam he just had spread. After I unloaded he said come check out this car I have in the barn. It was covered with an old tarp and his Daughter and husband who were living at the farm house had piled boxes on top of the car to keep them off the concrete floor. He told this story about the car. Said he bought it in the early 90's and it needed some bodywork. He took it to a local bodyshop. The owner was a friend of his and also had quite a car collection, about 75+/-. The bodyshop owner researched the the history and he is the one that "uncovered " the history of the car. Since my boss thought it was rare he ended up spending over 17k on the bodywork. My boss is not stupid, just a little to trusting when a friend tells him something. Anyway he drove the car summers until he parked it in the barn in 2000.

    I told my boss it was a shame to let the car sit like this, he knew what I was leading up to, even thou I couldn't even see the car or condition. He said he was donating it to a school autobody shop and they were picking it up before school starts. I said I was glad it was going to a new home.

    Fast forward to last Wednesday. As I was walking by my bosses office he yells at me " hey get in here", so I go in and ask what's up his reply is "I'm giving you that car", my reply was "what car?" LOL- short term memory. He said none of his kids want it, they won't take care of it and he is selling the farmhouse. We went over and looked at it Friday morning. He told me on the way over that is was a fiberglass body and the first two built had a tin trunk lid, the rest had a fiberglass lid. When we uncovered the car I tapped on the panels, all steel, so I knew at that point the story he was given may not have been entirely accurate. I'm a old school Charger guy at heart. But always liked the mustangs. So I was more than happy to give the Mustang a new home. My wife and I went over Friday night, loaded up the car and bought it home.

    Now that I know the the real history behind this car it should be easier for me to do additional research. Thanks for you help with this
    Last edited by NHCharger; 12-26-2016 at 08:23 AM.

  6. #6
    FEP Super Member JTurbo's Avatar
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    Interesting car, welcome to FEP. Look forward to more info.....
    1979 Indy Pace Car Mustang 302 / 5spd
    1982 Mustang GT T-Top 302 / 4spd
    1986 SVO Mustang - 1C

  7. #7

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    Looks like somebody took a Pace Car and had it converted. The VIN and door tag are from a Pace Car so the nose and hood are original vintage.
    Last edited by FoxChassis; 12-26-2016 at 10:26 AM.
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  8. #8
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    I believe it was discussed here previously, there was one pace car convertible built. Likely a one off for some event or purpose. Last I heard it was in a junk yard about 75 mikes from me. I believe it was confirmed by the vin. Obviously, not made by Ford, and not sure which of the coach builders made it. I am no expert on the pace cars and this previous one seemed to be more than rumors as there were pictures of it. Let me see if I can find it again.

    Sometimes we find out there were more cars than we thought as all the docvumentation was not with Ford and often lost when the small companies dried up.

    Edit: I found the previous post on the pace car convertible, 2010. It did not seem to be as solid confirmation as I recalled. It was tagged as car #0001. Maybe it was also a post build conversion. Pictures were on eBay so they are gone. In the search, I Aldo saw mention of some personal pace car creations. Any real pace car would have left Ford as such and made into a convertible later (days, months or years).
    Last edited by KevinK; 12-26-2016 at 01:10 PM. Reason: Update
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  9. #9
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    Thanks to Bill I was able to locate another data tag that was screwed to the front of the radiator support. now I just need to decode all this.
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  10. #10

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    See the buck tag decoder in my signature.
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  11. #11

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    How neat. Thanks for at least saving it. While certainly a tad ungainly (at least with the top up) it is such a cool piece of history regardless of what it is. If you are not interested in keeping it long term, please at least give the FEP membership first dibs by posting the ad on here first. I only mention that because you said you are mainly a Mopar fan, no offense intended. Good luck with whatever you decide to do with it.

    Not that it really matters but it also appears to have dealer (or at least aftermarket) air conditioning installed on it as well. It looks to have the added on vent in the center of the dash and the compressor and hoses are definitely not OEM style but the car is nearly 40 years old too.
    Last edited by homer302; 12-26-2016 at 05:26 PM.
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  12. #12
    FEP Senior Member dtmilsap's Avatar
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    Would like to see buck tag decoding.

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    Homer. Right now my intentions are to get it running. Then see how much it will really cost to get on the road. It's in pretty decent shape since it was never driven in the winter. I think the frame for the top is bent a bit from my bosses daughter piling boxes on top of the roof . It needs new tires which appear to be metric, those sound like big bucks. I stuck another battery in it and everything electrical works. With the amount of dead mouse carcasses I was concerned they may have chewed the wiring. Haven't tried to start it yet. Pulled all the plugs and filled the cylinders with marvel mystery oil. Will let sit for a few days then try to turn motor over by hand. Drained the gas tank also.

    Your right about me being a Mopar guy. First thing i said when I opened the hood was WTF, the battery is on the wrong side . I am currently working on a 1969 Charger Daytona clone for my wife. So that kind of takes priority over any other project. If I do decide to put it up for sale I would definitely the give the members here and at Stang.net first crack. Both sites have been very helpful

  14. #14

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    VIN
    9 = 1979 model year
    F = Dearborn Assembly
    03 = Mustang 3-dr hatchback
    F = 5.0L V8 engine
    483415 = 3,415th 1979 Pace Car scheduled for production at Dearborn

    Door Tag
    Date - 05-79 = May 1979 scheduled build
    GVWR - 3871 lb/1755 kg = gross vehicle weight rating
    Front GVWR - 2074 lb/940 kg = front gross axle weight rating
    Rear GVWR - 1817 lb/824 kg = rear gross axle weight rating
    F0138 = 13 lbs front accessory reserve load
    R0067 = 67 lbs rear accessory reserve load
    Exterior Paint Colors - 1E = Pewter Metallic
    DSO - 11 = Boston district sales office
    Body - 61R = Mustang 3-dr hatchback
    Mldg - 10E = Black bodyside molding with Medium Orange inset stripes
    Int Trim - UA = cloth & vinyl Recaro seating (U), Black interior color (A)
    A/C - [blank] = no air conditioner
    R - 7 = AM/FM stereo radio with cassette tape player
    Ax - Y = 3.08:1 axle ratio, non-locking differential
    Tr - 5 = Tremec 'SROD' 4-speed manual overdrive transmission
    KK = front springs
    MM = rear springs

    Buck Tag
    MUSTANG = Mustang model line
    483415 = 3,415th 1979 Pace Car scheduled for production at Dearborn Assembly
    61R = Mustang 3-dr hatchback
    F = 5.0L V8 engine
    MR = moonroof (sunroof)
    0199 = body & paint rotations #0199
    1E = Pewter Metallic exterior paint color
    A = Black interior trim color
    DF
    ST
    M
    HB = heated backlite (rear defrost)
    DRM = dual remote mirrors
    500 = Indianapolis 500 Pace Car replica model/trim level
    WQM
    PL = power door locks
    MOD = manual overdrive transmission (Tremec 4-speed 'SROD')
    7 = rear-facing non-functonal full length hood scoop
    V = visibility (light group)
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  15. #15
    FEP Senior Member Matt J's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by NHCharger View Post
    Homer. Right now my intentions are to get it running. Then see how much it will really cost to get on the road. It's in pretty decent shape since it was never driven in the winter. I think the frame for the top is bent a bit from my bosses daughter piling boxes on top of the roof . It needs new tires which appear to be metric, those sound like big bucks. I stuck another battery in it and everything electrical works. With the amount of dead mouse carcasses I was concerned they may have chewed the wiring. Haven't tried to start it yet. Pulled all the plugs and filled the cylinders with marvel mystery oil. Will let sit for a few days then try to turn motor over by hand. Drained the gas tank also.

    Your right about me being a Mopar guy. First thing i said when I opened the hood was WTF, the battery is on the wrong side . I am currently working on a 1969 Charger Daytona clone for my wife. So that kind of takes priority over any other project. If I do decide to put it up for sale I would definitely the give the members here and at Stang.net first crack. Both sites have been very helpful
    It doesn't look like it will take too much to get it going, these cars are somewhat bullet-proof and easy to work on. Those tires are a bear to replace when you look at the $2k+ tab to do it, but if you like the correct style wheels on the car, then you can get good looking reproduction wheels in modern tire sizes for about $1k mounted (they ship them that way). There are also lots of wheels out there with the 4-lug pattern that you can use for short money. Don't worry about the top being a little funny, you only drive it when it's down anyway!

  16. #16
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    Thanks for the decode Fox. I attempted to do it last night but gave up.
    I talked to my boss this morning, showed him the decoded tags and told him that no convertibles were supplied to the race according to what I have read. He said he has this info written down somewhere and has a pic of two white and black convertibles at Indy.He has moved three times since he got the car so
    i'm not holding my breath. He said the owner of the bodyshop (who passed away ten years ago) contacted the coach company that did the conversions and they are the ones that said that they provided the convertibles for the race. The build date on this car is May and the race is always Memorial Day weekend so I find it a stretch that this car made it there. either way it's a cool little car and starting to grow on me. Hoping to fire it up in the next week or two.
    Also, whoever repainted the car black did a nice job. I can't find any trace of the original color on the car.

  17. #17

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    You can order a standard Marti report and it will tell you the actual build day of the car. A deluxe report will give you more dates (order, buck, scheduled build, actual build, release, and sold dates).
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  18. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by NHCharger View Post
    Homer. Right now my intentions are to get it running. Then see how much it will really cost to get on the road. It's in pretty decent shape since it was never driven in the winter. I think the frame for the top is bent a bit from my bosses daughter piling boxes on top of the roof . It needs new tires which appear to be metric, those sound like big bucks. I stuck another battery in it and everything electrical works. With the amount of dead mouse carcasses I was concerned they may have chewed the wiring. Haven't tried to start it yet. Pulled all the plugs and filled the cylinders with marvel mystery oil. Will let sit for a few days then try to turn motor over by hand. Drained the gas tank also.

    Your right about me being a Mopar guy. First thing i said when I opened the hood was WTF, the battery is on the wrong side . I am currently working on a 1969 Charger Daytona clone for my wife. So that kind of takes priority over any other project. If I do decide to put it up for sale I would definitely the give the members here and at Stang.net first crack. Both sites have been very helpful
    Ditch those wheels and tires...they are junk and worthless now thanks to these

    https://lmr.com/products/mustang-trx-wheels

    Coker reproduction metric TRX tires are ~$425 EACH!!! And that is for crappy, 40 year old design. Then you would need to invest ~$100 per wheel to have them refinished if they are in bad shape. For ~$1200 you can have BRAND NEW 16" reproduction wheels and put whatever, modern design tire you fancy.
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  19. #19

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    According to the quick research that I just did (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coach_..._Ford_products), Tomaso was the only coach convertible company doing Mustang conversions for the 1979 model year. (AHA supposedly didn't start doing Mustang conversions until the 1980 model year.)

    Tomaso was based in Arkansas so I can't figure why this car was ordered through DSO 11 (Boston, MA region) instead of Detroit (DSO 48, if built at the behest of Ford Motor Company) or Indianapolis (DSO 46, if built at the behest of Indy Motor Speedway) or even a DSO close to Little Rock, AR. If AHA did indeed do this conversion, they are based in Canada, even further from either the Detroit or Indianapolis DSOs.

    A Marti report, or even better a repro window sticker (unless you have the original?) would give you more info. Not only the build date on either the basic or deluxe report, which if built later than the Indy 500 race that year would immediately dispel this story, but the deluxe report would tell you the ordering dealer (or FoMoCo if for a special purpose), and a window sticker would tell you the ship-to location (if different than the ordering dealer).
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  20. #20
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    No paperwork with car.Sounds like I should order the Marti report. Would be interesting to see.
    I didn't get the car because of the story. It was being used as a storage rack for a large number of boxes and as a car guy I felt obligated to rescue it.
    Found some tires for $364 each- LOL. I can't let this car cut into my Daytona build budget right now so I'm taking the cheap way out and buying some old school look American Racing mags and tossing some BFG's on them.
    Last edited by NHCharger; 12-28-2016 at 12:24 PM.

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    oops, double post,
    Last edited by NHCharger; 12-28-2016 at 12:23 PM.

  22. #22
    FEP Super Member sowaxeman's Avatar
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    BTW....my ~$1,200 comment was for the new 16" wheels AND tires. But I get not cutting into your other funds.
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  23. #23

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    A 'standard' Marti report is currently only $18. A 'deluxe' report is currently only $46. Here is a comparison of one to the other, i.e. what info you get: http://www.martiauto.com/secure/report_chart.cfm
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  24. #24
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    Another option is the get the Emminger Report (window sticker copy) from Kevin Marti. It might give some indication on where it was shipped to after the Ford assembly line. The ASC cars would get shipped to ASC after the Ford assembly line for the convertible conversion. They did quite a few so they probably knocked them out in less than a month. Other coach builders did very few and it might take them several months to make the convertible conversion. While ASC is known for the Capri and Mustang conversions done from 84-90, they were around since about the late 50s doing sun roofs and convertible tops on many makes until they closed about 2006. They claimed to have done 1,000,000 convertibles.
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  25. #25

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    Marti Auto Works does not have Eminger invoices for 1979 Pace Cars. (If you check out the website it will say "excluding Pace Cars" for 1979 model year.) Those invoices were acquired by someone else before Marti Auto got the whole lot from Lois Eminger's estate and that person does not seem to be motivated to get them into the hands of current Pace Car owners. Kevin Marti has tried to acquire them from that person and has so far been rebuffed.
    Last edited by FoxChassis; 12-28-2016 at 04:38 PM.
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