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  1. #1

    Default Dealer installed stripes on an 83 GT?

    Good Morning Guys, I recently bought a one owner 83 GT that has been very well kept over the past 34 years. It was bought from the Ford dealer as a new "Demo" with some miles on it. Shortly after, all the usual 1980's stuff was added to make the car stand out from the rest of them. Wheels, window louvers, Bra, fog lights, etc. It remained with that look throughout its life. Now, I am removing those items & bringing it back to its original look from 1983. Fortunately it did come with the original wheels/tires, radio, etc.

    However, the car has these stripes on it that the owner mentioned it has always had since new & they believed they were factory stripes. After searching the web, I am pretty certain they are not factory & my best guess is it might be something the dealer had done third party to make it stand out on the sales lot? I am trying to decide what to do with them. I am leaning towards removing them & then add some smaller stripes to hide the faded lines that will most likely be left behind in the paint. One thing is for sure. All the stripes were all originally black & silver. The silver vinyl lines were taped over & then painted red on the sides & the hood. The only ones that were not were the ones on the front facia. I suspect that was because they were covered by the Le-Bra.

    So before I go ahead & remove these stripes, I thought I would ask opinions just in case I am missing something here. I did find the build sheet under the spare tire, but there is a section that is missing where sit looks to have been taped & torn away. What would you do with it?
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  2. #2

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    Are the stripes paint or tape? I am guessing they are tape but I'm asking anyway. The colors of the hood and "pin" stripes do not look factory and the C-pillar treatment is definitely not factory.

    Post the build sheet please. Thanks.
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  3. #3

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    Quote Originally Posted by FoxChassis View Post
    Are the stripes paint or tape? I am guessing they are tape but I'm asking anyway. The colors of the hood and "pin" stripes do not look factory and the C-pillar treatment is definitely not factory.

    Post the build sheet please. Thanks.
    It's all tape & has very clean cut lines. The Red you can see everywhere was painted on by the past owner with masking tape & a brush. It looks like he taped off the silver & then painted red over the top of all the silver lines. I have been able to remove some of it to expose the original vinyl underneath. The red on the hood is oxidized & comes off easily with a fingernail, on the sides its not very oxidized & only comes off with paint reducer. I cleaned off an area by the door & it exposed a silver stripe that was on top of the black, but it comes off too. The way its cut & the silver that is under the painted red made me think its some sort of production decal, but I am still thinking it's probably an aftermarket 1983 stripe kit that was added when new & then later striped red by the owner. He also painted red over the body modeling. you can see the original silver on the bumper cover, but painted over on the rest. I will have to remove that & re-stripe it too.

    What I really want to do is remove everything that should not be there, polish the car & re-stripe it. Hopefully I can preserve all of the original paint. The black section of the hood will need to be re-sprayed though. Its very oxidized.

    I will post the build sheet when I get home this afternoon. Thanks!

  4. #4

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    Here are two other pictures I took yesterday.

    The hood with what looks like the original factory stripes under the red? & the door where you can see silver under the red, but the reducer is pulling that off too. black vinyl is unaffected. If I end up keeping the black stripes, I will have to use silver vinyl to restore those as obviously they will be ruined by the time the red is gone.
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  5. #5
    FEP Senior Member 83GTJIM's Avatar
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    Great looking car and I love that you are bringing it back to its original look from 1983. The 83 GT is my favorite. Just in case you didn't know, the black hood stripe is supposed to be flat black. They flat black is hard to maintain and keep looking fresh but I like that detail on original cars. To me the condition of the flat black and stripes are a good gauge of the care given to the car. Originality is a ++ for me (not that I can't appreciate all the upgraded and modified cars on this forum). Where are you located?
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  6. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by 83GTJIM View Post
    Great looking car and I love that you are bringing it back to its original look from 1983. The 83 GT is my favorite. Just in case you didn't know, the black hood stripe is supposed to be flat black. They flat black is hard to maintain and keep looking fresh but I like that detail on original cars. To me the condition of the flat black and stripes are a good gauge of the care given to the car. Originality is a ++ for me (not that I can't appreciate all the upgraded and modified cars on this forum). Where are you located?
    I am in Green Bay, WI I will add that in my settings.
    Do you know if the hood was about the same sheen/gloss level as the window trim and/or rear sail panel louvers?

  7. #7

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    The white and black stripe on the hood under the red paint is original. It is color keyed to the body paint. In other words, if the paint were red the stripe would be red and black, or if the paint were silver the stripe would be silver and black, etc. I cannot see the 'grill' area in the first pic but that factory white and black stripe should also be on the left, bottom, and right sides of the grill. Basically the factory stripe surrounds the black paint on the hood and grill.

    The stripe on the bodyside and C-pillar is not factory. We have seen those before though. On some 1982 and 1983 models the C-pillar section even has the word "BOSS" cut out of the stripe, so as to show the body color through. There was an "accent tape stripe" option through the 1982 model year and I think the bodyside stripes and C-pillar stripe you have on yours is similar to what the factory offered.
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  8. #8

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    Here's the sheet. Unfortunately some of it is missing. looks like it might have been taped in place & tore away during assembly. I looked under the seats, carpet & side panels & haven't found the missing piece. Also a bit dirty from being folded up & under the spare tire.

    The car is pretty basic. cloth seats with rear defrost & thats about it for options that I visually see.
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    Last edited by 1983-GT; 05-11-2017 at 04:45 PM.

  9. #9

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    Build sheets shows these options:

    AM/FM stereo radio
    electric rear window defroster
    front license plate bracket
    metric forged aluminum wheels (TRX)
    Michelin TRX P220/55R390 tires
    tinted glass
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  10. #10

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    Maybe it's possible that it was a dealer add on. It's amazing sometimes what sales managers will do if they think it'll "sell" the car. I definitely saw it in my 5 years at a dealership.
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  11. #11

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    Thanks a bunch guys!
    At least now if I decide to remove them you won't tell me it was some rare option & I destroyed the car.

    The car was sold as a demo & is listed that way on the invoice, so no doubt some things could have been done to it under their supervision.

    Thanks again!

  12. #12

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    Order type on the build sheet is "dealer stock".
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  13. #13
    FEP Senior Member E2ZZGLX's Avatar
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    I personally like the tape kit you have here, it's nice to see something different and being possible dealer install as per orignal owner as some
    sorta dealer promo or accessorie before delivering or selling to the public. I would consider it just a dealer installed option as many dealerships did back in the day to promote these things....remember GM was producing some slick looking and fresh designs back then and a Fox Body Mustang were starting to show there age. Returning her back to "factory stock" is going to be difficult with the after market sunroof cut and installed...another popular dealer or owner installed accessorie back in the day. My self I like to see stuff like this and even "day 2" mods with erea correct parts. Nice looking car you have and do I spy a Rally 2 hovering above your fox?
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  14. #14

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    Quote Originally Posted by E2ZZGLX View Post
    I personally like the tape kit you have here, it's nice to see something different and being possible dealer install as per orignal owner as some
    sorta dealer promo or accessorie before delivering or selling to the public. I would consider it just a dealer installed option as many dealerships did back in the day to promote these things....remember GM was producing some slick looking and fresh designs back then and a Fox Body Mustang were starting to show there age. Returning her back to "factory stock" is going to be difficult with the after market sunroof cut and installed...another popular dealer or owner installed accessorie back in the day. My self I like to see stuff like this and even "day 2" mods with erea correct parts. Nice looking car you have and do I spy a Rally 2 hovering above your fox?
    Thats a really good thought too. If I keep the stripes, I will need to remove the red from them, which I think I can do with solvents, tape & patience. Then I could then re-access & apply new red and/or silver lines over the black vinyl. While I do like the look of the red lines, it was done with a brush over the silver & its pretty rough looking today. Also, I am pretty sure the silver will be darker under the stripes forcing me to put something back on the contrasting paint lines from the fading. There is also fading on the hood & fenders from having the LeBra on there too. Not terrible, but its noticeable. I'll see how that looks once I get to polishing it.

    In the background is a 68 GTO. the chassis with the rally II wheels is on the lift & the body is under the cover waiting to go back on. I hope to have that car assembled this summer. It been a decade long on/off project that is painted but needs to go back together. I have been a GM guy most of my life, but have been a big fan of the mustangs since I was 17. I hope to find a 87-88 GT someday as well.

  15. #15

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    This is what I could glean from the build sheet...

    Line A
    Ext, Paint, Body - 1G = Silver Metallic
    Ext, Tutone - [blank] = no tu-tone paint
    Int, Trim - FD = cloth seating, low-back front buckets (F), Medium Red interior trim color (D)
    Int, Deviation - [blank] = no interior trim deviation
    Int, Inst Bd - D = Medium Red instrument panel color
    Type of Order - 2 = dealer stock order
    Region & District - 43 = Milwaukee district sales office
    Special Order - [blank] = not a special order

    Line B
    Emission Control - [blank] = no special emissions package
    Engine - F = H.O. 5.0L V8 engine
    Trans - 4 = Tremec 'SROD' 4-speed manual overdrive transmission
    Air Cond - [blank] = no air conditioner
    Engine, Tag Number - DK333AC = 49-state calibration (D), Thermactor emissions with or without A/C (K), 5.0L engine (333), release level AC
    Transmission, Part Number - E2ZR AA = manual transmission (R) originally engineered for 1982 (E2) Mustang (Z), release level AA
    Seats, Type - 2 = low-back bucket seating
    Belts, Color - D = Medium Red seat belts

    Line C
    Imm Block Heater - [blank] = no immersion engine block heater

    Line D
    Groups, Décor, Appear - B = GT package
    Groups, Protection - [blank] = no appearance protection group
    Electrical, Wipers - [blank] = no interval windshield wipers
    Electrical, Defroster - E = electric rear window defroster
    Electrical, Audio, Radio - S = AM/FM stereo radio
    Electrical, Audio, Spkrs - 4 = four speakers without premium sound system
    Electrical, Lights, Light Group - [blank] = no light group
    Power Aids, Deklid Release - [blank] = no remote decklid release
    Power Aids, Locks - [blank] = no power door locks
    Power Aids, Windows - [blank] = no power side windows
    Glass, Tint - T = tinted glass
    Mouldings, Rocker - [blank] = no rocker panel moulding
    Road Abrasion - [blank] = no road abrasion coating
    Carpet/Mats - [blank] = no floor mats
    Console - B = console
    Mirror, Vanity - [blank] = no passenger side vanity mirror

    Line E
    Driveline, Speed-O, Metric - [blank] = no metric speedometer
    Driveline, Rear Axle, Tag Number - 271D = 3.08:1 axle ratio, Traction-Lok (limited slip) differential
    Suspension, Springs, Front, Left - KNO = K front left spring code
    Suspension, Springs, Front, Right - KNO = K front right spring code
    Suspension, Springs, Rear, Left - NOL = H rear left spring code
    Suspension, Springs, Rear, Right - NOL = H rear right spring code
    Pkgs, Hndlng - X = Handling Suspension package

    Line F
    Wheel Area, Wheel Covers - K = TRX wheel center caps
    Wheel Area, Wheels 1/2 - TX = forged aluminum TRX wheels
    Tires, Size - 22055R = P220/55R390 tires (Michelin TRX)
    Tires, Color - [blank] = black sidewalls
    Speed Control - [blank] = no fingertip speed control
    Front End, Steering Wheel, Wheel Color - A = Black steering wheel
    Front End, Steering Wheel, Type of Col - [blank] = no tilt steering wheel
    Hood Scoop - L = GT hood scoop
    Frt License Plate Bracket - T = front license plate bracket

    Line G
    Accent Stripe, Type/Color - 6 = _______ "GT" hood decal, _______ "GT" fender and trunk/hatch decal
    Last edited by FoxChassis; 05-13-2017 at 08:41 PM.
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  16. #16

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    Depending on the build date, the SROD transmission could have been one more option that the car has.
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  17. #17

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    Quote Originally Posted by FoxChassis View Post
    Depending on the build date, the SROD transmission could have been one more option that the car has.
    That is some awesome & impressive decoding work. That build sheet made zero sense to me.

    Could I ask what your interpretation of the last line is?

    "Line G Accent Stripe, Type/Color - 6 = Red "GT" hood decal, Black "GT" fender and trunk/hatch decal "

    Does that mean there is supposed to be some red stripe or decal on it somewhere?

    Thanks for taking all the time to write this up. I sure didn't expect you to go through all that trouble....

  18. #18

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    It's no trouble at all. I have put together build sheet decoders in Excel spreadsheets that do all the work for me.

    The 'accent stripe' code is for the "GT" decal color(s) on the hood, fenders, and truck for GTs or for paint stripe (pin stripe) color for non-GTs. The code on this build sheet is "6" which correct for 1G Silver Metallic paint. It seems odd that Silver paint would have a red hood decal. May be a mistake on my part. More research is needed.

    This is what I have confirmed so far regarding GT paint codes and their respective "A/C" door tag codes and "accent stripe" build sheet codes (mid Dec 1982 and later):

    1C = 1
    9D = 2
    1B = 3
    24 = 4
    27 = 5
    1G = 6

    And Marti reports show this for the "GT" decal codes:

    1 = Silver "GT" hood decal, Silver "GT" fender & hatch decals
    2 = White "GT" hood decal, Black "GT" fender & hatch decals
    3 = Charcoal "GT" hood decal, Black "GT" fender & hatch decals
    4 = Red "GT" hood decal, Black "GT" fender & hatch decals
    5 = Red "GT" hood decal, Black "GT" fender & hatch decals

    I have not seen a report from a mid Dec 1982 and later Silver Metallic 1983 GT yet!
    Last edited by FoxChassis; 05-12-2017 at 08:52 AM.
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  19. #19

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    Are there any other tags on the car that would benefit your research? They should all be there I am thinking. Although I must admit
    that other than the door decal, I do not know where they are. I am a blue oval novice....

  20. #20

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    All factory tags, labels, sheets, etc. are good to have. but none of them are going to spell out the color of the "GT" decals. They'll have codes for sure, but they won't tell me what the codes mean. I have print and online resources, and years of research experience for that.
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  21. #21

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    On the valve cover(s) there is an 'emissions calibration' label. I always like to have pics of those. I can decode them.

    On the front face of the radiator "core" support there is a buck tag between the hood latch and the driver side headlamps. I can decode this too. There are two brackets in the same location and the tag may be behind one or both brackets and therefore hard to find. The tag is attached with a Phillips head screw. The brackets are each attached with a bolt. The loop bracket to the left is for the line that helps cool the power steering fluid. The L-shaped bracket to the right attaches the header panel (which holds the headlights and headlight buckets) to the core support.
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  22. #22

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    Here are the other two tags. Buck tag was a little hard to get as I didn't want to break the paint around the screw to remove it
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  23. #23

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    Pulled the interior to clean the carpet & seats today. I found a second Build sheet!
    unfortunately the sheet is more of a fossil than a piece of paper at this point....
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  24. #24

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    I had this car in the database previously. It was listed on ebay in Fond du Lac, WI in June 2014 with _95,488 miles on the odometer.

    Buck Tag
    MUSTANG = Mustang model line
    123021 = 23,021st 1983 Ford scheduled for production at Dearborn Assembly
    61B = Mustang 3-dr hatchback
    F = H.O. 5.0L V8 engine
    004_ = body & paint rotations #004_
    1G = Silver Metallic exterior paint color
    DF
    ST
    04 = YES rear defrost, YES rear wing
    HB = heated backlite (rear defrost)
    GT = GT model/trim level
    BR = black rocker panel
    MOD = manual overdrive transmission (Tremec 4-speed 'SROD')
    03 = rear-facing non-functional hood scoop
    -D = Medium Red interior trim color
    NLR

    Engine Tag
    C1 = Cleveland Engine Plant 1
    DK333AC = 1983 model year (D), Thermactor system with or without AC (K), 302 CID displacement (333), design level A, calibration & revision level C
    J29 = October 29th, 1983
    10º = initial timing
    3-21A-R03 = 1983 model year (3), calibration number 21A, revision number R03
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  25. #25

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    Assuming this GT is an early-to-mid November build, which was before the "A/C" column on the door tag was used for GT decal color(s), and your car does not have factory air conditioner, the A/C code on your door tag would be blank.
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