Irregularities and Date Coded Parts
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Non-standard paint found
Non-standard paint found
During the preparation stage of the underneath, which was hand sanded to preserve the drip marks in the undercoating, dynasty green paint was found just below the red and black paint in multiple areas. The correct color for this Mustang is rangoon red.
The reason for the incorrect paint color is purely speculation, but that is how it left the factory. May have been paint left over in the paint gun from the last vehicle that was painted?? In any case, the dynasty green paint was replicated in the re-paint process, photo documented and the correct red and black paint was applied over it. The last four pictures show the dynasty green paint reapplied as it came from the factory.
Date Codes, Numbers and Factory Markings
Idler arm mounting washers
Idler arm mounting washers
The steering idler arm is held onto the frame with two bolts and washers (outer frame side) and threaded nuts (inner frame side). The outer washers, on the very earliest pre-production units, were fairly small in diameter when compared to the bolt hole diameter. Later pre-production units, along with all of the mass production cars, were upgraded with larger diameter washers that provided increased surface area and strength.
Initial inspection confirmed the washers on #139 to be of the larger diameter, which was a little odd given all of the "early" irregularities identified. Upon disassembly, once the bolts and washers were removed, it clearly shows where the smaller washers had originally been installed on this unit (picture 3 and 4 above). It is not known when the smaller washers were replaced, but they were definitely on the frame at one time.
Holes in trunk
Holes in trunk
Just to the left of the gas tank there are two holes, which give access to the rear tie-down mount used for transportation purposes. This is not unique and can be found on Mustangs throughout the late 1960's. The holes are typically finished off with a molded plastic plug, as shown above in picture #4. This picture came from another pre-production Mustang.
What is unique is how these holes were finished off on this unit. Instead of plastic plugs, the holes were filled in with "dumdum" or basically a sealing putty. Upon reassembly these holes will be refilled with the dumdum to replicate the way it was originally built.
Side window trim
Side window trim
Very early pre-production units had at least one side window trim that came down into a very sharp point, which could catch on the bottom window seal when the window was rolled completely down. Later pre-production units, as well as all production models, had a rounded edge to prevent the interference. #139 has one each of the different versions.