1979, THE STUFF DREAMS ARE MADE OF!

The third-generation (TGM) was a complete departure from previous Mustangs. The only styling Q's reminiscent of previous Mustangs were the long nose and short deck. Ford went to great efforts to make the third-generation Mustang a design success and possibly one of the best Mustangs ever. It is true that the TGM shared the FOX platform with the Fairmont and Zephyr, but few realize that the Fairmont/Zephyr platforms were designed with the third-generation Mustang in mind. This advanced planning is what made the TGM one of the best Mustangs ever, at least from a design standpoint. Throughout its 15 years of production, as Ford steadily improved the breed, the TGM became a success in more ways than one. (As a note, the Ford Fairmont and Mercury Zephyr were introduced as new models in 1978).

Initial sketches by design teams began in the summer of 1975, just two years after the first generation of Mustangs. There were 3 in-house design teams that submitted proposals for the design of the TGM; Ford and Lincoln design studios, Advanced Designs, and Ford's Ghia operation in Italy. All the teams were given fixed dimensional specifications from which to design their proposals. A design team under the leadership of Jack Telnack was chosen and awarded the project in September of 1976. At that point, four trim levels were decided upon; they were the Base, Sport, Ghia and Cobra models.

Improved aerodynamics along with weight savings were two modes of thought left over from the gas crunch of 1973 and 1974. In addition, CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) laws written by Congress were to take effect in 1978. The CAFE standards emphasized the role of improved aerodynamics and weight savings in improving fuel economy. The TGM underwent some 136 hours of wind tunnel testing, which for 1979 standards was quite extensive. The 2-door notchback, or coupe, was designed first and then a 3-door hatchback evolved. The drag coefficient for the hatchback was 0.44 and 0.46 for the coupe. It is interesting to note that a baseball has a CD of 0.45 and a bullet has a CD of 0.25. The new Mustang had a CD that was 25% less than its predecessor, the Mustang II. In order to reduce weight, higher strength low alloy steel, plastics and aluminum were all used extensively in the new Mustang to improve performance. This was the first year integrated urethane bumper covers appeared on a Mustang, courtesy of a new plastics technology called RIM, reaction-injection molding. Thinner yet stronger glass was also developed to save weight. As a result, the new Mustang was some 215 pounds lighter than the Mustang II. To date, the only Mustangs lighter than the TGM coupe are the 1964-66 by 215 pounds and the 1967-68 by 95 pounds. (These weights are for 302 c.i. equipped cars.) The TGM's overall length of 179.1" was larger than the Mustang II's 175.0", yet less than the 1964-73 Mustangs which averaged from 181.6" to 193.8". (The fourth generation Mustang has a length of 181.5" and a weight of 3276 pounds.) The new 1979 Mustang had a better CD and weighed less than the Mustang II despite the fact that it was larger in almost every way. WOW! Now that was progress and quite impressive for 1979 standards!

Suspension and handling was another area Ford was interested in addressing for the third-generation Mustang. In order to accomplish this goal, Ford began with making several enhancements to the Fox platform. The wheelbase shrunk by 5.1" giving the TGM a stretch of 100.3" between front and rear wheel centers. In comparison, the Mustang II had a wheelbase of 96.2" and the fourth generation Mustang is at 101.3". (To date, the 1971-73 Mustangs have the longest wheelbase at 109".) The front suspension featured modified McPherson strut geometry; this consisted of a strut, conventional A-arm, and coil spring placed between the A-arm and the body. (The traditional strut arrangement consisted of the upper portion of the strut passing through the coil spring. The spring was compressed by the strut and body; this setup still included a lower A-arm.) A front anti-roll bar was standard. The modified McPherson strut design remained during all 15 production years of the TGM. The rear suspension consisted of a Ford link arrangement with coil springs which were more compact than the Mustang II leaf-sprung design. The four-link system consisted of lower control arms located at the rear differential ends and connecting to the rear subframe. The coil spring sits between the lower control arm and subframe. The upper control arms connect to the pinion housing and rear subframe but are angled to prevent side to side movement. The rear differential was a 7.5". (The 7.5" refers to the ring gear diameter.) The standard suspension was tuned for bias-ply tires while the Handling suspension was tuned for radials. The Handling and Special suspension packages along with the 5.0L option carried a rear end anti-roll bar connected to the lower control arms. The Special handling suspension package was based upon the new TRX radials. This suspension package was designed around new sticky Michelin 190-65R 390 TRX tires mounted on TR 390 forged aluminum wheels. (The diameter of these rims was 39cm or 15.4".) Special shocks, springs and stabilizer bars were designed for the TRX tire and wheel combination. The Cobra package included a forward facing hood scoop with the 2.3L turbocharged engine as standard. Also included were hood graphics and the Special (TRX) suspension. The brakes for all models were 10.06" vented discs in front and 9.0" drums out back. The Cobra package received semi-metallic pads while the rest got asbestos pads.

At the heart of any great pony car is a great engine. For 1979, the 5.0L engine was a carryover from the Mustang II, with the exception of a new V-rib serpentine or single belt accessory drive setup and a new aluminum water-pump. The carburetor was a 2-Bbl. rated at 368.5 cfm (cubic feet per minute). A new, less restrictive exhaust system was used which featured cast iron exhaust manifolds and a single pipe outlet at 2.5" in diameter. The 5.0L V-8 of 1979 was by no means a great engine but, with time, this became one of the hardest charging 302s to ever grace the space between the shock towers of any Mustang! So, read on, it only gets better!

The most significant Mustang of 1979 was the pace car for the Indianapolis 500. This was the second time a Mustang had paced the Indy 500. A total of 11,000 pace car replicas were built. The available engines for the pace car were the 302 or the turbocharged 2.3 liter. Some of the features of the pace car were rear spoiler, front air dam with fog lights and rear facing hood scoop (non-functional), pop-up sunroof and the Special handling suspension. Recaro seats were standard for the pace car. All the pace cars were pewter with black treatment and highlighted with orange and red paint stripes.

 
Horsepower: 140 BHP   @ 3600 RPM
            143 BHP   @ 3600 RPM (California, automatic transmission only.) 
Torque    : 250 FT-LB @ 1800 RPM 
            243 FT-LB @ 1800 RPM (California, automatic transmission only.) 
Base Price: $5,008  (2-door coupe) 
Total Cars Produced: 369,936 
5.0L Cars (non GT) :  47,568

In preparation for another gas crunch, due in part to the overthrow of the Shah of Iran in 1979, Ford downsized the 5.0L V-8 to a 4.2L in 1980 by decreasing the bore from 4.00" to 3.68". The Recaro seats of the 79 Pace Car became a $531 option. The Cobra package now received the Pace Car's air dam, hood scoop and rear spoiler. New standard equipment included Halogen headlamps and a maintenance-free battery. Power door locks were optional in 1980 and power windows became optional for the first time in 1981. Although there was no 5.0, there were some points of interest worth noting during the years of 1980 and 1981.

1980 Happenings:
SVO (Special Vehicle Operations) formed under the leadership of Michael Kranefuss.
Mustang sales drop to 241,064 units.
A limited run of 250 McLaren Mustangs are offered at a whopping $25,000 each.
Henry Ford II resigns as FoMoCo Chairman.
Ronald Reagan is elected president.
A deranged fan shoots and kills John Lennon.

1981 Happenings:
The Escort replaces the Pinto.
Mustang sales drop even further to 162,0593 units.
President Reagan is shot by John Hinckly on March 30.
Prince Charles and Lady Diana are wed on July 29.

1982, NO WHERE TO GO BUT UP!

The big news for 1982 was the introduction of the Mustang GT, new 5.0L H.O. (High Output) engine, and Special Service Mustangs. The Mustang GT came with a choice of engines and trim options. (For more information about the GT, please visit the '82-'93 Mustang GT Registry which is listed on our links page.) The early Special Service Mustangs were based on the GL Sedan (Coupe) while later versions were based on the LX Sedan. They were basically production cars with a few minor modifications for police duty. (For more information about these SS Mustangs, please visit the Special Service Registry website that is listed on our links page.)

The new 5-liter engine came with stronger internal components such as double roller timing chain and higher lift cam that helped generate 157 HP @ 4200 RPM and 240 FT-LBs. of torque at 2400 RPM. Also, the firing order switched from 1-5-4-2-6-3-7-8 to the 5.7L windsor pattern of 1-3-7-2-6-5-4-8. The timing chain went from a Morse-type silent chain (0.75" thick) to a double roller set (0.875" thick). The carburetor was a carry-over from 1979 but now used a dual-snorkel air cleaner. The pistons were still a cast-aluminum alloy. The CR (Compression Ration) fell slightly to 8.3:1 from the 1979 figure of 8.4:1 while combustion chamber volume remained at 67.0 to 70.5 cc. The harmonic damper and flywheel/flexplate received new imbalance values; 34.0 oz.-in. for the damper and 50.0 oz.-in. for flywheel/flexplate. Previously, the value for both damper and flywheel/flexplate was 28 oz.-in. of imbalance. On December 1, 1982, Ford switched to a new one-piece rear main seal that called for a compatible block and crankshaft. The engines were now being painted gray instead of the traditional Ford blue of previous years. Mandatory options for the 5-liter engine included 3.08 traction lock rear end, power steering, power brakes and the Handling suspension. Traction bars were also added due to the 5.0Ls newfound muscle. The only transmission for the 5.0L was the 4-speed manual or SROD. The Special suspension, with TRX tires and wheels, was optional.

Car and Driver reported 0-60 mph in 8.1 sec; that was 0.5 sec faster than the fuel injected V8 Camaro. (Mustang 1, Camaro 0)

 
Horsepower: 157 BHP   @ 4200 RPM 
Torque    : 240 FT-LB @ 2400 RPM 
Base Price: $6,889  (2-door coupe) 
Total Cars Produced: 130,418 
5.0L Cars (non GT) :   4,656 
     GT Cars       :  24,799

1982 Happenings:
The Camaro is restyled.
Gas prices begin to fall.
Britain goes to war in the Falkland Islands.