I thought about it the other day and realized that in Northern California there seem to be no Mustang II's on the road. In the course of any given week I'll see 65 through 73 mustangs. I'll see an occasional Pinto and fox bodies galore. But no Mustang II's.
1988RedT2 wrote: Granted, it was a letdown after the original, but I've never understood the hate for the Mustang II. In the context of the 70's, was it really that bad of a car???
Yes, it was. And all cars from the 1970s sucked big time - the lowest depths of insipid automotive design ever, if you care about performance. No idea why anyone woul bother with pretty much anything at all from that period. Saying one cars sucks less than the others hardly seems sufficient cause to bother owning it unless you are a masochist.
This is an editorial, with a lot of hyperbole, that may help spell out why people have little affection for the Mustang II;
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2010/04/curbside-classic-fords-deadly-sin1-1975-mustang-cobra-ii/
wspohn wrote:1988RedT2 wrote: Granted, it was a letdown after the original, but I've never understood the hate for the Mustang II. In the context of the 70's, was it really that bad of a car???Yes, it was. And all cars from the 1970s sucked big time - the lowest depths of insipid automotive design ever, if you care about performance. No idea why anyone woul bother with pretty much anything at all from that period. Saying one cars sucks less than the others hardly seems sufficient cause to bother owning it unless you are a masochist.
Ok, but the 73 Stang sucked worse. Same low-powered engine, but 600 more pounds and less cable in the areas of suspension and braking.
I realize it was a let down, but the market demanded smaller cars and government regs resulted in low-powered engines. At least the II is very swap friendly.
the Z-28, equipped with the potent V8 and four speed, stickered at $4066 ($19k adjusted). The 1975 Mustang II Mach I with the V6 listed at $4188; how much more the Cobra II package and the V8 cost is a guess. Half the horsepower, twice as long to sixty, miserable handling, in a ridiculous and mal-proportioned body with a yard too much front overhang. No wonder the Camaro rated a “GM’s Greatest Hits” designation at CC (here’s the full gushing writeup), and this Mustang II earns Ford’s first Deadly Sin. Powered By Ford.
That pretty much sums up how I feel about it.
I had access to a free one with very little rust and a bad motor. I turned it down. Now that I'm looking at pictures in this thread of what people have done with them... specifically the red one above... perhaps I was too hasty.
pres589 wrote: This is an editorial, with a lot of hyperbole, that may help spell out why people have little affection for the Mustang II; http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2010/04/curbside-classic-fords-deadly-sin1-1975-mustang-cobra-ii/
An entertaining read. I guess the Z-28 made the Mustang II look pretty bad by comparison.
I used to write for TTAC. Their commentary can be biting. I have a master tech book on domestic cars of the late 1970s, published in 1982 and although Ihaven't looked at in awhile, 245 hp seems a bit high for the Zs 350. 190 to 200 hp seems about right. The Vette was in the low 200s in those years and Chevy gave the Vette the hottest engines in the late 70s. Consider this, the Dodge Li'l Red Express truck was the fastest accelerating domestic vehicle of that era (fastest 0-100 mph by road and track. The L'l Red Express 360 made 225 hp.
Th efollowimg Camaro enthusiast site provides data similar to that of which I remember from by book:
http://www.nastyz28.com/camaro/camaro78.php
This site tells a similar story. http://musclecarfacts.net/1978-camaro.html
If I remember correctly, the Z wa smore in the 8 second range 0-60. It may have been better than the II, but it was a lackluster performer.
As for the the Manta and Capri. They had cult followings, but were not widely embraced. They wer not helped by poor markets by their respective corporations. The Capri was badged a Mercury and the Manta was sold through Buick dealers.
The truth of the matter is that most American drivers liked the soft ride that was derided by the automotive press. Padded vinly tops, opera windows and other 70s kitsch were all the rage.
What about the AMC Hornet coupe & hatchback? They seem better styled (save for very gingerbread heavy grills and such) than the Camaro post-73 or the Mustang II, and could be had with a 304 (that didn't offer a lot of power either, but they seem a bit hotter than the 302 in the MII).
nervousdog wrote: To the OP: 19K seems kind of expensive from what I've seen. The last (restored) King Cobra I saw for sale was 13K and it was show worthy.
Sure its expensive. But its basically been fully restored. The paint on it alone was $6k! IF (big if) you were looking for a vehicle full of 70's goodness to do pro touring with, I would choose this one if I had the budget to do what I wanted. Would I buy it and leave it as is? HELL NO!
Oh, and I'm in Canada. "Collector" car prices differ a little up here from down there 
In 1974 I bought an Audi Fox, a sister bought a V6 Capri, and another sister bought a Mustang II Ghia. The Mustang looked nice, but was a heavy, cramped feeling car that drove like it's V6 put out 90-95 horsepower. The Capri was actually somewhat similar (look at a Capri and Mustang II dashboard) but that Fox....well it was light a glider compared to the 747s that were the Mustang and Capri.
'74 was a tough year for Capri. Emissions really choked the 2.8 V6 and the 5 MPH bumpers weighed 80 lbs. each. But the Capri was still, I believe, a much better car than the Mustang II.
I understand why Ford stopped importing them and didn't let their new Fox Mustang compete with them. But it's too bad they didn't badge engineer it the other way. This would have been an awesome '79 Mustang...
integraguy wrote:
Moparman wrote: I used to write for TTAC. Their commentary can be biting. I have a master tech book on domestic cars of the late 1970s, published in 1982 and although Ihaven't looked at in awhile, 245 hp seems a bit high for the Zs 350. 190 to 200 hp seems about right. The Vette was in the low 200s in those years and Chevy gave the Vette the hottest engines in the late 70s. Consider this, the Dodge Li'l Red Express truck was the fastest accelerating domestic vehicle of that era (fastest 0-100 mph by road and track. The L'l Red Express 360 made 225 hp. Th efollowimg Camaro enthusiast site provides data similar to that of which I remember from by book: http://www.nastyz28.com/camaro/camaro78.php This site tells a similar story. http://musclecarfacts.net/1978-camaro.html If I remember correctly, the Z wa smore in the 8 second range 0-60. It may have been better than the II, but it was a lackluster performer.
245 hp was correct for the 73
Yeah, HP numbers bottomed out for 75 and 76 model years, IIRC.
Sorry, I thought he was speaking of later models since the II did not get the 302 until 75.
Kind of an apples to oranges comparison.
You're right.
The Z should really be compared to the 4 cylinder muscle car that was the Mustang in 73.
4 cylinder '73 Mustang? Um, no.
74 was the first year for the II.
Abetter compasriosn would be 78 Z to 78 II Cobra (the Z was out of production in the mid 70s). The Z still wins, but the difference is not so stark. I still think that a II will outhandle a Z in an autocross environment given equal levels of prep.
73 Stang Specs:
Mustang Performance - '73 351CJ V-8 (266hp) Acceleration 0-30 mph: 3.8 sec 0-60 mph: 8.5 sec 0-100 mph: 19.1 sec
Standing 1/4 mile: 16.2 sec @88.7 mph
Top Speed: 120mph Source: Road Test, July, 1973.
Specifications Wheel Base: 109" Height: 50.1" Width: 74.1" Length: 193.8" Weight: 3560 lbs. (351CJ)
Engine Information250 c.i. I-6 1V Carburetor
C.R. 8.0:1
Horsepower 98@3400
Torque 197@1600
302 c.i. V-8 2V Carburetor
C.R. 9:5
Horsepower 140@4000
Torque 239@2000
351 c.i. V-8 2V Carburetor
C.R. 8.6:1
Horsepower 177@4000
Torque 284 @2000
351(CJ) c.i. V-8 4V Carburetor
C.R. 9.0:1
Horsepower 266@5400
Torque 301@3600
Credit to The Auto Channel.
My mistake. It's rare, but it happens 
And I still think the Mustang II is a Pinto, and has caricature like styling. Those 76+ Z's handled really well for what they were
78 Mustang Specs:
Specifications
Wheel Base: 96.2"
Height: 50.3"
Width: 70.2"
Length: 175"
Weight:
Coupe: 2,610 lbs.
Fastback: 2,669 lbs.
Ghia: 2,642 lbs.
Mach 1: 2,735 lbs.
Track, frt/rear: 55.6/55.8 inches
Retail Prices: Standard Coupe: $3,824.00 Coupe, Ghia, Standard: $4,242.00 Hatchback, Standard: $4,088.00 Hatchback, Mach 1, Standard: $4,523.00
Interior Trim Code Black A Red D Tangerine J Aqua K White/Red N Chamois T White/Black W White/Chamois 2 White/Aqua 7 White/Gold 8
Vehicle Identification Numbers Engine Codes 140cid 2.3L 2V 4cyl 88hp Y 171cid 2.8L 2V V-6 90hp Z 302cid 5.0L 2V V-8 139hp F 8 - Last digit of model year F - Assembly plant (F-Dearborn, R-San Jose) 02 - Body code (02-2dr hardtop, 03-3dr hatchback, 04-2dr hardtop Ghia, 05-3dr hatchback Mach 1) Y - Engine Code 100001 - Consecutive unit number Example: 8F02Y100001
Location: Stamped on the plate which is riveted to the driver's side of the dash; the certification label is attached to the rear face of the driver's door.
In reply to Strike_Zero:
Woof!
I really believe that the '74 Mustang II with the first year 2.3 four might just be the worst American car ever made. If not, it's damn close. Mom and dad had a silver one that they purchased new. The paint pealed off in 6 months. It had a vibration that the dealer could not fix...at first they insisted it was just how fours ran. Finally they pulled the head and discovered that some of the rings were never even installed
. We don't know how it even ran at all. '74 had the gas cap installed under the belt-line (find any picture of a -74 if you don't believe me) which meant you had to put the gas in up-hill. dad said that every gas pump would kick off before you could get a steady stream flowing. Dad switched to Buick after that.
In reply to nervousdog:
Whoa. That is one nice II
In reply to a401cj:
Vega, early Fox body. We had an 80 Zephyr which would stall if you turned the wheel close to full lock and an 81 T-bird which has a clunk in the rear when new and the dealer could not figure it out.
Early GM J body (Cavalier). Chevette. First U.S. Fwd Escort.
Any late 70s Chevy 305 with soft cam lobes which would round off within 50,000 miles. The Aspen and the Volare. Ma Mopar proved that one can devolve a car from a Dart / Valiant into so a lump of excrement.
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