Six 1981 Ford Mustang TV Ads
T-Roofs, TRXes and Turbine wheel covers are among the themes you'll see in these ads. Ford was still clearly in the throes of their 'World Car' inspiration with their use of the globe graphic and the repeated use of their catch phrase, "From the World of Better Ideas," which borrows from the classic 60s, "Ford has a better idea" campaign.
They're sure to tell you all about fuel economy without losing the fun factor in America's most popular sports car, too, given the lingering effects of the 1979 energy crisis.
Two special promotional spots are included in this six-pack: one for The Pacific Mustangs, the other for Mustang Hot Tops.
The Pacific Mustangs seems to refer to a regional option package found standard on Mustangs sold in California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska and Hawaii. If you have any details about this package, please be sure to post a comment or start a thread on our message board to share what you know.
Mustang Hot Tops promotes the four optional roof types: the new-for-81 T-Roof (T-Tops in the vernacular), vinyl roof, sunroof and carriage roof (yes, it is different than the vinyl roof) and a discounted package to go along with those options. What's interesting is how a coupe is what drives up, but the roofline is swapped to a hatch to demonstrate the T-Roof, despite it being available (albeit nearly unknown until FEP made the Mustang world more aware of this rarely checked option well after production had ceased and been forgotten) for the body style.
Our thanks to Classic Car Channel on YouTube who uploaded these high-quality videos of television ads for the 1981 model year Mustang.
Oh, and that catchy tune that might seem familiar? Yeah, that's Ford's Mustang-ed up version of Donna Summer's 1979 hit Hot Stuff.
Restoring your 1979 Mustang Pace Car? Decal Details
If you're planning to restore your 79 Pace Car, or are anywhere in the process such that the decals are an upcoming concern, you're going to want to take a look at this thread in our Restoration Related forum. FEP member 79mustangcobra has picked up on some subtle differences in an available reproduction decal kit versus the OEM which may be of interest to those getting ready to deal with the decals. Click here to read more.
And, if you're detail-oriented, you may well notice the decal problem of a different kind in the promo-image above, too.
Featured Build: Mike1157's 1978 Turbo I6 Fairmont
This may look like a mild-mannered Fairmont Futura, but what you're looking at is the origin of a monster. The Gila Monster, to be precise. FourEyedPride.com member Mike1157 has one of the most popular build threads here on FEP due to his display of craftsmanship, creativity and attention to detail.
Here's an idea of where this car is going:
Click here and be ready to be hooked on The Path Less Traveled. Also, if you're a registered member (if you're not, you should be), be sure to subscribe to the thread to receive notification on all future updates!
FEP Member's 1982 Mustang GT in MM&FF This Month
Once again, a member of FourEyedPride.com has a car featured in a magazine. This time it's the spectacular silver 1982 Mustang GT owned by Joe Bielawa, tORMENtOR on our forums. Joe is no stranger to having cars that push boundaries and turn heads. This DOHC-swapped stunner isn't the only fine Fox he owns. His 1984 T-Top Mustang GT was our May Ride of the Month.
Go pick up a copy of the September Muscle Mustangs and Fast Fords and let the publishers know that four-eyed Foxes are what we'd like to see covered more often. And, be sure to congratulate Joe when you run into him on the forums!
1979 Ford Mustang Dealer Sales Training Video
FEP member 79mustangcobra has uploaded a fantastic find to YouTube: the 79 Ford Mustang sales training video distributed to dealerships via the Ford Video Network.
There's a definite 70s NFL Films theme carried through the intros for each of the three segments which highlight the base model Mustang, the Ghia and the Cobra.
It's also interesting to be reminded of the new vehicle market at the time of the Fox Mustang's introduction. The Mustang was pitched as competition for a pretty wide variety of vehicles. You'll see the Monza and the Celica GT put up against the base model, the Ghia compared to the Camaro Berlinetta, and the Cobra versus the likes of cars from Porsche, the 280Z, Trans Am and Corvette. The 1979 Mustang lineup was nothing if not versatile.
So, check out these videos (it's a two-parter) and head back to the times when rack and pinion steering was a huge selling point, TRX tires were low-profile and digs were being made at larger engines due to a recent fuel crunch.
1986 Ford 3.8L EEC-IV CFI Training Manual PDF Available
While V8s may get the bulk of the attention in the Fox world, FourEyedPride has always made a point of supporting all the power plants Ford installed in the Early Fox cars. To that end, we will continue to work on acquiring factory literature covering the various four- and six-cylinder engines, as well as the ever-evolving V8 engines the Early Fox era saw (no, we haven't forgotten the 4.2L).
This PDF was made from an oversized training manual supplied to Ford techs to inform them of the features and testing procedures relating to the 1986 3.8L EEC-IV/CFI V6 engine. It includes schematics, operating condition definitions and more. To download this manual, please right-click, and choose Save As here.
Looking for your old Mustang, Capri, SVO, etc.?
It isn't unusual to see someone showing up on the FourEyedPride message board searching for a lost love of the four-wheeled and four-eyed variety. Sometimes all the owner has is a name of the buyer of their car, or maybe just a town where it was sold to the new owner. Unfortunately, the odds of finding a former ride are not great. If you're one of the many looking to reconnect with a car, there are some steps that you can take to help you in your search.