ORIGINALITY
FACTORY ORIGINAL AS IT LEFT THE FACTORY
Editor’s Note: This issue,
we welcome Terry McCoy
as a regular columnist,
writing about originality.
Terry has had an intense
interest in Fox Mustangs
for decades. He has studied original, unrestored,
untouched cars extensively
and built what may be the
best collection of low- and
no-mile Fox Mustangs in
the country. Terry will share
his knowledge of originality
every month exclusively in
FOX Mustang Magazine.
I’ve been an enthusiast of ’79-’93
Mustangs long before they were
called Fox-bodies. Back in the early
days (the ’80s) they were referred
to as third-generation Mustangs.
My first Mustang was an ’82
GT 5.0 four-speed. That car gave
me such a thrill. It was lightweight and fun to drive. I had
never felt that kind of power. I
could be in First gear and nail it,
and the car would start burning
until I hit Second gear. Then it
would chirp going into Third.
Because of the pleasure and
thrills I’ve had over the years of
driving Fox Mustangs, this is
where my passion lies today.
Once I purchased the ’82 GT, I
was hooked. From there, I wanted a convertible because I figured if a hatchback was this
much fun, then a convertible
would be even more awesome.
I’ve been collecting these
Mustangs since the mid-’80s. I
also collect dealer literature,
banners, posters, articles, press
kits, memorabilia, and Fox-body
die-casts. I also like collecting
parts, especially N.O.S. or newcar take-offs, anything Fox-body
related. The fun is in the hunt.
I’ve been an MCA Gold Card
judge for over 20 years. I wrote
the test for the ’85 Mustang, but
I was Gold Card judge for ’79-’93
Mustangs.
Many times I’ve visited the
Mustang Plant, better known as
the Dearborn Assembly Plant
(DAP), during the Fox-body production. What an experience to
see a legend built right before
my eyes. But we’ll go into the
assembly progress another time.
AS SHIPPED,
PART 1 — EXTERIOR
How did your Mustang arrive
at the Ford dealership before it
was dealer-prepped for predelivery inspection (PDI)? I call
this the car’s birth certificate. All
of the car’s labels, stickers, and
crayon marks have meanings.
Even the plastic for seats, carpet,
and convertible tops does wonders for providing information.
Here, I’ll break down the meaning of the exterior labels and
stickers using my ’85 Mustang GT
convertible, which is displayed
like the day it left DAP
.
Round label states DAP - #12:
DAP = Dearborn Assembly Plant
#12 car = car was built on the 12th day of the
month
White rectangular sticker next to DAP sticker:
Cars & Concepts OK for shipping. All ’83-’93
Mustang convertibles convertibles were outsourced
to C&C for the convertible top installation. When the
top was completed and ready to be shipped back to
DAP this sticker was applied. Yes, these Mustangs
,
went back to DAP once again. Coupes/hatchbacks
will not have this sticker, unless they have T-tops or
a “Flipup/Open Air Roof” (sunroof).
18 FOXMustangMagazine.com