My Pink Mustang won't be finished in time, but hopefully this pink Camaro will be there!

Mark your calendars, the 23rd annual coming out car & bike show in Charlotte Hall, MD is only a month away (April 11th, 2010, Rain Date April 18th, 2010)! For local car show buffs, this is the show you can’t miss! The show is hosted by the Southern Knights and the turnout each year is huge! I’ve gone to the show for several years now, and it seems like they always run out of space, so make sure you pre-register or get there early if you want to put your car in the show! (Cars in the show must be pre-1986)

For participants, pre-registration is $15, or $20 at the gate. Spectators fee is $3 for anyone over 12 years old. Awards will go out for the top 75 cars and top 5 motorcycles, with dash plaques to the first 500 participants and t-shirts to the first 100 cars registered.

This show draws well over 500 cars each year and only seems to get bigger with each passing year! It’s no big secret that I’m a wanna-be gear head, and unfortunately my 1965 Mustang won’t be finished in time for the event, but I’m sure I’ll still be there!

If you’re interested, you can check out the progress on the restoration of my 1965 289 Mustang Convertible here.

If you’re looking for the 2010 Coming Out Car Show Registration into, it can be found here.

**Do you want to add your DC Metro Area car show information to this site?  Shoot me an email and I’ll be more than happy to!**

Last Year’s 2009 Coming Out Car Show Pics:

Is this the original "playmate pink"?

I ordered 8oz of a Ford Fleet color known as WT9301 to test against my car and see if it’s actually the color of the early pink mustangs!  I’ll post the comparison photos as soon as I’m done, but based of of the sample on the top of the can, it’s looking rather promising!

I’ll be testing the sample this week to see if it’s right!

At any rate, I’ve managed to document the damage to the car that rust has caused, and I’ve outlined a plan of action in order to get the car back into shape:

Left Hand Rear Quarter Panel

Bottom of quarter panel is completely rusted out, White Paint indicates small rust hole

Inner Drop-Down Panel is rusted out as well

Slight Rust Out on Lower Side of Wheel Well (Drivers Side Rear Quarter Panel)

Another Shot of Drop Down Panel Rust (Drivers Side)

Rear View

Tail Light Panel

The Tail Light Panel looks like is was pounded with Gravel.. No Rust or holes, but lots of little divots on the Passenger Side.

Looks Like Drives Side Tail Light Was Backed into something at one point... Mild Deformation in the Metal

Another Shot of Backup Damage. Cost of New Metal to replace entire panel is roughly $60, so I can either repair the damage or replace the panel completely, Whichever is cheaper/easier.

Passenger Side Rear Quarter Wheel Housing

Heavy Rust Through in the Rear Passenger Wheel Housing. I'm Debating just Patching this rather than pulling the entire quarter to replace the inner housing. The Passenger Quarter Panel Still Looks Great and Doesn't Need Work.

Close Up of Damage. I shouldn't Be Able to see the Dash From Here!

View From The Other Side

Panel Between Vert Top and Trunk

This Panel is Just Ugly. Best to chop it out and replace completely.

The Other Side of The Panel. Again, Ugly. Replacement Metal only Runs about $30-$40

One More Shot of Same Panel.

Front Drivers Inner Fender

The Hole from the Hood Drip Rail has Caused a Small Rust-Through Issue in the inner Fender. Should be Easy to drop a small patch in and smooth over without being obtrusive.

Another Shot of this Hole. It looks like it was Sealed Up with a Rust Encapsulator at one time, preventing it from getting any worse!

Engine Bay

The battery trays commonly rust out because the old batteries had a tendency to leak. It's a low visibility area, so the plan is to seal it and put some metal filler in.

Most of the pan area itself is solid. The only weak point is the hole in the corner.

Underneath The Car

The Convertibles had a unique panel below the door that was designed to add rigidity to the weak body structure. The panel on the drivers side is completely rusted out. Fortunately, the passenger side is solid.

Another shot of the rusted out panel. Fortunately, it's a quick job to pull out the old metal and weld in the new piece.

Drivers Side Door

Leaky Seals caused water to pool in the bottom of the drivers door, rusing out the inner panel. Although the outer skin is fine, the inner panel will need to be repaired/replaced.

A New Ford Tooling door will cost nearly $400, so I need to decide if it's more cost effective to replace the door or repair it.

All in all, not too bad!

With a little bit of time and effort, this could be a great potential project!  The car is located in Colorado, if anybody who reads this site buys it, let me know and make sure you add the car to the Pink Mustang Registry!

1965 Mustang Hood Ornament, Likely a Dealer Option

I’ve seen this debate come up a few times over the years.  Every once in awhile someone pops up asking about a hood ornament they saw once on a mid-60’s Mustang, and they want to know if it was a factory original option or a cheap aftermarket item.  Well, it just so happens that my 1965 playmate pink mustang came with just such an option!

I haven’t found any evidence to indicate that the hood ornament is actually Ford made.  There is no FoMoCo stamp in the metal, but modern replicas of this exact ornament have a hollow bottom, whereas this example is completely solid.

My suspicion is that the ornament was actually a dealer aftermarket item.  It was common for the early mustangs to be optioned by the dealer that sold them with any number of items that were not actually made by FoMoCo.

Dave Hammar actually has a great site that details a ton of dealer aftermarket options for the early Ford Mustangs, but I have not found any information on his site regarding this particular option.

Is there anybody out there that has more knowledge on this unusual Mustang accessory?  I’d love to know more if anyone out there has evidence of the option from 1965, please send it my way!

Installed on the Mustang

Hood Ornament Rear View

1965 Mustang Hood Ornament Disassembled

1965 Mustang Hood Ornament Bottom View

That steel track on the bottom of the window SHOULD be straight.  There is a wheel that is supposed to sit in that track which guides the window up and down when it’s cranked.  However, if it’s not properly set, the wheel can jump out of that track due to hyper extention, and then cause all sorts of poblems, like the issue I now have.  The solution is to remove that track from the window frame and replace it.  No big deal, just a little bit of time and effort.

The main windows have their own unique set of issues:

On the upside, the FoMoCo stamps on the metal all look good!

I contacted the seller, the sites the car was listed on, and the FL Attny. General’s office.  Thankfully, the photos of my car have been removed, and photos of a different car are now up.

My concern was that this may have been a situation where my was at risk of theft.  It seems now that this was really a case of a dealer not thinking anyone would notice the wrong car being posted online.  Either way, you can never be too careful in this day and age.

Link to conversation regarding listing on VMF

Notice the original paint vs. the mis-colored respray

Here’s an image of what the original “playmate pink” on a ford mustang looked like.  This photo was taken during the current dismantling and restoration of my 1965 convertible.

When I compare this original paint to 1957 Ford Thunderbird color charts from Ditzler, the color matches up perfectly to Ford’s Dusk Rose.

It’s my belief that the color on the early 1965/1966 “playmate pink” mustangs was in fact Ford Dusk Rose, but because it was not on any paint charts in the mid ’60’s, combined with the hype that came with the playboy giveaway, the “playmate pink” term has gained popularity in popular terminology and led to confusion as to what the original “pink” actually was on the early Mustangs.

Recent research has brought up another color possibility for the 65/66 pink mustangs.  As soon as I have more information, I will post it up here.

a pink 1965 mustang surfaced and the owner was looking to sell.  It seemed to be in great shape, but the only downside to it was that it was missing the door plate.  Unfortunately, without the original plate, there is no way to know if the car was a factory special order or just another mustang that someone painted at a later date.  In the cars defense, I’ve looked at it closely, and I don’t see a reason to believe it isn’t, but the plate is still very important, especially since a Marti Report can’t be ordered on a 1965 Mustang.

If you notice in the pictures, the body is in excellent shape, and the paint has been recently re-done.  The odd part to the car is that the engine bay doesn’t match up to what a 1965 Mustang should be.  The ‘65 V-8’s didn’t have blue air cleaners or valve covers, and most of the exterior chrome (including the lower rail mouldings, this isn’t a GT) is missing.

Engine Bay could use some work for car shows...

I spoke with both the seller and a few potential buyers who asked my opinion.  Here’s my take:  If you’re looking for a concourse correct car, don’t bother.  You can’t honestly prove it’s a factory pink car without the data plate details.  However, if you’re looking for a pretty pink driver that will get lots of attention and with a little money invested win the local car shows, you’ve got that potential here.  Last I heard it was listed for $15,000.  If you can get past the lack of provenance, you’ve got a great price for a 1965 Mustang Convertible with a V-8 Engine!

Another Pink 1965 Mustang

came up for sale this past week down in Rome, GA.  This one is in nice shape as well, does not seem to be originally pink from the factory, and has an inline 6 engine instead of a V-8.

As far as condition is concerned, this car is really tops!  The interior is excellent, the engine detail looks great, and the only downside to the condition is the color difference in the drivers side rear quarter and the drivers door.  The paint color looks to be 1967 Pink, not the 1965 shade, but it doesn’t really matter considering the car is probably not originally pink and does not have the original door plate.

This is the sort of car that doesn’t need anything to turn heads at a car show, but isn’t something to consider if you’re looking for a concourse correct vehicle.  Essentially, this looks like an awesome weekend driver!