Edited by that ain't the way to have fun, son at 08/09/09 12:43 PM
that ain't the way to have fun, son was starred
that ain't the way to have fun, son was unstarred
But here's the downside. Compare this body to the Mustang and you can see the Nova was austere to the point of Quakerish.
Chevy had no choice but to launch the Camaro but Novas eventually caught up--so in essence Chevy launched two different monsters after the Mustang.
@Novaload Wants the Jez 9 Back:
I think the Nova was launched to compete with the Falcon. The Mustang was a 'Euro' restyle of the Falcon meant to better compete with the rear engined Corvair. For sure the Camaro was meant to do what the Corvair couldn't and compete with the Mustang. These market niches all got a bit confused. The Nova SS and Falcon Sprint didn't help. Cool old cars, all of them.
As for the L79, Hemmings says (in choosing a 66 Nova for its first muscle car of the year in 2005) said: Code L79 was the killer 350hp 327. Think about it, 350 horsepower in a 2,500-pound car. We're talking drag racing here.
The engine put out great power and looked great, too, with a chromed, dual-snorkel air cleaner, chrome rocker covers and chrome oil filler and cap at the front of the aluminum intake manifold, which sported a 600cfm Holley four-barrel carburetor.
Internally, this engine had 11.0:1 compression and hardy valves with the intakes measuring 2.02 inches and 1.60 inches on the exhaust side. GM even did the exhaust right, with duals and resonators for a raspy sound.
It's a tough call for me whether to celebrate the American compact/midsize/fullsize regulations that a gave us both the muscle car and the SUV, or the displacement tax systems that gave Europeans the hot hatches and sports cars. Perhaps the Australians, who still have minimal regulations but massive import taxes? Every sword cuts both ways. I'd suggest BSFC (power/fuel ratio), but that would be entirely too open ended for most people.
Seriously hokey, or kitschy cool - I can't make up my mind about the bumper guards. But part of me does think they'd be certified awesome if the exhaust was frenched into them, exiting through a horseshoe-shaped port.
Are they vintage PepBoys or an OEM-option?
My father-in-law restored this generation of Mustang extensively back in the day (has trophies, some forlorn parts cars, and one '66 vert remaining for me to finish to prove it) so I'll have to ask him next time I'm down there.
Edited by GIC asks not for whom the bell tolls at 08/09/09 10:33 AM
GIC asks not for whom the bell tolls was starred
GIC asks not for whom the bell tolls was unstarred
Nice car, though I'm not too crazy about this Orange Crush color. I have never seen those bumper guards either - they might be practical but they don't add anything to the looks.
One note: The Mustang was based on the previous Falcon platform, not the 1966. Falcon was all-new for '66 along with Fairlane, and both cars now shared a common platform. The '66 Falcon also didn't get the 271 hp 289 - the 200 hp was the maximum (though some special order 271s might have slipped by). 1965 was the last year for Falcon hardtops, convertibles, Sprints, and performance options. The '66 emphasized economy and not much else - performance was left to the Mustang and Fairlane.
@skaycog misses lost friends: My pick would be the Silver Blue Poly - I've seen a couple of coupes in that color and it looks really sharp. Nothing wrong with the Candy Apple Red, though. My old '65 convertible was maroon (burgundy?) with a tan interior and white top.
@tonyola: That's Rangoon Red, and a pretty desirable color among collectors these days. It was a distinctly Mustang color.
I had one of the first big-block Mustangs, a 67 GT/A fastback. Man was that chassis not ready for that engine. Even with the front discs, braking was as abysmal as the handling. Quick, yes, but I have precious little nostalgia for 60s Mustangs from a dynamic standpoint.
@tonyola: He's right about the Falcon's switch to the Fairlane's platform in 1966. That saved Ford a boatload of money (better amortization of costs) but it severely reduced the whole reason for the Falcon, since it was now only modestly lighter and smaller than a Fairlane.
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The 1970 Maverick was essentially a shortened Mustang, which in turn was based upon the original Falcon's platform. So was the mid-70s Granada.
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The best aspect of the Falcon platform was that it was pretty light compared to other Big Four compacts.
@tonyola: I was going to say that is Poppy Red, but it seems that original red-orange color ended in '65. It sure looks more orange than Signal Flare Red. Maybe a Poppy Red repaint?
@tonyola: My first '65 Mustang, which I bought in 1977, was orange-ish red. I found that with a generously and aggressively applied wax, it turned back to red. I think it was Poppy Red as someone else here mentioned. It also came with a groovey little rod knock thereby assuring that I got to do my first engine. That was a plus. I paid $200 for the car, and $600 to rebuild the engine.
I don't believe this is a '65. In October 1965 it would make more sense to hoist the NEXT model year to the top, i.e., a '66 Mustang. Plus, the plate on the front of the car clearly says '66 Mustang.
Seems like it would have been easier to carry the thing up in pieces rather that cutting it in half. Or maybe it had the not so popular Bolt-Together option.
"Some careful maneuvering was done and by 4:30 a.m., the reassembled car was on the outdoor observation deck and ready to be photographed from a helicopter."
Why the heck didn't they just strap the Mustang to the helicopter and fly it up there?
08/09/09
However, to see them in this kind of condition, not being worshipped, I'm good with it.
08/09/09
But here's the downside. Compare this body to the Mustang and you can see the Nova was austere to the point of Quakerish.
Chevy had no choice but to launch the Camaro but Novas eventually caught up--so in essence Chevy launched two different monsters after the Mustang.
08/09/09
I think the Nova was launched to compete with the Falcon. The Mustang was a 'Euro' restyle of the Falcon meant to better compete with the rear engined Corvair. For sure the Camaro was meant to do what the Corvair couldn't and compete with the Mustang. These market niches all got a bit confused. The Nova SS and Falcon Sprint didn't help. Cool old cars, all of them.
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Here's what it looked like stuffed in
08/09/09
Code L79 was the killer 350hp 327. Think about it, 350 horsepower in a 2,500-pound car. We're talking drag racing here.
The engine put out great power and looked great, too, with a chromed, dual-snorkel air cleaner, chrome rocker covers and chrome oil filler and cap at the front of the aluminum intake manifold, which sported a 600cfm Holley four-barrel carburetor.
Internally, this engine had 11.0:1 compression and hardy valves with the intakes measuring 2.02 inches and 1.60 inches on the exhaust side. GM even did the exhaust right, with duals and resonators for a raspy sound.
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08/09/09
Are they vintage PepBoys or an OEM-option?
My father-in-law restored this generation of Mustang extensively back in the day (has trophies, some forlorn parts cars, and one '66 vert remaining for me to finish to prove it) so I'll have to ask him next time I'm down there.
08/09/09
One note: The Mustang was based on the previous Falcon platform, not the 1966. Falcon was all-new for '66 along with Fairlane, and both cars now shared a common platform. The '66 Falcon also didn't get the 271 hp 289 - the 200 hp was the maximum (though some special order 271s might have slipped by). 1965 was the last year for Falcon hardtops, convertibles, Sprints, and performance options. The '66 emphasized economy and not much else - performance was left to the Mustang and Fairlane.
08/09/09
@tonyola:
I agree with you about the color. My preference is the Candy Apple Red.
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You have to click photo to see all the colors.
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@tonyola:
I was doing a photo search for a '65 Stang like yours and came across this. Had to share it.
08/09/09
I had one of the first big-block Mustangs, a 67 GT/A fastback. Man was that chassis not ready for that engine. Even with the front discs, braking was as abysmal as the handling. Quick, yes, but I have precious little nostalgia for 60s Mustangs from a dynamic standpoint.
08/09/09
...
The 1970 Maverick was essentially a shortened Mustang, which in turn was based upon the original Falcon's platform. So was the mid-70s Granada.
...
The best aspect of the Falcon platform was that it was pretty light compared to other Big Four compacts.
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I also wonder how this worked. I thought the Mustang was a unit-body car, so wouldn't there be all kinds of structural issues with this scheme?
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Why the heck didn't they just strap the Mustang to the helicopter and fly it up there?
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