<![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang - Jalopnik Comments]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang - Jalopnik Comments]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> I have a friend who restored one of these. He had a wicked time finding parts. The nice thing about it is, with the 302 available, all kinds of mods can be done to cure the "molasses acceleration" problem.
During the 1984 persidential campaign President Reagan referred to opponent former Vice President Walter Mondale as Walter Malaise, saying he'd take us back to the '70s. Reagan carried 49 states as I recall.

scottcom36

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> My sister had one with the blue brazilian 4 cylinder that was notorious for breaking the timing chains every 10,000 miles. Then again, that engine was used in most every Escort in the 1980's that were known for the same problem.

Today, I call it "Mach .1" (point 1 for top speed of 76.12 mph LOL!!)

The wierdest thing about that car was that the car would burn a quart of oil every 600-900 miles except for Texaco Havoline. Burn Quaker State, Valvoline, Pennzoil, and Kendall, but for some reason Havoline would stay in that engine. Most bizarre thing I ever saw

avlight

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> @bradite: Yep, it's a Mustang II!

Half the fun, a fourth the beauty, but still supposedly twice the Mustang. Screw that.

FuzzyPlushroom

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> Get this monstrosity off of my Jalop. This is not a Mustang.

bradite

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> @rocketrodeo: I think it already IS the rarest Mustang - I do not believe that I have seen more than two or three of them in my lifetime. The coupes always seemed really awkward to me, though the fastback is oddly attractive...

A friend of the family had one for a while, I believe, a "Ford blue" coupe. Before that he had a 1970s Ranchero, same color, with a cap on it. I guess the guy had taste.

(Sorry for the slightly weird grammar - whenever I hit my apostrophe key, it brings up the search bar in Firefox instead. I can hold down Shift and get quotation marks though; go figure.)

FuzzyPlushroom

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> @Rust-MyEnemy: Dude, there's a Cobra II in my neighborhood. Chocolate brown on light brown. It's totally awesome. I also know of a pristine bright green Mustang II nearby with a sweet white vinyl interior. These are worth owning if only for irony's sake.

However, be prepared for molasses-level performance, even with the V8. I remember a college acquaintance trying to impress me with one...it was laughable.

@arbnpx: This is a great idea! Add in a Ford Fairmont and Olds Omega.

In addition to these I respectfully submit a few Euro-malaise cars that succeeded in the U.S. only because of Malaise times:
Rabbit diesel/truck
Renault Encore/Alliance
rubber bumper MGB
Porsche 924 (no turbo, thank you very much!)
low-compression SL450 (by Mercedes)

brandegee

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> @00solstice: Well the K-car spawned the minivan, which really *was* Chrysler's savior at the time, so they were partially correct.

LTDScott, Porcubimmer pilot

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> I had a '75 as my first car. Wheezy 2300 four banger, four speed. It got about 28mpg but it was shot by 110K miles.

Given the times, it could have been a much worse car. There are a few good things to say about it: it was the most popular Mustang since the first one, and it hit the market right as gas started getting expensive--a rare example of Ford having the right car at the right time. They've done that three times now with the Mustang.

And it had a great rack and pinion steering system that was a revelation in handling for an American car. Probably because of that, it's destined to be the rarest of Mustangs. Mustang purists hated it and hot rodders loved to cannibalize it for the front suspension.

rocketrodeo

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> @LTDScott: My cousin had one of these 25 years ago, black with red and orange, only it was jacked way up in the back with traction bars, huuuuge aluminum hood scoop, and Centerlines all the way around.

Vipper Of Vipp

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> @Rust-MyEnemy: But you can zigzag away through the boredom and pain...in your brand new Mustang II! Come on down!

My mother bought one. New. Silver. Loved it. 'Nuf said.

NovaloadMissesPolar

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> @00solstice: Whoa, that article is definitely postworthy. Great find!

Murilee Martin

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> @00solstice: Wow...that was an INCREDIBLE article. If the model names were changed, one would think that it was written in 2007. Great insight into the auto industry of 25 years ago. Its very unfortunate that the American auto makers are still facing the exact same problems today...

SethyT

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> @Beluga: I think there should be a "Malaise Garage" feature, with the following starting members: Chevrolet Vega, Ford Pinto, one of the Caddies with a 400-cube 150-horsepower V8, Ford Mustang II, 3rd-gen Chevy C/K pickups (the generation made from 1973 to 1987 had a "sidesaddle" gas tank mounted outside the frame rails, considered an explosion hazard in a side impact), Ford Torino, Chrysler Cordoba, Dodge Aspen / Plymouth Volare, Chevrolet Monza / Pontiac Sunbird.

arbnpx

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> (non-political content this time)

this was the first car i ever drove. one of my childhood friends had one, and he taught me to drive stickshift in it.

he hooned the hell out of it, and wrecked it chasing another friend down some country dirt roads.

i'd definitely drive one today. look at it this way- the famous Mustang II front-end conversion is already installed from the factory...

rusty68

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> @Tanshanomi: There were other options... they were just Japanese. That didn't stop my family from driving Dodge Apsens though.

jnostalgics

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> The Mustang II. The most common starting point for a Mustachero... I've seen a LOT of these as pick up conversions over the years.

JayP71

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> @landofid: If I remember correctly, in 1978 Ford actually recalled more cars than it sold in the North American market (counting cars sold the previous years)...

FLB

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> @Murilee Martin: Thank you sir, for your contribution to this car nerd's vocabulary.

Papercutninja

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> Even standard 3.0 or 2.8i Capri was quick enough - I was going to build one about two years ago, but things turned out differently. It was my second try to get myself a Capri, and second fail to get it on the road.

I think there's third try somewhere in my future. And it will be hell of a ride, if I'll get around to it.

bobash

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> @rusty68: It's open to interpretation but yeah, something like that. Truth and politics don't mix.

But back to the Mustang. One of my roommates borrowed one of these from his sister. It was early 80's and it was in very nice, low mileage shape. Middle of the night and a couple of us can hear a car desperately trying to start. Over and over and over.

I can hear it and I'm thinking "WTF", why don't they give it up because it won't fire and I'm tired of hearing the engine turn over at 4 a.m.

Roommate from downstairs comes bounding up the stairs yelling "your car is on fire, your car is on fire".

Yeah, his sisters car burned up in our driveway. Short in the ignition somewhere.

mytdawg

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> @eCurmudgeon: Early 2009? Right now, the dollar has tanked (if I correctly recall what I recently read, the last time one U.S. dollar was worth less than one Canadian dollar was back in the original malaise era), oil is approaching $100 a barrel, and an alarming number of people have lost their houses. And on the automotive front: 2007 Jeep Compass. 2008 Ford Focus.

Hyman Decent

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> forgive my lack of knowledge of mid-70s politics...i was a little young to be following along at that point.

but didn't Carter get completely screwed?

basically told it like it was, and the people didn't want to hear it? then he lost the re-election in a landslide for his unpopular views.

let's see...stag-flation, dying industry, America's flagging place in the world...

umm...

rusty68

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> @slowjoecrow:

I think in the UK you could get a Broadspeed turbo 3.0L V6 Capri.

j6r

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> @Charles_Barrett: I can't find a reference to Reagan using the term, but I could swear that's where I got it.

Or, hell, maybe I did make it up- in 45 seconds of Google searching, I can't find any reference to someone using the term prior to its appearance on Jalopnik.

Murilee Martin

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> @Murilee Martin: I agree... Murilee brought the term to Jalopnik as I recall. It always brought a grin to my face, even when I was an unregistered Gawker Lurker. "Sponsor Drive-By" was another fave Jalopnik turn of phrase. At Fleshbot it was "Sponsor Reach-Around" that made me giggle.

Charles_Barrett - Now with Variable-Valve Timing

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> Danio3834 and Mad_Science: you raise good points, and I stand corrected. I had let my perception of those cars be affected by run-down examples a few years later... and I acknowledge cars should assessed by their design merits when new, not what they become after years of inconsistent ownership and care.

Back to the Mustang II, the one posted by LTDScott on a windy gravel road *does* look more fun than a barrel of monkeys on nitrous oxide.

00solstice

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> @Tanshanomi: I learned to drive in a '78 Granada. Great car! Well, no.

Murilee Martin

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> @UDMAN: Well said. My family didn't have a Mustang II, but we DID have a '76 Granada 2-door (in root-beer brown with tan landau). Nobody bashed it -- it was as good as any other option we had at the time, and a whole lot nicer than our rusted-out '67 Chrysler Newport. Even the teens at my school liked crusin' in the "'Nada." It was not, at the time, the total dweeb-mobile it appears to be in hindsight.

Tanshanomi

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> I just remember touring the factory. Workers in chewed up t-shirts and flipflops. At one assembly point a man and woman were putting in the springs. The right one went in just fine. The left not so much....It required some persuasion from one of the biggest hammers I had ever seen. A big piece of what looked rubber fell on the floor and the spring now had a giant kink in it. The car kept going down the assembly line....

LandofID

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> @LTDScott: If I'm going to hoon a Malaise era whip in in JPS colors, I'll take a Capri, since Mercury was still selling the real thing in 78.

slowjoecrow

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> I remember the Mustang II well, and it was a hit when it came out. I lived during this time period (Grad HS in 1974, College in 1979, Service until 1981) and you have to know what pressure the car companies were under during this time period. They had to clean up the emmissions, add 5 mph bumpers on all their cars, make warning buzzers for 3 point seat belts (and during 1974, you had to buckle your seat belt BEFORE YOU COULD START THE ENGINE), unleaded fuel became manditory, and inflation rates were in double digits.

Ford did the best they could do at the time, and basically took a Pinto, and updated it as a Mustang II, right at the same time as the first Arab Oil Embargo. People traded in their old (Large) Mustangs, and full size Fords for these (rather) stylish sub-compacts. You took what was available.

On this particular car, it's nice to see it's still running, and in decent shape.

UDMan

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> @LTDScott: I wonder what the theme song would be for that car.

Tough call.

Dr.Danger, I run the Death Star

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> Yeah, I'd ride the hell out of this.

LTDScott, Porcubimmer pilot

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> I'm not big on any hardtop Mustang (the fastback is where it's at), but like so many Malaise era rides, the fastback Mustang II is a metal turd, so there's technically potential to polish it. I'd still prefer a Fox-body, but RWD and a V8 is always a decent start.

Maymar is convinced M.C. Escher engineered his car

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> @00solstice: It turned out great for Chrysler, I hope thats what you were implying.

danio3834

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> Gotta stay awake, gotta try and shake off this Creeping Malaise

Pink Floyd, Animals, 1977.

Rust-MyEnemy is stll out there!

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> @Papercutninja: I may or may not have made up the term "Malaise Era," (didn't Reagan use it in a campaign ad in '84?) but I'm definitely the one to blame for its use on this site.

Murilee Martin

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> Slam it all you want, but this car kept the Mustang alive through the mid-'70s.

If it hadn't been for these, there probably wouldn't have been the Fox-bodied Mustang the existed for so many years, bringing back true muscle to the car once all the emissions stuff was figured out.

west-coaster

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> @LTDScott: I'm in with you as long as its a fastback, and don't bother with the body mods.

lascauxcaveman

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> @eCurmudgeon:

Yeah, I'm not particularly looking forward to that one...

pitchpitch Type-Я

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> @00solstice: Despite being unlovable rides, the K-car basically did save Chrysler. Dunno the numbers, but they sold a lot of them compared to whatever came before. It also spawned the minivan, which became Chrysler's cash cow through the 80s.

Damn...looking at this makes you understand how they thought the Probe would be a good replacement.

Mad_Science

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> Apparently I'm the only one who thinks one of these with a built 331, fat tires, and some tasteful body mods would be an awesome ride.

LTDScott, Porcubimmer pilot

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> @Dr.Danger: @FLB: Thanks for those pics. I never knew old Mustang Cobras tried to compete with the Screaming Chicken with some fantastic hood decals of their own.

Mokers

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> @Uncle_Bo: Ummm, if your good friend and GF called it the "love machine," then they must have had side gigs as yoga instructors or Cirque du Soleil contortionists.

I had a girlfriend in my high school daze (early-mid '80s) who had one of these lovely Malaisemobiles (with screamin' German Ford V6--more HP than the 302 V8 and the engine vibes that a girl might love). It was challenging to do anything in that car at all. Birth control back seats, anyone?

PaulE

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> One of the weird bits of trivia I recall about the Mustang II was that the gait of the horse emblem in the grille was slowed considerably from previous generations. Compare the emblem to the '66 from a few days ago. A sad commentary on the car itself, too.

///Mink

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> Whenever I think Mustang II, I think turquoise, because so many of them were.

mobilene

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> @thekaiser: You're correct, but the "Crisis of Confidence" speech is more commonly known as the "Malaise Speech" nonetheless.

beercheck

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> I saw a Cobra II in a storage yard not far from the Reno airport about 10 years ago. Was in good shape. I think there was a Javelin too.

j6r

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> @Beluga: While "malaise" is no doubt a good term to describe the era as well as Carter's accusations, I'm pretty sure the word "malaise" wasn't in the infamous "Crisis of Confidence" speech at all.

Also, is this the coveted Ghia edition?

thekaiser

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> @Beluga: Well said.

But yeah, Papercutninja, malaise pretty pretty much sums up the entire country from '72 to '81 ... Want to know how bad it was? I remember standing on the playground in the first grade singing with other kids, replacing the words of the Oscar Meyer jingle with "Jimmy Carter has a way of screwing up the USA" I have no idea where we learned it -- and the extent of his fault can be debated -- but when first graders assemble to collectively mock the President and acknowledge the state of the nation, you know things are bad.

And the 'why-bother-trying' design philosophy and build quality of Big Three products clearly reflected that national sentiment of the decade... and many contend the Big Three carried that approach into the next decade as well.

This summer I found a very thorough and interesting article on the automotive industry, circa 1980. www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,924408-1,00.html ... The author viewed that moment as a pivotal point in the industry and, interestingly, many of the same concerns expressed in 1980 are the exact same concerns that plague the Big Three today. What's old is truly new again. The kicker? The author optimistically points to the new K-car as the key to Chrysler's success and viability. Shyeah, we all know how *that* turned out.

00solstice

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> Not to mention a useful preview of "Malaise Era II", starting in early 2009...

eCurmudgeon

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> I'm not American, and my daddy's eye hadn't even started twinkling by 1980, but I still think 'malaise era' is a great phrase. I may not have been around at the time, but I can see it in so many things produced in that era.

BlackIce_GTS

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> I always thought the proportions of he Mustang II were pretty correct -- from the top of the wheel wells up. Below that, it's got that Pinto-ish taper, as if the body was too wide for the running gear. I guess the wheels and axles shrunk in the wash.

Tanshanomi

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> uhhh, I totally had blocked out that version of the stang. I thought the 80s stang was bad, but that's awful. Okay maybe the 80s style was worse, I can't say. Whatever you might criticize about the current iteration, at least they brought it back from the depths of depravity that the mustang lineage had fallen to.

dolo54

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> Malaise really makes the sandwich.

beercheck

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> Don't forget it isn't a Mustang, it is a Mustang II. Sequels tend to be crap.

Triborough

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> 76 Mustang II is "Malaise/Quaalude era", while the 81 Cobra was more "Terrence McKenna on DMT era"

Chris in KY

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> "...leaves it in front of his hours..."?

Crikey, I can't even blame that on a typo. I meant house, not "hours". Sorry for that.

Uncle Bo, averting foreclosure

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> A good friend of mine had one identical to the DOTS car these back in the 80's. He and his girlfriend called it "the love machine", with little not-so-secret smiles on their faces.

One day he asks me to help fix it up so he can sell it. I tell him he'll be lucky to get $1000 for it. Of course, he wants a lot more. A Mexican guy who buys and ships old cars back to Mexico comes to check it out. He declares it a piece of junk and offer $500. My buddy is offended and is getting pissed when the buyer revs the piss out of the engine to prove his point, creating a massive cloud of oil smoke. My buddy is so horrified that he doesn't sell the car to anyone and just leaves it in front of his hours for the next few years. I think it went to a local junkyard for $100 and a free tow. The car was barely 10 years old.

Uncle Bo, averting foreclosure

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> @Papercutninja: Oh, it's good to be a car nerd! Nothing negative about it here. I like "Malaise" because it shows a familiarity with the political happenings of the time, not just what showed up on the pages of Motor Trend. So beyond just a car-nerd term, it's an uber-nerd term.

Anyway, an orange Mustang II is the perfect poster car for 1970's "Malaise". Good find.

Beluga

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> Thanks for unearthing painful childhood memories on a Tuesday morning. Really, thanks so much.

brownie

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> @Beluga: Thanks for the history lesson! I was a bit young to remember and/or understand that at the time.

I loved SNL of the era, but didn't get about 85% of the jokes because they were too political/current event related & I just wasn't registering.

FЯeeMan is slowly cЯawling out of the new commenting system

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> @FLB: Looks like my Dad in a pair of Converse sneaks and an NYY baseball cap.

but I still want, no, need one.

Rust-MyEnemy is stll out there!

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> I meant car nerd term in a good way. As in if you're reading this site, you're probably a car nerd. "Smog era", "gas crunch time"...maybe not the "Joan Claybrook years" are all standard descriptions of mid-70s cars. "Malaise Era" is perfect because it's sad and true.

Papercutninja

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> @FLB: I don't know how they went from that to the 81 Cobra.

The 78 looks a little silly, but it still has style.

Dr.Danger, I run the Death Star

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> @Papercutninja: Car nerd term??? I was impressed because its NOT a car nerd term. I'm used to hearing car guys call it "smog era" or "gas crunch time" or "Joan Claybrook years".

"Malaise Era" is actually a reference to an address given by Jimmy Carter where he--in a way--blamed America's troubles on itself. He stared into the camera and claimed we had fallen into a deep, national malaise: Stag-flation, regulatory strangulation, dying industries, America's flagging place in the world. He captured the whole zeitgeist in that one word: Malaise. Of course, it was our fault and he couldn't do a thing to help us until we pulled ourselves out of our deep funk, supposedly by continuing to keep our thermostats at 55 degrees in the winter, driving no faster than 55 MPH on the Interstates, and giving 55% of our income to the federal government.

He lost his bid for re-election in 1980. By shitloads, in case you didn't know.

Beluga

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> @CharlzR: You could go buy a Fox body. My 88 LX 5.0 weighed in at 2850lbs

danio3834

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> @FLB: I think that car was on Charlies Angels...

lol

danio3834

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> Let's see. Smaller than the original, yes. But heavier and less powerful. Geez, couldn't we have a sub 3000 pound Mustang again?

(Some kind of hero...)

CharlzR

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> I still love the Toyota Chaser 2-door from the 70's. It was a mashup of the Mustang 2 and the Monte Carlo.

[IMG][img.photobucket.com]]
[IMG][img.photobucket.com]]

DiscoQuinn

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> 1978 King Cobra II: [static.howstuffworks.com]

FLB

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> And for those of us who were there, how could you ever forget this campaign?

[www.mustangiiregistry.com]

Score: Mustang 2, Boredom Zero !!!

Ack!

TinaChow

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> @Rust-MyEnemy: oh yeah, i want a Cobra II also

lol

danio3834

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> Its funny cause as much as people lament the Mustang II, it was one of the best selling Mustangs evar!

385,000 sold in '74 alone!

danio3834

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> Does anyone besides Jalop use "Malaise Era" for this time period? I could not find a better term for it, everytime i see it written on this site, i giggle sadly. It's SUCH a car nerd term.

Papercutninja

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> Murilee, you forgot one version: the Mustang II was also grafted with body panels that made an already fugly car even worse:

FLB

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> The owner of the Covered Market in Clacton-On-Sea had a '76 Mustang Ghia. I was about 8 at that point and had never seen one before, but recognised Ford and Ghia (Dad had a Sierra Ghia at that point) I guess I thought it was some kind of invigorated Cortina.

It sure sounded like a Cortina, thanks to that 2.3.

By the time I was 10 i was well aware that the Mustang II wasn't all that hot. Now though, I really want one. Especially one of the hilarious Cobra IIs.

Rust-MyEnemy is stll out there!

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> These were such sad little cars; I remember how ungainly they looked with their tiny wheels lost in the well openings, rococo side moldings, canopy vinyl roofs with opera windows....

Thanks for the close up of the tail light. This was America's first use of amber colored turn signals....just like the "European" cars have!

TinaChow

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> Aside from some peeling, fading and waviness, that Landau roof has held up admirably.

poxpopulus

]]> <![CDATA[1976 Ford Mustang]]> as a kiwi i never knew that mustangs had such an ugly model in their historical closet.....
man that cars equivalent of the ugly girlfriend you pretend you never dated...

muhnkee_2

]]>