Let us hear from you. Regional and local events that include Mustangs in their activities may be listed in this column by sending the necessary information to Mustang Monthly, 9036 Brittany Way, Tampa, FL 33619, or send email notification to mustang.monthly@sorc.com. Listings must be submitted at least 120 days prior to the event.

The Roush Stage 3 Mustang is back for 2014, and it’s better than ever. The RS3 Ford Mustang is the epitome of modern American muscle on steroids, putting its increased power to the pavement through Roush’s handling, braking, and other updates into one impressive package. Check out the video and become mesmerized by the new 2014 RS3 Mustang in action as it rolls around Detroit’s Belle Isle!

It may seem hard to believe, but the 49th birthday of the Ford Mustang just passed this week, specifically April 17th. As if that wasn’t special enough, another milestone was accomplished at Ford’s Flat Rock Assembly Plant in Michigan -- the one-millionth Mustang rolled off of the assembly line at the automaker’s state-of-the-art Auto Alliance International plant.

In February 1965, someone desperately wanted one of the new Shelby G.T. 350s for Ford's new-car display at the Chicago Auto Show. According to the Shelby American Automobile Club's '65-'67 Registry, one of the first '65 G.T. 350s, 5S017, was completed on February 8, 1965, and immediately air-freighted to Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. Local Ford dealer Jack Loftus picked up the brand-new Shelby and drove it to McCormick Place for the major international auto show. Loftus remembers that the fastback was displayed on a pedestal and locked to prevent theft.

For a while, Jerry Choate thought perhaps he had bitten off more Mustang than he could restore on a deadline. With just two months left before the white '67 GT convertible was scheduled to roll into the Drake Automotive Group booth at the 2012 SEMA Show, Choate was staring at a freshly painted but bare shell sitting in the middle of his three-car garage.

Brotherly Love

February 16, Orlando, FL
26th annual Mustang and Ford Roundup hosted by the Mid Florida Mustang Club at Waterford Lakes Town Center, 413 N. Alafaya Trail. $25 registration. Judged vehicles must be ’10 model year or older. Register online at www.midfloridamustangclub.com

Autolite 4300
I own a '67 Mustang and I'm trying to figure out if the carburetor on the 289 is original. It's an Autolite/Motorcraft 4300 but I'm told that the 289s came with a 4100. Can you tell me if the 4300 was stock, special order, or if someone installed it after the car was purchased? The installation looks factory and not an add-on by a back-yard mechanic.
Arlen Zacharias
Homer, AK

Boss Solenoid
I have a sticking starter solenoid on my ’69 Boss 302 so I’m looking for a replacement. I’d like to find the correct assembly line version but I’m having trouble locating the part number or a photo for identification. Is it round with the part number C9AF-11450-A? If I can’t locate that one, what is the service replacement part? If I find a correct solenoid and it’s not working, can it be rebuilt? My car was built on May 23, 1969.
Philip Rarog
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

With the release of the all-new Mustang chassis in 2005, Ford engineers finally stepped away from the antiquated Fox-era modified McPherson strut design and non-parallel four-link rear suspension to give us a true McPherson strut front and proven three-link rear design with a fixed Panhard bar for lateral axle control. Gone were band-aids like Quad Shocks. In 2005, the Mustang received the start of a true handling suspension under its sleek new body. However, like any OE-designed suspension, there are plenty of areas that can use improvement, from the OE bushing material (for a more compliant ride and less noise), to anti-sway bar diameter, to spring rate and overall ride height.

Anyone who has ever attended the automotive madness known as the SEMA Show has complained about sore feet and a tired back after walking the Las Vegas Convention Center for several days. During last November's smorgasbord of chrome and glistening paint, one of our cohorts in editorial crime, Jim Campisano, actually clamped a pedometer to his belt to determine that he took over 70,000 steps over five days, a total of over 35 miles. No wonder it takes a week or so to recover.

By 1970, Ford had won Le Mans against the world's toughest competition. Domestically, it had spanked Corvettes and Camaros in SCCA competition. There was nothing left to prove. But there was also a new political climate in Detroit. Heat from insurance companies and Washington had turned Ford's attentions from Woodward Avenue to Capitol Hill with an intense focus on fuel economy, cleaner emissions, and safer automobiles. Muscle vanished as quickly as it had arrived. Ford's hottest seller for 1970 was the new Maverick. The Pinto would come a year later.

The basic principle of power steering—hydraulics—hasn't changed much since the Mustang was introduced nearly a half century ago. It has been said you could move the world with the fluid power of hydraulics. Fortunately, all we have to do is steer two front wheels with a hydraulic pump, hoses, control valve, and a power cylinder ram.

In 1998, high school teacher Stan Edington spied a white '65 Mustang fastback sitting in a buddy's garage during a 50th birthday party. It was rusted, dented, and suffered from typical daily commuter neglect. When Stan asked if the car was for sale, he got the usual answer—it was going to be fixed up one day. Stan went home and put the fastback out of his mind. Three weeks later, his phone rang. It was his buddy offering to sell the car. Stan didn't waste any time coming up with the cash.

At 375 horsepower and 450 lb-ft of torque, the 385-series 429ci big-block was the most powerful factory engine ever installed in a first generation Mustang. Ford initially used the short-block with hemi heads in '69 to conceive the limited production Boss 429 Mustang. However, the Boss 429 was not for everyone. For '71, the 429 got wedge heads for two forms of Mustang rocket propulsion—Cobra Jet and Super Cobra Jet.

By mid August 1969, Ford was cranking up production of the slightly restyled '70 Mustang at the Dearborn Assembly Plant. In addition to smoothing out assembly-line kinks, there was some important business to handle. Ford corporate had scheduled 14 Bright Yellow Boss 302s, with their new-for-1970 stripe scheme, for dealer intro shows and other promotional activities. Because the shows were scheduled before the '70 Ford on-sale date of September 19, these 14 Boss 302s would be among the first '70 Mustangs produced in August 1969, all with VINs between 100043 and 100082.

The opportunity was too good to pass up. Photographer Jerry Heasley was in Dearborn to photograph this year's Mustang Dream Giveaway Shelbys—a '13 GT 500 and'68 G.T. 500. So we thought: Wouldn't it be great to get SVT chief engineer Jamal Hameedi out to Ford's Dearborn Development Center (formerly Dearborn Proving Grounds) to give us his impressions of the 45-year differences in technology.

The car poking out of the attached garage did not resemble a stock Mustang, let alone a Shelby. What was the strange drooping front end?

Saleen 351

Big Brakes

Ford's Boss 302 Mustang is a real-life supercar in every sense. None of the "if you do this" or "after you add that" nonsense. It starts out good, and outclasses most of the world's big-engined musclecars. The Boss 302 looks good, performs well, and handles even better. It is a rival for the Chevy Z/28 (which the Mustang 302 was patterned after), and it's a very good competitor. The two cars are surprisingly equal in almost every respect.

There are many great things about our Mustang hobby and industry, both of which have grown out of the Mustang's everlasting endearment to owners. The social interaction of clubs and shows ranks high on the list, as does the satisfaction of being able to improve your Mustang through restoration efforts or by adding something as simple as a cold-air induction kit to a late-model. With the Mustang, the ownership lifestyle stretches way beyond the driving experience.

Pre-Production '91 GT?
I'm looking for any information I can find regarding the original dealer documentation on my '91 Mustang GT convertible. The other day I was digging through the original documentation that came with my car and I found the original window sticker. I was kind of surprised to see the words "Vehicle is Not For Sale" in several places. The invoice was also made up without EPA ratings or a total vehicle price. Under the EPA ratings area, it states again, "EPA data unavailable—Unit is Not to Be Offered For Sale."

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