Pennsylvania State Police Mustangs

[FoxChassis]

The only kind of protective coating that was done at the factory was the Lower Bodyside Protection option (urethane coating, painted body color), and that was only on the lower sides of the car (below the molding) between the wheel wells, and maybe behind the rear wheels. It was not under the hood or under the car like a normal aftermarket rust proofing was. The factory books say is became standard on all models in '85 but I don't believe that to be true.

Some here might be familiar with that urethane coating, especially on cars from Canada and the Northeast states. There would have been a third buck tag saying "ROAD ABRASION" (usually repeated at least once on that tag) and an "RA" code on the other non-DSO buck tag.

[GSPI]

Absolutely FoxChassis! The exterior coating is the one you indicated but there also was a wax seam material that was added on the interior panels around the rear wheel well areas which was what I was referring to. For reference, the body panels were all zinc coated (galvanized and many times hot dip method especially in the front fenders as it held up better) when the steel was manufactured prior to stamping. The steel in it's untreated form could stay unrusted for approximately 3 months. When the panels were stamped an additional coating was and still is added to keep them rust free until they hit the paint shop after initial assembly. Since the car was painted and had the galvanized metal there was little or no need for rust proofing as the car was designed.

The fact really was that the methods and materials were changing in the early 80's for production and people still had the misconception that they absolutely needed the aftermarket rust proofing of the 70's. My dad was one of the testers and evaluators for that wax coating process in 1972 when it was developed in Germany. Our car lasted over 6 years before the first sign of rust without the extreme use of galvanized panels which was a breakthrough in those times. This newer coating process later was used in conjunction with the galvanized panels in the early 80's and allowed for longer periods without rust.

In general, the advent of E-coating and the use of these corrosion protection methods in manufacturing actually just about destroyed the aftermarket rustproofing companies. Interesting history!

[FoxChassis]

You must be talking about seam sealer. It is a paste-like substance that looks very similar to caulking that was applied to all cars by hand at the factory.

[clayjo]

Well, I suppose my best guess at this point is that this car was bought by a retired (or soon to be) police officer new in 85 and performed what seems to be a few "upgrades" by...

1. Replacing the transmission with the current Hurst 'quickthrow' T-5 model
2. Removing the emission control system (apparently for more power or he knew a mechanic that would pass his emissions test for him)...a lot easier to do that back then!
3. Replacing the stock exhaust and removing the cat converters.
4. Adding chassis stiftening kit (no sure if that was factory installed)

Obviously there is no way to know if this was his personal car or if it was to be eventually used as an unmarked car. All I know is that it was obviously 'build for speed'. The officer sold it (due to a divorce my father recalls) to the gentleman that we bought it from.

Crazy to think that this car had all those mods put on when it brand new. The mystery continues.....

I will take a bunch of photos of the car in its current state and condition and will post in the Mustangs for Sale section of the forum.

[28HopUp]

Originally Posted by clayjo

Crazy to think that this car had all those mods put on when it brand new.

Have you seen what guys are doing to their new S197 Mustangs for more power? The aftermarket is HUGE for those cars, and their level of performance is VERY impressive.

G/L with your future sale. You might also have good luck selling it on the Four Eyed Pride Forum.

[GSPI]

Originally Posted by FoxChassis

You must be talking about seam sealer. It is a paste-like substance that looks very similar to caulking that was applied to all cars by hand at the factory.

Yes sir. Correct. It is wax like when first installed after paint.

[28HopUp]

Originally Posted by FoxChassis

Some here might be familiar with that urethane coating, especially on cars from Canada and the Northeast states. There would have been a third buck tag saying "ROAD ABRASION" (usually repeated at least once on that tag) and an "RA" code on the other non-DSO buck tag.

As a follow up to the discussion on the coating, there is a 1990 SSP in our VIN Project that served in Canada -

http://www.specialservicemustang.net...info202805.htm


You can see the word "ROAD" and "RA" on the Buck Tags. It it interesting though that the RA option isn't listed on the Marti Report.