Topic: Rear Tie Down Brackets

[Bob Gaines]

Actually that is an interesting thought.  If these were really returned from the dealers and reused it makes it harder to say that a certain style was only used at a certain plant.  It would mix up the pot....

Maybe truer as the time line got older but not initially IMO. The confusing part is that I have not come across the square corner on a Dearborn car before. If it was consistent logically it would seem that a mixer would be seen on Dearborn cars too , The square corner types seem to be in the minority as tie down brackets go. I see probably 4 of the rounded corner to every one of the square corner. Sorry I have only been looking at the duel exhaust ones. Maybe someone else has some insight.

[livetoride60]

Pics of passenger side bracket on what's left of 5F09K327203.  Looks to be a Nov - Dec 64 scheduled build date from date stamps.  No drivers side bracket left.  Would've had dual exhaust originally.

[Mike_B_SVT]

Hi Marcus,

Here are pics from my '70 Cougar - Dearborn - Oct 6th, '69 build date - 428SCJ/4spd - dual exhaust.

Right side inner


Left side inner


Left side outer

[Bob Gaines]

Hi Marcus,

Here are pics from my '70 Cougar - Dearborn - Oct 6th, '69 build date - dual exhaust.

Right side


Left side inner


Left side outer

Odd that the single exhaust brackets were used on your Cougar or did all Cougars use the shorter typically single exhaust type bracket?

[Anghelrestorations]

Its my understanding that the Cougar's generally could have used the shorter style brackets unlike the Mustang's.  I will probably add some information on the Cougars as well in what I am working on. 

[specialed]

mark looks to me like your hooks are only black at bottom & match the paint line of the added long shackles. you would be better off looking at the metal protected area between hook & frame rail that hasn't been exposed to the elements after all these years.   marcus remember cougars have different rear frame rails & exhaust & hangers setup than mustangs & I have only seen the short hooks on cougars.

[J_Speegle]

Ok you asked.

This is going to take a while - just the ones I already had in a separate file folder for tie downs Computer shows there are about 70 examples just in that section. Not sure how many you want but here goes

5F07K261xxx  - Easy to see these have been off so the finish is not original




6R09K18-19xxxx





6R07C230xxx




6R09K17xxxx





6R09K164xxx




6R09T197xxx




6R09T1973xx




6R09K17xxxx



Sure there are more if I went through all the files included the non-labeled/processed bunch.

Can't say I've seen may that didn't fit the expected pattern especially on the earlier cars unless the car was a "restored" car. Then there have been many examples - especially on back east cars on the west coast or western cars built on the eastern side of the country as one might expect.

[J_Speegle]

Comment: Of course the finish on some of these can not be determined IMHO given the condition. Since, especially in the early years (disreguarding the small number of Dearborn 64 1/2's prior to the other plants opening) few cars were delivered far outside the region of the original plant the few brackets that were returned most likely made their way back to the original plants. Later special models that were not built at all plants likely added some odd ball brackets back to different plants but IMHO the number would be very small and finding those cars with them after all these years might be similar in numbers to the other non-typical things we find in other areas of these cars. Would be a subject for discussion only if the brackets were found to be different and were original to that particular car. Would think that focusing on these production differences may only tempt owners into added the unusual in an attempt to stand out. we've all heard those claims ..... "it was possible""    Just my two cents based on what I've seen done over the years

++++++++++++++
67's - this time just San Jose and a single year. Again sure there are more



7R01A153xxx




7R02C165xxx




7R02C137xxx




7R01C197xxx




7R02C165xxx




7R02K112xxx




7R02S174xxx




7R02S192xxx




7R02S1742xx




7R03C155xxx




7R03C188xxx




7R03C1550xx




7R03C1883xx


That's the last for tonight

[Anghelrestorations]

Lots of good pictures - thanks everyone.  Do we have any 71-73 experts?  I have heard in that era that possibly some cars had both the long and the short brackets on a single exhaust cars.  Would be interesting to have some examples of that. 

[specialed]

marcus make sure point out that the hooks were originally installed on the INSIDE of frame rails. Look at jeff s first pic (the orange primer long hook) & its bolted on the OUTSIDE of the frame rail.  They will bolt on both ways & over the years I have seen many installed backwards & when car owner says that's the way they should be I simply point to the big white tow hook decal drawing on rear valance & it clearly shows hooks on the inside frame rail.    Also I have seen another long rounded corners version that I think are mid 70s type as a guy who had some of them said they came off a Granada or something. I have seen these installed by restorers & sold at swap meets but never seen that type installed on a vintage mustang from the factory.  They look like the rounded corner Dearborn dual exhaust style but don't hang down as far & hook hole is more straight down & not pointed toward rear of car like the correct version.

[J_Speegle]

marcus make sure point out that the hooks were originally installed on the INSIDE of frame rails. Look at jeff s first pic (the orange primer long hook) & its bolted on the OUTSIDE of the frame rail.  They will bolt on both ways & over the years I have seen many installed backwards & when car owner says that's the way they should be I simply point to the big white tow hook decal drawing on rear valance & it clearly shows hooks on the inside frame rail.............

That was not a "tow truck hook" in the rear decal but instructions for rail and car transport shipping

But yes you are very correct, as I mentioned, that first 65 example has been off, refinished and reinstalled all incorrectly

[specialed]

 where does the "truck" come from in my post? 

[jwc66k]

A previous thread - http://www.concoursmustang.com/forum/index.php?topic=8515.msg49730#msg49730
Keep this in mind. The tie down brackets were used on all Fords (the big stuff probable had big brackets) and some were east to get off,  some were not and some were ignored. They came from all plants to all dealers for every model and were sent back to the assembly plant, probably the nearest. So the San Jose assembly plant would get Kansas used brackets because local San Jose area dealers sold cars made in Kansas.
Jim

[67gtasanjose]

A previous thread - http://www.concoursmustang.com/forum/index.php?topic=8515.msg49730#msg49730
Keep this in mind. The tie down brackets were used on all Fords (the big stuff probable had big brackets) and some were east to get off,  some were not and some were ignored. They came from all plants to all dealers for every model and were sent back to the assembly plant, probably the nearest. So the San Jose assembly plant would get Kansas used brackets because local San Jose area dealers sold cars made in Kansas.
Jim

??

[J_Speegle]

where does the "truck" come from in my post? 

Opps!!
Magically    

...................They came from all plants to all dealers for every model and were sent back to the assembly plant, probably the nearest. So the San Jose assembly plant would get Kansas used brackets because local San Jose area dealers sold cars made in Kansas.

But would a Kansas built Big Ford tie down be the same (fit or be used) on a Mustang?

Don't think they are the same so those would have been shipped back to other big Ford plants since they could not be used at the others. Not even sure all Fords used tie downs at the rear