Cool Body Engineering mock-up images of the all-new Fox-body 1979 Mustang.
We take new cars on a showroom floor for granted, rarely understanding the many levels of development and engineering involved that it took to get them there. We have had the good fortune of access to images, memos, and the like from Mustang development through the years. Some of it, we've seen first hand. The rest of it via photos and factory paperwork passed along to us by good friends at Ford who've wanted to contribute to the business of documenting Mustang history.
These are 1979 Mustang engine compartment mock-up images from Body Engineering at Ford. If you're restoring a 1979-81 Mustang, these are excellent examples of what the factory did to begin with. However, these may not all be final phase images of what went into production late in 1978.
As you can see, color and marking indicate hose type. Brackets and such are in colors in order for them to stand out. This was the very beginning of serpentine belt accessory drive in the Mustang. All three engine types for 1979 are shown here. Later on, there came a critical shortage of 2.8L V-6 engines, which forced Ford into going back to the old reliable, the 200ci inline six, which lasted until 1982 with the introduction of the all-new 3.8L Essex V-6. Not shown here is the 2.3L carbureted Turbo, which didn't do very well due to reliability problems. It was also an underpowered slug. When Ford went to a fuel-injected, water-cooled turbocharger in 1983, performance dramatically improved.