I'm fairly new to the forum and maybe this has been discussed before, but do these wear out? Mine is rubbed smooth but appears to be in really good condition. Do they crack or is there some other stress I need to watch out for? I guess I'm wondering what the market is for thes parts if they do not wear out.
Jack
I've never seen one get worn out or damaged. There are only 2 reasons I can see someone needing this plate:
-Repairing a very rusty car or restoring a car that might have been tubbed for drag-racing.
-Trying to make a more authentic re-body
Jack, these plates do not wear out however they can be severely rusted. The main reason for need one of these plates is if the car was rebodied and the person doing the rebody failed to transfer the plate. The problem with all of this is that the plate is one of the ways to verify the authenticity of a K code car. Future purchasers of K codes will need to really inspect this plate closer to make sure that it has a factory look to the spot welds to make sure that they are not purchasing a rebodied Kar. This plate was also used on non K GT cars in the 66 model year as Charles Turner has already pointed out.
-Fred-
So, spotting a re-bodied "K car" or a real GT non-K just got a little harder unless you really know what to look for!
Jack
Sorry to correct you Fred, but I think we have enough evidence to establish that Ford began using the K code "body" for the GT cars in spring '65 - since this was the only factory dual exhaust set up needed for the GT. A number of people with A code factory GTs have posted picks of this plate in their car or responded that their car had this plate - pretty sure some of them were from spring '65.
While I am sure a "few" people really need this part to correctly restore a "true" K code, I'm sorry to see someone has finally repop'd it. I see way to much FRAUD potential and a lot of people taking advanatage of under-educated buyers. GREED will just be too tempting for some people.
Case in point - a black '66 Pony GT K Convert was discussed on this site several years ago - from Nevada I think - Car had been cut in HALF - had a '65 rear section - BUT it had been done really really nice, so you had to know your 'stangs to see the difference BUT this plate was the big gotcha. What happens now when the plate is swapped????????? Especially when a Dealer/Broker gets a hold of it and it suddenly becomes an "All original, numbers matching, perfect example........yada yada yada" over priced re-body.
We're gonna end up just like the Chevy guys! Do you really think all the SS cars are REAL factory SS cars?
Ultimately I think it will hurt our original and/or correctly, HONESTLY restored car values - all for a $75 plate.
While I agree with Ralph to a degree, there are many more details on a K code body that would have to be done right, other than just the bumper plate. It would take a considerable effort to get every little detail right.
I am sure you are correct Charles but many people do not know what to look for and there are a lot of misconceptions out there not to mention people who might try to pass off a rebody as an original K.
This past Saturday, at a local cruise, I had a guy challenge me about my engine color - he said it couldn't be a 65 K engine because he was certain that they were all painted gold like what was in his 65 Falcon (he said it was a hipo). You just never know about some people and many are just too trusting and don't bother to check out what all to look for. I know that the buyer should beware but it just keeps getting harder to spot a rebodied car and that makes us all subject to some very critical reviews by our fellow Mustang owners. I think many already approach a K car with a great deal of skeptimism and this eventually can hurt the market for the real kars.
Jack
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