Progress Thread My First Mustang - Pace Car Mysteries

Hello out there. I am now 60 years of age, have fixed up and sold at least 20 cars in the last 25 years when I've had time, but have never owned a Mustang. 8 miles away was a 1979 Pace Car Mustang. Not been driven since 1989. Not really rotted out, paint faded like crazy to where stripes barely noticeable. Interior complete but rough. Wiring a mess, but enough where the engine turned over. Vin checked out as it's real. 302 Automatic car. I knew what one was, but never researched a Pace Car.
Here's what's baffling me.
This is an original paint car, you tell by the doors to where the two toned black at the bottom was taped off and wrapped around inside the door edges, etc. etc. When removing the interior panels, in the hatch panel on the driver side, there is a washer bottle inside the rear quarter. The filler neck obviously attaches to a hole that's between the hatch weather-strip and rear quarter in the water drain channel. Well here's the ????,
My hatch does not have the wiper arm, nor the hole cut for one or wiring for one. Also on the dash there is no switch or knob to operate a rear wiper. I don't know jack about a Mustang so I wouldn't know what the switch or knob looks like on the dash.
It's a mystery with only 2 possibility. Hatch was at some time replaced OR on the assembly line they stuffed a washer bottle in the rear quarter and then said ooops this car doesn't have a rear wiper and then still sent it on it's way. I just wanted to tell my story as I'm gonna restore this car correctly so I might have to purchase a Marti report
 
Welcome to Stangnet! You may get some answers in this section but you may be better served asking in the 79-93 forum as there are more regulars there. In fact, I've decided to move it for you....

I'm no expert on Fox cars but have had my hands on a few, I don't know why there'd be any kind of bottle shoved in a rear quarter area. From what I can remember, no Fox Mustangs came with a rear wiper so it's hard telling why it was there. Does it have any part numbers molded into it anywhere?
 
Not sure if 1979 mustangs also did this, but later Fox cars had VIN stickers on every body part. On my '88 it's on th underside of the hatch where the licenved plate lights are. You might want to poke around and see if this car also has VIN stickers and if the hatch one matches the car.

Would look something like this, but with the short VIN that was used in 1979. My car has 11 or so of these all over it

1729782770112.webp
 
Curiosity is getting me now..... does it look like either of these?



Maybe it has a replacement hatch without the wiper? :shrug:
 
There are no images of the interior but the outside looks pretty unmolested.

I would start hunting around for a build sheet, maybe? :shrug:

Underneath the caprets
Under a seat cushion (rear perhaps)
I can't recall anybody finding one inside a door panel on a Fox but I mention it anyway
Stuffed up under the dash or maybe the hatch area...
 
Judging from those EBay listings the switch looks like it was mounted under the dash, but it should definitely be visible. Maybe someone decided to just remove everything but didn't bother removing the washer bottle since it was hidden? It's hard telling what's happened with everything with it being close to 50 years old now. Maybe you'll be able to truly solve the mystery if you can find a build sheet or if you go ahead and get the Marti report. My vote says that someone removed everything because they needed a new hatch at some point. They probably decided it wasn't worth popping a hole in the replacement hatch and ditched everything except the bottle.

Nice looking project btw.... :nice: