I heard that from the late 70's to mid 80's the goverment mandated that speedo's could not be higher then 85, or something like that. I had an 81 v8 turbo trans am that pegged out at 85. how depressing.
I have a 77 2+2 all original with the 302 V8, my factory speedo tops out at 80. There was no law governing speedos in the 70's, just the gas crunch and 55 mph max speed limit. This was probably just a Ford thing? My car has seen 101 in the 1/4 mile so far. Since I bought the car 4 months ago I have started to dress it as a Cobra. I don't believe there were any differences in the Cobra II's other than cosmetics to the interior / exterior as I have seen them with V6's and 2300's also (someone correct me if I am wrong). 120 speedos are available on E Bay and I have also seen what appears to be a factory 160 (not sure what factory) lol but looked great. Here are some shots of my 77 at a recent car show on Fremont Street (downtown Las Vegas).
85 MPH speedometers
I was looking for the actual law or whatever but this will give you an idea. I also think states that had 55mph speed limits would qualify for federal aid in taking care of the roads, but would lose it if they had roads posted higher then that.
Damn politics
85 MPH speedometers
I was looking for the actual law or whatever but this will give you an idea. I also think states that had 55mph speed limits would qualify for federal aid in taking care of the roads, but would lose it if they had roads posted higher then that.
Damn politics
GREAT READ! Excellent work.
By the way, that tread unravels real quick into quite a hilarious read. NICE.
The law was Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 127,
a NHTSA regulation. The repeal process started shortly
after Reagan took office. The Federal Register notice
stated:
In February and March of [1981], NHTSA undertook a
comprehensive review of its existing and pending
vehicle safety standards. The purpose of the review
was to determine what modifications could be made to
the standards to reduce the regulatory burden on the
automobile industry without sacrificing safety. Among
the factors considered in evaluating each standard was
the magnitude of the standard's contribution to
safety, the likelihood that manufacturers might
continue to comply with the standard after its
modification or rescission, and the costs of the
standard. ...
Among the standards considered was Safety Standard
No. 127, Speedometers and Odometers (49 CFR 571.127).
... The speedometer requirements became effective on
September 1, 1979.
The rule was officially revoked effective March 25, 1982.
The electronic Federal Register archives do not go back to
the original rulemaking process under Carter.
The process shows how the predient affects the attitude of
the government towards regulation. Carter's NHTSA had
claimed that tamper-evident odometers were essential for
safety. Under Reagan, they weren't a safety problem any
more.
Hard to find mid 70's dash's. So what years did they actually mandate the 85 speedo? Does this mean that the 120 speedos for Mustang II's are actually from earlier years say 74-76?
80mph speedo was standard I think, and 120mph was an option, I've seen the 80mph speedometers in come Mustang IIs, but both my '74 and '76 Ghias had 120mph speedometers (in fact, the '74 cluster is now in my '76) and the engine doesn't seem to have mattered because the '74 is a 2.3/4spd and the '76 is a 302/automatic.
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1976 Ford Mustang II Ghia: 302 with a 600cfm Edelbrock carb, Edelbrock Performer 289 intake, Dynomax Blackjack headers, 2.5" exhaust with Flowmaster Super 44s. RJS 11-gallon fuel cell, C4 tranny, chrome 16" pony wheels, fuzzy dice, brown vinyl half-top, and painted in the tackiest color ever (harvest gold, that's why I call it "The Goldenrod").
Also have a 2003 Dodge Ram (lightly modded daily driver/tow rig/office/dining room/home away from home/workshop... I call it "The Big Blue Dawg".)
All IIs from 1974 through mid-77 had 120 speedos. My '77 (VIN119XXX)was built in October 76 with a 120 unit. Once bought a 12000 mile original Cobra II that had the 85 in it (VIN 143XXX), although it was a San Jose car. If I still had a working fiche reader, could check the parts fiche, they may break it by date in there.
1966 Mustang Vert., 200 CID I6, Autolite 1100, Candy Apple Red, black interior with black power top, C4 Auto Trans (was 3 speed manual), Scarebird 4 lug front disc brake conversion, dual MC in process.
1976 Cobra II, 302 CID, C4 auto trans. Blackjack headers, white with blue stripe and blue interior. Restoration and mod in process.
80mph Speedo in 1977 Mustang V8 Cobra II? 
