What is a "Ford guy"?

[Kit Sullivan]

I have been a fan of Ford products ever since I was a single- digit little guy. Always seemed to naturally gravitate to a Ford product over the years.

However, it has always bugged me that when something about a competeting brand comes up, most others will start off by saying "I know you don't like Mopars...", or "I know you are a Chevy- hater, but...", and they will then try to justify some other make's car in some way, to prove to me why I should like and accept that too.

This has always bugged me.

I like Fords, no doubt. But I also like GM, Chryslsr and AMC products too. Actually I think I like and can appreciate cars from any manufacturer. They all can and have made some great cars.

I've owned many cars from several makes over the years:

3 Z-28s

3 Trans-Ams

2 AMXs

2 442s

Laguna S3

Monza

Chevette

Diplomat

Lebaron

300 ( dual quad 440!)

And others,

And currently own ( other than Fords) Corvette, VUE, Versa, 2 Jettas, and a Land Rover.

I like them all.

They are just machines. Any particular one is not necessarily any more special than another one. They can each be great, or they can all be junk. Just depends on your point of view each day.

Anyone who "hates" an opposing brand just because they like Fords better is myopic and close-minded.

 

[ALLWELD488]

I agree 100%, i've owned several cars by all three major manufactures, (ford, chevy, dodge) and have found them all to have there strong and weak points. yes some models appeal to me alittle more than others but this is just my personal preferance. I dont like it when some people bad mouth a paticular manufacture just because of what they have heard or thats what they have groun up around, expecially when i find out that they have never actually owned one before. I think for the most part your classic car GUYS enjoy all classic cars to an extent and love to see them on the road.

 

[Luke]

Good topic. I like them all I prefer GM stuff because they appeal to me asthetically more regularly and than others. But hey Iam weird, I like 71-73 mustangs more than all other ponies and really love Mopars fuselage Cbodies and I most often prefer the look of of olds 442s and buick skylarks to chevelles and firebirds to Camaros. It has always stumped me that someone can hate a very nice car just because of the badge.

 

[EdM]

For me it's my brother who has owned original Cobra's, GT 350/500's and a Boss 429. With this is the simple fact that I do not want to pay what the going price is for the mid-60's Corvette's I have sold to play with. My recently purchased '73 Q Code Mach 1 allows me relatively cheap (???) entertainment. Original engine out, new 427 Windsor in, original top loader out, Tremec in, and so it goes.

 

[turtle5353]

I have always been a ford guy since I was very young. Only ever owned 1 other car that wasnt Ford , Lincoln or Mercury. Had a 1985 Buick Regency 98. I liked it but I have always drove F150, ranger ,bronco, mustang, escort, Taurus, mariner ect..... When my wife wanted to get a new car in 2009 I said you can get anything you want as long as its Ford , Lincoln ,or Mercury. She got a really nice Mercury Mariner. I may be a bit close minded, but I like what I like..... im sure there are a lot of other vehicles out there that are nice but I like ford the best. I can appreciate any nice classic, don't care about the manufacturer. Maybe looking at a 71 Chevelle for the wife. Any way....... I really like Ford since they were about the only company that didn't have their hand out when the government started bailing everyone out. Im sure if me or you owned a company and it was ready to go belly up, the government wouldnt do a damn thing. If they wouldn't have intervened with the market then, everyone might be driving a Ford today !!! LOL Sorry just ranting. But I am a ford guy !

 

[tony-muscle]

I have been more of a Toyota 4x4 type of guy, but when it comes to performance I think of them as machines so I dont care the brand. Off course I also go for the looks. The 71-73 Mustangs are great looking cars at a great price. When looking for a muscle car these are one of the best bang for the buck.

Disclaimer: I have owned 7 Toyota trucks/SUVs, 1 Fiat, 1 Honda and recently a proud Mustang owner. My wife owned a 72 Barracuda many decades ago. Those are super cool looking but now are too pricy.

 

[Luke]

I have always been a ford guy since I was very young. Only ever owned 1 other car that wasnt Ford , Lincoln or Mercury. Had a 1985 Buick Regency 98. I liked it but I have always drove F150, ranger ,bronco, mustang, escort, Taurus, mariner ect..... When my wife wanted to get a new car in 2009 I said you can get anything you want as long as its Ford , Lincoln ,or Mercury. She got a really nice Mercury Mariner. I may be a bit close minded, but I like what I like..... im sure there are a lot of other vehicles out there that are nice but I like ford the best. I can appreciate any nice classic, don't care about the manufacturer. Maybe looking at a 71 Chevelle for the wife. Any way....... I really like Ford since they were about the only company that didn't have their hand out when the government started bailing everyone out. Im sure if me or you owned a company and it was ready to go belly up, the government wouldnt do a damn thing. If they wouldn't have intervened with the market then, everyone might be driving a Ford today !!! LOL Sorry just ranting. But I am a ford guy !

Turtle ford didn't take a hand out in the US thats true but they took over 700 million from the Aus Govenment then announced the where ceasing manufacture in Au about 2 weeks later, so sorry to shatter the bubble old mate but they ain't as clean as you may think. But true we like what we like and I can get down with that explanation

 

[turtle5353]

I have always been a ford guy since I was very young. Only ever owned 1 other car that wasnt Ford , Lincoln or Mercury. Had a 1985 Buick Regency 98. I liked it but I have always drove F150, ranger ,bronco, mustang, escort, Taurus, mariner ect..... When my wife wanted to get a new car in 2009 I said you can get anything you want as long as its Ford , Lincoln ,or Mercury. She got a really nice Mercury Mariner. I may be a bit close minded, but I like what I like..... im sure there are a lot of other vehicles out there that are nice but I like ford the best. I can appreciate any nice classic, don't care about the manufacturer. Maybe looking at a 71 Chevelle for the wife. Any way....... I really like Ford since they were about the only company that didn't have their hand out when the government started bailing everyone out. Im sure if me or you owned a company and it was ready to go belly up, the government wouldnt do a damn thing. If they wouldn't have intervened with the market then, everyone might be driving a Ford today !!! LOL Sorry just ranting. But I am a ford guy !

Turtle ford didn't take a hand out in the US thats true but they took over 700 million from the Aus Govenment then announced the where ceasing manufacture in Au about 2 weeks later, so sorry to shatter the bubble old mate but they ain't as clean as you may think. But true we like what we like and I can get down with that explanation

DAMN!!! My world has been turned upside down!!! I honestly never knew that! Well then SCREW all the manufactures!!! No but seriously thanks for the info. I will have to check that out. Pretty shitty!

 

[Luke]

Turtle This explains it a bit.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=62xwizjP67M

 

[will e]

In the 80's high school all the guys were chevy fans, so I went Ford. When I went looking for a daily driver it was the Ford Sport Trac that met all of my criteria but I looked at every brand for options. My wife is a Jeep fan so that's the other half of the stable. I run a old Jeep Cherokee because it's different, even amongst the Jeep club to which I belong.

I consider myself a 'ford guy' because I can talk details all day about 335 series engines but I don't know squat about 350 chevy's except there are a bunch of them, they enjoy tremendous after market support and you see them stuffed in just about everything.

 

[1973grandeklar]

I have been an avid Pontiac guy for decades. Bought a 1970 GTO Judge back in 1987 and have had Pontiacs up until 2 years ago. Then I discovered a 1972 Mustang and have now gone to the Ford camp. I never was much of a Chevy muscle car guy. I loved the Pontiacs, Buicks, and Oldsmobiles, but never came around to the Chevy camp. Not sure why?

My first car was a 1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass that had a 455 engine from a 1969 Hurst Oldsmobile. To this day, I think it was one of the quickest cars (being stock) that I have ever owned. It could just be my high school memories, but that car would scoot! One of my friends had a Chevy Camaro (1974 I think) and he could never stay with me. He even built his 350 with lots of mods and still could not keep with me in the quarter mile. The funny thing is, his car was immaculate and mine was a rusty pile of crap!

Anyway, the "Ford guy" moniker is currently hung around my neck as I divested myself of all other project cars.

 

[rpmcarter]

Actually what I said .... I indicated that you seem to refuse acknowledgement that MOPAR was a competitive product against 7173, which I find laughable

 

[Kit Sullivan]

Where did I ever say that Mopar was not a competitor to Ford in 71-73? I certainly never said or even inferred that.

The 'Cuda/ Challenger twins are clearly DIRECT competitors to the Mustang/ Cougar models of the same years.

I may have said I don't consider the larger, full-frame Chryslers (B-bodies, I think?) direct competitors to "Pony Cars", simply because they are too different in size, construction and target market.

Of course, just because I don't consider a '68 Charger a direct competitor to a '68 Mustang doesn't mean I don't like the Charger...far from it! I think the 68-70 Charger as probably the single-best looking all around classic car design ever! It is one of only a few car designs I NEVER get bored looking at. Bill Brownlie's timeless masterpiece, for sure.

My other favorite all-time car designs?

1) 71-73 Mach 1 ( natch!)

2) the aforementioned Charger

3) the early, unadorned Pantera

4) 427 Cobra S/C

5) '70 Challenger R/T convertible

6) '05 Ford GT

7) 66 427 'Vette convertible

 

[73StangCoupe]

We are all car guys/gals...period. I've never considered myself a ford guy. I do love Mustangs...almost all years. But I'm also a big fan of some Chevy's, Mopars and some imports. I'm sure most of us feel the same way, we're all huge fans of muscle cars. I fell in love with the 71-73 cars because of their style and their prices. I thoroughly enjoy owning my car!!

 

[luxstang]

I´m not a designated Ford Guy either.

I like most classic American cars, whatever the badge on them says.

As Kit said, I consider the 68-70 Charger as one of the best designs ever, I´d like to throw in the 70-71 Barracudas.

Then there´s the AMCs and the Javelin, the 1971 Firebird, etc, etc.

I actually think that most makes actually had cooler designs than Ford during that time. I mean, I obviously love the 123 Mustangs but look at a 70/71 Chevelle or the aforementioned Barracudas, or a Buick GS or Pontiac Le Mans or others. They have curves and great graphics and body creases.

There is much more in terms of design than in our cars. Just my opinion, I´ll admit. But I often find myself thinking how "bland" my car looks next to a Mopar or cool Chevelle or any other muscle car from that area.

Then again Ford made the 72 Torino which is simply gorgeous.

Still I like the design of the 123 Mustang better than any other Mustang design (with the exception of the 69 Fastback. That can´t be beat!). A 71/72 Mach 1 in full warpaint really looks like serious business.

Funny thing is I hardly like any Ford wheels from that era. The Magnum 500 is cool but it´s not really a Ford only thing. I love the Mopar Rally wheel or the big hubcaps with trim rings that Chevy used in the late 60ies (like on Kit´s Corvette).

Somehow the Ford design department must not have given much thought when it came to wheels.

Disclaimer: This is all my personal opinion. I don´t expect anyone to agree with it or even share it!

 

[1972MustangSVH]

"They are just machines.". the only line this thread needed. When I was young I bled blue but it didn't take long to have the epiphany that this was a little anal retentive; it was the pursuit of the machine over the branding that I enjoyed the most. It's why we all dig cars, motorcycles, airplanes, guns, 'n girls. If you confine yourself with branding then your missing a whole world of great stuff.

 

[Kit Sullivan]

I agree that Ford was probably the most conservative of the "Big Three" when it came to "edgy" or progressive styling. MOPAR clearly took more chances and sent furthsr with thier performance features that anyone: fiberglass lift-off hoods with hood pins, huge snorkels, several different crazy cold-air set-ups, plain steelies with lugs only ( drag race style), "impact" colors, and of course the elephant: crazy overkill for a street car.

Ford was the polar opposite until Bunkie came on board in '68. He may have been despised by Iaccoca and the rest of the "old guard" at Ford, but he loved racing and high-performance and he pumped some performance into the Fords as quickly as he could. I think it is pretty amazing that the full-dress 71 Mach 1 looked and performed as well as it did, considering it was such an early influence of his. Mechanically, the 71/3 is dramatically improved over the 69/70, largely from his influence. He was gone from Ford before the new 71s were even introduced, so his influence stopped immediately. The carry-over 72s were left with nothing but the 351 HO to hold the torch, and it was short-lived. They never even bothered to certify ram-air on 4 barrell engines. Overall, the 73s fared even worse: low power, and not even a 15" wheel option.

As soon as Iacocca was back in play, he wasted no time in removing all vestiges of "Bunkie-dom" from Ford, and the world then enjoyed his interpretation of he thought the publuc really wanted in a pony car: the crap-tastic "Mustang II". The only thing that could possibly be more insulting that pasting "Mach 1" stickers on the side of a 6-cylinder, 101-horsepower turd was the continued disrespect of the customers by offering a putrid 82-horsepower 4-cylinder in the horrendous "Cobra II".

Ford could complain all they wanted to about the strangling government regs, but Pontiac offered some screaming SD motors as late as '73, and a lowly AMX could still be had with a nasty 401 in73.

The awesome 71-73 Mustang in general is an anomoly...not to be matched in effort until many years later.

 

[DK73]

I have been a fan of Ford Cars in many YearsB-) That is why i bought My Ford Mach 1 back in 2007B-) But I whas looking at Them All Befor i bought My 73 because four me that whas My favorit MustangB-)

Regards DK73

 

[Austin Vert]

I come in from a human nature angle. Humans are tribal. Human beings have a deep down need to belong to a group that they identify with and relate to personally for different reasons. These include, religions, sects, clubs, political institutions,companies,car companies,car clubs, sporting clubs, sports teams, cults, brand names, cities, towns, states, countries, and the list goes on forever.

It's all part of the human landscape, and is a lot of fun,and brings variety to our lives, until we start killing each other because we've ended up taking the whole thing too seriously.

Good thread Kit and members.

Greg.