Winglets!!!!!

[Spike Morelli]

Have you ever looked at your Mustang's deck wing, and pondered the reason that Ford bent the tips down? Those bent down tips are technically called "Canted Winglets". Today, their useage is very commonplace today on Commercial, Military, and private aircraft. Originally designed by NASA way back when, the design improves lift by 4% to 15% ( downforce on our cars, since our "wings are mounted upside-down"), and decrease tip induced vortex drag coming off a non-wingletted wing. Ford was incorporating a few Aeronautical ideas , along with NACA/NASA scoops, into their performance oriented vehicles way back when. It makes you take a second look at your Boss or Mach.

 

[tony-muscle]

The wing tip also makes the spoiler follow the contour of the rear panel. If they just had eliminated the roof rail that would have made the car that much more slippery

 

[Spike Morelli]

It certainly does coincidentally follow the sides of the rear body, but again, that's not why they're canted that direction. The winglet is designed to re-direct the vortexing faster moving air which tends to roll over the top of a wingtip. In our case, since the wing is upside down on our cars, the faster moving air will be under our wings, so the winglets are upside down as well. Of course, all of this only comes into play at very elevated speeds, faster than MY car should ever see on the street.

 

[Doug's 73 Mach1]

1969 and 1970 Mach 1 rear spoilers also looked very much like the 71-73 version. Although, 69 and 70s had a turned up rear edge of the trunk and quarter extensions separate from the spoiler.

 

[Don C]

Have you ever looked at your Mustang's deck wing, and pondered the reason that Ford bent the tips down? Those bent down tips are technically called "Canted Winglets". Today, their useage is very commonplace today on Commercial, Military, and private aircraft. Originally designed by NASA way back when, the design improves lift by 4% to 15% ( downforce on our cars, since our "wings are mounted upside-down"), and decrease tip induced vortex drag coming off a non-wingletted wing. Ford was incorporating a few Aeronautical ideas , along with NACA/NASA scoops, into their performance oriented vehicles way back when. It makes you take a second look at your Boss or Mach.

Thanks for sharing this, Spike, very interesting. I'm a pilot (not current) who used to fly into back country landing strips along the South Fork of the Salmon River, in Idaho. Most of the STOL (short take off-landing) light aircraft have turned down wing tips to keep the air under the wings and keep it from rolling out from under the ends of the wings, which would reduce the low pressure air, and lift, on the top of the wing surface.

 

[BigBlue]

When that Windsible Kickstarter ( https://www.fun-tech-lab.com/ ) gets rolling, one of us may need to buy one and test some 71-73 scale models to see how effective the aerodynamics are on these cars.
I've always thought most of the aero bits on 71-73s were gimmicks, just typical 1970s boy racer pieces to make them look the part. But hey, who knows. Would be cool if some of them made a positive difference.

 

[mrgmhale]

Funny thing, on our fairly demure, but still very nice, 73 Mustang Convertible (302 2v, 2.79:1 rear axle ratio - = not an asphalt shredder), I decided to give it some more visual edge. I ordered a front spoiler (CJ Pony Parts had them on sale, and I just could not resist), and a stripe kit for the trunk lid's rear vertical surface (I had reasons for the trunk lid stripe besides just the visual edge thing).

Anyway, after installing the front spoiler, which worked out very nicely, a neighbor came over to see what I was up to. "Do you think you will be able to feel the added downforce, and improve your handling?" "Uhm, I do not think this Mustang could ever hit the kind of speeds, at leasst not legally, where I would feel any real difference. I really just got it to give the car some visual edge," I replied. And, that is the same kind of reality I keep in mind with our 73 Mach 1 and its front spoiler and rear wing. I think they look way cool on those First Generation Mustangs.

Of course it drives me nuts when I see the rear wings installed with the thicker edge in front. Being an air foil, even with questionable impact at legal speeds when mounted on our Mustangs, the leading edge is always the one in front. Sadly, the shape of the wind tips is counter intuitive as they do not look as swept back as when the wing is on backward. Oh, how I suffer when I see them done wrong. But, I usually bite my tongue - depending on how receptive the owner of the car is to suggestions.

 

[tpj71mach]

I really like how the small changes like the front spoiler and rear stripe make a large improvement in the overall look of the car. They give the car a little more attitude without going over the top.