Well that video is pretty stinking convincing. My brother collected some pretty obscure parts and memoribilia. After a little more research, and to maybe add some credence to some of the other members information, my sister-in-law found the auction description where he won them. It describes them as "Mercury CJ sample badges issued on limited models". I don't give alot of weight to auction site descriptions,but given the difficulty of finding information on them and the knowledge you guys have lent me today I think we've had a eureka moment here. Thanks for the research and the incredible video evidence. I knew I could count on you. thanks all around. Now I have a distant,grainy,blurry,unfocused video of a large hairy humanoid creature walking into a disc shaped flying object I could use some help identifing. there is probably more info online about this than there was these emblems. Brad
The OP was trying to determine what car that metal badge came from.. and that pic just shows a sticker like all the other stockers have. So far.. jmgford nailed it down to... "good luck finding one on an original car due to it being used as a promotional item". A few things lead me to believe this is true. 1. VERY few cars have them even installed.. and out of those found.. most appear to have been restored. Original pic's speak far louder than restored pic's. 2. Ford is just plain cheap. 3. They change ordered their way through the 60's and 70's like no other, and have done many similar things in the past with promotional, production, and catalog offerings. 4. Ford is just really cheap(wait.. did I say that already?).. and loved anything the could glue or stick on their musclecars to avoid clips, paint, or increasing production logistics/stock.. so moving to "stickers only" on production cars fits their MO pretty well. 5. The badge is from the "428 CJ days"(68/69).. not the "429 CJ days"(70/71) for which that production date code shows on the box and part itself. 6. I've owned, seen, or rode in quite literally dozens and dozens of these cars(68-71) through the years.. many of which were unmolested originals.. and can't remember ever seeing the metal badging in place of the stickers on the 69's(which makes sense since they would have to make the "428" badge below it in metal too).. or on top of the newer styled 70/71's "429" fender badges. Seems like some pretty clear Ford mud to me now. Fun to talk about and brings back memories too.
The car in the YouTube video is far from a correctly restored example... I'm thinkin' that like the other emblems mentioned and '69 Fairlane Cobra decals(not Torinos till '70) they were never actually on a production model...
I appreciate the effort you guys have put into this mystery(Jack,GR,mavrocket,kazy) and pics do speak very loudly. I am inclined to go with the video evidence and the fact that Ford applied badges on special promo cars and dealer exclusives.The fact that convinces me the most is if were not a factory applied badge where in world did he get them.I mean they're not exactly the kind of filler you find in box of emblems at a swap meet. I have this same topic posted on a torino sight at the same time and have not gotten the first response from them,so I say with great respect You guys are the best! I was planning on selling these but know believe they will be saved for my sons 70 1/2 Falcon project. It would make a fitting tribute on the Bird of Prey. Thanks Brad
A friend looked up the number in Ford's 65-72 Master Parts Catalog and the basic part number(16099) doesn't even exist in those years, jumped from 16098 to 16100(saw it with my own eyes as well)... Not much doubt it was never on a production vehicle if the number doesn't exist...
That emblem is a left side, the right side sloped in the opposite direction. Ford used consecutive part numbers for right & left versions of a part. The general rule (with a few exceptions) was the even number was the right & the odd number was the left. In this case, 16098 would be the basic number, and under it, both emblems would be listed. The Ford Master Parts Catalog does not list any parts that are unique to Mercurys.
Here is a photo of a '69 Cobra with decals (in the background) on a dealer's showroom floor in late 1968.
IIRC, those were more likely to be used on the "Cyclone CJ" anyways(from whence the moniker came).. not the Cobra's. Right? oops.. reread the context of your reply to his earlier comment and misunderstood where you were coming from there. Like I said earlier.. Ford was crazy inconsistent like this and one car to another could be slightly different sometimes.
OK if that's a real showroom it's a preproduction vehicle, possibly part of a Ford Drag Team display... I kept the 428 Fairlane Registry for several years(one that Jon Huntley now has/had, he seems to have disappeared) and there is a documented a Cobra Fastback that was the 116th vehicle serialized at Lorain... Built late Aug '68, it had metal snakes... There's a '69 Cobra commercial on YouTube that shows the decals, but that car also has a full blackout grille that never made production... Also shows a '68 shifter and red Torino GT door panels, red was never a interior option color for a '69 Cobra, red cars got black interior period... Have something like 50 red Cobras in the registry, all have black interior...
that is a torino not a cobra the cobra had flat black grill no c stripes a basic fairlane body with cj drive train
The car in the background is a Cobra... BTW the what appears to be Highland Green paint on that Cobra was another item that was not avail in '69, was used extensively in '68... At least one of the Cobra ads pictured a Ht with Highland green paint...
