Third generation · Fox-body · 1979–1993
1979Ford Mustang
The long-running Fox-body, built on Ford’s Fox platform from 1979 to 1993.
Photo: “1979 Ford Mustang (16336862345).jpg” by GPS 56 from New Zealand / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 2.0. Cropped to 16:9.
Quick facts
- Engines
- 4offered2.3 I4 → 302 "5.0" V8 (2-bbl)
- Top output
- 140hp302 "5.0" V8 (2-bbl)
- Production
- 369,937unitsincl. 10,478 Indy Pace Car replicas
- Base price
- $4,4944-cylinder coupe
- Today
- ≈$19,400inflation-adjusted MSRP, not market value
Body stylesCoupe (notchback) · Hatchback (3-door)
The 1979 model year
Overview
An all-new car on Ford's lighter Fox platform, replacing the Mustang II. Crisp, angular, and several hundred pounds lighter, it offered everything from a thrifty four to a 302 V8, plus a new turbocharged 2.3 four. The Mustang paced the 1979 Indianapolis 500, and Ford sold a commemorative Indy Pace Car replica. (Horsepower figures are SAE net.)
Specifications
- Engines
- 2.3 I488 hp
- 2.3 Turbo I4 (carbureted draw-through, no intercooler)131 hp
- 2.8 V6 (Cologne)109 hp
- 302 "5.0" V8 (2-bbl)140 hp
- Transmissions
- 4-speed manual, 3-speed automatic
- Body styles
- Coupe (notchback), Hatchback (3-door)
- Base price
- $4,494 (4-cylinder coupe)See what that's worth today →
- Production
- 369,937 (incl. 10,478 Indy Pace Car replicas)
Year over year
What changed
- All-new Fox platform — lighter and roomier than the 1974–78 Mustang II it replaced.
- First turbocharged Mustang four: a carbureted 2.3 Turbo (no intercooler).
- The 302 V8 returned, badged '5.0'.
- Two body styles only: notchback coupe and three-door hatchback (no convertible yet).
- Mid-year Indy Pace Car edition commemorated the Mustang pacing the 1979 Indianapolis 500.
Worth knowing
Notable
- First-year Fox-body cachet.
- The 1979 Indy Pace Car replica (two-tone pewter/black, pace-car graphics) is the collectible edition of the year.
Living with it
Reliability & ownership notes
- The early carbureted draw-through 2.3 Turbo was trouble-prone (heat soak, no intercooler) and was dropped after 1980 — verify a survivor runs correctly.
- Fox-body rust shows in the floor pans, torque boxes, strut towers, and quarters.
What it costs now
Price today
Current market value
We don't publish a market estimate for the 1979 model year yet. A valuation ships here only when it can be sourced and dated — we'd rather show nothing than a number we can't stand behind.
Original MSRP adjusted for inflation (CPI, 2024); not the car's current market/collector value. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI-U (U.S. city average, all items), annual average.
Maintenance & service parts
Keep your 1979 Mustang on the road
Start with the service interval, then match the engine or exact version you own. Order links appear only when a catalog-backed part number is available, and every listing still needs a fitment check.
Service desk
What this car needs & when
Use this as a service-planning checklist for 1979 Ford Mustang. Start with the interval, confirm which engine or configuration you have, then use an exact ordering reference when one is verified.
- Service topics
- 7
- Scheduled topics
- 6
- Applicability stated
- 7
- Exact references
- 1
Before ordering Identify your engine, options and build date. Part numbers and sizes can change within one model year. Shopping links appear only for catalog-backed references; still verify the listing against your vehicle before ordering.
Engine oil and filterView intervals, applicability and sources
Engine oil and filter
Sourced interval available
Source: MustangSpecs — 1979 Mustang maintenance-table transcription · Maintenance Schedule table, 7,500–60,000-mile columns; replacement-task list independently corroborated by U.S. DOT/NHTSA report DOT-HS-805-565, Appendix D, pages D-40 and D-41 · checked
Engine oil filterView intervals, applicability and sources
Engine oil filter
Exact reference available
Manufacturer application-catalog fitment only; this does not establish an oil-change interval.
2.3-liter inline-four
Baldwin B2
Source: Baldwin Filters — Automotive Applications catalog (2017) · Pre-1980 Applications section — Ford 1979, Mustang 2.3-liter inline-four row · checked
Verified ordering references
- Service replacementBaldwin B2
Qty. 1 · Engine oil filter · catalog-listed
Baldwin's manufacturer application table lists this filter for the stated model year and engine. Confirm the VIN and installed engine before ordering.
Catalog: Baldwin Filters — Automotive Applications catalog (2017) · Pre-1980 Applications section — Ford 1979, Mustang 2.3-liter inline-four row · checked
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Spark plugsView intervals, applicability and sources
Spark plugs
Sourced interval available
Source: MustangSpecs — 1979 Mustang maintenance-table transcription · Maintenance Schedule table, 7,500–60,000-mile columns; replacement-task list independently corroborated by U.S. DOT/NHTSA report DOT-HS-805-565, Appendix D, pages D-40 and D-41 · checked
PCV valveView intervals, applicability and sources
PCV valve
Sourced interval available
Source: MustangSpecs — 1979 Mustang maintenance-table transcription · Maintenance Schedule table, 7,500–60,000-mile columns; replacement-task list independently corroborated by U.S. DOT/NHTSA report DOT-HS-805-565, Appendix D, pages D-40 and D-41 · checked
Crankcase emission filter
Source: MustangSpecs — 1979 Mustang maintenance-table transcription · Maintenance Schedule table, 7,500–60,000-mile columns; replacement-task list independently corroborated by U.S. DOT/NHTSA report DOT-HS-805-565, Appendix D, pages D-40 and D-41 · checked
Engine coolantView intervals, applicability and sources
Engine coolant
Sourced interval available
The recovered transcription's time wording is ambiguous, so only its unambiguous 30,000-mile table mark is encoded.
Source: MustangSpecs — 1979 Mustang maintenance-table transcription · Maintenance Schedule table, 7,500–60,000-mile columns; replacement-task list independently corroborated by U.S. DOT/NHTSA report DOT-HS-805-565, Appendix D, pages D-40 and D-41 · checked
Engine air-cleaner filterView intervals, applicability and sources
Engine air-cleaner filter
Sourced interval available
Source: MustangSpecs — 1979 Mustang maintenance-table transcription · Maintenance Schedule table, 7,500–60,000-mile columns; replacement-task list independently corroborated by U.S. DOT/NHTSA report DOT-HS-805-565, Appendix D, pages D-40 and D-41 · checked
Accessory drive belts — inspectView intervals, applicability and sources
Accessory drive belts — inspect
Sourced interval available
Source: MustangSpecs — 1979 Mustang maintenance-table transcription · Maintenance Schedule table, 7,500–60,000-mile columns; replacement-task list independently corroborated by U.S. DOT/NHTSA report DOT-HS-805-565, Appendix D, pages D-40 and D-41 · checked
Collect
Bring this model year home
Find a scale model using the exact year, make, and model—not a generic generation search.
Sources
- Wikipedia — "Ford Mustang (third generation)"
- CJ Pony Parts
- Curbside Classic
- Hagerty
- MustangSpecs — per-year base MSRP
Other Third generation years
Explore the Fox-body generation →All Third generation · Fox-body years →
Documented lineup
Find your exact 1979 Mustang
Start with a family, body style, or engine. Every card opens the facts and maintenance information for that factory version.
Exact factory pairings documentedHow this lineup was verified
These source-backed records identify published body, engine, and transmission combinations. Exact pairings do not by themselves assert that every factory option or special edition is represented.
Browse 1 documented records — use the filters above to narrow the list
No factory configuration matches those filters.