Original Parts with an Original Fit!

Posts tagged 1968 Mustang GT/CS

Finding Mustang GT/CS Parts

1968 Mustang California Specials are rare and finding original parts can be difficult.  Here are some options you might consider as you search for parts:

California Special Tail Light Sockets

If your GT/CS has a corroded tail light socket and you need to replace it, but are unable to find a replacement, you can use a 1956 era Ford Pickup Truck tail light socket.  The same tail light sockets were also used on a 1965 Ford Thunderbird tail light.  T-bird lights are still out there, but are also becoming increasingly hard to find.

Marchal Fog Lamps

Early models used the very rare Marchal 656/322 fog lamps.  These are very scarce today.  In the Fall of 1968, Marchal fog lamps were recalled because they were too bright.  Ford has since phased them out and they were replaced with Lucas fog lights.

If you are looking for Marchal fog lamps, try sources in France, Germany or England and perhaps some early Ferrari restoration shops.  These rare fog lights were used on other vehicles from 1962-1970.

You might also want to contact us about GT/CS parts availability.  While we don’t have any more Marchal fog lamps, we do have a few GT/CS tail light parts and twist lock brackets.

Decoding a GT/CS Tail Light Wiring Loom

One of the rarest, most unique parts on a Ford Mustang GT/CS is the tail light wiring loom harness.  It has a purple tag near the passenger side (right hand side) tail light in the trunk.  This tag has the FoMoCo label and the letters “SXR C8ZX-14405-A”.  Here’s how this part number is decoded:

C8 = 1968
Z = Mustang
X = Ford special or experimental
14405 = Vehicle engineering number

A standard Mustang tail light wire bundle part number is C8ZZ-14405-E or C8ZB-14405-E.  The GT/CS has the “ZX”, which is the code for the special edition Mustang.

Decoding a 1968 Mustang California Special

All GT/CS California Special Mustang VIN’s began with the vehicle identification number prefix “8R01”.

Here’s how the prefix is decoded:

8 = 1968

R =  San Jose, California assembly plant

01 = Designates the Coupe ( hard top) body style.

The next digit in the VIN # is the engine code.  All GT/CS cars could have been equipped with the following engine options:

T = 200 6 cylinder
C = 289 2V
J = 302 4V
X = 390 2V
S = 390 4V premium fuel
R = 428 4VCJ 4 bbl

GT/CS consecutive VIN numbers begin with unit #119,000 and ended with GT/CS and High Country Special (HCS) #172,000.  Most GT/CS’s were produced randomly in the assembly line-up with other Mustangs and Cougars.  The highest concentration of GT/CS production occurred between February 15-20, 1968.  This was primarily due to a massive wholesale dealer event in Los Angeles, California.  By July, 1968, all California Specials and High Country Special production had ended and was phased out.