New images released of 1964 Mustang production at Ford Motor Company’s San Jose plant

1964FordMustangAssemblyLine

In early 1964 Ford Motor Company began production of the Mustang at its Dearborn Assembly plant with the first models rolling off the line in March of that year.  Due to the public’s overwhelming appetite for the new Mustang, Ford converted two other plants in the U.S. to produce the Mustang coupe and convertible.  Those two plants included Edison (Metuchen), New Jersey and San Jose (Milpitas), California both of which are closed today.

Recently released images of Ford Motor Company’s San Jose plant show us just what Mustang production looked like in 1964 in Milpitas, California.  The first Mustang rolled off the line at the San Jose plant early Friday morning on July 10, 1964.

Check out the high-resolution images below along with the captions explaining the photos. Enjoy…

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“On the padded fin-gers of an assembly line hoist at Ford Mo-tor Company‟s San Jose plant at Milpitas, Calif., a Mustang con-vertible body swoops in to meet its rear axle. The plant‟s passenger car production switched July 10, 1964, exclusively to Mustangs to meet a growing backlog of orders with an added 420 cars per day.” Western Public Rela-tions Office, Ford Mo-tor Company, San Francisco.

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“Mustang bodies move along the line prior to receiving cor-rosion-protective coat-ing as the San Jose as-sembly plant of Ford Motor Company at Milpitas, Calif. The plant rolled its first Western-built car in the sporty new make off the line July 10, 1964.” Western Public Relations Office, Ford Motor Company, San Francisco.

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“Fenders for the new Mustangs are unloaded at the San Jose assembly plant of the ford Motor Company at Milpitas, Calif., in preparation for pro-duction of the first Western-built model July 10, 1964. Mus-tang parts, originat-ing in all parts of the U. S., arrive by rail and leave by rail and truck as shiny new hardtops and con-vertibles.” Western Public Relations Of-fice, Ford Motor Company, San Fran-cisco.

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“Decking the engine. The unfinished nose of a Ford Mustang re-ceives its 289-cubic-inch V-8 engine on the final line at the Ford Motor Company‟s San Jose assembly plant at Milpitas, Calif. The passenger car line was converted totally to Mustang production, with the first car off the line early Friday, July 10, 1964.” West-ern Public Relations Office, Ford Motor Company, San Fran-cisco.

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Assembly line at the Ford Motor Company assembly plant in Milpitas, 1964.

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“Man-made rain — from above, below and from the sides — subjects a Mustang to the test which assures buyers of a water-tight vehicle. An invisible dye in the water, when exposed after a three-minute storm to „black-light‟, detects by a „magic‟ glow the slightest trace of wa-ter. The test is one of hundreds which pin the top quality label on Mustangs now pro-duced at Ford Motor Company‟s San Jose assembly plant at Milpitas, Calif., where the first Western-built Mustang rolled off the final line July 10, 1964.” Western Pub-lic Relations Office, Ford Motor Company, San Francisco.

Source: Ford Motor Company