Hello,
I have newly acquired a 1980 Mercury Bobcat that is in great shape. It has 98K original miles and is a 2nd owner vehicle. It is a 2.3L 4 speed. I would like to spiffy the car up a little but I would like to know a little bit about the stock specifications if you don't mind sharing your knowledge with me (ie. dimensions, weight, production numbers, engine options, etc)
I also have a few questions. I was told that this car is a little more rare because it has the full glass hatch. Is it true that this was a rare option?
Also, would this car have the 6.75" or 8" rear axle assembly? I read elsewhere that Bobcats have the 8" but I wanted to verify this. Any info is greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
James
Congrats on the new car, looks nice, and welcome to the site.
With a little searching of this site you will find the info you are looking for.
Yes, the all glass hatch is rare, but then again you can say all Bobcats are rare compaired to Pintos. I have owned only 2 Bobcats and both of them had the all glass hatch. BTW: Both of them had the 6.75" rear too (so many myths out there). You just need to look to see what one you have; if you see a bolt-on rear cover it is a 6.75".
Bill
:welcome: tiresmoke
Quote from: tiresmoke on May 13, 2008, 11:53:09 PM
...engine options, etc...
In the 1980 model year, Pintos and Bobcats only had ONE engine choice: the 2.3L OHC I-4. As for options, Bobcats 'typically' had more options installed than their Ford counterparts. There is, however, one option that your car has that I am surprised by:
Quote from: tiresmoke on May 13, 2008, 11:53:09 PM
It is a 2.3L 4 speed.
I had NO idea that any Bobcats came with anything other than an automatic trans. Every single one I had seen in person was an automatic. Maybe yours was a delete option? If so, I would suspect that would make it somewhat of an oddity.
My 79 Bobcat has the 2.3L, 4 spd. (factory ) installed too .. ;D
Perhaps there is a build sheet under the rear seat?
;)
Thanks for the info so for.
Pintony....I was also at the 2007 Mid America Ford Meet in Tulsa....I happen to live there as well...I have been to that show for at least 10 years and this was the only time I saw a Pinto club represented...it was AWESOME!!
Thanks for the info so far.
Pintony....I was also at the 2007 Mid America Ford Meet in Tulsa....I happen to live there as well...I have been to that show for at least 10 years and this was the only time I saw a Pinto club represented...it was AWESOME!!
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Here are some pics of the inside of my Bobcat.
The thing I like the most about this car is that most people on the street don't even know what a Bobcat is. I guess they weren't that common to begin with. I can't wait to hear what the ricer's have to say about this middle aged guy in his yellow car that they can't identify that is blowing them off the road....hehe.
Hi!
I worked in the sales department of a Lincoln-Mercury dealership from the beginning of the 1977 model run until the end of 1980, just before the 1981's came out. While the Bobcats DID tend to be a bit more highly optioned than the Pintos, the standard equipment and option list were essentially the same. Most Bobcats we sold were automatic, but the 4 spd. was standard equipment. You seldom see stripped down Bobcats because these cars were ordered by the same dealership managers who ordered the Grand Marquis Broughams, Lincoln Town Cars, Mark V & VI's, and Versailles; all of which were always "loaded". The Bobcat was a hard car for us to sell because it was a vast departure from anything Mercury had ever offered before, and because we didn't even get it until the Pinto sales had started to decline. It did, however, help set the stage for the later success of the Lynx and Tracer.
Dwayne :smile:
Love the vintage CB radio!
Quote from: dholvrsn on May 15, 2008, 06:17:15 AM
Love the vintage CB radio!
Geeze, took the words right outta my mouth! If that's not a blast from the past!
Chris
Is that 23 channels with the full five watts?
It is actually a JC Penny brand 40 channel transceiver!! Wow....I bet these are pretty rare these days....and the coolest thing is that it works well!! The car has two of the window mount CB antennas, one for each side of the car...it must have looked like a bug of some sort coming down the road like that....ha-ha.
Another blast form the past is that the original owner left some receipts....I found the one for the new set of tires (currently on the car) that were purchased at Montgomery Wards!!
I also like the vintage Pioneer analog cassette deck and the kraco speakers mounted in the hatch....and it all works quite well. Despite being a little cold natured, the car will start and drive fairly well once it gets warmed up.
All sorts of vintage department store and brand names.
Man! You are so set and ready to rock into the '80s!
did you buy this off ebay? if so congrats you out bid me :mad:
How far you gettin out on the cb? :amazed: Break break :lol: xm41-10650 back at you 10-8
Do you still own your 1980 Bobcat? Any interest in selling?
here are the production stats
1975
2 door hatch factory price $3189 total production 20,651
wagon $3481 13,583
1976
MPG runabout $3338 28,905
MPG villager $3643 18,731
1977
runabout $3438/3739 18,405
villager $3771/4072 13,047
1978
runabout $3537/3810 23,428
villager $3878/4151 8,840
1979
runabout $3797/4070 35,667
villager $4212/4485 9,119
1980
runabout $4384 28,103
villager $4690 5,547
Information was provided from "The standard catalog of For1903-1998"