Factory tie down brackets

All Mustangs and Cougars were transported either by rail or by truck. The methods in loading, securing, and shipping was covered by the Ford Traffic Department and the Ford Packaging and Shipping Engineering Section. Details they covered included rail car loading and unloading, tie down chains and T hooks to be used, and attachment points to the vehicles. Vehicles needed to be secured for transport and normally were tied down with a chain and T hook using slotted holes directly in the frame. One of the unique features of the Mustang and Cougar was that the assembly plants added a “Vehicle Hold Down Plate” (rear tie down bracket) to these cars during from 1964 to 1973 since they did not have a slotted hole in the rear frame that could be used. 

The Lawman still had the original tie down brackets but they were too pitted to be reused and were replaced.  The style seen here is consistent with the “Dearborn” style that was commonly seen being built and shipped from Dearborn.  

For more details on tie down brackets refer here:

 http://anghelrestorations.com/uploads/3/5/1/2/35122002/tie_down_v1.0.pdf