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1971coupe

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Feb 10, 2011
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Location
Kansas City
My Car
1971 Mustang Coupe
Let me introduce myself as a Not so Smart Father. In October of 2010 we decided to find my 17yr old son a car. We asked him what he would like and of course out of his mouth came "American Muscle". I was proud considering most of his friends have Tuners(new rice burners for not so hip lingo speakers). Anyways I cant lie his first choice was a 65 GTO...I laughed right in his face on that choice. After looking all over online and through friends, we found a 71 Coupe. Had to drive a hour and a half away,once to go look at it and a second to buy it. Minor miles compared to some out there on this site i'm sure.

Now let me say this as a teen myself I only helped a couple of friends work on their cars. Mostly I held the tools and ran for crap. I even got to play jack for a transmission once. So my knowledge is very limited. I am a little older now and maybe a little wiser, but I know I am going to have a lot of questions.

Now if your wondering about the car it has a 302 2bbl and still had factory air intact. Both rear quarters have been replaced and at first glance only had a few minor issues(So I thought). We drove it home, well most of the way,the car ran fine but we had a blow out and no spare. So after getting it home we of course replaced some belts and hoses and oil change. As i started researching more i discovered a 73' grille, a Granada Rear end, No horn, bad brake drums,No heat, non working gas gauge and a few other issues.

So of course the Boy had to drive it, HAD TOO! After day 5 of driving the fuel filter clogged,replaced it. Then that one clogged,then the fuel pump went out, so of course I'm sure there's bit of rust in the tank. Day 8 of driving the Transmission decided to Malfunction. Now P is Park,we have nothing in R,D,2 is now reverse,and 1 is now Drive.

Sorry for the long introduction.

Wish me luck so far I'm really good at taking things apart.Lets see if i can figure out how to put them back.

 
Hello and welcome to this site!! Well.. i undestand what you are going through... It´s not a piece the cake to get a almost 40 year old car working as new, but let me say that you´re in the right place here... I personally not much of a helper, i´m from Uruguay in South America and here everything is harder, but in this forum you´re gonna find not only people who "been there, done that" in every matter but some friends that are also suppliers... Don for example, from OMS (that´s his actual user name) is a regular here, he knows a bunch and he has a lot of supplies that are just the kind of things an old car needs to run ok for a regular driver...

Besides all that, if you become a regular here, and maybe your son could join us too... you are gonna learn a bunch of stuff... not only how to repair this or that but historical facts, other people histories and their cars, etc... Believe me... it´s a really fun group of people here...

Well... i wish you the best of lucks... and people.. let´s make this father and son fans of our little mustang era! ;)

 
Welcome! Once you get the bugs out, your kid will have a dependable car as well as a cool chick magnet! LOL! keep the faith...it will come together!

::welcome::

 
Welcome! Once you get the bugs out, your kid will have a dependable car as well as a cool chick magnet! LOL! keep the faith...it will come together!

::welcome::
Click to expand...
Maybe this will make you feel that your not alone:

When I bought my car 72 Mach 1 clone I thought it was in fairly good shape. I found it in Laconia NH. The guy had it under a tarp for about 6 years outside. He got it running and put it out front. One of my buddies drove by and informed me of it. I went up there and checked it out. mechanically it was solid. 351C rebuilt..nonsmoker...C6 (he told me FMX). I came back the next day and bought it. he asked me when the trailer was coming. I told him I was going to drive it home. I asked him to change the oil and check all the fluids while I went to get a plate from the registry. He thought I was crazy. This thing was down so long we didn't know what to expect. Anyways my wife and kids followed me home . I live about 1 1/2 south of Laconia. I cruised home at about 70 mph. I was pretty happy. Fixed the drums and threw in a few pieces of sheet metal with rivets in the pan and got a sticker. My plan was to put new pans in it this year.

When I checked the heater before I bought it it didn't come on. Then I noticed the heater panel was unscrewed as if someone was troubleshooting it. I asked the guy about it and he said he was fooling around with the radio and he must have been knocked it off or something suspicious like that. I figured I could fix it...fuse or new blower no big deal. When I started going through it several weeks later I found the problem. The cowl was completely rotted out. Water was coming in on both sides. So that became the game plan. Once I started getting into the front end to access the cowl. I found that all the upper aprons were rotted, radiator front support was shot, steering box and master cylinder were leaking, wiring was scary at best and I can go on and on. I decided to pull the motor and drive train and just go through everything. I will say though the car ran like a champ all last summer after a tune up.

There is so much more that needs attention but too much to discuss. My point being these cars at low prices need major attention. If not consider that you've won the lottery. The killer piece to getting it done is to be "not afraid to tackle the project". I try to approach each section in the car w/o thinking of the rest of the project. If I do I become overwhelmed. If it wasn't for the guys in this forum I would be in big trouble. I ask some pretty basic and sometimes silly questions but I always get an answer and the feeling that everyone is willing to help each other.

Use this forum and you can get through all the repairs. I will tell you this: Be prepared to spend money. I give myself a budget every month for new parts. Get yourself a decent air compressor and a welder. They will both come in handy. I discovered the air chisel recently. Very handy.

The best thing is you get to spend time with your son working on the car. In my case my friend drives up here to work on the car with me every so often. It's the best time (we limit the beer until after 6 pm..lol) You'll create some good memories together.

PS:

Send away for every Mustang cataloug thats free. I have a pile of them. You can use the forum to ask the guys what they think of certain vendors. Some are better than others. Good Luck!

2010-09-06_17-28-46_643.jpg

 
Welcome to the site! There are many people here who are going through or have gone through the same thing you are facing. As mentioned, this may be a great way to make some great memories with your son. I know, he needs transportation and you're not a mechanic. Snap a few pics and post them up so we can see what we're dealing with, then we can provide a variety of options for you so you can get her on the road ASAP. Sounds like a great project to me! :cool:

Glad you're here! Doc

 
WELCOME aboard!

It is absolutely GREAT that you are working with your Son on the car. Believe me, as one who has raised a basketball squad of Sons, that is a very good thing.

As you go through your "issues" with getting the Mustang where you both want it, please know that when it comes to '71- '73 Mustangs, we have a TON of knowledge and experience. I know that you will not have any problems getting support and/or responses to any questions that you may have.

Again, Welcome to the Site and I look forward to interactng with you on the Forums.

BT

 
Let me introduce myself as a Not so Smart Father. In October of 2010 we decided to find my 17yr old son a car. We asked him what he would like and of course out of his mouth came "American Muscle". I was proud considering most of his friends have Tuners(new rice burners for not so hip lingo speakers). Anyways I cant lie his first choice was a 65 GTO...I laughed right in his face on that choice. After looking all over online and through friends, we found a 71 Coupe. Had to drive a hour and a half away,once to go look at it and a second to buy it. Minor miles compared to some out there on this site i'm sure.

Now let me say this as a teen myself I only helped a couple of friends work on their cars. Mostly I held the tools and ran for crap. I even got to play jack for a transmission once. So my knowledge is very limited. I am a little older now and maybe a little wiser, but I know I am going to have a lot of questions.

Now if your wondering about the car it has a 302 2bbl and still had factory air intact. Both rear quarters have been replaced and at first glance only had a few minor issues(So I thought). We drove it home, well most of the way,the car ran fine but we had a blow out and no spare. So after getting it home we of course replaced some belts and hoses and oil change. As i started researching more i discovered a 73' grille, a Granada Rear end, No horn, bad brake drums,No heat, non working gas gauge and a few other issues.

So of course the Boy had to drive it, HAD TOO! After day 5 of driving the fuel filter clogged,replaced it. Then that one clogged,then the fuel pump went out, so of course I'm sure there's bit of rust in the tank. Day 8 of driving the Transmission decided to Malfunction. Now P is Park,we have nothing in R,D,2 is now reverse,and 1 is now Drive.

Sorry for the long introduction.

Wish me luck so far I'm really good at taking things apart.Lets see if i can figure out how to put them back.
Click to expand...
Welcome aboard! Hope you find what you need here!

On a side note,it sounds like you have a loose shift linkage.Not a big deal if the trans is shifting ,when it is in drive(1 as you say) Good luck!

1973_Ford-1.JPG

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Welcome and get ready for some great times and lots of headaches. I'm up at Fort Leavenworth, so not far from you at all. I'm no expert but I'd be happy to help with what I can. I've developed relations with a few great garages/mechanics in my area as well as local car guys from car shows. Get a digital or paper copy of the shop manual, it will pay dividends. Good luck and stay in touch.

Marty

 
Welcome! Once you get the bugs out, your kid will have a dependable car as well as a cool chick magnet! LOL! keep the faith...it will come together!

::welcome::
Click to expand...
Maybe this will make you feel that your not alone:

When I bought my car 72 Mach 1 clone I thought it was in fairly good shape. I found it in Laconia NH. The guy had it under a tarp for about 6 years outside. He got it running and put it out front. One of my buddies drove by and informed me of it. I went up there and checked it out. mechanically it was solid. 351C rebuilt..nonsmoker...C6 (he told me FMX). I came back the next day and bought it. he asked me when the trailer was coming. I told him I was going to drive it home. I asked him to change the oil and check all the fluids while I went to get a plate from the registry. He thought I was crazy. This thing was down so long we didn't know what to expect. Anyways my wife and kids followed me home . I live about 1 1/2 south of Laconia. I cruised home at about 70 mph. I was pretty happy. Fixed the drums and threw in a few pieces of sheet metal with rivets in the pan and got a sticker. My plan was to put new pans in it this year.

When I checked the heater before I bought it it didn't come on. Then I noticed the heater panel was unscrewed as if someone was troubleshooting it. I asked the guy about it and he said he was fooling around with the radio and he must have been knocked it off or something suspicious like that. I figured I could fix it...fuse or new blower no big deal. When I started going through it several weeks later I found the problem. The cowl was completely rotted out. Water was coming in on both sides. So that became the game plan. Once I started getting into the front end to access the cowl. I found that all the upper aprons were rotted, radiator front support was shot, steering box and master cylinder were leaking, wiring was scary at best and I can go on and on. I decided to pull the motor and drive train and just go through everything. I will say though the car ran like a champ all last summer after a tune up.

There is so much more that needs attention but too much to discuss. My point being these cars at low prices need major attention. If not consider that you've won the lottery. The killer piece to getting it done is to be "not afraid to tackle the project". I try to approach each section in the car w/o thinking of the rest of the project. If I do I become overwhelmed. If it wasn't for the guys in this forum I would be in big trouble. I ask some pretty basic and sometimes silly questions but I always get an answer and the feeling that everyone is willing to help each other.

Use this forum and you can get through all the repairs. I will tell you this: Be prepared to spend money. I give myself a budget every month for new parts. Get yourself a decent air compressor and a welder. They will both come in handy. I discovered the air chisel recently. Very handy.

The best thing is you get to spend time with your son working on the car. In my case my friend drives up here to work on the car with me every so often. It's the best time (we limit the beer until after 6 pm..lol) You'll create some good memories together.

PS:

Send away for every Mustang cataloug thats free. I have a pile of them. You can use the forum to ask the guys what they think of certain vendors. Some are better than others. Good Luck!
Click to expand...
Darren, man that was one of the best inspirational speaches I've heard. Makes me want to go out and work on mine now. Like I said very good post. Thanks

 
Let me introduce myself as a Not so Smart Father. In October of 2010 we decided to find my 17yr old son a car. We asked him what he would like and of course out of his mouth came "American Muscle". I was proud considering most of his friends have Tuners(new rice burners for not so hip lingo speakers). Anyways I cant lie his first choice was a 65 GTO...I laughed right in his face on that choice. After looking all over online and through friends, we found a 71 Coupe. Had to drive a hour and a half away,once to go look at it and a second to buy it. Minor miles compared to some out there on this site i'm sure.

Now let me say this as a teen myself I only helped a couple of friends work on their cars. Mostly I held the tools and ran for crap. I even got to play jack for a transmission once. So my knowledge is very limited. I am a little older now and maybe a little wiser, but I know I am going to have a lot of questions.

Now if your wondering about the car it has a 302 2bbl and still had factory air intact. Both rear quarters have been replaced and at first glance only had a few minor issues(So I thought). We drove it home, well most of the way,the car ran fine but we had a blow out and no spare. So after getting it home we of course replaced some belts and hoses and oil change. As i started researching more i discovered a 73' grille, a Granada Rear end, No horn, bad brake drums,No heat, non working gas gauge and a few other issues.

So of course the Boy had to drive it, HAD TOO! After day 5 of driving the fuel filter clogged,replaced it. Then that one clogged,then the fuel pump went out, so of course I'm sure there's bit of rust in the tank. Day 8 of driving the Transmission decided to Malfunction. Now P is Park,we have nothing in R,D,2 is now reverse,and 1 is now Drive.

Sorry for the long introduction.

Wish me luck so far I'm really good at taking things apart.Lets see if i can figure out how to put them back.
Click to expand...
The fun has begun for you. I restored 3 Mustangs with my 3 sons (now out of the home) and all the trouble-shooting and fixing was worth it. They learned much about mechanics, developed self-confidence and the bond grew tight between us. So the time with your boys is worth more than gold. Enjoy every minute. One day they'll be gone. ponypastor, FL

 
Let me introduce myself as a Not so Smart Father. In October of 2010 we decided to find my 17yr old son a car. We asked him what he would like and of course out of his mouth came "American Muscle". I was proud considering most of his friends have Tuners(new rice burners for not so hip lingo speakers). Anyways I cant lie his first choice was a 65 GTO...I laughed right in his face on that choice. After looking all over online and through friends, we found a 71 Coupe. Had to drive a hour and a half away,once to go look at it and a second to buy it. Minor miles compared to some out there on this site i'm sure.

Now let me say this as a teen myself I only helped a couple of friends work on their cars. Mostly I held the tools and ran for crap. I even got to play jack for a transmission once. So my knowledge is very limited. I am a little older now and maybe a little wiser, but I know I am going to have a lot of questions.

Now if your wondering about the car it has a 302 2bbl and still had factory air intact. Both rear quarters have been replaced and at first glance only had a few minor issues(So I thought). We drove it home, well most of the way,the car ran fine but we had a blow out and no spare. So after getting it home we of course replaced some belts and hoses and oil change. As i started researching more i discovered a 73' grille, a Granada Rear end, No horn, bad brake drums,No heat, non working gas gauge and a few other issues.

So of course the Boy had to drive it, HAD TOO! After day 5 of driving the fuel filter clogged,replaced it. Then that one clogged,then the fuel pump went out, so of course I'm sure there's bit of rust in the tank. Day 8 of driving the Transmission decided to Malfunction. Now P is Park,we have nothing in R,D,2 is now reverse,and 1 is now Drive.

Sorry for the long introduction.

Wish me luck so far I'm really good at taking things apart.Lets see if i can figure out how to put them back.
Click to expand...
The fun has begun for you. I restored 3 Mustangs with my 3 sons (now out of the home) and all the trouble-shooting and fixing was worth it. They learned much about mechanics, developed self-confidence and the bond grew tight between us. So the time with your boys is worth more than gold. Enjoy every minute. One day they'll be gone. ponypastor, FL

Il\'ll second what ponypastor said, or should I say amen. And welcome to the site. Everyone is willing to help. Good luck with the project. Chuck
Click to expand...

 
Welcome to the forum board....the guys are great and all you have to do is shout out when you have a question ...somebody somewhere has done it before.

I flew down to DC to get my car I bought it sight unseen ( unless you count the video on the ebay ad). The car salesman picked me and we drove into VA and after I signed the papers I set out on my jouney to Ont Canada. What a great trip I left Leesburg VA I guess at 1330 and set out with the top down the rumble of the 302 in my ears and the biggest grin I've ever had on my face. After driving a 5 spd for so long it was hard going back to the old 3 spd and I had to catch myself, a few times I almost put it in Reverse instead of 1st. My trip was pretty uneventful along the way and the car drove great for a 35 year old car. Just when I didn't think my grin could get any bigger, I could see this new white BMW behind me in the distance and all of a sudden he came flying up on me....the couple that were in the car started honking and waving and giving me the thumbs up!! What a feeling I'm getting the thumbs up, and I'm driving a 35 year old convertible mustang!!! My first problem came about an hour after that as I drove into some rain.....put the top up ....and found out that the weather stripping leaks like a SOB....funny at first ....not so much when one constant drip at highway speed was landing right in my lap. Next was when I pulled the lights on....thought " great that SOB of a car salesman sold me a car with no dash lights" .....about an hour after that I noticed the faint glow of my dash lights....that was one of the first things I changed when I got home....what a huge difference.

I have to say that rolling into Detroit at 2100 and trying to find the customs shack to declare the car to US customs was a treat, forgot to mention it was raining again!!

I figured that US customs would be a pain, was I ever wrong! Canada customs was fannnnntastic( sarcasm) and the young lady that so joyfully helped was special! All I can say is if anyone is a long distance trucker and you have to drive between Windsor and Hamilton on the 401 everyday ...you can have it! I finally rolled into my garage around 0100 some 12 hours after I set out from Va and with a lovely rest stop provided by Canada Customs. The car ran great ....my head was pounding, due to the sound of a 302 with a mild cam as its driven at 70 MPH with a 3 spd, but we were home and I wouldn't trade the experience for anything!

Now as a bonus to all of this, my son who is now 14, loves both Mustangs and is trying to figure out how he can get behind the wheel of one or both of them in 14 months. Enjoy the experience, enjoy the comraderie of the guys who are fanatics about their cars and once more welcome to the best place to learn about the 71-73s.

Ken

 
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