UPDATE: Advice on project car needed

Hello everybody again,

I have posted about the 73 Mach 1 I am currently looking at.

Below is a links to a video showing the car.

I am thinking about restoring the car to a "survivor" - meaning to say, keep as much as possible of what is there, replace only what is necessary (e.g. no new paint; definitely not creating a concours car; but technically it has to be fit).

I would really appreciate your thoughts on the condition of the car, what needs to be / should be done, what the Budget for that might be, pitfalls, things to check before buying etc. My focus today is the interior. Engine/trans/brakes etc. will be looked at soon - more thereafter (engine runs well, seller claims it drives etc - that will be confirmed).

I also include the Marti Report and have a questions regarding that as well: The seat upholstery does not look Mach 1 like to me (compared to upholstery from the various vendors out there). Also, color doesn't match with white. But it looks authentic - any thoughts on that?

Again, many thanks for your hep!

Best regards,

Chris




Marti says:

63R Mustang Mach I 2-Door SportsRoof

2B Bright Red Paint, Ford #3560-A

GW White Knitted Vinyl Bucket Seats

X FMX Select Shift Automatic Transmission

2 2.75 Conventional Rear Axle

Your vehicle was equipped with the following features:

- F70x14 Belted Raised White Letter Tires

- Convenience Group

- Power Steering

- Rim Blow-Deluxe Steering Wheel

- Tilt Steering Wheel

- Sport Deck Rear Seat

- Console

- Power Front Disc Brakes

- Bumper Rub Strips

- AM/FM Stereo Radio

- Mach I Sports Interior Option

- Deluxe Seat Belts

- Power Side Windows

It's hard to tell with all the dust but it looks like the paint is pretty rough. Also the pictures don't show how it is underneath so it's hard to tell where the rust is if there is any. Being that you're in Europe I would suspect there is as it seems to be sitting in a field. It can be a driver but it won't be a very clean driver. If you're going to do a full on restoration it's quite a task. Plus you're in Europe and parts are a lot harder to get if you need to get them. If the paint is original then you can get a good idea of the panels and the rust. If you go the full restoration route the site is a great resource. I doing a ground up restoration and i am about 80% complete and I can tell you that everything almost consistently took three times longer than I thought it would.

Dood luck.

I see the typical rust on the drivers side fender apron in front of and behind the shock tower. Looked like the passenger side had some in front of shock tower. I would look in the trunk for rust as well.

The leading edge of hood is dinged up and missing trim. The scoop trim pieces look to be missing also.

It looks fairly complete under the hood. Aftermarket air cleaner and valve covers.

I can't tell much beyond that.

I am in the midst of a complete restoration on a '71 vert, so I can see where this car is at in my opinion. The paint is very faded, would need a re-spray, even for a driver, once you fix up some body work issues that are obvious. I can tell you from experience, that what you see is only a small percentage of what is hidden and waiting to be found if the car has been sitting a long time. This car shows signs of use, the typical rust areas a re starting to show through and will be worse once you really start to address. The engine compartment is pretty complete even with many aftermarket parts. It comes down to a thorough inspection and in this case should be done with the car on a lift so you can see underneath, etc. What paperwork do you have for previous work done to the car, ongoing maintenance etc. It looks like it has potential, but price and what you are willing to put into it will be the deciding factors. Good luck.

Thank you for the responses!

I just learned that my movie editing project didn't work as I wanted it to ->

There is an important part missing :-/ - sorry for that!

Here's the full movie:



It now has a lot more footage of the interior - does this look like Mach 1 seat uphostery to you?

The color - is it vermillion?

Greetings

Chris

Hello Chris

If that car was in Canada, sitting in a field of grass like it would be a rust bucket, but its hard to tell what its like from the video

I would suggest going back and checking out the floors, rocker panels, frame rails door bottoms, etc.

Judging from the quarter panels ,i think it bad