1973 H code Ram Air Vert 2,745 miles orig. paint

Ok all you guys and gals I am sure you will tear this one apart. I have talked with the current owner of the 1973 H code Factory Ram Air convertible with only 2,745 miles on it. http://greenville.craigslist.org/cto/5364321115.html

They told me the owner did not like the way it drove and just parked it. Of course I asked to see the door tag and no it was not a special order so the spoiler is not original. They claim that everything else is. They don't have a Marti they did not know what one was. I told them I would post here but to expect the group to pick it apart. Decal on air cleaner is a big one, lol.

It is pricey at $34,900. I am setting a date to go down and take pictures for restoration reference. They are going to put on lift so I can get under it also. Want to get good photos of location of the Ram Air markings on the hood for sure.

No I am not going to buy it I just bought another car and going to get next week, lol. The drugs don't work. I will have to flip this one a nice 65 coupe.

These just keep coming out of the barns and storage from old guys like me.

David

Amazing! Sitting for 43 years and still looks brand new.

Look at the factory mistake on the vacuum connection

for the snorkel :whistling:

My first impression, some restoration may have occurred... Without knowing the environment it was stored in, hard to pass true judgement. I would really love to see under the car, suspension, etc. which tells the true tale on actual mileage. It is unfortunate they put the spoiler on if this is in fact a 2500mi car.

Look at the factory mistake on the vacuum connection

for the snorkel :whistling:

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Don,

I think the vacuum line for flappers is just laying on top of the one for the snorkel and looks like it is hooked to it.

You never know when they pulled the cleaner off they could have gone back wrong. At least the charcoal hose is over the brace instead of under.

I hope to get a bunch of pictures all over the car and will put in Dropbox for everyone to view. If it wasn't taken apart and cleaned it will be a great reference car for details.

David


They had also sent pic of door sticker, emission sticker and front view of engine. I put in this update.

David

I hate to say it but that engine compartment looks almost too perfect for original untouched. I've seen over the years pics of very low mileage 73 verts (and other stangs) and in every case the engine paint never held up to showroom / out of the factory appearance. Once you get there to look it over, it will be interesting to hear and see your findings.

One item that seems to be missing from its correct location is the dual hose heater bypass that is usually located near the alternator. Also, upper shock mounts appear to be painted, not natural.

When does someone buy a new car & just park it after 2000 miles cause they don't like the way it drives? I just find that hard to believe, unless they are so rich that they can afford to do that.

I agree on the engine compartment being way to clean to be unrestored. JMO

I always thought 73's took the wider plastic battery hold down...

When does someone buy a new car & just park it after 2000 miles cause they don't like the way it drives? I just find that hard to believe, unless they are so rich that they can afford to do that.

I agree on the engine compartment being way to clean to be unrestored. JMO

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You need to realize these cars were cheap. My 73 Mach 1 with every option in the book ,32 factory installed,was only $5,200 and I got the car for $4,800. I was a normal worker as a tool & die maker and I paid $1,000 down and financed for 18 months. I had just ordered and purchased a 1971 Maverick Grabber in 71 so I didn't drive the Mach 1 except for dates, lol. That vert was probable in the $4,000 range. I put my Mach 1 up after 12,000 miles. I also bought a new motorcycle in 1972 a 550 Suzuki for $800. I was also paying for my own place not renting. The ford dealer in Greenville, S.C. put lots of cars in warehouse and never sold them. They had a 73 for a long time might still be there. Jackie Jones that owns a Ford dealership in Georgia put a Boss 429 in warehouse and it was never titled, he sold it when price went up. He recently bought two of the Factory Race Cars the new Cobra Jet Mustangs and put in his warehouse.

This happens quite often even today. I guess the most extreme I ever heard of was a woman in Columbia, S.C. that when she heard that Ford was stopping the production of the Model T she bought I think 7 and put them up. She would wear one out then take another out. The last new one she had is in the museum of industry in Columbia, S.C. NOS 1927 Ford model T.

There are lots of strange people out there I am one, lol.

David

I hate to say it but that engine compartment looks almost too perfect for original untouched. I've seen over the years pics of very low mileage 73 verts (and other stangs) and in every case the engine paint never held up to showroom / out of the factory appearance. Once you get there to look it over, it will be interesting to hear and see your findings.

One item that seems to be missing from its correct location is the dual hose heater bypass that is usually located near the alternator. Also, upper shock mounts appear to be painted, not natural.

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I think it would require, in the least, a controlled storage environment....low humidity, moderate temperatures, no dust, no light....what I wonder about are things like seals and gaskets...I would expect there to be a few leaks to take care of. I look forward to David's pics of the undercarriage.

Good eye! 73's produced up until 6/1/73 used the 71-72 hold down clamp. After that date they used the larger Gran Torino style clamp on both the standard and heavy duty batteries. Agree with previous comments on how too clean this car looks. Even garage kept and covered cars collect a lot of dust and deteriorate, especially over 43 years.

Will be interesting to see what Carolina_Mountain_Mustangs finds when he looks at this car. Pictorial history on unmolested survivor cars is a very valuable tool. Hose routing, label placement, plant markings, etc , while not consistent on a good day at any assembly plant, can at least give you some ideal of what they should look like.

Agree with jpaz on parking a new car with 2,745 miles. Most people would return to the selling dealer and work out something if it was truly undriveable or had other problems. Guess we'll just have to stay tuned and wait for David to return from inspecting this "Time Capsule" to get the other half of the story!

David will probably buy this one too! lol (Just teasing you David)

David will probably buy this one too! lol (Just teasing you David)

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LOL....He said his drugs are no longer working! Once he rounds up all these "Strays" he'll need to find good homes for them. That's where we can help him, and with a generous Forum discount. :whistling:

David will probably buy this one too! lol (Just teasing you David)

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LOL....He said his drugs are no longer working! Once he rounds up all these "Strays" he'll need to find good homes for them. That's where we can help him, and with a generous Forum discount. :whistling:

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Steve,

Going to get a 65 coupe with about everything new on it Monday, 289 auto. I will be selling it for sure. Trying to get my friend that shut down his shop to open back up let me buy them and he fix them and split the money.

Why should I leave money for someone else to spend when I am gone, lol.

David

converted the A/C

I'm really not an expert on any of this, so i would appreciate any feedback if I am in error, but there is no way that that is the original paint job

The side stripes shown are 71/72, they changed in 73. (yea, I have the wrong ones on my ride cause I like them better )

and I was under the impression that these weren't even available on the convertible, only on the Mach 1 ? I also thought the same thing for the NASA hood? only available on the Mach 1 ?

Maybe you could order the NASA hood with RAM air from the factory, but I seriously doubt that they would put on last years side decals.:huh::chin:

There are a lot of things wrong with that car. No factory ram air on the 73 cars due to emissions changes. The air cleaner is from a 72, the 73 air cleaner has the tube duct feed from under the battery tray. Wrong side stripes as mentioned paint looks too fresh to be original. Rear spoiler not factory. Mach hood and hood locks not factory. Could keep going but not worth it in my opinion.

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There are a lot of things wrong with that car. No factory ram air on the 73 cars due to emissions changes. The air cleaner is from a 72, the 73 air cleaner has the tube duct feed from under the battery tray. Wrong side stripes as mentioned paint looks too fresh to be original. Rear spoiler not factory. Mach hood and hood locks not factory. Could keep going but not worth it in my opinion.

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I will for sure take lots of pictures and look at everything. As far as ram air it could be ordered on 2-V Ford forgot to submit the 4-V for government approval. The side stripe like on this car was an option and is shown on a coupe on Page 10 of the showroom brochure. Link to page, http://myclassicgarage.com/marketplace/knowledge_base/1973-ford-mustang

The only way I would say the spoiler was factory is if the buck tag has the info on it for the holes in the trunk. Anything requiring any work to be done on the body before paint was on the buck tag, holes for mirrors, spoiler, decor group side trim holes, radio show up on buck tag. As far as the hood I do not know why it could not be on the convertible they came on coupe as an option. I wish I had the dealer book for 73 that told everything, maybe Steve can help. The reason I had the owner send me the picture of the door tag was to see if it was a Special order but it was not, no 6 digit DSO. Just a California car.

When I look at a car I look at the bolts to see if they have been taken out. If a car has only been assembled there will be no marks on the left side of the flats on the hex only on the right from the tightening force.

I know my 73 only had a little less than 12,000 miles and it was 1982 and the core plugs in the block started to leak. I took the engine out to change them and when the factory painted the block the insides of the core plugs were not fully coated and some areas had runs.

I agree with everyone that this car is very clean and that makes anyone suspicious. They do make shrink wrap bags for cars just like the boats. That is only way you could keep the dust out for sure.

I have a 1950 Ford with 16,000 miles and the dash looks like new but the exterior paint just fell off. The pictures are of the dash that has not been touched the steering wheel looks new. It was in Buffalo N.Y. so not a good climate for sure. Stored in a barn but I guess the exterior did not like it.

I am in Washington searching for parts and maybe a car unless the drugs work. Anyway I did bring the dolly. When I get home they are going to arrange to get the white car on a lift. I have a HD Sony video I will shoot everything on the car using lights. Will also take stills. This is a good one to test everyone's knowledge and I do hope it proves to be real to add some knowledge.

The 50 Ford did start up and I drove it to 5 shows in 1996 before family health issues took me out of hobby for years. It has original tires, belts lower hoses, upper changed, original heater hoses and original plug wires. Had to hot tank the gas tank to get the gunk out.

There were two 73 verts earlier last year that did not have 100 miles on them that came up for sale.

This does happen quite often, so keep following up on rumors about parked hoarded mustangs.

My next quest will be to get access to a Shelby, and Cobra hoard also in South Carolina. He has several original GT350 R models and real Cobras that just sit there in a warehouse. They are out there but you can't find them without searching.

David

David I'll see if I can help without getting into any trouble. Things were winding down for the first generation Mustang. Ford was preparing for the launch of the new Mustang II platform, so no major changes were in store for the 73's. Most of the changes were appearance items. The 71-72 side stripes discussed were available as a separate option only when you ordered the decor group which included lower body side argent or black paint and molding, black grill, and trim rings and hub caps.

There was a Tutone hood option which gave you a non-functional NASA (Mach 1) hood with black or argent paint and the hood locks.

The Ram Air option was available on ANY 351 2bl equipped Mustang. Included was a NASA hood with black or argent paint, twist style hood locks, and "351 Ram Air" decals, just like you would see on a Mach 1. The air cleaner duct for this car is wrong. The 73 ram air housing had a 73 only part number because of the flexable hose that stapled to the duct. (A change was made in 74 to staple the flex hose to the plastic duct that ran under the battery and place a clamp on the air cleaner end-too late for the 73's)

Everything I have seen on the 71-73 Mustangs have indicated that the rear spoiler was only available on the Mach 1's and sportsroofs. The only time I have ever seen Ford production install rear spoilers on any vert (pre 1994) was in late 92 and 93 on some yellow, red and white Special Edition Fox Mustangs. There again things were winding down as Ford readied for the launch of the new 94 Mustang. There is a greater chance of it being a dealer installed item since there is no DSO call out on the door label. Either way you would need documentation or MCA would tear you up! I hope this has helped some.