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scoutds47

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My Car
I recently purchased a 1971 Mach 1 in South Carolina. The car is equipped with the 351 Cleveland 2V, PS, Power disc brakes, Sports Interior, and A/C. She was originally Light Pewter Metallic with the black knitted seats. I will be doing a total restoration on the car
I recently bought a '71 Mach 1 to restore. While looking the car over I saw that it had the three gauges in the center of the dash. It does not however have the clock in the console, but a block off plate with "Mach 1" on it. The left most gauge pod does not have a tachometer, but has a clock in it. I have not seen one equipped like this and was wondering if anyone else has. If so, why was it made with the clock in the dash instead of the console? Was the car ordered this way by the owner or was it an option package? Thanks for any help.

 
Sounds like the car came from the factory like this. In 1980 I bought a '71 Mach and it had the exact set up you refer to. Ordering the tach option would have moved the clock to the console. Check the Marti report to confirm. It is actually fairly rare to see cars today with the Mach block off plate in the console. You can do what I did back in '80; strap a honking big Sun tachometer to the steering column to complete the aggressive cockpit look... Cheers

 
I'd like to see a picture of the block off plate. A picture of the clock would be cool too. Does it have the 'idiot' light openings or ??

 
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Only the Grandé came standard with a left side instrument panel mounted clock. The Mach 1 sport interior option would include the three gauge auxiliary cluster, and the instrument panel mounted clock, but you had to order the optional instrumentation group (standard on Boss 351) to get a tachometer. If you ordered the optional full length console and had the tachometer equipped car then the clock would move to that location. If the console was ordered on a car with a instrument cluster clock but no tachometer then the console had a "Mustang" or "Mach 1" plate in place of the console clock.

 
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1971 was the only year when you could get the three gauge center cluster without a tach in the dash. In 72/73, the three gauge cluster was standard with a tach dash.

 
Only the Grandé came standard with a left side instrument panel mounted clock. The Mach 1 sport interior option would include the three gauge auxiliary cluster, and the instrument panel mounted clock, but you had to order the optional instrumentation group (standard on Boss 351) to get a tachometer. If you ordered the optional full length console and had the tachometer equipped car then the clock would move to that location. If the console was ordered on a car with a instrument cluster clock but no tachometer then the console had a "Mustang" or "Mach 1" plate in place of the console clock.
When the music stops grab a chair on that one. I have seen the big clock on the 71 but never seen the block off in console.

I bet they are rare.

David

 
Only the Grandé came standard with a left side instrument panel mounted clock. The Mach 1 sport interior option would include the three gauge auxiliary cluster, and the instrument panel mounted clock, but you had to order the optional instrumentation group (standard on Boss 351) to get a tachometer. If you ordered the optional full length console and had the tachometer equipped car then the clock would move to that location. If the console was ordered on a car with a instrument cluster clock but no tachometer then the console had a "Mustang" or "Mach 1" plate in place of the console clock.


When the music stops grab a chair on that one. I have seen the big clock on the 71 but never seen the block off in console.

I bet they are rare.

David

Lol!! Isn't that the truth. Very easy to get in trouble when trying to describe what was and was not on these cars. As if the above info on the 71's wasn't bad enough, that changed on the 72-73 cars. After 71 if you ordered the Mach 1 Sports Interior option it now included a tachometer along with the auxiliary instrument cluster. You could also order the Instrumentation Group which included the tachometer and center gauges that came with the Mach 1 Sport Interior option. This option was available on all models except with the 250 six cylinder.

I really had no ideal what those poor salesmen had to deal with on a daily basis. All this just on the Mustangs. This sort of craziness was probably something they dealt with on the truck and other car lines also.

The "Mustang/Mach 1" console plates are far and few between. Both of my 71's are clock, no tach cars. One of them had the optional console with the Mach 1 plate since it had the instrument cluster clock. And of course I pitched the plate when I ordered and installed a console clock!! (That was in 1981, I didn't know any better)!

Hope you were able to get a chair when the music stopped this time! :cool:

 
Mine is an 11/70 Build Mach i that came equipped that way too. Mine was a factory 2 barrell 351C/FMX with dog dishes, Mach Interior, standard rear seat, center 3 gage cluster, non-trip meter speedo, and the big clock in the dash. It also had the full length floor console with the "Mach 1" plate in front of teh shifter.

I had Midlife convert my dash harness to take the tach setup, but i am going to keep the block off plate in the console. If you do not want your plate I will take it!!

kcmash

 
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Here is a photo of my console block off plate. I am going to keep it, and just get a tachometer and put it on my steering column. I like the plate, it is the only place on the interior that states it is a Mach 1. I also like that the layout with the big clock and the block off plate seems to be very unusual. I would imagine that even if the cars were equipped the way mine is they have been subsequently revised to have the in dash tach and the clock in the console.

console plate.jpg

 
I was surprised to hear that the dash clock was available with the three gauge set up. I now offer the M7123SC tachometer for cars optioned that way. The new tach has only the BRAKES warning light where the original M7123S tachometer has all four warning lights.

I gave up trying to identify all the gauge contortions Ford offered - it made my head hurt.

 
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I'd love ot have one of those, if you decide not to keep it, I'll buy it off you. if anyone else has one they want to sell let me know.

I sold my clock early after I got my car, I figured i didn't need it since the radio now had a clock in it, I have a cheap compass in that space currently, but it looks like crap, but I usually have it covered with my Ipod anyways.

 
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