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Joined
Jan 25, 2017
Messages
733
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23
Location
Tavares, fl
My Car
71 Mustang Mach 1
302-2v
C4

Hi Group,

I am NOT new to forums, I am on many. I am currently saving up to get a 71 Mach 1. I have always loved these ugly ducklings since they first came out in the 70's. Now that I am old as dirt, I can finally add one to my stable.

I am looking for some information about these cars, as I have ZERO specific knowledge about these vintage Mustangs. I do, However, Know ALOT about OBD1 Fords. I have a 94 Bronco I have rebuilt from ground up and am just about finished with it. So I have a few Questions for those of you who have one of these cars.

1.) What are the major weakness's of this model?

2.) What idiot lights does this car have?

3.) What are the parts availability like in general? Is there anything needed that no one makes.

4.) What does a paint job typically cost if the body is rust free and has a half way decent paint job on it already.

5.) What are the most worthwhile upgrades? Rack & Pinion? Coil Over? 4 Link rear?

6.) Was Power Brakes an Option? Or did they all come with Manual Brakes?

7.) What is a Sport Roof car? Is that without the louvers and wing?

So I have spotted a car for sale locally for a fairly reasonable price. Its fully funcitonal, paint is in OK condition. It has a couple of minor trouble spots where the roof was repaired with Lead probably 15-20 years ago and its starting to oxidize under the paint. The engine is a 351C. It originally had a 302, but was swapped at some point. Engine is very clean, no signs of any leaks. It has long tube headers already and glass packs. They look pretty old, but are in decent condition. It drives pretty good, but has manual steering and manual drum brakes, and NO A/C. I am pretty familiar with the brake upgrade, A/C conversion, and Power Steering upgrade, so those arent a problem. It has a C6 transmission. The underside looks pretty nasty, but it is a driver not a show car.

Looking at the price of upgrading brakes, A/C, and Power Steering, I am looking at about $3500. I just dont know if this car is worth it. So I am still looking. Maybe I will find one with at least A/C.

So my plan is, to just make sure everything works as it is, fix what crops up after driving it a while. Eventually, I would like to blast it or have it dipped, and do a full paint job on it, Rack and Pinion Upgrade, Coil Overs, 4 link Fab9 rear, Coyote Swap, with 6R80 trans. But before I get to that point, I want to live with it like it is for a few years and work on the suspension bit by bit.

For the coyote swap, do they make conversion motor mounts that bolt to the stock location? Or do you have to get a new complete front cross member/suspension unit like the Rod and Custom Coil over/rack and pinion kit.



If you have to go this route, thats fine, I just dont want to do any other upgrades that I will have to do again later on.

 
::welcome:: from Luxembourg, Europe.

I'll try and answer your questions.

1) the problem they all encounter is rotten cowl vents. There are people more knowledgeable on this topic, so I'll give it a pass.

2) idiot lights: I don't know if they change a lot depending on how the car is optioned. Mine has Alternator, oil pressure, brakes and temperature. If it came with instrumentation group it might be different though.

3) parts availability is pretty good and gets better every year. Most mechanical parts are not specific to these cars (unless you wanna go concourse).

I run a master brake cylinder from a 68 and an alternator from a 69 (I think) Mustang. Only problem are specific parts like body panels, the dreaded cowl area, some optional trim etc. if you wanna keep it running you won't have any issues with parts because it's basically just another Ford. :)

4) No idea about the cost of a paint job. Depends on what you start with, who does the job and how you want it to look in the end.

5) worthwhile upgrades: hardly any! These cars are way more engineered than the previous models. For a good driver (that means unless you wanna do some serious racing) you don't need steering or suspension upgrades. Get a good modern tire, good gas shocks and maybe new coil and leaf springs, new bushings etc to get rid of play but you don't need fancy upgrades there.

I'm European, our roads twist and turn and are small but I carve corners with mine just like with all my modern European cars. These 123s can do that!

Upgrade from points to an electronic ignition, like an easy swap with a Pertonix or MSD. Buy a decent battery!

6) power (discs front) brakes, steering and windows were available options.

7) "Sportroof" is just the new name Ford introduced for what was previously called "Fastback".

So you have convertible, coupe and sportsroof.

 
Welcome from West TN. Luxstang hit on all of your major point quite well and I would agree with his comments. I would add that Cowls, quarters and floors are the typical rust prone areas in any cars from this era. All are available as replacements panels for you or the body shop of your choice. The coyote conversion is a little bit more complicated. That is a wide engine to fit in the earlier era mustang bodies. You can Google a search for it and I know the shop that did my body work did an installation. Here is a link to their install.

http://www.mustangcentralga.com/coyote-purr-dee.html

 
Thanks for the great replies. I'm torn at the moment. I don't know if I want to get a finished car or rescue one from the crusher. Most likely I will just find a finished one, but I love starting from scratch. I do need to try and find one with a/c and power brakes at least. That will be worth paying a bit more for. It seems most of what I'm finding is 15-17k for a stripper 302, 20-22k for a well optioned better condition 351 car, and then it jumps to 30-35k for restored, then bumps up to 60k+ for boss models. Maybe I can find a deal at an auction this spring hopefully in the low 20's.

 
Howdy from Phoenix. Luxstang answered most of your questions. My input:

Most can be had with front disc brakes and power steering.

There is a lot of confusion on the sportsroof and Mach 1. Basically there are four body codes. Coupe, convertible, sportsroof and mach 1. The Mach 1 and sports roof look alike and are basically the same but the Mach 1 has a different body code than the sports roof. You can't tell looking at them. You have to look at the VIN. There were some standard options on the Mach 1 that the sports roof didn't have but for the most part a person could option a sports roof to have almost all of the Mach 1 options except the Mach 1 stickers. And of course there were additional options that they shared (like AC).

Again, generally, a 'mach 1' can get a bit more money than an equally optioned sports roof all things being equal. What you will need to decide is what you want to do with the car. If it is a total restore than the body code will matter. If it is looking for a solid platform to make your own then either one is good. But don't pay extra for a sports roof that has the Mach 1 stickers. ;)

Also, both the sports roof and the Mach 1 had a fold down rear seat option. My first car, a Mach 1, had this option. I thought it was really cool. It is hard (but not impossible) to convert to a fold down from a non-fold down.

While the casual observer might look at all three years and think they look the same there are some differences. The 1973 models had larger front bumpers and a slight extention to the rear bumper. The 71/72 could be had with either a chrome bumper in the front or a urathane bumper. The grills are all different so look to see what you like.

The 73 has a unique front fender/bumper. I mention this in case you look at one and it needs some up front work. They tend to be a bit harder to find.

And now for a small bit of trivia. You might notice that the 71 to 73 mustangs do NOT have a Ford emblem anywhere on the exterior. The only Ford emblem is on the interior sill rails.

 
Thank you Boss1Ray for moving this to the proper location! Its much appreciated.

As for my plans......

This is going to be my son's (17) first car. It doesnt have to be perfect. I would like it to be rust free if possible. Color is pretty much set in stone. It has to be Bright Silver Blue. He also does not like graphics, louvers, or the spoiler. He does like the scoop hood though. He is damn particular for a rookie, but I only have one kid so, I will do what I can. My only requirements are Power Brakes disc, tight steering, and no rust.

What is the correct Mach 1 vin code range vs fake sports roof vin code? Im sure this car is legit, but I would like to know so if I run across one, I will know its fake.

The one we have been looking at has some areas alone the roof line where it looks to me like were repaired with lead many years ago and then it was painted. I have seen this before on a few cars where the lead will continue to oxidize under the paint and you will get these microscopic bubbles forming under the paint that you can feel with your hand, but are difficult to see. The underside is pretty solid, i poked around on it with a screw driver and didnt find anything rotten. I did NOT however check the cowl. Im glad that came up, its going to be the first thing I start looking at.

for anyone interested here are some pics. Everyone likes pics right?

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