1972 Mach 1 Project - FL

OK, so after having this car delivered to "my mechanic" or so I thought...the car just sat there and had absolutely nothing done to it so I brought her home yesterday.  It's a 1972 Mach 1 Q code 351CJ, C6 tranny, 9 inch rear.  White on White - mostly original. 

Marti Report - https://www.7173mustangs.com/xthreads_attach.php/4242_1484711550_23b2a8af/773f3f6b522a1a123fd2863f3f243f00/2F05Q225596_dlxrpt.pdf

I'm still struggling with a few things.  The first I will mention is - Where do I start!?  For some of you who have been through this already what is the order of importance that you put on each aspect of your build? It needs a lot of work and I am planning to do a full restoration job - body/paint, engine rebuild, check tranny and rear end, interior (carpet, door panels, dash pad, etc.), lots of maintenance work (brakes, wheel cylinders, A/C, etc).  Now the first thing that comes to mind for me is to start stripping the car starting with the interior and to empty all the fluids to prepare for this long restoration process.

The second item I struggle to answer for myself is whether to keep this original or just go with more of a restomod build.  I realize there are pros and cons to both.  I feel like if I had something truly rare here that would be a no-brainer.  Have any of you struggled with this decision and if so how did you end up making your decision? 

Well, as you know mine was basically a total loss before I got it... so my first order of business was to take it all apart and figure out what was salvageable.  Mine was also a much more common car than yours ('71 H-Codes are WAY more plentiful than '72 Q-Codes, after all).  I just wanted a cool '71 Mach 1 that would be mine, as-in: the way I wanted it.  So the question of whether to restomod, customize, et al, was pretty much already answered before I started out.

I started out removing the front end components because I knew the engine was coming out.  Once everything was out/off, I could refurb the engine compartment, firewall, etc., but since the front frame was toast, I would have to replace the whole front clip - so my focus changed slightly.  After that, I made my way toward the back, floors, then the cowl, then the trunk and rearward sheet metal.  As I got a new section done, I'd put the corresponding things back on (front clip followed by front suspension/steering, trunk area followed by rear suspension, etc.).  Somewhere in there, I got the brakes and driveline reinstalled and fired up the car once the rear sheet metal was done and I hung the gas tank and plumbed the fuel system.  When I finally had all of the damaged sheet metal replaced, it was basically time for paint & body, and after that, exterior details and interior, followed by the glass (it's helpful to not have the windshield in-place with rewiring the dashboard).  The last things that went on the night before the first car show I took it to were the Mach 1 decals... at 11:30PM.  Since then, it's been little things (LED light bulbs in the dash, RCCI Tach Conversion, ammeter-to-voltmeter conversion, etc.).

I found it was better to break things down into sub-projects, and complete each sub-project before moving on to the next one as much as possible (unless you were waiting on parts, or the machine shop, or something else - then move onto something else, and come back once the delay has been resolved).

Take breaks.  Don't dive in, go balls to the wall in an attempt to get this done within some ridiculously-set goal or timeline - you'll just burn yourself out in a short amount of time.  Murphy will be watching, after all - any opportunity to slow down progress will present itself.  Don't get frustrated if something doesn't happen as quickly as you want it to - stuff happens and priorities change.  Do what you can, when you can... and when you can't, come back to it when you can.

Be flexible and roll with the changes as they come.  Don't sacrifice your real life for this - at the end of the day it's just a car, after all.  If you have a list, and discover something you forgot to add to the list, make some space and add it to the list, and go from there.

If you get tired of working on one thing, make note of your progress and stopping point, then go work on something else.  Sometimes, stepping away from something that's wearing you out, can give you a fresh perspective when you get back to it (but only if you can pick up where you left off, instead of having to start from scratch and do it over).

Along the way, take lots of pics, and catalog the parts you plan on re-using, store them in a secure/safe place you can find later, and add the parts you can't reuse to that spreadsheet I gave you (then go 'shopping').  Having the parts off and out of the way will make things easier to repair/replace, as well as help eliminate some of the confusion when it's time to all go back together.  I relied on memory for a lot of that, and now I have several boxes of parts and various things taking up space in my garage that I can't just toss out because the old parts are intermingled with some new stuff.  There never seems to be time to just go through and toss out the old stuff, either.  The biggest reason for that, is because of the invaluable advice Dan (72HCode) offers up to everybody: never throw anything away until you are done.  If you toss out anything before you've replaced every aspect of it, you might regret losing some unobtainium-based pieces, and risk having to purchase expensive replacements that may or may not fit back on.  For instance, dashboard switches and bezels - no matter how bad they might be, do not throw any of them away.  If you can re-use or refurbish them, you're good.  If they look beat-up, missing the plastic chrome, etc., keep in mind they don't reproduce them.  So, in order to get nicer ones, you'll have to find some nicer used units and likely pay through the nose for them.  Better to just repaint them with silver paint (if nothing else) and put them back on until you find a better set or way to make them chrome again.

Don't be afraid to ask questions.  There are no stupid questions... OK, so maybe there actually are.  But, unless you're asking how to make your Honda Civic outrun a Boss 429, you won't be asking a stupid question.  rofl   No matter what you're up against, someone here has done it, been through it, conquered it, or are working on it.  You're not alone in this.  One of the biggest things this site did for me was encourage me and offer up the right advice when I needed it... and for that, I will ever be grateful, in addition I will be one of the biggest cheerleaders around (at 6'5" that's not an entirely untrue statement - LOL) since I am fortunately now at the point in my project where I actually have some experience to share, advice to give, and results to show.  I also have some examples of 'what not to do' that I'm happy to share in order to spare the grief of repeating my mistakes.

I hope this helps.  I know it's a lot to take in, but this is totally doable.  You got this. ::thumb::

You have asked the same questions I think any owner of a classic struggles with a first. I would say they are the most important questions to have answers to before you start any work. The decisions of stock or modified will set in motion all of your activities before turning a single nut. Now within each of those decisions you also have varying shades of gray with regard to concourse stock, fun driver stock, restomod, pro-touring, etc...... Think long and hard about the direction you want to go and then commit to it. I do mean COMMIT to it. You will have many times along the way where you will question your choice for one reason or another and want to vary from the initial decision. I guess I am saying no in your heart and mind that is the direction you want to go and that you have the patience, money, skill, money, desire, money, support of others close to you and the money to accomplish it.

Now having made the decision... Don't rush into a quick decision just so you can get started on the project sitting in your garage. Remember, its paid for and doesn't cost you anything while doing your soul searching on what you want to end product to be.

The following are my thoughts on either path:

Originality Goal:

Take pictures of every inch of the car before 1 part comes off. Take them at all angles and of every small insignificant part that will be the thorn in your side months or years from now when trying to figure how it was installed. With originality you want to get to the fine details of markings that may be visible on the body or suspension. You want to takes pictures of gaps and reveals and finishes so you have all of these to base your recreation from. Handle every part like it costs $500 dollars because if it is damaged, broken or bent it may cost you that in time and money to replace it. Research as much as you can on processes to replicate finishes and if you are going for concourse join the Mustang Club of America and print off the judging rules for your car and update them each year the rules change.

Modified:

Take pictures of every inch of the car before 1 part comes off. Take them at all angles and of every small insignificant part that will be the thorn in your side months or years from now when trying to figure how it was installed. In this category your attention to finishes and markings does not need to be as focused, but worth while to note in your pictures and observations. You will find some parts are reproduced but at a lesser quality than the originals. I would again encourage that you handle all parts as a $500 investment to recondition and re-use versus buying over (i.e. any and all trim, interior plastics). It is easier to handle parts preciously until your project is done and then if unused you can sell them to get a few cents of your investment back. Remember that money thing.

Process thoughts:

Once disassembly starts invest in Glad Bags and sharpies. BAG & TAG EVERYTHING, Use masking tape or wire tags on big parts

My preference is to tackle body work first. It is the most expensive and time consuming of any phase in my opinion. If doing it yourself it will test your convictions to seeing the project through early on before you spend buckets of money on other things. If you are having this done by someone else take the time to talk around your area at cruise ins and car shows and has folks who did their bodywork. Meet with those folks look at their shop and find out from references and the shop how long they would expect to have your car. Add 6 months to that just for your own sanity. If you are farming out the bodywork, use that time to research suspension and interior parts and prices. Clean and detail the parts of your car you are going to re-use. Keep your self busy while the body shop has your car. Know that when the body comes back you will have plenty of things to eat up your timeline.

After body I would focus on suspension to get it as a roller. Sometimes things in life change and this will give you plenty of flexibility to move the car if needed.

After it is on all 4 wheels I move to interior. This is the jewelry that you sometimes need to keep you inspired on the project. Sometimes those shiny pieces do a lot for you psychologically. Once all of the interior is in and the gauges are all installed and ready to give feedback on the motor this is when I turn to the final component being the driveline. The engine can be mild to wild based upon what your budget can still weather. Engines and transmissions are relatively easy to upgrade or downgrade after the car is a fully complete vehicle.

Just my two cents and I am confident others will disagree or agree with this road map. Most importantly is to understand it is becoming your pride and joy and do it like you set out to do in the beginning. Oh yeah, enjoy the journey and the grand prize in the end.

As always your long term goals will direct the best course of action, so defining your goals will go a long way towards helping you to organize your efforts to meet them.

If it were me, I'd remove the carpet and assess the floor condition. If it is in good shape put the carpet aside, if it is in bad shape save it for use as a template. Then go through and inspect everything and make a list of what you know you will need and what you feel comfortable you can reuse. From a mechanical standpoint, Brakes, steering and suspension would come right after any structural repairs (torque boxes, subframe connectors, etc.) Then go on to your fuel system, cooling system and ignition system and address any electrical issues. When you build a motor, using known good components for the first start is really important. New is not equal to good or even functional.

I'd build my drivetrain before I did paint or interior work. Having a driveable car helps me to stay interested in the project. While the engine is out it would be wise to go ahead and address any structural repairs floor replacement etc. If you aren't going for full show car, go ahead and clean up and paint the engine compartment too.

Once structural and mechanical repairs are done, drive the car a bit while you tackle the body and paint work-if something isn't the way you want it, you can change it now and without worrying about the paint. When you are satisfied that you are mechanically sound-then address the paint, and leave the interior for last. Headliners should be installed with the front and rear glass out of the car so after paint is a great time to start on the interior.

Then again I bought a car with a good paint job, and did everything ass backwards

+1 on what Jeff said. Exactly how I am tackling mine, except my interior was in pretty good shape so I made some minor upgrades prior to starting the engine work. Paint and body will be last for me as my current paint job is serviceable and being able to drive the car definitely keeps me interested in the project. It is also fair to mention that there were no structural or rust issues with my car, so I was lucky.

Sounds like all great advise. Only thing I didn't notice mentioned was, are you doing this for fun and pleasure? If so that's great but you should be prepared to spend between 30 & 40 k to get it done right. It's worth mentioning because you could go out and buy one done for a lot less. Otherwise, good luck, enjoy, and keep us posted.

In addition to the great advice you have already received I would add the following if it has not already been mentioned:

Don't throw ANYTHING away.

You can not take too many pictures or make too many notes during disassembly. Time spent cataloging and organizing during disassembly will pay you back 10 fold during assembly.

Good luck.

You have received a lot of very good advice, take it to heart. As to the stock appearing or restored question, I will share my thought process when deciding on which way to go. Outcome number one, the car has to be fun to drive when finished. Outcome number two, the car must be aesthetically pleasing tome and others. Outcome number three, try to be the least upside down, financially, and still meet outcomes one and two. While I was doing the build for my satisfaction and enjoyment I kept in mind that the was, in the end, a liquid asset.

   With the above outcomes in mind, I made the decision to build a stock appearing car with a lot more fun factor available when the skinny pedal is used. This decision was urged on by a few friends telling me that a concours driven car could not be fast as well. None of the mechanical modifications are not readily reversed. As to the color combination, I hated it so I changed it to colors available on the car originally. The cost to build a concours driven car are not a huge amount more than a "regular" build but, the time in research and finding serviceable parts is a lot more.

   In the end I met my outcomes and got what I wanted. The car is fun and fast, looks very good and was awarded concours driven gold by the MCA in 2012. 

   Now to the cautionary part of the tale. The car sits in the garage for weeks at a time without being driven because I don't enjoy cleaning every part of the car every second or third time I drive it. And then there is the fear of it being hit by the idiots on the phone instead of focusing on driving their car. I almost got hit from behind recently and it caused me to want to harm to the driver.

   So now I'm faced with deciding wether to just drive the car as I wish or sell it to someone who appreciates the effort required to build this kind of car. Whatever you decide to do I wish you the best of luck.

Chuck

You have received a lot of very good advice, take it to heart. As to the stock appearing or restored question, I will share my thought process when deciding on which way to go. Outcome number one, the car has to be fun to drive when finished. Outcome number two, the car must be aesthetically pleasing tome and others. Outcome number three, try to be the least upside down, financially, and still meet outcomes one and two. While I was doing the build for my satisfaction and enjoyment I kept in mind that the was, in the end, a liquid asset.

   With the above outcomes in mind, I made the decision to build a stock appearing car with a lot more fun factor available when the skinny pedal is used. This decision was urged on by a few friends telling me that a concours driven car could not be fast as well. None of the mechanical modifications are not readily reversed. As to the color combination, I hated it so I changed it to colors available on the car originally. The cost to build a concours driven car are not a huge amount more than a "regular" build but, the time in research and finding serviceable parts is a lot more.

   In the end I met my outcomes and got what I wanted. The car is fun and fast, looks very good and was awarded concours driven gold by the MCA in 2012. 

   Now to the cautionary part of the tale. The car sits in the garage for weeks at a time without being driven because I don't enjoy cleaning every part of the car every second or third time I drive it. And then there is the fear of it being hit by the idiots on the phone instead of focusing on driving their car. I almost got hit from behind recently and it caused me to want to harm to the driver.

   So now I'm faced with deciding wether to just drive the car as I wish or sell it to someone who appreciates the effort required to build this kind of car. Whatever you decide to do I wish you the best of luck.

Chuck

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Hey Chuck, thanks for the input. 

So let me get this straight...because I'm still learning here.  You were able to change the original color and also upgrade to the faster pedal lollerz  and you were still able to get concours driven Gold??  I thought maybe you could get away with engine mods if they weren't visible from the outside, but I didn't realize that you could change the original color and still be OK.  That is very interesting and also good to know.

I actually think the white Mach 1's when they are fully restored look pretty good especially with the black accents, but as you can see from the picture above I do definitely have another color in mind that would still be period correct.  Hmmmmm.....  Decisions Decisions...

Now does that same rule also apply to other aspects of the car like wheels, two tone hood rather than standard, ram air, etc?  As long as it's period correct it's OK...or do the options need to match the Marti report?

Thanks again everyone!!  Lots of good info here as usual.

:thankyouyellow:

I do not have a Marti report, so they couldn't see it. The door sticker matched the car's current exterior and interior colors. They could not tell it is now a 408 CID engine nor could they tell there is a 3.89:1 gear in the car. The C-6 is numbers matching and they can't see what is inside. They either missed the hood or didn't care. They took 1 point for a small chip, that happened at the show . They took one point for the rear bumper having a .125" wider gap on one side (.625" error since corrected). They took 1 point for not having a battery shield even though the judging sheet says "Heat shield on big block cars." So they think a 351C is a big block ? One point lost because I did not have a yellow top coil and 2 points for the headers. Minus 1 for not having sound deadener on the firewall, I just plain missed that one. :shootself: Minus 1 because the rivet in the radiator cap was not brass, since corrected. Minus 1 for the deep pan on the transmission. Total score, 689 out of 700 or 98.43%. With the corrections, 693 out of 700 or 99.00%. Maybe I just got lucky, who knows.   Chuck

+1 on Chuck's hidden performance mods vs. cosmetic upgrades.  If it looks stock, it must be and probably is, when it comes to those MCA competitions.

Outwardly visible cosmetic mods can be permanent, or easily undone.  Mine, for instance, has some very visible and easily undone cosmetic mods - I can remove the louvers, and swap wheels, and my car will look pretty much stock. 

Here's two pics from the same day (I was still putting it back together, obviously):





Wheels make the car, and can be the easiest way back to stock.

About the only things inside my car that won't be so easy to undo are the seats (TMI Products Sport Seats vs. factory 'much flatter' stock deluxe buckets), Grant GT Classic steering wheel, and the carbon fiber vinyl (rather than the wood grain stuff).

It just depends on what you want to do to your car that can affect your ability to retain stock value.

OK, so the tear down on the interior is in full swing.  I had my 11 year old son helping me out yesterday evening. I think he had a good time especially since we kept finding hidden "treasures" in the secret dark lair of the console.  Mice may or may not have used this as a home at one point.  LOL 

All in all I think the floors seem OK.  I still need to remove the backseat and I've seen some bad pictures of that area before so I'm eager to get that out as well to determine its condition. 

I did find 1 build sheet although it was in very bad condition as you can see.  I think half of it was missing as well.  I'm hoping for the possibility of finding a second build sheet under the rear seat.  Any possibilities there?? 

All these hidden treasures have put together a sort of history trail for the car which is very cool.  This car started in California, sold at Holiday Ford which no longer exists.  From there I'm assuming it went to Nevada due to the election stickers from '74 under the center console cover.  We also found a receipt for an oil change in '76 from Fort Worth, TX.  So I'm assuming this was the next home...  Then Michigan and now Florida...  Anyways...here are some pics.





















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Floors...  Not too bad and mostly surface rust.  Will clean up and take more pics next week.  Still some fibers stuck to the driver floor area and some rubber matting in back area which is why it looks that way in the pic.





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cool finds.

When i took my interior out all i found was disappointment, dead things and eggs that spawned into bad things.

Did a little more interior removal yesterday.  I think there was definitely a family of something living in here at some point.  2nd "nest" looking bundle of stuff I've found as well as some droppings.  I think it's the only reason this car had rust...maybe due to all the moisture that crap (no pun intended...) was holding along with any urine.  As you can see the left side of the floors are worse than the right hand side floors.  All in all though everything still seems to be surface rust and I've tested a few spots with a wire brush and it all seems to come clean and still be solid.

I also found some misc parts/pieces when I removed the rear seat bottom.  There was even stuff falling out from under the side panels (such as a missing ashtray cover!!).  Also another large metal piece was found which I have no clue as to where it belongs.  So please comment if you know what this large piece is.  Also chime in on whether you think I had mice/rats living in this at some point. 

I will continue to take out more from the interior today.  Unfortunately I did not find another build sheet under the rear seat.  I'm starting to think my build sheets were used to build nests!!  :-/

Initial seat bottom removal:  See clump in left side of photo...maybe a nest?



Seat bottom and back - Look Original?





Droppings maybe??



Cleaned up/vacuumed a bit



Misc parts/pieces found



LH side seat bottom area- looked pretty bad before wire brush



RH back seat bottom area



RH side rear floor before



RH Side rear floor after! Just a quick wire brush job...



Rear panels - do they make repop's of these??  Both look pretty shot on the passenger side!



This next one is the LH side rear floor area.  Also looks pretty bad but cleans up pretty nice with a wire brush

and some elbow grease.  There is a bolt/washer stuck into the black seam sealer area that is not on the other side.

Not sure what this is...any ideas?  Right over that black area...it's rust colored but if you look close you can see the

washer and bolt sitting sideways.



This bolt/washer:

That all looks like it will clean up nicely.

That all looks like it will clean up nicely.

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Any idea what that metal piece is that I found under the back seat? 

You think it had mice/rats at some point?  lol

Well all that looks real good so far.

I had a similar experience to Chucks with my 1969 428CJ R code. It originally was a raven black exterior with white interior. I change the interior to black. Internally I switched the 3.23 anti-slip to a locker with 4.30 gears (a drivability mistake on my part), but I had essential a SCJ now. My window sticker was consistent except with the cars mods. I typically drove the car to shows, but for a MCA National show in Sturbridge MA it was too far to drive especially with those gears. So I open trailered it to the show. At the show they insisted I enter the trailered concourse class and I thought that killed my chances of competing with all the true closed trailer queens. Anyway I received 570 points out of 600 and a silver. I was dinged cumulatively on cleanliness (-6), undercoating (-10), painted vs natural (-5), and a bunch of other minor things. There was no issue with the interior or gear mods as long as they were true with factory availability, consistent with the documentation, or just plain not visible.

So if entering judged competitions is one of your goals, you can make the changes that you want and compete. I used the MCA early model judging rule book for some guidance.