Thank you to all!

I would like to extend a thank you to everyone who has answered my posts and those who shared their pictures and stories that gave me the motivation to keep going.  My Mach 1 is very much a part of myself and those that read my introduction thread understand why.

https://www.7173mustangs.com/thread-greetings--23785

Last year I was going through a divorce that made me lose my garage.  I worked on my car so much, I was beyond exhausted, but my Mach 1 was very much worth the effort.  During moments of trying to solve a problem or needing information regarding things that I did not know, you guys helped me a great deal.  A year later, my car was up and running, better than new.  Two weeks after it hitting the road, I moved out of the house and into an apartment with my 08 GT and my 72 Mach 1. 

Thankfully my buddy was more than welcoming when I asked to go to his shop so I could have a place to work on my car despite being low on business and stressed out.  It worked out perfectly because he is in metal fabrication and I needed someone to weld the subframes and a spacer on the car.  I truly can't thank him enough.  That leads me to my car now being done mechanically.  The next thing is the weatherstripping and interior.

For now, it's a matter of finally getting over my recent drama, adjusting to my new life as a single dad to an amazing little boy and enjoying my beast of Mach 1.  It is fast and it handles so well that I can use all of my power, which is a great thing.  I will post my specs when I have a little more time. For now, here are some pics of my build and the sleeping beast.

























how to upload photos to internet

My build was originally going to be a matter of getting my car running so I could move out. I quickly realized it would take almost the same effort and money to do a quality build. Thankfully I came to this realization early in the build. My goal was to put the engine power in an area I could actually use which meant knowing the limitations of the parts available at the time and the pains versus gains. I also wanted to achieve a good balance between all aspects of the car.

Here is my build.

Engine: 440 hp 408 lp/ft

351C with Australian 2V iron heads stock size valves, Holley HP series 750 CFM 4150, Custom hydraulic roller cam with matching springs, lifters, retainers, Screw in ARP studs. Comp Cams gold rockers, Edelbrock RPM air gap Performer intake, hypereutectic pistons, high volume oil pump, stock rods and crank, Moroso windage tray and oil pan, Pioneer balancer, MSD billet/low profile distributor, MSD 6AL2 box, MSD coil, K&N 14x3 inch air cleaner

Transmission:

TKO 600 conversion which bolted up with no cutting, McLeod 26 spline clutch disc and pressure plate, Hurst 10 inch shift lever with Hurst T handle, stock Z-bar with custom clutch linkage rods and solid rod ends (no clutch linkage play….at all) and stock flywheel

Rear end:

Moser 31 spline axles, Truetrac differential with 3.75 gears

Front suspension:

Moog R series upper and lower arms, solid strut rod, Scott Drake 1" lowering coils w/ 3/4 urethane spacer, QA1 non-adjustable shocks, 1 1/8 sway bar, black rock 997 15x7 wheels, bfGoodrich 235/60-15 tires

Rear:

Scott Drake 5 leaf regular eye springs, QA1 non-adjustable shocks, Energy suspension urethane bushing kit, Total Control Products 3/4 adjustable rear sway bar, Traction Master bars, black rock 997 15/8 wheels, bfgoodrich 255/60-15 tires

Front brakes:

SSBC slotted stock replacement rotors with SSBC semi metallic pads, new stock replacement calipers from NPD, stainless braided flex hoses with matching rear hose (NPD), stainless custom bent hard lines, SSBC adjustable proportioning valve/distribution block, STOCK replacement master cylinder, GPS brand new 9" power booster

Rear Brakes:

SSBC A111-2 disc brake kit with slotted rotors, custom bent hard lines, Inline Tube stainless steel brake cable (inner cable on short piece 2 1/2" longer to accommodate brake kit)

Steering:

Quick ratio (14:1) steering box, rare parts pitman arm, Proforged severe duty idler arm, Moog ends on stock drag link.

Chassis:

Stock strut tower braces, Tin Man subframe connectors

Aero/Body:

NPD front air dam, NPD rear spoiler, window louvers (mostly for looks and heat control) but they do improve the aerodynamics.

The only thing I did not do myself was the engine rebuild. Every other thing on this car was done by my two hands, with basic tools, in a garage over the period of a year. My plan is to fabricate a strut tower brace with integrated monte carlo bar as well as reinforce the front upper and lower control arms for added security.

I did not go with front urethane bushings on the arm due to vibration control on bad roads being more of a priority than bushing deflection. My build was low cost but practical. I have been up to 90 mph and the car is very stable. It brakes straight and drives straight. The steering is not as quick as I would like but I am planning to address that in the near future. Regardless of this, the handling is great at both low speeds and high speeds.

The engine is more than lively and plays a symphony that warms gasoline bleeding hearts. The transmission is smooth, crisp and has a great mechanical feel. The only thing that would be considered an issue is it grinds slightly when I shift into reverse. To avoid this, I put it in first gear then into reverse. My goals were very high because of my love for speed and the type of cars driven through the years and I am very thankful I exceeded them.

Overall, I love driving my Mach 1. It handles great, sounds amazing and more importantly, I am very happy with the results which exceeded my expectations. I am more than happy to go into greater detail about any part of my build. Along the way there were doubts and difficult days, but I stayed focused, visited the forums here and reminded myself of why I was doing it. I would not have had the success I accomplished without the answers and motivation I found here. Once again, thank you to everyone and I hope to be helpful to you all now and in the future.

Nice job Otto!!

Respect!

:run_horse:   keep going   :run_horse:

Looks evil, great job and the suspension setup and driveline sounds nice

Looks great! Nice job.