Mecum Boss 351

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Crummy 2 spoke steering wheel. 

The wheels don't look original to me because of they hump on them.  

The BOSS 351 on the trunk is scratched, the Pony Gas Tank cap isn't straight.

LOSE THAT DISGUSTING DEALER EMBLEM ON THE TRUNK.

Rear bumper looks chinese.

The stripes on both sides are no where near straight.  The drivers side door looks like the hinges have worn out.

NO RIGHT SIDE MIRROR...are you kidding me?   Didn't every Boss come with a right side mirror?

And what is the chain thingy hanging under the car, kind of beneath the drivers seat?

I would be curious to know if the buyer actually looked at the car.

 
to each their own, but what happens at the ford plant after 2 on Fridays , or before 2 on Mondays for that matter could explain most of what you pointed out. Given that the factory would be open about 50 weeks a year I'd hazard a guess that over 71-73 only about 150 perfect mustangs were ever produced, likely between 10 am and 2 pm on Tuesdays :) lol

 
LOL, Ford was not trying to make a perfect car and they still are not. When you have less than two minutes to do your part of the build it is where the stripe falls not using a laser and spending all day to put a side stripe on.

I laughed the other day on one of the shows on Velocity they were saying the waves in the quarter panel to roof on a 72 Mach 1 were caused by jumping the car, lol. They were all wavy when new. Then they proceeded to lift the car incorrectly.

A Mach 1 was just over $3,000 back then. They were throw away cars even the boss cars were usually less than $4,000. They were just another car going down the line.

The only cars that got any special attention were the ones called "Show Units" They made 95 in 1971, 68 in 1972 & 45 in 1973. They probably did a little better on the paint would be about all they did better on.

I have an all original 73 and the side stripes do not even wrap around the edges of the fenders and doors and are very crooked. I think the hood black out is 7/16" out of center of the hood. Nobody cared about that back then. The fit of a  panel or how perfect the paint is today does not make the vehicle any better.

People are demanding they have better fit and finish and runs the costs up but does nothing for the quality or value of the vehicle. I would take the quality and fit and finish and prices from back then any day over what they offer today. Drive it off the showroom and it drops $15,000 in one day now, lol. People are idiots in there perception of quality.

Nice car I will take it, lol.

Oh btw you remember Jacky Jones Ford use to put them away all the time and still does. He had a Boss 9 that had never been titled at one time but sold to Perkins. He has I think three of the new Cobra Jet factory race car Mustangs in his warehouse now never driven except to load and unload from factory. There are more cars like this out there for sure.

David

 
Stunning car, in Calypso Coral paint no less!!  WOW!!

BTW: The description says that the car was ordered without the color keyed dual racing mirrors.

It's nice to see 71-73's getting some much deserved respect on the auction block.

 
Nice car, but sure is more than I've got in my piggy bank. Great price if your selling one, not so much if you want one!

Agree with Wolverine on the steering wheel. It's a Pinto sourced part that was the standard steering wheel for the base Pinto and Maverick. Fine for them but not quite the wheel I would want to see in something as sporty as the Mustang. But when showing a  Concours Gold level car I understand the need to stay with this style wheel. Perkins evidently  understands also as I've seen some of these wheels on his E-Bay auctions go for more than a Deluxe three spoke wheel! (Anyone remember his $8,500.00 71 Boss carburetor)?

Since the color on this car is not a RPO (Regular Production Option) it was considered a  special order and would have a series of 4-5 numbers after the DSO code. It appears to be (depending on the car/truck line) Competition Orange, Calypso Coral, or just plain Coral. Ford liked to give multiple names to the same paint color to keep us confused. As David had explained in an earlier post, the mirrors were pre-painted by the mirror supplier to Ford in the standard colors for each vehicle line. Since the orange color was not offered as a standard 71 Mustang color, the standard Dual Racing mirrors were deleted and a credit issued on the vehicle invoice. A standard left side chrome mirror was installed with nothing on the right side since there was not one available. Who needs a right side mirror on a car with a flat rear window anyway?!!

As far as build quality on these cars, it's just like David said. Some of the line workers only had seconds to perform their task. To most of them it didn't make any difference if installing a part on a F600 dump truck, a Country Squire station wagon, a Torino or Mustang. All they knew was there was an endless line of vehicles coming their way that were expected to be built and out the door that day! So the Boss probably got the same amount of attention as a plain no option  250 6cyl coupe. I've heard some of the same horror stories from my GM and Mopar friends after tearing down a car to restore. Missing welds, brackets etc, body panels that fit like they were made for an airplane instead of a car.

The Big Three assembly plants were a different world in the 60's through the 70's than what we have now. They were built as good as the technology was then. Now we have bar coded assembly steps at each station to make sure the right part goes on the right car. There are laser guided robots making precision measurements for fit and finish, even to the point of making sure the paint is the proper thickness on the entire car.     :)

 
lol david, by perfect I meant all the right parts and stuff about in the right place :)

gotta set the bar for standards in the right place

 
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LOL, the two bar Pinto wheel came stock in my Mach. Maybe I should eBay it just for kicks. Swapped mine that for a blue rim blow Cougar unit, which looks right at home, minus the cat emblem :)

 
If in good shape it sure wouldn't hurt to try. The majority of the Pinto style wheels were found in the entry level Pintos and Mavericks  which were considered throw away cars when at the end of their life cycle. They were never production installed in the Mercury line. Wasn't a big deal until 47 years later when your trying to find one for a concours restoration on a Boss 351, or a 429 car like Pastel Blue's.

I see where the "Person" I had mentioned earlier is selling a Magnum center wheel protector for $350.00. Probably cost Ford all of one cent each for this piece of plastic. I had some from three Magnum equipped Gran Torinos I owned, but couldn't begin to guess where they are now!  Lol

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LOL, the two bar Pinto wheel came stock in my Mach. Maybe I should eBay it just for kicks. Swapped mine that for a blue rim blow Cougar unit, which looks right at home, minus the cat emblem :)
You mean like this? The 73 vert I got off eBay came with a Cougar three spoke was going to sell on eBay, lol. Has the Mustang II dash clock in the console also. The PO father in law use to sell 71 - 73 parts and I bought a truck load from him as he had quit selling.

David

 
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