The road so far.....

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Joined
Oct 9, 2018
Messages
358
Reaction score
188
Location
Marysville Ohio
My Car
1971 Mach 1 - "Day 2" restoration; 351C/FMX, trick flow heads, roller cam conversion, CAA AC kit, upgraded springs/shocks & close-ratio steering box
Last October I brought this 71 Mach 1 home - Here is where I started:



I made a laundry list of things that needed fixed or addressed, as well as a few Nice-to-Haves" - The notable items included hood paint and some paint correction, Mach 1 decals, Finish the interior, and at a minimum, tune the engine (it was way out of whack).

Here is where I am today:



 I have taken tuning the current engine as far as possible, and have decided I will eventually need to swap the tired 351c out for a new one (block is on the stand as I type this).

Left to do:

New front seat covers/foam (black w/gray stripes). I just finished the rear.

The previous owner gave me disc brake spindles and hubs, and I want to do a front disc conversion

Go through the e-brake cables and make sure it is all intact -  it is at a minimum out of adjustment, so that will be part of my brake project this summer.

Finish this:



It now has the intake and water pump on, plus have sourced most of the extras I need to move ahead - Now just to find time to Git-R-Done.... but I guess that's the hard part.

 
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Very nice, I like the alum. slot wheels. Ryan

 
Thanks for the positive responses - I appreciate the feedback. Working on the striped seat covers over the next few days. I am hoping I can get to the engine swap in the next month, but that is up in the air.

I will post more on that when it happens.

 
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Your car is very sharp looking, really like the black. Good luck with it, hopefully no more problems.

To bad you didn’t see all the threads about the hood paint though.
On the hood paint, I did see the posts you are refering to - however, I did not specify the measurements from the front of the hood with the painter, and to be honest, I am just not worried about it. This car isn't factory correct, and never will be - so not really an issue for me. I appreciate the feedback all the same.

 
Your car is very sharp looking, really like the black. Good luck with it, hopefully no more problems.

To bad you didn’t see all the threads about the hood paint though.
On the hood paint, I did see the posts you are refering to - however, I did not specify the measurements from the front of the hood with the painter, and to be honest, I am just not worried about it. This car isn't factory correct, and never will be - so not really an issue for me. I appreciate the feedback all the same.
Ok, not trying to knock you or your car. The painter should have maybe researched it a bit, but it still looks good.

 
71coop,

That is a great looking ride and your sure making some positive progress so far. Black just looks so good on these cars, sad it wasn't continued into the 72-73 model year as a RPO (Regular Production Option). I realize fit, finish and quality of the sheet metal work then was light years away from what we see coming out of Flat Rock Assembly now. Black is an unforgiving color if you have any imperfections in sheet metal or prep work, no matter how small. That slick looking body along with the period correct alum slot wheels sure gives it that bad A$$ look we were all striving for!!  

The appearance of your Mach 1 sure reflects the quality of your work!   ::thumb::

 
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Secluff and others - Thanks, but I have to admit the quality of the body, especially the straightness of it, is the previous owner's contribution. The paint was in need of some TLC when I got the car, but it was on a good, straight body.

I am trying to wrap up a job that was only really a little more than half-way done, while making the car my own. The mechanical stuff is where I have the most experience, so looking forward to a new engine.

jpaz - no worries, the "incorrectness" of the hood paint is as much on me as my painter - I didn't go out of my way to tell him - but as I said, it's not something I am worried about. All in all, the painter did a good job especially bringing that existing black paint back to life.

 
Secluff and others - Thanks, but I have to admit the quality of the body, especially the straightness of it, is the previous owner's contribution. The paint was in need of some TLC when I got the car, but it was on a good, straight body.

I am trying to wrap up a job that was only really a little more than half-way done, while making the car my own. The mechanical stuff is where I have the most experience, so looking forward to a new engine.

jpaz - no worries, the "incorrectness" of the hood paint is as much on me as my painter - I didn't go out of my way to tell him - but as I said, it's not something I am  worried about. All in all, the painter did a good job especially bringing that existing black paint back to life.
That’s cool, as long as you are happy with it, that’s all that matters.

 
Will you do the hockey stick stripes in argent silver as well?

very nice btw
Thanks - I considered the hockey stripes - I actually agonized over it quite a bit - but after looking at some of the cars with and without, I decided to leave them off for now.  I figured if I change my mind, I can add them later. Right now I'm kinda digging the "clean" look.

 
I started the last of the seat upholstery this week - It had newer decent black seat covers from TMI, but I wanted to add something that complemented the black/silver color scheme of the car. The seat covers had also been installed over original foam, and I wanted to firm up the feel.

Old seat (please excuse the brake hardware on the floor, I was also sorting through old parts this week):



Here is the re-covered drivers seat in the car - New TMI covers and foam:



Not sure I'll get the last one done this weekend, but should have it by midweek.

 
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Thanks, I appreciate that very much.

Last month I got the engine in and am getting pretty close on dialing in the timing and carb setup. I put around 200 miles on it last weekend, and took it to the Columbus Good Guys show this weekend. She really did well on the road.





 
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