’71 Mach 1 Resto Project

[tpj71mach]

Nothing fits like OEM, and those look nice enough. Plus you won't be paranoid about damaging them.

Looking good!

Thank you! You're right I am confident these OE panels will fit better than the reproductions would have.

I just noticed that you're in Southeast Michigan? I drove past your place on my way from Chicago to Saginaw Mi to pick these door panels up, haha.

 

[tpj71mach]

I installed the door panels now that I am done cleaning them up and it really makes the interior feel complete, finally. I still need to reupholster the seats over the winter but at least there aren't any major components missing anymore. I will need to get over to Eastwood and buy some SEM Landau black to paint the inside door handle cups and install them and then the door panel project will be completed.

I intended to take her for a ride today as the forecast called for no rain. After installing the door panels, I got in and hit the garage door opener, started her up. I looked in the rear view mirror only to see that it had started raining while I was in the garage working on her, maybe tomorrow, haha,

 

[tpj71mach]

I painted the inside door handle cups and installed them yesterday so the door panel project is officially done.

I took it out and drove it to celebrate, it rained Sunday morning early so the streets were still a little damp in some places but it was worth it. I drove 67 miles yesterday, all over and then wiped it down when I got back home. The car has crossed over the 500 miles mark since I got it running and assembled. I am hoping to get a few more miles on it before the snow starts to fly and I need to store it away for the winter. After it enters hibernation, the radio is coming out to send out for internal upgrades and then I will remove the seats and will reupholster them. By spring, I am hoping it is "done" and ready to simply drive and enjoy.

 

[tpj71mach]

As long as the only channel my stock radio gets clearly has switched (too early) to 24 hours Christmas, I thought it was a good time to take the radio out and have it upgraded to modern innards. I am having it upgraded to a four channel x 45W integrated amp, a sub woofer output, blue tooth, hands free, all the good stuff.

When I comes back it will still look like this



But it will sound like this, haha.

 

[Sheriff41]

Who are you using for your upgrade?

 

[tpj71mach]

Who are you using for your upgrade?

I am using a guy near my house, Ralph the Radio Guy, in Bartlett IL. He works out of his house about 35 minutes from my house. I had one of my other radios upgraded a few years back with Aurora Design components and was very happy with the results. I reached out to the company that did my other radio and they told me that they were backed up and were over 10 months out. I looked at the Aurora Design website and Ralph was listed as one of their certified dealers. I called and spoke with him a few times and got a good feeling about him. He said I could drop off the radio at his house to save the shipping cost and see his operation. He told me that when it is completed in 5-6 weeks when I can pick it up and he will hook it up on his work bench and show me how it works and sync my phone to show it all works before I pay.

 

[tpj71mach]

Three years later, here is a picture of my Mustang on 11/29/2021 just after it arrived from Las Vegas, and here it is today 11/29/2024

 

[cv_72mustang]

Awesome!

 

[rio1856]

Outstanding!!!!

 

[Paul Schmidt]

Three years later, here is a picture of my Mustang on 11/29/2021 just after it arrived from Las Vegas, and here it is today 11/29/2024

View attachment 95630View attachment 95631

Holy crap man. That is outstanding. Nicely done.
-PBR

 

[beejman]

Night and day brother!!

 

[tpj71mach]

Just trying to take care of a few little things that I have the parts for but hadn't gotten around to doing yet. I plan to drive the car around a bit today to work the Stabil in to the fuel system and carb. After that it will be tucked in to the corner of the garage and covered for its winter hibernation.

Yesterday evening, I trimmed the trunk floor mat and installed it. Not a big change but always nice to get any part off the shelf and on the car, haha.

 

[tpj71mach]

I received my Christmas gift to myself yesterday and had to put it on the car right away. I have these on my other cars also, I like having the correct year license plate with my choice of letters on it. It was just a bonus that 1971 Illinois plates happened to be white with black accents, sounds familiar, haha.

 

[Sheriff41]

I received my Christmas gift to myself yesterday and had to put it on the car right away. I have these on my other cars also, I like having the correct year license plate with my choice of letters on it. It was just a bonus that 1971 Illinois plates happened to be white with black accents, sounds familiar, haha.

View attachment 95798View attachment 95799

That's perfect!

 

[beejman]

Love it my guy...... I just ordered "3 MACH" extended antique plates for my 73'

 

[Ian]

i'm a newbie to this forum also. This is a great forum to get advice and explore choices suggested by the members. I'm getting alot of help here. Welcome from AZ.

 

[Ian]

BTW great job with the body !

 

[cjstaci]

License plate is frosting on the cake!

 

[tpj71mach]

Sunday was 54 degrees and clear and in Chicago in December, 54 degrees and clear is downright balmy, ha-ha.

I felt I needed to take the car out for a ride, maybe the last of the year? I took the Mustang out for a nice little 30-minute cruise, just listening to the music (sent radio out for upgrade already) that my Cleveland and Magna-Flows were making. I told my wife; "man, I love this car" and she replied, "you love all of your cars" and I was like no, not like this one. It just fits me better; I am more at home in this car after just the few months since I got it operational than others I have owned for years.

We stopped at a park near my house and took a couple pics just before sunset.



I think the color really looked awesome in the near sunset lighting. You can get a better fell that although it is white, it has very little but enough black and yellow in it, so that the body lines don't get washed out like some whites do. Ford got that one right for sure, that's probably why it has been offered in so many years and on so many of their models.

 

[70cobrascj]

Thanks, TBH they look better in the pics than in real life but they will do, at least for now.
As Sheriff stated, they will be much more welcoming for passengers than Wimbledon White steel is, but at least it is clean freshly painted steel, haha.

View attachment 94978

I originally planned on installing reproductions. Unfortunately, as it usually happens towards the end of my projects, Mama starts to complain about the spending, even though she really has no idea what I invest in these cars(probably best that she doesn't), she is aware it is substantial. I have to slow down on the parts buying briefly and let her ruffled feathers smooth down for a bit. This gives her some time to buy some crap she doesn't need for a bit and then I am back off the leash for a while, haha.
The reproduction panels alone are $974.00 for the better quality ones from NPD. I needed new inserts($300), handles($90 each), retaining clips($25), lock knob ferrules($10)speaker grilles($90), which was around $1600 plus tax. I knew my wife wasn't ready for that right now, so I wanted to find a decent set of used ones, at least temporarily. I am currently saving my pennies to order all of the seat covers and foams, so I can reupholster the seats over the winter yet, so new door panels was not a fight I wanted fight at this point, haha.

Hey Rick@NPD, can you help a poor kid from the southside of Chicago, just trying to make it in this cruel hard world, out with a coupon? LOL

Paint looks amazing!
Do you know if 72 white is slightly different then 71 white?
It looks like the code changed from M in 71 to 9A in 72.
Your pictures of when you first finished it look slightly off white as what I believe Wimbledon white is supposed to look like.
This pic of you door looks white white.
Just curious as white is one of my choices to paint mine.
Thanks.