1971 Mach 1 Marti Report

[sciabola13]

Here is my report.  The car is being delivered in two days, I am excited!  Please feel free to help me decode this.  The car has been media blasted and primed, so the original exterior paint is gone.  Once I get her and start investigating, I am sure I will have more questions.

Thanks!

Jeff

 

[Mister 4x4]

Looks like a fairly standard-optioned car for the southwest - A/C, and not much more.  White paint, standard ginger interior, no Ram Air, Mach 1 package. 

The good thing is that you can pretty much do what you want with the car - it's 'just' an H-Code (351C-2V), which is the second lowest power-output engine.  The 3.00:1 rear gears and FMX behind 245hp make for a good 'cruizing' car (you're not going to smoke anybody off the line with those rear gears).

Those Magnums are most likely added-on by a previous owner, since they're not called out on the Marti Report - the car most likely came with Corporate caps & rings ("dog dish" hubcaps).  Check the doors and upper rocker panel area for mounting holes/pins for rocker molding.  If there are none, then your car might've had the hockey stripes - or, they could've been filled in as the car went into primer.  Either way, you're at the point of deciding your own fate regarding adding options and additional items.

Now, you need to decide what you want to do with it.  Do you want a faithfully restored car, or a restomod customized to your liking, or something in between?  That decision will guide your way toward reassembly.  If you plan on showing the car at Mustang Club of America events and competing for MCA awards, I believe you can have any/all factory options on the car, whether they came so equipped or not, depending on which category you choose to compete in.  If you just want a cool car and have something specific in mind, the sky's the limit.

I chose to customize mine with hidden creature comforts (I added A/C, power windows, power locks, car alarm/keyless entry, back-up camera, big stereo, upgraded lighting, upgraded stock-appearing seating & interior, AOD transmission, engine performance goodies, etc.) and period-correct cosmetic mods (Cragar S/S rims, staggered sized wheels & tires, Lakewood traction bars, louvers, etc.).  Anything I've done to my car can easily be undone if I decide to revert back to stock, with the exception of the aftermarket HVAC, AOD, and engine performance goodies.

It's your car - build it how you like!  ::thumb::

 

[sciabola13]

Thanks for looking it over! This car definitely is going to be driven on a regular basis. I am pretty happy with the flexibility I feel I have on this project. So many possibilities!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[rackerm]

Looking at the Marti report, I noticed a 7 month gap between the release date and the sold date. Is this typical for a "Stock" vehicle sold thru a dealership? I assume the sold date is the date when the dealer sold the car to its first owner?

 

[secluff]

The sold date is the date the car was actually delivered to the retail customer and reported to Ford. That's also when the warranty coverage starts so the customer has full warranty coverage from the first day of his ownership regardless of when it was built or how long the car has set on the lot.

Normally when ordering new cars there is provision for dealers to order "Demo" cars so they are billed to the dealer in a different manner. Sometimes they will pull a vehicle off the lot that is of particular interest to a dealer staff member or is just not getting any lot interest and let Ford know it is being placed into Demo service. Dealers have to pay a "Floor Plan" on vehicles (sorta like a monthly payment) to Ford Credit or a bank  on every car on their lot. So one that just sets and becomes a "Lot Queen" is costly.

The gap seems to indicate that, since the sale date is around the same time the dealer would start receiving the new 72's and the 71 could be sold at a substantial discount as a demo car.