1971 Mach l Restoration

[Cobra2572]

Hello,

I am assuming this is your first 71-73 mustang to restore or build. When you pulled the carpet and sound deadening out did you look for the build sheet? It is usually somewhere under there and tells everything installed on your car a very important piece of dirty paper. If you do not know what it is do a search here and take a look at one.

As a couple have already said the interior parts are very difficult to locate and NOS is not out there except with a fat check book. I have someone that might have some green interior parts but they were for the fold down rear seat.

You should start your search on the interior parts now and not wait until you need them NEVER NEVER throw anything away. You can get repo door panels but they do not come with any of the stainless strips, speaker grills, no wood grain insert no pulls and no hard plastic parts. You get just the plastic panel and I understand they suck. People do crash these cars and they do go up for sale with great interiors you have to search for them.

Before you go cutting out the floor be sure you have watched lots of videos on the subject and that you have sufficiently braced the body to prevent bending. You also need to have a frame work to sit the car on to hold into position while installing. Do not take the doors off during floor install. You need to check the fit of the doors to see if the body has sagged. You might even go ahead and put new pins and bushings in the hinges before doing the floors. I myself would have taken the car to a frame shop first thing to have it pulled to correct dimensions before doing anything. They bend during use and especially with lots of rust. The top will get buckles in it that you cannot get out without putting extra roof bracing in to hold the roof up.

I am all for people doing their own work but do your research and wade into the pool slowly or you will be like some I have seen that ended up being junk.

Keep the pictures coming,

David

David,

Thanks for the advice. This is an interesting car in that the main structure of the car is pretty well intact. The doors, fenders, and rockers are pretty much rust free. The frame is quite solid. The doors shut surprisingly well and the top is perfectly straight. When I replace the floor I will put jack stands under everything and make sure the car is level. My plan is to replace the floor one side at a time and leave as much of the transmission tunnel in place as is possible. The immediate problem is that I can't seem to find a floor section to go under the rear seat. I bought this as a long term project to keep me active. I owned and operated a body shop for about 18 years in OH so I'm not unfamiliar with rust. My corporate job paid more though. Stay in touch and let me know when I'm going wrong. This car will never see Barret-Jackson. I just want it to be safe and pretty. I have attached a picture of a 66 GT that I restored in the 80's.

Dave

 

[tony-muscle]

David,

Thanks for the advice. This is an interesting car in that the main structure of the car is pretty well intact. The doors, fenders, and rockers are pretty much rust free. The frame is quite solid. The doors shut surprisingly well and the top is perfectly straight. When I replace the floor I will put jack stands under everything and make sure the car is level. My plan is to replace the floor one side at a time and leave as much of the transmission tunnel in place as is possible. The immediate problem is that I can't seem to find a floor section to go under the rear seat. I bought this as a long term project to keep me active. I owned and operated a body shop for about 18 years in OH so I'm not unfamiliar with rust. My corporate job paid more though. Stay in touch and let me know when I'm going wrong. This car will never see Barret-Jackson. I just want it to be safe and pretty. I have attached a picture of a 66 GT that I restored in the 80's.

Dave

I had the same problem of not finding the rear floor extension. They are simply not reproduced. However, i followed the advice of a fellow member and purchased a 66-70 extension. Specifically, this one from CJ, http://www.cjponyparts.com/mr-mustang-floor-extension-rear-driver-side-1966-1970/p/M151L/?year=1970&gclid=CJ7vpbjhtMoCFQiKaQodOEUFHQ .

The size and fitment is 90%, but not OEM. There are some slight differences where it meets the floor pan. But nothing that it cant be fixed. I am currently working on this and i think it will look very close.

1971 M-code Mach 1

 

[Cobra2572]

David,

Thanks for the advice. This is an interesting car in that the main structure of the car is pretty well intact. The doors, fenders, and rockers are pretty much rust free. The frame is quite solid. The doors shut surprisingly well and the top is perfectly straight. When I replace the floor I will put jack stands under everything and make sure the car is level. My plan is to replace the floor one side at a time and leave as much of the transmission tunnel in place as is possible. The immediate problem is that I can't seem to find a floor section to go under the rear seat. I bought this as a long term project to keep me active. I owned and operated a body shop for about 18 years in OH so I'm not unfamiliar with rust. My corporate job paid more though. Stay in touch and let me know when I'm going wrong. This car will never see Barret-Jackson. I just want it to be safe and pretty. I have attached a picture of a 66 GT that I restored in the 80's.

Dave

I had the same problem of not finding the rear floor extension. They are simply not reproduced. However, i followed the advice of a fellow member and purchased a 66-70 extension. Specifically, this one from CJ, http://www.cjponyparts.com/mr-mustang-floor-extension-rear-driver-side-1966-1970/p/M151L/?year=1970&gclid=CJ7vpbjhtMoCFQiKaQodOEUFHQ .

The size and fitment is 90%, but not OEM. There are some slight differences where it meets the floor pan. But nothing that it cant be fixed. I am currently working on this and i think it will look very close.

1971 M-code Mach 1

Thanks for the link. I was actually leaning that direction. Does my plan for the floor replacement sound reasonable?

 

[tony-muscle]

David,

Thanks for the advice. This is an interesting car in that the main structure of the car is pretty well intact. The doors, fenders, and rockers are pretty much rust free. The frame is quite solid. The doors shut surprisingly well and the top is perfectly straight. When I replace the floor I will put jack stands under everything and make sure the car is level. My plan is to replace the floor one side at a time and leave as much of the transmission tunnel in place as is possible. The immediate problem is that I can't seem to find a floor section to go under the rear seat. I bought this as a long term project to keep me active. I owned and operated a body shop for about 18 years in OH so I'm not unfamiliar with rust. My corporate job paid more though. Stay in touch and let me know when I'm going wrong. This car will never see Barret-Jackson. I just want it to be safe and pretty. I have attached a picture of a 66 GT that I restored in the 80's.

Dave

I had the same problem of not finding the rear floor extension. They are simply not reproduced. However, i followed the advice of a fellow member and purchased a 66-70 extension. Specifically, this one from CJ, http://www.cjponyparts.com/mr-mustang-floor-extension-rear-driver-side-1966-1970/p/M151L/?year=1970&gclid=CJ7vpbjhtMoCFQiKaQodOEUFHQ .

The size and fitment is 90%, but not OEM. There are some slight differences where it meets the floor pan. But nothing that it cant be fixed. I am currently working on this and i think it will look very close.

1971 M-code Mach 1

Thanks for the link. I was actually leaning that direction. Does my plan for the floor replacement sound reasonable?

By no means I consider myself an expert in body work. This is my first go around. I have been doing the floors as you are describing, one at the time and not removing the tunnel. However, my floors had less rust, specially in the rear. Feel free to go over my floor thread, where a lot of the experts here have contributed and helped tremendously, http://www.7173mustangs.com/thread-muscletang-needs-new-floor-pans-advice . One thing I did was measure the squareness of the chassis and so far all good.

 

[Cobra2572]

Hi Dave,

A late welcome from me , Greg, from Brisbane, Australia.

I must say that project represents one hell of a challenge. If you don't mind me asking out of curiosity, what drew you to this particular car to start with?

Thanks,

Greg.

Greg,

It seemed cheap, was 351C 4V and not the least it was a 4 speed. In the end I may rethink the cheap part.

Hi again Dave,

Thanks for your reply. Well i'm glad you just mentioned about rethinking the cheap part. I was wondering if you have sat down at any stage, and done some serious costings as to what it would take to bring this car back to a good standard again. The basic breakdown takes in labor and parts of course. Looking at the labor side, it's a given you would save big money by doing all or most of the work yourself. If you start parting out the labor to tradesmen, the costs can add up fast.(around $100.00 per hour would it be?) In that respect, i don't know what you would plan to do. For example, would you do all the mechanical (engine, tranny, diff, brakes etc), and would you do all the body work(panel beating, welding, spray painting)? I'm a pro auto spray painter, and i'm very fortunate i can do bodywork and refinishing myself. But i know bodywork/ refinishing costs are very expensive these days.

On the parts side of the ledger, replacing parts is not a cheap affair either, whether they be repro or original. In your case it seems that you would probably end up replacing a large amount of parts for this project. Have you sat down and worked out what you intend to replace, and add up what that will come to?

Please don't misunderstand me, for i appreciate that there are guys out there that love the challenge of taking on a big resto job, and turning the car around into a showpiece or a very decent car. That's understood, but my focus is on the money side of things. I feel certain that the monies required to restore your car will well exceed the market value of the car when you have finished the project. That reality i know does not bother some folk and they are happy to end up being in that situation more or less.That's fair enough, but for you, ask yourself is that where you want to be financially when you end up finishing your resto.

In my case i ended up buying a 1973 Convertible 302 base model in very good original condition around mid 2011. The car initially cost me $30,000.00 Australian to purchase. I've replaced many original parts, and upgraded the car to a Mach 1 flavor feel. It now needs a respray to finish off the resto. I'l be doing that of course. I've kept every receipt in regards every dollar that i've spent on the car to date. In regards labor and parts costs, so far, i have gone about $15,000.00 Australian over budget. Buy that i mean, i've spent well over $15,000 over the asking price of what i could get for the car if i tried to sell it tomorrow. Do i have regrets? Yes i do in some ways, but even though that's money i'll never get back, what price can you put on the pleasure owning the car has bought me. That's priceless.

Any way, enough raving on from me. But have a think about your costings and see how you feel about the whole thing.::thumb::

All the best,

Greg.

Greg,

Thanks for the advice. I bought the car for $2600 US or about $3800 AU. Probably the parts are worth that. Similar to you, I owned and operated an auto body shop in Ohio for many years. That area is part of what is known as "the Rust Belt" for good reason. Cars can rust quickly and excessively. One major aspect of the car is to keep me active so I don't rust. The costs have been well considered and I don't plan to have much of the work parceled out. I will learn new things, like rebuilding drum brakes and wiring. I do not have a firm timeline but I'm guessing 3 years. Anything I do to the car, as long as it's done right, should add value. I know it's easy to get more into a car than what it's worth. Value can be a subjective measurement. If you have never seen the movie "Mr. Blanding Builds His Dream House" I recommend it. Some things you just build with your heart. I have attached a picture of a 66 Mustang GT that I restored back in the 80's. That one wasn't mine. For better or worse, this one is. Thanks again and stay in touch.

Dave

 

[Mister 4x4]

Dave,

Wow - I'm sorry I missed this thread when you initially started it. Greg and David are spot-on with their advice regarding developing a plan, getting a list together of the things you'll need, and making a decision on how best to go forward. Their information regarding expense just to spend is sound as well.

I don't know if you're familiar with my build or not, but believe it or not mine started out close to the same (if not a bit worse) condition than yours with a seized 351C-2V engine, blown FMX transmission, brake system, rusted-through front frame, bent crossmembers, rusted out trunk/floors/quarters/rockers/fenders/cowl/firewall, and a squirreled out interior (literally had the same collection of shells and poop you showed). My car's DSO was Lansing, MI (so, I know rust), and the car eventually found its way to Texas within the first 9 years of its running life (last registered in 1980) and was basically left to rot, which a wanna-be flipper found and sold it to me in 2010. I should've probably looked for a better starting point... but I didn't, and I'm glad I didn't, because I could've possibly gotten a better car, but you don't really know until you pull the whole thing apart anyway. Not to mention, my H-Code isn't a particularly valuable collector car, so turning into a restomod won't hurt any investment value down the road (not like I'd ever consider selling it, either).

Through all the rust repair, the only original [visible] sheet metal left is the roof, hood, upper quarters, and door skins. Everything else has pretty much been replaced or repaired. I wish they'd had some more of the repop parts available at the time (cowl pieces, full quarters, trunk corners, etc.), but I had a good donor available at a local salvage yard.

Expense-wise, I have over $40K into mine, including my original purchase price of $1600, a $5500 paint job, $8K in the engine, replacement parts, and some "restomod" & performance goodies... which is offset a little because I received some significant freebies (a complete AOD, for instance), as well as having gone in halfsies with another local member on a couple of parts cars (which provided some much needed "new" glass and seat frames). None of that counts labor, which would be considerable had I not done pretty much everything myself (paint & body, and media blasting aside). I also figured that paying myself a conservative $50/hour labor (since I'm not a professional restoration guru commanding the $100/hour Greg mentioned), I would have somewhere just south of $110K at almost 2,200 hours [WAG] into it... and I'm still not 'technically' done, but at least it's an actual car again.

Another big factor was the shop facilities I had at my disposal. I work on an Air Force base, and was able to use the Auto Hobby Shop for the bulk of my work, which is a fully-equipped shop lacking only a paint booth. Having the right tools is huge along with having the right place to work.

My point to all of this is that I also did pretty much what you're doing, and was up against a lot of the same things you're up against. One of the things that helped me the most was to keep a spreadsheet of everything I'd purchased, as well as a list of all the things I'd done to keep it all straight (and assign value). Taking lots of pictures along the way helped as well, not only to document the progress, but to aid in seeking advice. Which brings me to the biggest asset I had during my project - this site. We have the biggest and bar-none best collection of information, advice, cheerleaders, comrades, experts, etc., when it comes to all things '71-'73 Mustangs.

Finally, don't let anyone talk you out of doing what you want just because they wouldn't do it themselves - that's another of the biggest motivators I had: determination (since there were so many people along the way [none of them here] who told me it wasn't worth it, it's too much work, beyond my [their] skills, or I'd give up eventually, etc.). They're eatin' crow right now, and I have an awesome car.

Good luck with it, and I hope you make the right decision for you and your purposes. ::thumb::

 

[Cobra2572]

Dave,

Wow - I'm sorry I missed this thread when you initially started it. Greg and David are spot-on with their advice regarding developing a plan, getting a list together of the things you'll need, and making a decision on how best to go forward. Their information regarding expense just to spend is sound as well.

I don't know if you're familiar with my build or not, but believe it or not mine started out close to the same (if not a bit worse) condition than yours with a seized 351C-2V engine, blown FMX transmission, brake system, rusted-through front frame, bent cross members, rusted out trunk/floors/quarters/rockers/fenders/cowl/firewall, and a squirreled out interior (literally had the same collection of shells and poop you showed). My car's DSO was Lansing, MI (so, I know rust), and the car eventually found its way to Texas within the first 9 years of its running life (last registered in 1980) and was basically left to rot, which a wanna-be flipper found and sold it to me in 2010. I should've probably looked for a better starting point... but I didn't, and I'm glad I didn't, because I could've possibly gotten a better car, but you don't really know until you pull the whole thing apart anyway. Not to mention, my H-Code isn't a particularly valuable collector car, so turning into a restomod won't hurt any investment value down the road (not like I'd ever consider selling it, either).

Through all the rust repair, the only original [visible] sheet metal left is the roof, hood, upper quarters, and door skins. Everything else has pretty much been replaced or repaired. I wish they'd had some more of the repop parts available at the time (cowl pieces, full quarters, trunk corners, etc.), but I had a good donor available at a local salvage yard.

Expense-wise, I have over $40K into mine, including my original purchase price of $1600, a $5500 paint job, $8K in the engine, replacement parts, and some "restomod" & performance goodies... which is offset a little because I received some significant freebies (a complete AOD, for instance), as well as having gone in halfsies with another local member on a couple of parts cars (which provided some much needed "new" glass and seat frames). None of that counts labor, which would be considerable had I not done pretty much everything myself (paint & body, and media blasting aside). I also figured that paying myself a conservative $50/hour labor (since I'm not a professional restoration guru commanding the $100/hour Greg mentioned), I would have somewhere just south of $110K at almost 2,200 hours [WAG] into it... and I'm still not 'technically' done, but at least it's an actual car again.

Another big factor was the shop facilities I had at my disposal. I work on an Air Force base, and was able to use the Auto Hobby Shop for the bulk of my work, which is a fully-equipped shop lacking only a paint booth. Having the right tools is huge along with having the right place to work.

My point to all of this is that I also did pretty much what you're doing, and was up against a lot of the same things you're up against. One of the things that helped me the most was to keep a spreadsheet of everything I'd purchased, as well as a list of all the things I'd done to keep it all straight (and assign value). Taking lots of pictures along the way helped as well, not only to document the progress, but to aid in seeking advice. Which brings me to the biggest asset I had during my project - this site. We have the biggest and bar-none best collection of information, advice, cheerleaders, comrades, experts, etc., when it comes to all things '71-'73 Mustangs.

Finally, don't let anyone talk you out of doing what you want just because they wouldn't do it themselves - that's another of the biggest motivators I had: determination (since there were so many people along the way [none of them here] who told me it wasn't worth it, it's too much work, beyond my [their] skills, or I'd give up eventually, etc.). They're eatin' crow right now, and I have an awesome car.

Good luck with it, and I hope you make the right decision for you and your purposes. ::thumb::

Eric,

Thanks for the encouragement. I bought the car as a project. I'm keeping a folder of all the expenditures and will probably transfer them to a spreadsheet this weekend while we're potentially snowed in. About two inches down here usually does it. As stated earlier, I have quite a lot of experience with body and paint, I have the tools and I have a decent garage. Most of all my wife encouraged me to do this. I might as well dump 40K in the car. Might get a better return than I'm getting in my 401K anyway. The one thing I can't seem to find is the floor section under the rear seat. If there happens to be one lying around Texas somewhere, I would be interested in hearing about it. Congratulations on a great looking car. The feeling of accomplishment has to be priceless.

Dave

 

[Austin Vert]

Hey Dave,

Thanks for your feedback. Sounds like you're well and truely on the case with the whole thing. Great that you have all that body shop background too. That will save you thousands.

It looks like you are going to do your sums and keep an eye on your costings.I see with your plan of attack that it will be a long term hobby project which should bring you much enjoyment and satisfaction over time.

As Eric has said, you'll find some good guys here that really know their stuff, and can help you if needs be. Check out Don from Ohio Mustang for parts/hard to get parts and good advice. There are other parts vendors in the Forum as well.(go to Forum page)

Anyway, keep us posted as you go. That will be interesting and fun. Don't forget to take some pics as you go. They end up being priceless. All the very best for the project, and stay safe when you're on the job

Greg.

 

[Mister 4x4]

No worries, Dave, and thanks for the kind words! Holy Cow, I just noticed that you are in Lynchburg - my SIL and her family live in Drakes Branch and Farmville (rest of the in-laws live in or around Sumter, SC). Meaning, I'll keep tabs and might be able to swing a visit when we visit sometime this year.

I believe I suggested to Tony that using the earlier model piece for under the seats is the way to go. I actually used the same piece(s) I suggested to him under mine and it worked well enough. You can see it on the passenger side toward the top of the pic. Took a little bit of tweaking, but it worked.

 

[Cobra2572]

No worries, Dave, and thanks for the kind words! Holy Cow, I just noticed that you are in Lynchburg - my SIL and her family live in Drakes Branch and Farmville (rest of the in-laws live in or around Sumter, SC). Meaning, I'll keep tabs and might be able to swing a visit when we visit sometime this year.

I believe I suggested to Tony that using the earlier model piece for under the seats is the way to go. I actually used the same piece(s) I suggested to him under mine and it worked well enough. You can see it on the passenger side toward the top of the pic. Took a little bit of tweaking, but it worked.

Eric,

I like the floor. Does the rear sections that you used have the seat bracket attached or did you have to add/move it into the proper position? Thanks for the pictures. This gives me a visualization of what's coming. It would be nice of you to drop by if you get to the area. You'll have a place to stay in Lynchburg. I have a cousin that lives in Plano and have been to San Antonio a few times for customer visits (Toyota Plant) and may be coming to Houston at some point but it looks like I'd still be a day away from San Angelo.

Dave

Hey Dave,

Thanks for your feedback. Sounds like you're well and truely on the case with the whole thing. Great that you have all that body shop background too. That will save you thousands.

It looks like you are going to do your sums and keep an eye on your costings.I see with your plan of attack that it will be a long term hobby project which should bring you much enjoyment and satisfaction over time.

As Eric has said, you'll find some good guys here that really know their stuff, and can help you if needs be. Check out Don from Ohio Mustang for parts/hard to get parts and good advice. There are other parts vendors in the Forum as well.(go to Forum page)

Anyway, keep us posted as you go. That will be interesting and fun. Don't forget to take some pics as you go. They end up being priceless. All the very best for the project, and stay safe when you're on the job

Greg.

Greg,

You are correct about meeting great people. Just look at the posts I received. I will continue to look to you guys for encouragement and guidance such as you and Eric have so generously shared with me. This forum will undoubtedly play a large role in my restoration. I plan on making a personal visit to Don in the spring as my parents an in-laws live about an hour south of Don's business. Apparently I owe him a steak dinner. My company supplies material to Futuris Automotive in Campbellfield and Edinburgh Parks. I correspond with the Corporate Quality Manager in Melbourne who is a great individual. Another unlikely connection is Jason Day's wife. I don't know if you follow professional golf, but if you do you will know who he is. His wife is from Lucas, Ohio and I used to play against her dad in a softball league years ago. Small world.

I had the same problem of not finding the rear floor extension. They are simply not reproduced. However, i followed the advice of a fellow member and purchased a 66-70 extension. Specifically, this one from CJ, http://www.cjponyparts.com/mr-mustang-floor-extension-rear-driver-side-1966-1970/p/M151L/?year=1970&gclid=CJ7vpbjhtMoCFQiKaQodOEUFHQ .

The size and fitment is 90%, but not OEM. There are some slight differences where it meets the floor pan. But nothing that it cant be fixed. I am currently working on this and i think it will look very close.

1971 M-code Mach 1

Thanks for the link. I was actually leaning that direction. Does my plan for the floor replacement sound reasonable?

By no means I consider myself an expert in body work. This is my first go around. I have been doing the floors as you are describing, one at the time and not removing the tunnel. However, my floors had less rust, specially in the rear. Feel free to go over my floor thread, where a lot of the experts here have contributed and helped tremendously, http://www.7173mustangs.com/thread-muscletang-needs-new-floor-pans-advice . One thing I did was measure the squareness of the chassis and so far all good.

David,

Thanks for the link to the floor thread. I took a quick look and think this will be a great resource. I appreciate all the encouragement and guidance I have received so far from this site. And I've only been a member a couple of weeks.

Dave

 

[Mister 4x4]

No worries, Dave, and thanks for the kind words! Holy Cow, I just noticed that you are in Lynchburg - my SIL and her family live in Drakes Branch and Farmville (rest of the in-laws live in or around Sumter, SC). Meaning, I'll keep tabs and might be able to swing a visit when we visit sometime this year.

I believe I suggested to Tony that using the earlier model piece for under the seats is the way to go. I actually used the same piece(s) I suggested to him under mine and it worked well enough. You can see it on the passenger side toward the top of the pic. Took a little bit of tweaking, but it worked.

Eric,

I like the floor. Does the rear sections that you used have the seat bracket attached or did you have to add/move it into the proper position? Thanks for the pictures. This gives me a visualization of what's coming. It would be nice of you to drop by if you get to the area. You'll have a place to stay in Lynchburg. I have a cousin that lives in Plano and have been to San Antonio a few times for customer visits (Toyota Plant) and may be coming to Houston at some point but it looks like I'd still be a day away from San Angelo.

Dave

Yes, I harvested the seat and quarter trim panel brackets from the original sheet metal, measured their positions (beforehand, of course ), and replaced them after repairing the intermediate panel. There was also some damage above the torque boxes on both sides neither the new floor pan nor the intermediate panel covered, but those pieces are not complex, so fabbing up some patches from some similarly gauged sheet metal was easy enough. Now I wish I would've gotten some better pictures (before complete installation and application of the weld-thru primer). If you're wanting some more pictures, click on the link to my Facebook album in my signature below. There are over 350 pics in that album from start to current. Not for the faint of heart, but at least you won't feel as 'alone' in your endeavor.

Cool beans - I'll keep ya posted when we're in the area! ::thumb::

 

[Pastel Blue]

Interesting thread and in some way, similar to my current restoration project. If you are not familiar, it is a rare '71 429cj convertible that I have been updating the progress of on this site. I bought the car in June 2015 and started the restoration in September. The car was complete but rough from many years in the AZ sun and more importantly as it applies to my car; years of just sitting, the last 14 or so in a barn environment.

Being a vert, the entire interior will need redoing and/or replacement. I'll worry about that down the road... In the meantime it has been in the restoration shop since Dec 1st 2015. I am getting a good price at $78/hr, but it adds up... The car was put on a rotisserie and all aspects of the body were addressed as necessary. This included a new NOS rear tail light and front battery apron panels and the repair of two previous rear end hits on the passenger side. I saved $$ by stripping two previous paint jobs off and running parts for chemical stripping, picking up new parts in Buffalo (everything is shipped there, cheaper for me...

Fortunately, this car turned out to be very rust free which saved me at least 4 to 6 additional weeks of body prep work. It is currently having the body panels reinstalled for the first time as the final body prep portion before paint has begun. All in all, I expect about another 6 weeks before the final paint is completed. The car will be returned to me with the completely new and revitalized suspension installed ( which I spent countless hours procuring, refinishing, painting etc. I reused many of the original pieces where possible.

Moving forward, I will complete the installation of all electrical, mechanical and body pieces. The rarity of this car dictated two things: the purchase price, unrestored, was in the range of the low 40k US. I traded in a nice 73 vert as part of the final purchase price. However, like my Aussie friend on this board, the current state of the Cdn $ has hurt my bottom line big time. An approx. 40% premium on everything I buy or pay for out of the States for the car.

There is no doubt I will have many more $$$ in this car then it will be worth on the open market, once complete. However, the car should hold a good value over the long term. The initial purchase price was huge in the grand scheme of things, but as most on this board are aware, these cars just do not become available today - in complete unrestored, rust free and with 95% original parts. True, it would have been cheaper to buy one already finished, but I am at a stage in my life where I wanted another '71 to have a major hand in completing the restoration; it also had be rare, fast and a big block

I am completing those aspects of the restoration that I am capable of doing and I am paying the right people to help me for those areas I am not completely proficient in (i.e. body and paint). I also could have went cheaper on this aspect, but people in the know would never forgive me if I do not try to restore the car right, I am trying...

I have had many 71-3's over the years, this will be my last (at least from a total restoration perspective) and as I go into retirement next year, I will take this car once completed and enjoy for years to come.

We are all at different stages in life here, and we do our best on our cars given the individual circumstances we have to work with. Do your best and be happy with your car. Good luck and keep everyone posted here. Cheers

 

[Austin Vert]

Hi Ken,

Wow!, that's quite a story. It's amazing how much money you think you'll be putting into the project to bring the car to the finish line.

Obviously, obtaining and owning this rare car means a lot to you in many ways. I get that. I guess it will be one hell of a car when you're finished her. I too feel for my Canadian brothers paying out big money to import parts. The exchange rate is now so out of wack between Australia and the States, it's got to the stage where you just don't want to buy anything right now and import it in. Way too costly. So - $1.00 Au = 68cents American and $1.00 Canadian also = 68 American cents. NOT GOOD.:shootself::shootself::shootself::shootself:

But like i said to Dave before, keep us posted on your resto as well, and i hope you take many pics like Eric did with his resto. You'll be glad you did down the track for sure. So best of luck with the whole project from me.::thumb::

Greg.

 

[Cobra2572]

Interesting thread and in some way, similar to my current restoration project. If you are not familiar, it is a rare '71 429cj convertible that I have been updating the progress of on this site. I bought the car in June 2015 and started the restoration in September. The car was complete but rough from many years in the AZ sun and more importantly as it applies to my car; years of just sitting, the last 14 or so in a barn environment.

Being a vert, the entire interior will need redoing and/or replacement. I'll worry about that down the road... In the meantime it has been in the restoration shop since Dec 1st 2015. I am getting a good price at $78/hr, but it adds up... The car was put on a rotisserie and all aspects of the body were addressed as necessary. This included a new NOS rear tail light and front battery apron panels and the repair of two previous rear end hits on the passenger side. I saved $$ by stripping two previous paint jobs off and running parts for chemical stripping, picking up new parts in Buffalo (everything is shipped there, cheaper for me...

Fortunately, this car turned out to be very rust free which saved me at least 4 to 6 additional weeks of body prep work. It is currently having the body panels reinstalled for the first time as the final body prep portion before paint has begun. All in all, I expect about another 6 weeks before the final paint is completed. The car will be returned to me with the completely new and revitalized suspension installed ( which I spent countless hours procuring, refinishing, painting etc. I reused many of the original pieces where possible.

Moving forward, I will complete the installation of all electrical, mechanical and body pieces. The rarity of this car dictated two things: the purchase price, unrestored, was in the range of the low 40k US. I traded in a nice 73 vert as part of the final purchase price. However, like my Aussie friend on this board, the current state of the Cdn $ has hurt my bottom line big time. An approx. 40% premium on everything I buy or pay for out of the States for the car.

There is no doubt I will have many more $$$ in this car then it will be worth on the open market, once complete. However, the car should hold a good value over the long term. The initial purchase price was huge in the grand scheme of things, but as most on this board are aware, these cars just do not become available today - in complete unrestored, rust free and with 95% original parts. True, it would have been cheaper to buy one already finished, but I am at a stage in my life where I wanted another '71 to have a major hand in completing the restoration; it also had be rare, fast and a big block

I am completing those aspects of the restoration that I am capable of doing and I am paying the right people to help me for those areas I am not completely proficient in (i.e. body and paint). I also could have went cheaper on this aspect, but people in the know would never forgive me if I do not try to restore the car right, I am trying...

I have had many 71-3's over the years, this will be my last (at least from a total restoration perspective) and as I go into retirement next year, I will take this car once completed and enjoy for years to come.

We are all at different stages in life here, and we do our best on our cars given the individual circumstances we have to work with. Do your best and be happy with your car. Good luck and keep everyone posted here. Cheers

Congratulations on a very rare car and your approaching retirement. We may both have TV cars. Yours could be on Restoration Garage and mine could be on Junkyard Empire.

 

[Pastel Blue]

Last thing I would be involved with, TV cars... that is not reality. Like you, just looking to bring back a rare Mustang to its former glory as best as I can. Congrats on your find and the work to date. It is a journey, but one you (we) can all take pride in.

 

[Mister 4x4]

I'm pretty sure he meant that if both your cars were on those 'restoration/flipper' shows that seem to be so popular these days, yours would be on the high-end show, and his would be 'reality-based' show. LOL

Now, as for "TV Cars" like you're thinking... I would LOVE to have a Coyote X, myself! ::thumb::