1972 Mustang conv - salvage Grand Rapids

[mach71351c]

Nothing beets a good parts car. Congrats.

 

[Carolina_Mountain_Mustangs]

Got to give a big thanks to Boss1Ray for posting the link to the car. Thanks so much you have saved me thousands in parts for sure.

Ok I left on Thursday to go get the car. I drove until I was a couple hours outside of Grand Rapids and pulled over for a couple hours sleep. The total round trip to get the car and to pick up the Towne Top removable hard top was 1,664 miles and I was back home Saturday by 9:00 am. Long way but it was worth it.

The car was a one owner they had all the paperwork when they sat down and wrote out what they wanted. The owner, Mullen family, were very sad about the crash. The driver that hit the rear had to swerve to keep from getting hit head on by another car and then knocked it into another stopped car.

The car was in great shape rust wise was a Zebart car so good in that area, receipt for Zebart service when it had 12 miles on the car. It probably could be fixed but it would cost more that the car is worth. I wanted the interior which is all original and in great shape except the drivers seat. The top is new and still has the original Ford rear glass. It still drives, drove it on the dolly and off the dolly when home. He had factory trailer hitch that he also gave me and the best surprise was the NOS still in the wrapper side trim that separates the black out from the body color and two NOS wheel lip moldings. They had just put new stainless dual exhaust and headers on the car a month before crash and had a valve job done also.

His brother bought the car for him through the Ford employee purchase plan and signed over to him when it arrived, paperwork included. The original window sticker is in the info and copy on this post. Every service or work preformed on the car had the paperwork in the file. The car is on it's fourth set of tires and the original spare is still in the trunk.

All of the original ownercard, owners manual and everything that came with the car was in the file.

I will leave the car together for now until garage is done then I can remove the interior and transfer to the 72 CJ vert I am doing. It will have a factory dash, seats and all the interior instead of repo.

When I was loading onto the dolly his wife came out and was having a tough time seeing it leave. Her husband ordered the car, they dated in the car, got married in the car, raised a family in the car and it was driven in his funeral procession when he passed away. She pointed to the Mustang script emblem on the drivers front fender and asked if she could have it. I said sure of course and we took it off and she went back in the house. I could tell part of her was leaving with the car.

The son was the current owner willed to him after his fathers death. He had carried stated value insurance for years on it at $35,000 and had just dropped it to $16,000 when the crash took it. He asked the insurance company could they not do more and they asked if he wanted the car so he got it for free with a clear title not salvage.

I was a beautiful car and very well kept for sure and they all hated to see it pull away.

Amazing the taped on plastic did stay on for the trip was afraid it was going to rain is reason I just blazed a trail. I wanted to look for more stuff but for sure did not want the interior to get wet.

I then went on to Frankenmuth, Michigan to get the Towne Top removable hard top for 1965 - 1968 Mustang convertible. I will start a new thread for that one. Two great finds on one trip I am stoked for sure.

David

IMG.pdf

 

[tony-muscle]

Awesome find for a parts car... congrats!

Definitely worth the time and effort to be picked up.

1971 M-code Mach 1

 

[OLE PONY]

Wow, that was a great looking convert.

 

[Don65Stang]

Congrats David. Looks like a worthwhile trip for sure.

 

[Carolina_Mountain_Mustangs]

It was just so sad to see the wife, mom watch the car with so many memories leave. She said if I would rebuild it she would buy it.

Every car has a story and this one was deep.

David

 

[mach71351c]

What a story! At least it,s going to put a special car back on the road.

 

[secluff]

Can certainly understand the families sadness in letting a "Family" member go. With all the history behind that car and the amount of major damage it sustained, the decision to sell was probably not an easy one.

But with David rescuing this "organ donor" at least he can repurpose parts to give new life to some needy recipients in his fleet. Sure beats the saga of being stuffed in the owners back yard so it can rot into the ground as the weeds grow up and through it.....as you hear another verse of "I'm going to fix it up one day" playing in the background!

 

[Boss1Ray]

Congrats David. Happy for you to find such a good donor.

Whenever I post anything it is always in hope of another member of this forum finding a use for the item(s) listed.

Best of luck on your 72 Q vert project!

Ray

 

[Carolina_Mountain_Mustangs]

Congrats David. Happy for you to find such a good donor.

Whenever I post anything it is always in hope of another member of this forum finding a use for the item(s) listed.

Best of luck on your 72 Q vert project!

Ray

Ray,

Thanks again for the post this is going to save me so much work and money. It has the exact same interior as my Q vert just does not have tilt but I have that it came with the Q vert. The dash does not even need to be repainted, pad is perfect, great three spoke wheel, so it will be all original Ford parts and paint inside. It was even non air like I needed. The original date coded spare is also a bonus.

The top is the right color also and I think it just flexed in the crash not bent. It did break one of the latch handles but I have a spare.

I wish I owned a frame shop so I could pull on it some to see how it would come back. I know the cost would be more than what you could sell it for just hate to see one go.

I know when I get it torn apart I will look closer and may have it pulled to cut out the no rust floor for future use.

Too many projects now have to pick the easy ones and this parts car has made one of them much easier for sure.

He gave me a great price since it was not going to a junk yard and wants picture of my car with the interior installed for his mom.

David

 

[Mister 4x4]

I say put it back together. All the damage is cosmetic - whatever's not should be easy enough to replace with repop or pieces from a worse-off donor car. Easy-peasy.

You're right - won't be worth what you'll put into it, but how cool would it be? That was a sharp-looking car - dog dishes and all. Kind almost looks like "if Eleanor were a 'vert." ::thumb::

 

[DK73]

Wow that is one bad story of a loved beautiful Car! That's is so awesome off you to take time to hear there story of a lifetime of having owned that car! Hope there is a lot of good stuff inside [WINKING FACE] Regards Lars DK73

Sendt fra min D2005 med Tapatalk

 

[Carolina_Mountain_Mustangs]

I say put it back together. All the damage is cosmetic - whatever's not should be easy enough to replace with repop or pieces from a worse-off donor car. Easy-peasy.

You're right - won't be worth what you'll put into it, but how cool would it be? That was a sharp-looking car - dog dishes and all. Kind almost looks like "if Eleanor were a 'vert." ::thumb::

Too many projects now it is twisted pretty bad and you can see the damage when under the car. I need so much of this car for my Q vert I would need another donor car to fix this one and then someone would want me to fix that donor never ending cycle. Got to let some of them just go away, sad but true.

David