1973 mach 1 fastback

[cudak888]

We can just tell him Kurt suffers from "Foot In Mouth Disease" now and again :angel: Just kidding Kurt!

Well, If I can't plant my foot on the gas...it usually winds up somewhere else

That plaid interior is shown here on a well optioned brown 1973 convertible. This photo is from the Mustang Recognition Guide published in 1981 (Larry Dobbs, Donald Farr, et al). This photo is on page 212 of the 1973 section.

Those seats are not correct - and I'll prove so really easily manner, but let's do the fun "Let's get crazy with numbers and codes!" Marti method first:

In 1973, the only interior options were:

"A" - Standard Bucket

"F" - Grande

"G" - Mach 1/Sports Decor

"C" - Decor Bucket Knitted (convertible only)

"G" and "F" do not apply due to the bodystyle. This leaves "A" and "C" as the only interior options for any 1973 Mustang convertible. Since this car has Deluxe door panels and interior trim, we can safely rule out "A". This leaves Decor Bucket Knitted, which looks like this on any normal day:

Now - just to make sure that things are accurate, let us assume that the brown on the Recognition Book car is either 5M Medium Chestnut Metallic or 5T Saddle Bronze Metallic. According to Mustangs, By the Numbers, all 1973 5M and 5T convertibles were produced with "C" interiors - no exceptions.

Now, if Decor Bucket Knitted that stands for "C," and no other option exists for that year, and "C" looks like that photo, how do stripes get in on the act?

Before that, let us also consider the source. While I do not question Donald Farr's love and devotion for these vehicles as proved through his efforts at Mustang Monthly, he did make the unbelievably rookie error in stating that Eleanor from Gone in 60 Seconds "was a yellow '73 Mustang SportsRoof....[that] had a '71 or '72 front valance and hood)," when both were simply '71s with '73 grilles installed. Most of us here are also aware that the hood never changed through all three years; it was the valance, fenders, and bumper that were changed, and only in '73. Mr. Farr's statement is very wrong on multiple counts, and brings into question anything other originality claims.

With all of that said, I can safely tell you those seats are not only incorrect, they've been recovered (here's where it gets ridiculously simple!).

Take a look at the photo from Mustang Recognition Guide:

Now take a look at an original 1971 "4"-code (same as '72/73 "F" code) Grande interior with the same stripes:

Notice anything? Look at the nose of the seat. The Mustang Recognition Guide car has a connecting piece of vinyl (with the same grain as the sides) stitched in front with 45-degree angle stitches, terminating the cloth pattern. No factory car had their seats trimmed like that - not even the standard vinyl seats had a 45 degree angle stitch between the rougher center grain and the sides.

Just to be on the safe side, here are a few more:

Boss 351 "B" code interior:

Same as above, but faded/washed out by camera flash:

'71 Grande "4" code:

The Boss that you linked to earlier; "B" code:

The other Boss you linked to; "B" code as well:

Conclusion: Someone had the seats redone on the Mustang Recognition Guide convertible with the Grande/Boss cloth interior material.

-Kurt

P.S.: Anyone feelin' the groovy funk of that interior? I do. Get that wah-wah pedal out and start up the disco!

 

[Steve73QMach1]

OK Kurt. Sorry for adding to the confusion over something so "ridiculously simple" for you to figure out. I thought maybe it was some special order option that Campbell1525 may have had in his car too - you know, trying to make the guy feel a bit better. Time for me to take a break...

 

[73vertproject]

OK Kurt. Sorry for adding to the confusion over something so "ridiculously simple" for you to figure out. I thought maybe it was some special order option that Campbell1525 may have had in his car too - you know, trying to make the guy feel a bit better. Time for me to take a break...

Good enough. Unless the OP has some further input, I see no reason to continue posting in this thread. If you see the need, start a new thread related to the content of this one.

However, I am not closing nor deleting this thread at this time, as there is some valuable information contained here.

Doc

 

[Don65Stang]

Well done guys and mods. I say leave the thread alone.

 

[cudak888]

OK Kurt. Sorry for adding to the confusion over something so "ridiculously simple" for you to figure out. I thought maybe it was some special order option that Campbell1525 may have had in his car too - you know, trying to make the guy feel a bit better. Time for me to take a break...

No offense intended; not trying to show off. Honestly, I didn't even catch those seats until I was halfway through it the hard way. I thrive on these little details of minutiae - analyzing that picture was more fun than anything I'd done all weekend.*

It's just my style. Gotta bring an industrial backhoe to plant the annuals in the 6"x24" flowerpot under the window.

-Kurt

*Which reminds me - there haven't been any breakthrough discoveries with the '71 Boss 302 prototype and the styling bucks, but I recall digging up something of relevant interest recently; can't remember what it was. Gotta post that soon as I remember.