In the beginning......A coworker I've known for almost 10 years owned a 1971 Boss 351 he bought in Jan 1977. This car was his baby and for the last 40+ years has tried to faithfully maintain it even though his mechanical skills are limited.
So, five years ago he retired and moved with his English wife back to England (he used to be in the Air Force). Before he left he practically begged me to buy his Boss because he knew I could/would take care of it....almost an adoption. In a former life I used to work in the service dept of a new car dealership and possess the mechanical tools and skill-set that he lacked. However, I was in the middle of a divorce and was in no position to take on a project car.
Fast forward to Summer of 2018 and out of the blue I received an email from the Boss owner informing me he was visiting the colonies for a couple of weeks. The car had been in a storage unit since his retirement and he wanted to get rid of it and offered me a price I couldn't refuse. My early goal was to paint it, maybe new tires and a tune-up, and bada-bing-bada-boom sell it for a handsome profit. That was before I received a phone call from the body shop who discovered damage to the driver's side sub-frame from a prior accident and a rusted floor pan. My options were to either disassemble the car and sell the parts or disassemble the car and restore it. Of course the new bride (remarried now) wanted me to sell the car one part at a time but I recognize the historical value and limited production number of the 1971 Boss 351 (1,806). I decided to go for the restoration option and every time there's a package left on my front door step with a part for the Boss (almost daily), my bride reminds me of how much this car is costing me (not one dollar of her money used in this project).
Here's some pictures of the journey in the last 18 months:
The day I purchased, July 12, 2018. (I know...incorrect bumper and wheels).
Bill of sale dated Jan 12, 1977 for $1,200 by prior owner (PO). Car was originally Light Pewter Metallic but PO hated silver so had it repainted blue. I will return back to original color.
First order of business was to rebuild this dirty beast.
Ready for the machine shop!
Mission Automotive in San Antonio did a fantastic job of returning this Boss to former glory.
I have the original D1ZX-9425-CA intake but not the original Autolite 4300-D carb. Prior owner remembers the day he threw away the 4300-D after he replaced it with a Holley as all the performance magazines in the 70s were recommending.
Boss 3.91 axle before restoration.
"The Twisted Axle" of San Antonio are the local gurus for Ford 9 inch rebuilds.
The Jedi Knight of Toploader rebuilds, David Kee, rebuilt the 4 speed to include rechroming the Hurst shifter.
Valor Restoration of Canyon Lake, TX replaced everything forward of the windshield.
New firewall and cowling. Ready for the new floor.
New Floor!
The car is back in my garage where I will install the new power train and eventually return it to Valor Restoration to finish the body and paint. My desire is to conduct a correct restoration vs a concours restoration. I mean, I want it to look correct but not going to take the painstaking (and prohibitively expensive) concours approach. Example: I'm going to paint the driveshaft the correct color but not going to paint the color bands or duplicate the inspection marks. Where required I'm replacing some components with ACP or Scott Drake repros. I was able to locate at great expense the correct Boss 351 exhaust manifolds (and heat shield and lift hooks) and will trash the Hooker headers the PO had installed. This Boss will not be at Pebble Beach or undergo the scrutiny of a MCCA inspection. I just want a clean 71 Boss that I can drive to a local meet and be proud to show it.
My goal is to have it finished by September 2020 to compete in the all Mustang show in San Antonio. I'll update once the engine, tranny, and axle are installed.
So, five years ago he retired and moved with his English wife back to England (he used to be in the Air Force). Before he left he practically begged me to buy his Boss because he knew I could/would take care of it....almost an adoption. In a former life I used to work in the service dept of a new car dealership and possess the mechanical tools and skill-set that he lacked. However, I was in the middle of a divorce and was in no position to take on a project car.
Fast forward to Summer of 2018 and out of the blue I received an email from the Boss owner informing me he was visiting the colonies for a couple of weeks. The car had been in a storage unit since his retirement and he wanted to get rid of it and offered me a price I couldn't refuse. My early goal was to paint it, maybe new tires and a tune-up, and bada-bing-bada-boom sell it for a handsome profit. That was before I received a phone call from the body shop who discovered damage to the driver's side sub-frame from a prior accident and a rusted floor pan. My options were to either disassemble the car and sell the parts or disassemble the car and restore it. Of course the new bride (remarried now) wanted me to sell the car one part at a time but I recognize the historical value and limited production number of the 1971 Boss 351 (1,806). I decided to go for the restoration option and every time there's a package left on my front door step with a part for the Boss (almost daily), my bride reminds me of how much this car is costing me (not one dollar of her money used in this project).
Here's some pictures of the journey in the last 18 months:
The day I purchased, July 12, 2018. (I know...incorrect bumper and wheels).
Bill of sale dated Jan 12, 1977 for $1,200 by prior owner (PO). Car was originally Light Pewter Metallic but PO hated silver so had it repainted blue. I will return back to original color.
First order of business was to rebuild this dirty beast.
Ready for the machine shop!
Mission Automotive in San Antonio did a fantastic job of returning this Boss to former glory.
I have the original D1ZX-9425-CA intake but not the original Autolite 4300-D carb. Prior owner remembers the day he threw away the 4300-D after he replaced it with a Holley as all the performance magazines in the 70s were recommending.
Boss 3.91 axle before restoration.
"The Twisted Axle" of San Antonio are the local gurus for Ford 9 inch rebuilds.
The Jedi Knight of Toploader rebuilds, David Kee, rebuilt the 4 speed to include rechroming the Hurst shifter.
Valor Restoration of Canyon Lake, TX replaced everything forward of the windshield.
New firewall and cowling. Ready for the new floor.
New Floor!
The car is back in my garage where I will install the new power train and eventually return it to Valor Restoration to finish the body and paint. My desire is to conduct a correct restoration vs a concours restoration. I mean, I want it to look correct but not going to take the painstaking (and prohibitively expensive) concours approach. Example: I'm going to paint the driveshaft the correct color but not going to paint the color bands or duplicate the inspection marks. Where required I'm replacing some components with ACP or Scott Drake repros. I was able to locate at great expense the correct Boss 351 exhaust manifolds (and heat shield and lift hooks) and will trash the Hooker headers the PO had installed. This Boss will not be at Pebble Beach or undergo the scrutiny of a MCCA inspection. I just want a clean 71 Boss that I can drive to a local meet and be proud to show it.
My goal is to have it finished by September 2020 to compete in the all Mustang show in San Antonio. I'll update once the engine, tranny, and axle are installed.
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