Crashed the Mustang :(

[sdstang]

Sorry for your loss bro!

I lost my 05 that i put tons of effort in so I feel your pain. Glad your ok!

 

[goodnigh]

I feel for you. Damage to my car not as bad as your's though.

Know where you can get an NOS quarter panel, I bought the

left one.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NOS-FORD-Mustang-Coupe-71-72-73-Right-Hand-Quarter-Panel-D1ZZ-6527840-A/321076845987?_trksid=p2047675.m1850&_trkparms=aid%3D222002%26algo%3DSIC.FIT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D17396%26meid%3D1222221559927721775%26pid%3D100011%26prg%3D8093%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D5%26sd%3D321076839791%26

He is a vendor here.

mike

 

[Wasagachris]

I feel for you. Damage to my car not as bad as your's though.

Know where you can get an NOS quarter panel, I bought the

left one.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NOS-FORD-Mustang-Coupe-71-72-73-Right-Hand-Quarter-Panel-D1ZZ-6527840-A/321076845987?_trksid=p2047675.m1850&_trkparms=aid%3D222002%26algo%3DSIC.FIT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D17396%26meid%3D1222221559927721775%26pid%3D100011%26prg%3D8093%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D5%26sd%3D321076839791%26

He is a vendor here.

mike

He also has the LF fender as a NOS part.

The bonus is that he is in Pensacola so you could make a quick road trip and pick up the parts yourself and save on the shipping.

I feel for you. Damage to my car not as bad as your's though.

Know where you can get an NOS quarter panel, I bought the

left one.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NOS-FORD-Mustang-Coupe-71-72-73-Right-Hand-Quarter-Panel-D1ZZ-6527840-A/321076845987?_trksid=p2047675.m1850&_trkparms=aid%3D222002%26algo%3DSIC.FIT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D17396%26meid%3D1222221559927721775%26pid%3D100011%26prg%3D8093%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D5%26sd%3D321076839791%26

He is a vendor here.

mike

He also has the LF fender as a NOS part.

The bonus is that he is in Pensacola so you could make a quick road trip and pick up the parts yourself and save on the shipping.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NOS-1973-FORD-Mustang-Convertible-Fastback-Coupe-LH-FENDER-D3ZZ-16006-A-/321076859695?pt=Vintage_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item4ac1ac132f#ht_359wt_917

 

[goodnigh]

He also has the LF fender as a NOS part.

The bonus is that he is in Pensacola so you could make a quick road trip and pick up the parts yourself and save on the shipping.



I missed that. Don of OMS has the other front and rear parts;

bumpers, valance, extension etc.

This repair project is half way there.

mike

 

[BigBlue]

I have a full rear quarter skin, I bought from MU last year, I paid $90 plus fright.

I'm not sure what shipping will cost from RI, but its up for sale if your interested.

no rush give your self sometime to decide what you want to do first.

https://www.mustangsunlimited.com/itemdy00.asp?T1=127840+01

Great! If I can't locate a worthy donor car, I'll send you a PM to get the quarter. I'll decide soon enough. Thanks!!

Oh crap. I'm glad you weren't hurt. That's what counts. You need to assess what the car is worth to you. The market value does not really count in such cases.

The reason for the spin could simply be crappy tires. I remember when I had the Cooper Cobras my car would spin for obvious reasons when it rained. And it happened just the way you described it.

I had started driving the car again recently after a 5 year hiatus, and in my rush to get it rolling, I swapped out its old rusty wheels and cracked tires for my old ranger's P-71 wheels. They weren't a better choice, apparently.

 

[jeremycfr]

I'm glad your ok. Take a deep breath let, the dust settle and then make a decision on a fresh mind.

 

[BigBlue]

Wow....thanks for sharing. Makes my day look pretty good by comparison.

But, there are many a man here who have repaired cars much worse by an exponential factor. In fact, many of them would say 'tis but a scratch.

And, I bet there were a lot of guys driving by and shedding tears as they saw your car in the k-rail.

Hope you are good. And if worse comes to worse, be thankful for the time you had together.

james

(You were the one driving, right? Wasn't Lux was it? Although he probably drives pretty good on no tread tires in the rain)

Good, that gives me a beacon of hope for the car lol. I had people stopping and offering to help (very rare here in Miami) and others snapping pictures or putting sad faces through their windows while they stared at a poor wrecked classic. I've cherished every moment I've had with the car... but I'm not done with it yet! It can't leave me now, man. It's gotta stick around a few more decades.

Like everyone I am glad your okay. These old girls sure can take a hit! She kept you safe.

I lost my first mustang and actually my first car. Lady made a left turn in front of me. Damage was less than yours but at the time (29 years ago) it wasn't 'worth' saving.

So I bought the convertible and pulled much of the goodies off the Mach 1.

Something to consider. To fix it you are going to pull a bunch of body/frame parts off a donor car. Your car will still be there but much of it will be replaced. Perhaps you could do what I did. Pull the good parts off your car and use them in a doner. A drive train swap into a non-runner would let you keep the heart and soul of your car. I was lucky enough to be able to keep the factory guages as well. Just a thought...

Yeah that's something I've been thinking about. If the cost of the repair becomes an unrealistic goal, that just might be my only choice. At least I'd keep some of it.

I feel for you. Damage to my car not as bad as your's though.

Know where you can get an NOS quarter panel, I bought the

left one.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NOS-FORD-Mustang-Coupe-71-72-73-Right-Hand-Quarter-Panel-D1ZZ-6527840-A/321076845987?_trksid=p2047675.m1850&_trkparms=aid%3D222002%26algo%3DSIC.FIT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D17396%26meid%3D1222221559927721775%26pid%3D100011%26prg%3D8093%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D5%26sd%3D321076839791%26

He is a vendor here.

mike

Awesome! Very reasonable pricing, too. I'll keep his ebay ID to keep an eye on the items. If I go the parts route instead of a donor car, I'll be needing some links like this. Thanks!

I feel for you. Damage to my car not as bad as your's though.

Know where you can get an NOS quarter panel, I bought the

left one.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NOS-FORD-Mustang-Coupe-71-72-73-Right-Hand-Quarter-Panel-D1ZZ-6527840-A/321076845987?_trksid=p2047675.m1850&_trkparms=aid%3D222002%26algo%3DSIC.FIT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D17396%26meid%3D1222221559927721775%26pid%3D100011%26prg%3D8093%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D5%26sd%3D321076839791%26

He is a vendor here.

mike

He also has the LF fender as a NOS part.

The bonus is that he is in Pensacola so you could make a quick road trip and pick up the parts yourself and save on the shipping.

I feel for you. Damage to my car not as bad as your's though.

Know where you can get an NOS quarter panel, I bought the

left one.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NOS-FORD-Mustang-Coupe-71-72-73-Right-Hand-Quarter-Panel-D1ZZ-6527840-A/321076845987?_trksid=p2047675.m1850&_trkparms=aid%3D222002%26algo%3DSIC.FIT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D17396%26meid%3D1222221559927721775%26pid%3D100011%26prg%3D8093%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D5%26sd%3D321076839791%26

He is a vendor here.

mike

He also has the LF fender as a NOS part.

The bonus is that he is in Pensacola so you could make a quick road trip and pick up the parts yourself and save on the shipping.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NOS-1973-FORD-Mustang-Convertible-Fastback-Coupe-LH-FENDER-D3ZZ-16006-A-/321076859695?pt=Vintage_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item4ac1ac132f#ht_359wt_917

Yeah definitely something to consider. And NOS parts! Doesn't get better than that!

 

[Cole]

Go Big Blue!!! Love the positive attitude despite the crash. Glad your OK and hope you get her running again. Also love all the offers of advice and help. This is a cool forum for sure.

 

[Mister 4x4]

Aw Man! That sucks!! Glad to hear you're OK though. I just sent you an e-mail with the chassis measurements Q mentioned. I hope you get good news when you measure it up.

Good luck!

 

[droptop73]

It makes me sad to see the damage Blue. I am glad to hear you are and will be fine.

I understand how you feel, less than a year after I bought my convertible some .... made a blind left turn in front of me and bloodied my pony's nose real bad. I too had only liability insurance and got a whopping $400.00 from the other person's insurance company (Michigan has a "no fault" insurance law). I got real angry and tore the car apart and it sat for 7 years.

I do understand where you are at on this. The advice I would give if you were my son would be to wait for a little while until you can think with your head more than your heart. My recommendation would be to find the best "donor" car you can afford and re-body your car. I too am a much better mechanic than body man. It seems to me to have a car all cut apart and trying to straighten metal may become discouraging. I would recommend you find a solid body to build a new and improved Big Blue by combining the best components of both cars.

Well you DID ask for advice.

 

[BigBlue]

Aw Man! That sucks!! Glad to hear you're OK though. I just sent you an e-mail with the chassis measurements Q mentioned. I hope you get good news when you measure it up.

Good luck!

Just received them, and they're exactly what I needed. Much appreciated, good sir. Can't wait to get it measured now. Thanks again!

It makes me sad to see the damage Blue. I am glad to hear you are and will be fine.

I understand how you feel, less than a year after I bought my convertible some .... made a blind left turn in front of me and bloodied my pony's nose real bad. I too had only liability insurance and got a whopping $400.00 from the other person's insurance company (Michigan has a "no fault" insurance law). I got real angry and tore the car apart and it sat for 7 years.

I do understand where you are at on this. The advice I would give if you were my son would be to wait for a little while until you can think with your head more than your heart. My recommendation would be to find the best "donor" car you can afford and re-body your car. I too am a much better mechanic than body man. It seems to me to have a car all cut apart and trying to straighten metal may become discouraging. I would recommend you find a solid body to build a new and improved Big Blue by combining the best components of both cars.

Well you DID ask for advice.

Thanks for the advice, Jeff. Or should I call you Mr. T? I definitely did ask for advice, as I like to weigh everyone's opinions and make a rational decision. Sorry to hear that you went through an accident as well. I'm glad you've got a beautiful convertible once again, and hopefully most of us that go through similar circumstances are able to get our ponies back on the road.

Right now I'm pretty devastated over the accident, being that I lost what I would call my best inanimate friend. It kept me sane through many events in my life, and was always that one thing I could turn to when I needed to clear my head. We've been through so much together that I will do whatever possible to keep as much of the original car as I can. Like you said, I need to chill for a bit and think with my head to be sure that I'm making the right decision. I will try to save as much as I can of the original chassis, but if the consensus among body shops becomes that it is a waste of time, then I'll swap as much as I can to another body. The next couple of weeks will consist of research and decision-making. It's gonna make for one hell of a build thread, that's for sure!

 

[Don65Stang]

Looks kinda bad but it may be mostly sheet metal...you never know, could get lucky. I'm glad you're ok. I don't have any coupe specifc parts but I can donate a tail light to the cause if you don't get one on the parts car.

 

[73StangCoupe]

Dude... so sorry to hear of your misfortune and to see these pictures is actually painful. We have similar stangs... no one hurt, as Mark said, metal can be fixed.

 

[BigBlue]

Go Big Blue!!! Love the positive attitude despite the crash. Glad your OK and hope you get her running again. Also love all the offers of advice and help. This is a cool forum for sure.

Yep, no use in being negative. Negativity won't fix the car, amiright? And yeah, I'm truly stunned at the amount of help and advice I've received on the forum. I will be eternally grateful to everyone on here. Truly a great group of people.

Looks kinda bad but it may be mostly sheet metal...you never know, could get lucky. I'm glad you're ok. I don't have any coupe specifc parts but I can donate a tail light to the cause if you don't get one on the parts car.

Haha... I'll take the taillight if I don't get one from a donor car. Unless Obsidian cranks out those sweet LED units by then. Then I'm gonna have to work those into my budget.

 

[Paul of MO]

My first car that I bought entirely by myself as a young adult was a 73 Convertible. I drove it, modified it, went through several different drive trains, and loved it. All of this happened over many years while the body slowly rotted away.

One day a rear leaf spring came up through the trunk floor and the rear torque boxes collapsed. I felt the same way as you do.

After much debate and agony I decided to part it out. I carefully removed, marked, and stored everything that I could. A few years later I found a really solid convertible body and "my car" came back to life.

Nearly 40 years later and several mustangs later I am still moving "my car's parts" into yet another Mustang. The console, Tach and guages, steering wheel, original am/fm, Nasa hood, power windows, intermittant wipers, locking rear pumpkin, padded a pillar trim, horns, all are from "my car".

In the 90's I was offered to much money for a 73 Convert that I was not planning on ever selling and sold it. The gentleman that made me the offer was a little confused as to why I wanted to swap out a few identical parts for identical parts but agreed to it. He got a nice car and I kept most of "my car's parts".

Septemeber 2013 - My sons and I just finished restoring and detailing the undercarrage of our "keeper" 73 Convertible project. It felt good to unbox the pumkin and put it in car with them helping.

Every box I open brings back memories that I naturally have to share with my boys - you can't get any better than that!

We have started detailing the 351C that will go in the car. We just unboxed the very odd cast valve covers that a young me found in a junk yard long ago. I still have not identified who made them but they are from "my car".

That junk yard had a dog named Pickup, Pickup would go with you when you walked through the cars but would growl at you if you tried to open a hood or a door - he was happy go lucky the rest of the time.......

(that a great story that I can stretch out for hours - can't wait till I can share it with the boys this weekend!)

Glad you were not hurt.

Paul of Mo

 

[BigBlue]

Dude... so sorry to hear of your misfortune and to see these pictures is actually painful. We have similar stangs... no one hurt, as Mark said, metal can be fixed.

Sweet ride! Keep representing the coupes!

 

[jbojo]

Man, sorry to see this. Looks like mostly sheet metal damage so maybe the fix won't be too difficult. At least you weren't hurt which is the important thing.

-jbojo

 

[Wasagachris]

Here is a pretty nice looking donor car for $2K and it's right outside your back door.

http://miami.craigslist.org/mdc/cto/3995597935.html

 

[73MustangCoupe]

Wow! That totally sux. I know how you feel, though. My 73 caught fire while replacing the rusted out floor pans and burned. I had just acquired it a few months earlier and didn't have that sentimental attachment that you do, though. I've decided to part it out. Like others have said, take your time and take a deep breath, and then decide what you want to do.

 

[BigBlue]

My first car that I bought entirely by myself as a young adult was a 73 Convertible. I drove it, modified it, went through several different drive trains, and loved it. All of this happened over many years while the body slowly rotted away.

One day a rear leaf spring came up through the trunk floor and the rear torque boxes collapsed. I felt the same way as you do.

After much debate and agony I decided to part it out. I carefully removed, marked, and stored everything that I could. A few years later I found a really solid convertible body and "my car" came back to life.

Nearly 40 years later and several mustangs later I am still moving "my car's parts" into yet another Mustang. The console, Tach and guages, steering wheel, original am/fm, Nasa hood, power windows, intermittant wipers, locking rear pumpkin, padded a pillar trim, horns, all are from "my car".

In the 90's I was offered to much money for a 73 Convert that I was not planning on ever selling and sold it. The gentleman that made me the offer was a little confused as to why I wanted to swap out a few identical parts for identical parts but agreed to it. He got a nice car and I kept most of "my car's parts".

Septemeber 2013 - My sons and I just finished restoring and detailing the undercarrage of our "keeper" 73 Convertible project. It felt good to unbox the pumkin and put it in car with them helping.

Every box I open brings back memories that I naturally have to share with my boys - you can't get any better than that!

We have started detailing the 351C that will go in the car. We just unboxed the very odd cast valve covers that a young me found in a junk yard long ago. I still have not identified who made them but they are from "my car".

That junk yard had a dog named Pickup, Pickup would go with you when you walked through the cars but would growl at you if you tried to open a hood or a door - he was happy go lucky the rest of the time.......

(that a great story that I can stretch out for hours - can't wait till I can share it with the boys this weekend!)

Glad you were not hurt.

Paul of Mo

Paul, that's a wonderful story. Pretty much sucks that you had to part out the ol' convertible. But looking at the bright side... your car's spirit lives on! You and your sons must be loving the restoration process, especially the fact that you'll have those special pieces installed on the new one. Makes it that much more special.

Funny, I also have a part I've always had moving around and ended up putting on this Mustang: the Grant steering wheel from my first car, a 1970 Cougar XR-7. That steering wheel's been through it all. Foam grip, bare metal grip, painted grip, chrome spokes, brushed spokes... it's had its transformations and wandered around like a nomad. I'll never get rid of it!

Anyway, thanks for sharing that story. In the end, if I have to part ways with my Blue, I will definitely keep parts. LOTS of them. Most of them, in fact lol.

Also... my next dog will be named Pickup. That is hands down the best name I've ever heard for a dog.