Grande Pics

[Carolina_Mountain_Mustangs]

Since this started I ended up buying a Grande. Pretty well optioned. It was headed to crusher the next week if he did not sell it. His dad wanted it gone. Arizona car totally rust free. Does not need cowl, floors, tail light panel not even battery box is rusty. I was laughed at when I said how many thousands of dollars it would save and years it would save in a build. So what I am going to do is cut it up and make a track days car out of it. Will get the 2" Kar Kraft nose drop and all of their planned changes for Trans Am. I will take to frame shop and have put to zero and have already been in touch with Carolina Chem Strip to dip strip to remove all paint, sealer and surface rust. Have ask them if I can do video but they say no due to proprietary processes. They will allow some photos so all can learn. Will have 351 C with dry sump oil system built by one of the old NASAR engine builders that did them in the day. Hope to start early spring. Car has lots of great options that will probably go up for sale. Do not need in a track days car. Will be building my own sub frame connectors and roll cage to pass SCCA inspection.
I think this car was used for the owners company car stayed at dealership long time. Not how long it took to get the options together before the build. Thinking of doing the Gulf Oil paint scheme since blue already.























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[Sheriff41]

Since this started I ended up buying a Grande. Pretty well optioned. It was headed to crusher the next week if he did not sell it. His dad wanted it gone. Arizona car totally rust free. Does not need cowl, floors, tail light panel not even battery box is rusty. I was laughed at when I said how many thousands of dollars it would save and years it would save in a build. So what I am going to do is cut it up and make a track days car out of it. Will get the 2" Kar Kraft nose drop and all of their planned changes for Trans Am. I will take to frame shop and have put to zero and have already been in touch with Carolina Chem Strip to dip strip to remove all paint, sealer and surface rust. Have ask them if I can do video but they say no due to proprietary processes. They will allow some photos so all can learn. Will have 351 C with dry sump oil system built by one of the old NASAR engine builders that did them in the day. Hope to start early spring. Car has lots of great options that will probably go up for sale. Do not need in a track days car. Will be building my own sub frame connectors and roll cage to pass SCCA inspection.
I think this car was used for the owners company car stayed at dealership long time. Not how long it took to get the options together before the build. Thinking of doing the Gulf Oil paint scheme since blue already.

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That was a nice save!  Imagine how many made it to the crusher that could've been back on the road with minimal effort.

 

[A.Nilsson]

 

[71_resurrection]

I haven't been on the forum site in quite some time. These individual model threads are awesome!!! I love my Grande, had her for 25 years now!

 

[ROCKET70]

I picked up this 1973 Mustang Grande from original owner in Feb 2021. Had been sitting since 1979 and never started.
I massaged it back to life only changing what was needed gas tank fuel brake lines master cylinder calipers and wheel cylinders
points and plugs battery and radiator and tires all else is original. Drives like new.

 

[Kevin H.]

I picked up this 1973 Mustang Grande from original owner in Feb 2021. Had been sitting since 1979 and never started.
I massaged it back to life only changing what was needed gas tank fuel brake lines master cylinder calipers and wheel cylinders
points and plugs battery and radiator and tires all else is original. Drives like new.

Nice find. Great looking Ginger interior. Still has plastic seat covers on the fronts! Well taken care of!

 

[Bill Perkins]

Very nice car

 

[ROCKET70]

Nice find. Great looking Ginger interior. Still has plastic seat covers on the fronts! Well taken care of!

I forgot to mention its a Q code with $1500 in options and 14000 original miles

 

[CarCrazy73]

Beautiful car! She sports some nice options like the gauge package.

 

[timachone]

Wow, what a great find - it's like new! Very loaded car, it even has a q-code! Congrats

 

[slygray1]

I have had this car about 8 years. Has the Cleveland 4V, long tube headers, Erson cam, roller rockers. Great driver.

 

[ROCKET70]

Nice car I really like the wheels.

 

[mrgmhale]

I am glad you saved that Grande from being crushed. It is amazing how many nice First Generation Mustangs wound up becoming recycling fodder. So sad. I hope you have a blast with it. From the photos it looks like a vehicle worth restoring, even if a little at a time. That said, its value in the market may not be high enough to warrant a restoration if all you plan to do is restore it and sell it. That is the kind of Mustang that ought to be restored so the owner can enjoy driving and showing it - IMHO.

Lynda and I have two 1973 Mustangs. One is a deeply re$tored Mach 1, the other is a True Survivor Convertible with just a little over 20,000 original miles on it (barn stored for over 40 years). They are both a blast to drive, tinker with, work on, and show. Both are road worthy, nothing compromised in either.

 

[ROCKET70]

I am glad you saved that Grande from being crushed. It is amazing how many nice First Generation Mustangs wound up becoming recycling fodder. So sad. I hope you have a blast with it. From the photos it looks like a vehicle worth restoring, even if a little at a time. That said, its value in the market may not be high enough to warrant a restoration if all you plan to do is restore it and sell it. That is the kind of Mustang that ought to be restored so the owner can enjoy driving and showing it - IMHO.

Lynda and I have two 1973 Mustangs. One is a deeply re$tored Mach 1, the other is a True Survivor Convertible with just a little over 20,000 original miles on it (barn stored for over 40 years). They are both a blast to drive, tinker with, work on, and show. Both are road worthy, nothing compromised in either.

I like your Mach one and convertible. Your convertible looks like it would be in the condition of my Grande. Hard to find all original cars that are almost perfect.

 

[mrgmhale]

The unrestored condition of our 1973 Mustang Convertible was one of the reasons we purchased it. The very back of the trunk lid, just below the trunk lock, was not well painted from the factory, and a little corrosion had just begun to appear by the time we acquired the vert (see first photo, at the lower edge below the lock cylinder). I pulled the lid off, and had the affected area corrected and repainted. But, we only had that part of the trunk lid that was affected, and the rest of the surface on its horizontal area repainted with a color matching the rest of the trunk lid (and vehicle). Just in case there was a possible difference in shade or surface texture we added a racing strips along the rear vertical surface of the trunk lid, where the stripe covers the area where the old paint and new paint meet. Plus, the trunk lid stripe gave the otherwise docile looking vert a little visual edge. The 2nd attached photo shows where the trunk lid's horizontal stripe covers the lower part of the lid's repainted surface was covered by said stripe.

To provide even a little more visual edge yet we also installed a front spoiler (3rd photo). It is one very pleasant car to cruise in, and with the Classic Air air conditioning system we added, it is very comfortable on even the hottest days.


We have no plans to do anything to the 302 2v engine to beef its performance. It came with a very steep 2.79:1 rear axle ratio gear set, so unless we were to get a huge increase in low end torque a little performance boost from the engine will not do much for practical performance increases. If it is speed we are after our 73 street/strip built Mach 1, 1969 Shelby GT500, or 2020 Shelby GT500 would be more our vehicles to bring into action.

 

[ROCKET70]

The unrestored condition of our 1973 Mustang Convertible was one of the reasons we purchased it. The very back of the trunk lid, just below the trunk lock, was not well painted from the factory, and a little corrosion had just begun to appear by the time we acquired the vert (see first photo, at the lower edge below the lock cylinder). I pulled the lid off, and had the affected area corrected and repainted. But, we only had that part of the trunk lid that was affected, and the rest of the surface on its horizontal area repainted with a color matching the rest of the trunk lid (and vehicle). Just in case there was a possible difference in shade or surface texture we added a racing strips along the rear vertical surface of the trunk lid, where the stripe covers the area where the old paint and new paint meet. Plus, the trunk lid stripe gave the otherwise docile looking vert a little visual edge. The 2nd attached photo shows where the trunk lid's horizontal stripe covers the lower part of the lid's repainted surface was covered by said stripe.

To provide even a little more visual edge yet we also installed a front spoiler (3rd photo). It is one very pleasant car to cruise in, and with the Classic Air air conditioning system we added, it is very comfortable on even the hottest days.


We have no plans to do anything to the 302 2v engine to beef its performance. It came with a very steep 2.79:1 rear axle ratio gear set, so unless we were to get a huge increase in low end torque a little performance boost from the engine will not do much for practical performance increases. If it is speed we are after our 73 street/strip built Mach 1, 1969 Shelby GT500, or 2020 Shelby GT500 would be more our vehicles to bring into action.

What a nice car and convertible doesn't get any better. After I cleaned off the over 40 years of dirt the only flaw was on the front bumper five black dots that looks like some brake fluid got on it and went thru the paint but I'm going to leave it as it's original. When I got the vehicle it had always been garaged thats why the paint, interior, vinyl roof and weather striping are all like brand new only the rear bumper has some haze. The only thing that had been change was the battery and oil. I'm a real fan of original vehicles. Have quite a few, collected all my life. Enjoy your convertible and other cars this summer. Hope winter is gone soon.

 

[73GrandStang]

It's been a while since anyone posted here, but I figured I'd share a picture of my '72 Grandé. This thing had been down for 7 years, but we recently brought it back to life. She's no where near being back to 100%, but we'll get there eventually.

 

[Sheriff41]

Looks good! Welcome to the site.

 

[ROCKET70]

I really like the stripes, nice car drive it and enjoy!

 

[73CobraJet]

I picked up this 1973 Mustang Grande from original owner in Feb 2021. Had been sitting since 1979 and never started.
I massaged it back to life only changing what was needed gas tank fuel brake lines master cylinder calipers and wheel cylinders
points and plugs battery and radiator and tires all else is original. Drives like new.

That’s a beautiful color combination! Very nice going to town rig there! A guy approves!