Topless73Qcode4SPD
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jun 29, 2011
- Messages
- 48
- Reaction score
- 43
- Location
- California
- My Car
- 73 Qcode 4SPD Convertible
Hello All,
Just stumbled across your forum.
Looks interesting and I like to talk cars anyway.
One of the first cars I ever owned was a 69 Mach 1 .
I drove that car for 289K hard miles before the 351W finally threw a lung. I still have fond memories of that car and those times.
Fast forward to today.
I've wanted a Classic Muscle Car for some time and my only criteria was it had to be a convertible and a 4 speed.
After almost a year of searching, somehow the road led me to my 73 Q code.
I've had it for 2 years now.
That first summer I spent my time driving Topless and enjoying the sound of the wind and the roar of the 40's.
That winter I spent replacing cosmetics ie bumpers and chrome strips etc.
Mechanicals also needed some attention like new 50's to protect my hearing
and a general tune up.
I switched out gearing to 2.91:1 for better freeway RPM's but I may switch back to 3.00:1. 3.25 was stock, it came with 3.50's in the rear.
Im getting clutch chatter now so it may need replacing.
At some point the factory Holley 750 with Ford's Tuned Intake disappeared and was
replaced by a 650 on a Edelbrock . The why is a mystery.
I'll also hook up the RAM air for a little extra boost. The Q code loves to rev and I won't deny it gas or oxygen.
This last winter I spent completely stripping the interior out and replacing everything I could. The floor pans looked good so I sealed them with POR and installed Hush Mats. I painted the door jams, A pillar and windshield posts, and inner doors ... I used the PPG 2 step and it turned out pretty nice but i'll need a lot more practice before doing a full repaint.
I'm doing all of the restoration work myself otherwise the kids would have to forgo college.
This summer I plan to once again go Topless and feel the wind in my hair.
A little history......
Supposedly I am the 3rd owner. I say supposedly because after getting the car home and digging deeper I found discrepancies.
The car was originally purchased in Los Angeles and ordered with all available bells and whistles of the time including a couple of rare ones.
This included the TiltAway steering column and a rear disk brake package that was dealer installed.
After sometime driving the strip in LA it moved to Wyoming . The second owner took it to Colorado before moving to Arkansas which is where I found it. He told me that all sheet metal was original and that he had had it stripped to bare metal and repainted.
This I found to be incorrect. Somewhere in it's life it had been spun out and hit something solid. The trunk bore the evidence of previous body
work. I have also found that both front fenders have been replaced and a rocker panel was repaired. The remaining original 1/4 panel also has
evidence of a sheet metal patch.
This vehicle is also supposed to have 146K original miles but in light of the above I don't know if that is accurate.
The engine runs excellent and I have no reason to tear it down....yet
So here is a question for the experts.
When I do tear the engine down should I find "fomoco" bearings. Can that be used as a gauge to determine approximate miles?
Color; I wasn't crazy about it at first but it's growing on me. Most people love it or hate it.
I will say this.
I have never had so many ladies of all ages want to come up to me
and talk about what a beautiful color it is. I wish I'd had this chick magnet about 25 years ago.
It started out as a Light Blue code and is now closer to Grabber Light Blue.
When I repaint it I will make it brighter.
I live in a rural area and even the local cowboys love the color
unless another cowboy is present of course then it's a sissy blue.
Just stumbled across your forum.
Looks interesting and I like to talk cars anyway.
One of the first cars I ever owned was a 69 Mach 1 .
I drove that car for 289K hard miles before the 351W finally threw a lung. I still have fond memories of that car and those times.
Fast forward to today.
I've wanted a Classic Muscle Car for some time and my only criteria was it had to be a convertible and a 4 speed.
After almost a year of searching, somehow the road led me to my 73 Q code.
I've had it for 2 years now.
That first summer I spent my time driving Topless and enjoying the sound of the wind and the roar of the 40's.
That winter I spent replacing cosmetics ie bumpers and chrome strips etc.
Mechanicals also needed some attention like new 50's to protect my hearing
and a general tune up.
I switched out gearing to 2.91:1 for better freeway RPM's but I may switch back to 3.00:1. 3.25 was stock, it came with 3.50's in the rear.
Im getting clutch chatter now so it may need replacing.
At some point the factory Holley 750 with Ford's Tuned Intake disappeared and was
replaced by a 650 on a Edelbrock . The why is a mystery.
I'll also hook up the RAM air for a little extra boost. The Q code loves to rev and I won't deny it gas or oxygen.
This last winter I spent completely stripping the interior out and replacing everything I could. The floor pans looked good so I sealed them with POR and installed Hush Mats. I painted the door jams, A pillar and windshield posts, and inner doors ... I used the PPG 2 step and it turned out pretty nice but i'll need a lot more practice before doing a full repaint.
I'm doing all of the restoration work myself otherwise the kids would have to forgo college.
This summer I plan to once again go Topless and feel the wind in my hair.
A little history......
Supposedly I am the 3rd owner. I say supposedly because after getting the car home and digging deeper I found discrepancies.
The car was originally purchased in Los Angeles and ordered with all available bells and whistles of the time including a couple of rare ones.
This included the TiltAway steering column and a rear disk brake package that was dealer installed.
After sometime driving the strip in LA it moved to Wyoming . The second owner took it to Colorado before moving to Arkansas which is where I found it. He told me that all sheet metal was original and that he had had it stripped to bare metal and repainted.
This I found to be incorrect. Somewhere in it's life it had been spun out and hit something solid. The trunk bore the evidence of previous body
work. I have also found that both front fenders have been replaced and a rocker panel was repaired. The remaining original 1/4 panel also has
evidence of a sheet metal patch.
This vehicle is also supposed to have 146K original miles but in light of the above I don't know if that is accurate.
The engine runs excellent and I have no reason to tear it down....yet
So here is a question for the experts.
When I do tear the engine down should I find "fomoco" bearings. Can that be used as a gauge to determine approximate miles?
Color; I wasn't crazy about it at first but it's growing on me. Most people love it or hate it.
I will say this.
I have never had so many ladies of all ages want to come up to me
and talk about what a beautiful color it is. I wish I'd had this chick magnet about 25 years ago.
It started out as a Light Blue code and is now closer to Grabber Light Blue.
When I repaint it I will make it brighter.
I live in a rural area and even the local cowboys love the color
unless another cowboy is present of course then it's a sissy blue.
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