Just joined from Chicago Il.

[tpj71mach]

Hi, My name is Tom and I just joined this forum today. I just recently purchased a 1971 Mustang Mach 1 in Vegas and shipped it back here to the Chicago area to begin the restoration. I have restored a few cars but never a Mustang. Mostly Camaro's and Chevelle's because they are easier to find and parts are available and more affordable but not want I really wanted. I had a 73 Mach 1 in high school and have always wanted another and I am finally going to get as close as I can. This 71 has a fold down rear seat like my 73 did and same drive train and options mostly. Because the car was originally dark green and not Grabber Blue and I am not a green guy, I plan to paint it Wimbledon White with black stripes like my 73 was. Only with 71 correct stripes of course.

This is a picture of the 71 as I purchased it in Vegas in November 2021

These are pictures of the 73 I had back in high school

I am looking forward to learning as much as I can from you guys as I proceed through the restoration of this 71 Mach 1 - Thanks

 

[Idaho Chris]

Welcome to "7173"!

 

[Fabrice]

Looks like a nice project base! What's breathing under the hood?
Good luck!

Welcome from the northern Netherlands

 

[tpj71mach]

Welcome to "7173"!

Thank you, and thanks also for telling me about this 71-73 specific forum on the vintage mustang forum

 

[tpj71mach]

Looks like a nice project base! What's breathing under the hood?
Good luck!

Welcome from the northern Netherlands

it is a 351C 4V its at the machine shop now they have inspected and magna-fluxed and there are no cracks or other issues so should be a standard rebuild. Just going to up the compression a little and go a little heavier on the cam but other than that mostly stock.

 

[Stanglover]

Hello and a warm welcome from SW Ontario, Canada.
As it's a 351C 4V, I assume the VIN shows it to be an M code eg, 1f05M xxxxxx.
I too own an M code and have posted info based on my own learning curve to get the best out of MY engine, which is basically stock. I actually lowered the compression to approx. 9.8:1 with dish top pistons @ zero deck, to get it to run on todays crappy gas (non ethanol). Timing on this motor was also a fun trip. I don't believe in HEI or even MSD on these cars, preferring either a modified stock Autolite or DuraSpark distributor. That's your choice of course.
Anyway enough of that for now. There are many far more knowledgeable than am I on the Forum. Ask questions before making decisions and enjoy your car.
Stanglover

 

[Steve McMahan]

Welcome from So Cal

 

[Kilgon]

Welcome from Ohio. Looks like it will be a fun project. Hard to tell from the pics but what shape is the body in? I notice it looks like the passenger fender is a different color.

Lots of info and a great bunch of guys and a few gals here willing to help. We like pictures so post a few more when you can.

 

[71ProjectJunk]

Welcome from Texas!

 

[71 gbvert]

Welcome from Naperville! Keep us updated on the progress, including pics.

 

[mjseakan]

Welcome from Central New York.
Mike

 

[jpaz]

Hello and Welcome from Michigan. Looks like a great car to restore. Best of luck with getting it back on the road!

 

[timachone]

Welcome from Germany!

Nice and solid car to start with, congratulations. Keep us posted to your progress!

 

[tpj71mach]

Hello and a warm welcome from SW Ontario, Canada.
As it's a 351C 4V, I assume the VIN shows it to be an M code eg, 1f05M xxxxxx.
I too own an M code and have posted info based on my own learning curve to get the best out of MY engine, which is basically stock. I actually lowered the compression to approx. 9.8:1 with dish top pistons @ zero deck, to get it to run on todays crappy gas (non ethanol). Timing on this motor was also a fun trip. I don't believe in HEI or even MSD on these cars, preferring either a modified stock Autolite or DuraSpark distributor. That's your choice of course.
Anyway enough of that for now. There are many far more knowledgeable than am I on the Forum. Ask questions before making decisions and enjoy your car.
Stanglover

Thanks for the advice, My car is actually an H code 351 2V but I purchased it without an engine and I found a 351 4V engine and the block and heads are date coded 71 so it will have a four barrel heads with the larger ports. It is at the machine shop now and it checked out good and fortunately has not been tampered with previously. It has a a standard bore and the crank is original and has not been cut.

 

[Stanglover]

Thanks for the advice, My car is actually an H code 351 2V but I purchased it without an engine and I found a 351 4V engine and the block and heads are date coded 71 so it will have a four barrel heads with the larger ports. It is at the machine shop now and it checked out good and fortunately has not been tampered with previously. It has a a standard bore and the crank is original and has not been cut.

That sounds like a nice find. An untouched motor is indeed quite rare from all accounts. Are you putting the motor back together, or is the shop doing it. As others will tell you, Cleveland's ain't your Chevy 350 and are a beast unto themselves. My engine had to rebuilt twice due to inappropriate parts being put in. One being a high volume oil pump and the other was flat top piston with too high pin height. The oil pump took out the cam and main bearings after a couple of summers' driving and I could not get it to stop spark knocking with 91 Octane non-ethanol fuel. That was why I dropped the comp ratio and learned how to rebuild and curve the Autolite dizzy. By the way, the sweet spot for initial timing is 14-16 degrees plus 20 crank, 34-36 total mechanical timing, weight springs set to be all in around 2800-3000 rpm, vacuum advance plugged. On mine, I have a Holley 670 that is "tweaked" for my motor and it pulls like a train. It has all I want for the driving I do.
I hope I'm not being too assuming at this point in time.

 

[tpj71mach]

I appreciate all of the knowledge I can get. I have not built a Ford yet and want to avoid any pitfalls I can by learning from you guys. The speed shop I get everything from builds racing engines primarily but also builds milder street version engines as well. He has built four Chevy engines ranging from a 370 HP 350 small block up to 770 HP 454 big block and I have not had an issue with one yet. He builds them and runs them for break in and dynos them. He is a little more pricey than other machine shops but it comes back broken in and dyno'd and painted and carb and timing all dialed in. When I bought the Mustang I called him because I wasn't sure if he built Ford engines, thankfully he does. He was quick to make sure I understood that everything is more expensive for a Ford engine so it would be a little pricier compared to the Chevy engines he has built for me in the past. He said he builds More Chevys than Fords but it is like a two to one ratio. He gave me a bunch of guys he builds Fords for references and they all loved his work, so it sounds like he is as good at Fords as he is with Chevy's. It will be a few months before it is done because of his backlog but definitely worth the wait. It will give me time to get the suspension, steering, brakes and engine compartment finished and ready to drop the engine in. Thanks again for all of the info!

 

[tpj71mach]

Welcome from Naperville! Keep us updated on the progress, including pics.

I will, I have started a build thread in the build forum to update the progress

 

[cv_72mustang]

Welcome from NE, PA, Great to see another car getting saved!

 

[tony-muscle]

Welcome from Wisconsin, just north of you

 

[tpj71mach]

Welcome from Wisconsin, just north of you

Thanks "neighbor"