Like / dislike of 71-73 Mustangs

[Mac]

All,

OK, if you are reading this, you either own one, thinking about one or looking for info on one.  With that said, I'm sure that you like certain things/features that you like/love and like wise hate some features or things as well and would love to change.  Just curious as to how you feel about your car or the 71-73's in general.

Myself, I like the seats and ride of my 71 over my 66 convertible.  Also like the style of it, it seems to build on the 69-70 style of the Shelby.  My Mach always gets attention when I take it our for a spin.  As far as hate, I joking refer to the back window as my, "sun roof that slid down".  And the sport mirrors look nice but are way to small.

So how do you feel about yours?

Mac

 

[droptop73]

As a convertible owner, I like that you sit IN the car rather than ON it. The driving, handling and braking on our cars is MUCH better than the earlier cars. I agree the mirrors are not terribly functional but they do look good. They are a bit challenging for long legged people. I've taken care of the seating position but the mirrors I'll live with. 

Overall it's my most comfortable pair of old shoes! 

 

[cwalker509]

Well i have 3 so I obviously really like them. Any old car is (or should be) nostalgic for the owner and often is for others. It is also a personal statement. New cars can be too but they often have a larger percentage of practicality to them. The older cars are more of a personal statement in my opinion.

 

[Fabrice]

There is really not much things I hate, except how badly they were protected against corrosion like many cars made back then.

The things I dislike:
- Too much plastic in dashboard. Now days it's normal but I still do not like it! My 73 has a all alu dashboard with fine materials and so will my 71.
I dislike the original steering wheels too. Way too thin for the diameter they have.
- I dislike how far the trunk of the fastback opens and the hood too. I've been bleeding and swearing so many times kuz of these few missing degrees of rotation.
The things I wish there was or be better:
- more support on the sides in the original seats.
- the center console is too far for my arms/hands
- electric mirrors. Because they are small, at times it would be handy to be able to change the angle while driving. Something that I plan to address at some point.

The things I love:

EVERYTHING else! My 73 is my first car, bought it at 19 and do not want any other car (except my 429  ). Love the line, the sound, the experience. I could stay all day cruising around in it. I find truly amazing to be able to order almost any parts you need for a 50 years old car without any or much problems. Something not many cars over 20 years can claim, especially here in Europe.

Last but not least, you can gradually make it your own over the years and ending up with a true one and only car.

 

[Carolina_Mountain_Mustangs]

I do enjoy them what I liked the most when new was the price. I financed my 1973 Mach 1 for 18 months. Now they want years and years and cost more than my home.
On thing I do hate is how the parts did not have attention to details. I was tool & die maker and tooling engineer in automotive. I spent hours today filing burs and sharp edges off of parts for my Q code vert build. We made parts for over a dozen Ford platforms and we always went back to Ford with suggestions to improve parts. One year we won the Henry Ford award for innovation. I think we put 18 parts into one stamping saving millions in mfg. costs.
I see some of the burs in the inner doors and things like hood hinges and think who made this tooling. Well back then made in U.S.A. and not very good.
I also wish they had E-coat back then. They did but not for cheap cars.
I have 8 1972 & 73 mustangs and two 1965 coupes one is parts only now been sitting here since the 80's. The other would make a nice car. I also have two 1965 verts one an A code 4 speed but just do not have interest in fixing them. Been off the road since the 80's.
The 71 - 73 drives much better than the early and I simply hate the 69 & 70. Too Cheese interiors are just not right.
I am pretty certain I will never buy another new vehicle of any type too much of a rip off today.

 

[ArtBBQ]

Red 71 Mach 1

Likes

Styling of the NASA hood, roof line and back window. Handling IMO is good for the vintage. It's fun to drive, sounds good and is a head turner. 

Dislikes

Not a big fan of the extra long hood. Also I wish they would have stuck with more of the 69 to 70 contours of the back half of the car. 

 

[c9zx]

I like the looks, ride quality, steering, and tough drivetrain. I don't like the "flexible flyer" chassis that rusts if the car even sees a picture of the ocean. Chuck

 

[Horsin' Around]

Biggest dislike would have to be the tail lights and rear panel. Probably why I cut mine out and started over.

 

[detritusmaximus]

I always disliked the 'dragging ***' stance. Who would design car to look like it had bad springs on the showroom floor?

 

[turtle5353]

I always disliked the 'dragging ***' stance. Who would design car to look like it had bad springs on the showroom floor?

I agree, that was always one of my pet peeves about our cars.  Atleast its pretty easy to fix! 

 

[Vinnie]

Everything I don't like about the car is forgotten the moment I turn the ignition and that V8 fires up. Too bad I won't be able to do that for the next 8 years...

 

[Galucha]

My only gripe with the car is the shin buster 9000 in front of the grille. If only I had one of those softer urethane ones...

 

[71coop]

they really aren't any easier on your shins...

 

[Stanglover]

I know this is my personal view point, so no intent to upset the 73 crowd, but for me, the 73's totally lost it. I hate the 5 mph front bumper and the rear bumperets (if that what they're called). I also hate the grill with the vertical lights. Then there's the added emissions crap that was forced on us and the huge loss of horse power. I'm talking stock here, not after modifications. I also am not a fan of the wimpy stripe along the bottom of the doors. On the plus side, sorry, I can't think of any.

I am a Mach 1 fan through and through and yes, there are many thing I hate about the 71-72's as well. The sport mirrors are ridiculously small and totally useless especially the passenger side. (I fixed that by making my own much larger convex mirror)

What I like is the overall shape and design of the 71-73 machs and yes, the verts and coups as well. 

 

[Mister 4x4]

I think most of the things I don't like about the '71-'73s can be remedied with some subtle changes.  The biggest being the tail lights - I've never really liked them, and always thought that they could've done a better job of making something fit the design a little better (for instance, the Cougar tail lights they tossed upside down into the Cougar's chrome bumpers would've looked WAY better on these cars - although, they were awfully Trans Am-esque, so that explains why they didn't go that direction).  The trapezoid shape is hit or miss for me (some days I hate it, others not so much), but the lack of a functional middle segment is just wrong (also would've better to leave the reverse lights on the valance).  Fortunately, toss in a set of LED inserts and that issue goes away.

Other than that, I can't think of much I'd change.  I love the seats, but agree they could use better side bolsters, so I got a set of TMI Products Sport Seats.  I love the interior, but wasn't a fan of the wood grain, so I went with carbon fiber trim.  Body flex issues, got some sub-frame connectors.

I think about the only thing I'd do different with my Mach 1, would be to get a 'vert - I didn't realize how much I like the 'verts until after I'd seen so many cool cars on this site.  Maybe my Mach 1 will have a stable-mate one day.

 

[1sostatic]

One gripe only !........ the placement of the fusebox 

What ****** decided that sticking it under the dash, right around the corner at the right hand side tucked up close to the steering column "in the dark", was a good idea?

How deranged do you need to be?  Why do we have to stand on our heads with a flashlight ?

Not only did they mount it in the most galactically stupid place, but they then did mixed condition on physical size and orientation of fuses to make it even more of an encryption

When you need to replace/check a fuse it's nice to see which one - the value - the size - then when replacing, to be able to do it easily, see that it locates good and not have to be a contortionist 
to get in there. 

WTF was the designer high on? ..Absinthe, mushrooms..........sniffing glue? ........WHAT ?!!!



:biggrin:

 

[Lazarus]

I was raised in a GM household and the first classics I worked on were Chevys.  The only of our year Mustangs I ever saw as a kid were sportsroof/mach1s, and I always thought they were spectacularly cool, despite my bowtie leanings.
 

I never really saw a 71-73 vert until the early 2000s. I was in my 20s (a restomod 67 Camaro was my daily driver) and man it was like Cupid hit me with an arrow.  Years later I have 2 verts, a 95 Bronco is my daily, and I also have 2 classic Ford tractors, so I’d say I have my Ford bona fides. I will own a sportsroof when I find the right one. 
 

I love the length of the hoods, and the NASA ducts are about the coolest design I can imagine in a muscle car hood. I love the look of our grilles (which candidly borrow a lot from 68 Camaros).   I love the speed line from the fender down the side, and I think our cars in all body styles look almost as good from behind as from the front. 
 

The things I don’t like are few.  Offhand, I don’t love the tail lights... I just wish the  inner borders were vertical not slanted. It would make them less saggy-looking. I wish the long console was more substantial (maybe shorter and bulkier at points).  I wish the coupe roof was different. I like the inset glass but I wish the buttresses were smaller and the roof itself was more like a cuda/challenger roof. Specifically the sort of concave roofline in the back is what I would tweak. 
 

This one is gonna be weird... I wish the sportsroofs had a hatchback like the Novas that came out shortly after, that way the glass could go down farther - improving visibility just a tick - but still giving you a working trunk. 
 

I would also tweak the quarter just a very little bit on a fastback and coupe. Just enough so that the roofline doesn't blend straight into the quarter. I just want to draw the crease that disappears at the C-pillar a little farther so that it meets up with the window sill, like the vert (similar to the 70 fastback but with a bit more subtlety).  Just enough to have a clear border between roof and quarter skin.

Oh yeah... one other thing. I wish there was a good “duck-bill” style option for a rear spoiler.  I like the built in scoop look a little more than a wing-style spoiler. 

 

[mach71351c]

I hate the lack of respect for these cars in the classic car world.

 

[1sostatic]

I hate the lack of respect for these cars in the classic car world.

Interesting point... In my part of the world it's a paradox - people say "Wow, cool car" :classic_cool: , by classic enthusiasts at some of our outdoor shows.. then in the next breath ask "...erm...what is it? :classic_blink: " 

Over here in UK , I think it's a blend of a style/type that has been overlooked and ignorance.