Mach 1. No engine. $950. Good quarters. Needs pans. Blind buy. Get it?

[cudak888]

Was on eBay not long ago, but failed to sell. $950, but it'll probably run me a few hundred more to get it towed here. Don't recall the rest of the condition, but it looks like a good start to a Diamonds Are Forever clone:

Can get a good H-code 351 w/FMX, running and solid for $400 to dump in it. Weird knock-off Magnums on it. Couldn't care less, really - I know where to get some 14x7" steels.

Seems as if there's enough there that it'd be hard to go wrong - except that it's on a bill of sale. In Florida, I'm not sure if getting a replacement title is possible, but I can get the last owner's information.

Any chance someone might have saved some of the other pictures of this car when it was up on the block?

-Kurt

 

[classicsguy]

Very nice project! Wonder what engine did it have from factory?

 

[cudak888]

Very nice project! Wonder what engine did it have from factory?

Safe to assume nothing with Ram Air, which doesn't narrow it down any. H or M code would be reasonable.

Lots of sans-stripes cars in early production, but the only Grabber Yellow car was 1F05R100053 - the Boss 302 prototype. No chance of this one being part of the early production.

Ford didn't seem to bank on the stripes being such a popular option, given the original '71 literature.

-Kurt

 

[71_resurrection]

Looks like a solid start, although once finishing coats are gone it might be a different story. I would say go for it!

 

[classicsguy]

Is this car in Florida?

 

[Boss1Ray]

Kurt - short of any unmentioned discoveries, I say go for it.

Your knowledge and diligent research on the DAF cars will ensure an extremely well built clone.

This will be an immediate rare one as most clones, tributes, etc. are unfortunately VERY poorly built.

I'm excited to see you get it (or another donor car) and get started!

Best of luck.

Ray

 

[cudak888]

Kurt - short of any unmentioned discoveries, I say go for it.

Your knowledge and diligent research on the DAF cars will ensure an extremely well built clone.

This will be an immediate rare one as most clones, tributes, etc. are unfortunately VERY poorly built.

I'm excited to see you get it (or another donor car) and get started!

Best of luck.

Ray

Thank you for the kind words, Ray - though all I want to do is make a good exterior tribute car. I do wish to have the Vermillion deluxe interior, but I have no intentions of making an exact replica in terms of the belts, center console, flip down rear seats, rollcage etc.

The donor engine I have in mind is a '73 351C 2V, so we're not accurate as the drivetrain goes either. I'd pass on the center console on this one too - I prefer being able to scoot from seat to seat if necessary.

Likewise, I'd prefer to do the conversion on a car with sportdeck rear seats for accuracy's sake (as you could see the feature through the rear window of the car in the film), but I'm not going to limit myself to a good deal if this car doesn't have them.

That said, I refuse to make an absolutely perfect replica, seeing as the two obvious fakes out there are still accepted by the ignorant masses as being genuine - to the point of fooling the Ian Fleming Foundation.

Without all the original VINs publicized, it's a bad business - applying what I know to a clone could be very dangerous if I were to later sell the car (not that I intend to, but life isn't forever, nor is it predictable) to some schmuck who sees unethical opportunity in a perfect clone. I'm not going to give anyone that opportunity (even if, obviously, unintentional) of passing my clone as an original.

-Kurt

 

[Boss1Ray]

Kurt - short of any unmentioned discoveries, I say go for it.

Your knowledge and diligent research on the DAF cars will ensure an extremely well built clone.

This will be an immediate rare one as most clones, tributes, etc. are unfortunately VERY poorly built.

I'm excited to see you get it (or another donor car) and get started!

Best of luck.

Ray

Thank you for the kind words, Ray - though all I want to do is make a good exterior tribute car. I do wish to have the Vermillion deluxe interior, but I have no intentions of making an exact replica in terms of the belts, center console, flip down rear seats, rollcage etc.

The donor engine I have in mind is a '73 351C 2V, so we're not accurate as the drivetrain goes either. I'd pass on the center console on this one too - I prefer being able to scoot from seat to seat if necessary.

Likewise, I'd prefer to do the conversion on a car with sportdeck rear seats for accuracy's sake (as you could see the feature through the rear window of the car in the film), but I'm not going to limit myself to a good deal if this car doesn't have them.

That said, I refuse to make an absolutely perfect replica, seeing as the two obvious fakes out there are still accepted by the ignorant masses as being genuine - to the point of fooling the Ian Fleming Foundation.

Without all the original VINs publicized, it's a bad business - applying what I know to a clone could be very dangerous if I were to later sell the car (not that I intend to, but life isn't forever, nor is it predictable) to some schmuck who sees unethical opportunity in a perfect clone. I'm not going to give anyone that opportunity (even if, obviously, unintentional) of passing my clone as an original.

-Kurt

OK - I see your point. Sad the Ian Fleming Foundation doesn't take the research more serious, but I'm not surprised. It looks like they agreed with someone on some of the cars - so they don't want to re-think and chance having to retract their publicized statements. This is very common with foundations and museums. --Don't admit mistakes much...

All I can say is I appreciate your countless hours of fact-finding in your quest to document and verify the actual cars used.

Ray

 

[cudak888]

OK - I see your point. Sad the Ian Fleming Foundation doesn't take the research more serious, but I'm not surprised. It looks like they agreed with someone on some of the cars - so they don't want to re-think and chance having to retract their publicized statements. This is very common with foundations and museums. --Don't admit mistakes much...
All I can say is I appreciate your countless hours of fact-finding in your quest to document and verify the actual cars used.

Ray

Well, in their defense, the IFF relied on the same incorrect assumptions as Michael Alameda in picking their car - they went for one of the other early-production 429 cars that popped up in Lois Eminger's research.

With Alameda's wild assumptions being the only thing fueling the DAF Mustang rumor mill at the time, nobody bothered to perform a truly detailed analysis of the cars, the film, or Lois Eminger's own skepticism in her replies to Alameda.

-Kurt

 

[BigBlue]

Nice find! Hard to go wrong for that price, really. As far as the bill of sale, there is a way to get a title for the car. My brother bought a '72 Beetle about 4 years ago in Orlando and it had no title. My neighbor, being a car dealer, told him to apply for one. Well he did, and actually received a title from the state. To be honest, I'm not sure if that's the protocol or if he had to jump a few hurdles to get it, but it's definitely a possibility to obtain it legally here in FL. Just throwing in my 2 cents...

 

[cudak888]

Nice find! Hard to go wrong for that price, really. As far as the bill of sale, there is a way to get a title for the car. My brother bought a '72 Beetle about 4 years ago in Orlando and it had no title. My neighbor, being a car dealer, told him to apply for one. Well he did, and actually received a title from the state. To be honest, I'm not sure if that's the protocol or if he had to jump a few hurdles to get it, but it's definitely a possibility to obtain it legally here in FL. Just throwing in my 2 cents...

That Beetle transaction doesn't correlate with anything that I've read for one, unless the owner on the bill of sale and the title holder matched.

Ask him for me though.

I'm going to have someone in the PD run it through the national and state databases, see what we get. That's how I was able to get in touch with the gentleman from whom I purchased my '71 from (who turned up in Kentucky).

-Kurt

 

[cudak888]

Just got the VIN. 1F05F102637. 302 Mach.

Pretty much the ideal 05-code car to modify without destroying value through originality. That, and not a single Diamonds are Forever car was an F-code.

Nice find! Hard to go wrong for that price, really. As far as the bill of sale, there is a way to get a title for the car. My brother bought a '72 Beetle about 4 years ago in Orlando and it had no title. My neighbor, being a car dealer, told him to apply for one. Well he did, and actually received a title from the state. To be honest, I'm not sure if that's the protocol or if he had to jump a few hurdles to get it, but it's definitely a possibility to obtain it legally here in FL. Just throwing in my 2 cents...

A few H.A.M.B. members noted that if you go fishing around various tag agencies, you'll probably find one that will take the VIN verification from a police department plus "an affidavit by the owner defending the title from all claims" - provided the thing isn't currently titled in the Florida system.

It's probably Florida's workaround for the cars that come from states that have no title.

Now, if this thing isn't in the Florida system (out of state?) and a police check shows it as clear, it might just go through without a hitch.

-Kurt

 

[cudak888]

VIN news:

Florida VIN check from PD source indicates that the car has never been titled in the State of Florida. Out of state car. Seller doesn't know where it originated from.

Not sure if PD source can get me a statewide VIN check. If so, I'm hoping this thing doesn't come back anywhere, indicating it came from a state without title (NY, etc). If so, it should pass according to the data at the HAMB: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=462176

Observations:

I think the radiator support is missing entirely. Front end crash survivor?

-Kurt

 

[cudak888]

I'm having a 50-state search run on it now; shouldn't be long before I have some concrete data as to whether it was ever titled (or reported damaged - old-fashioned Carfax!) anywhere.

Seller came back with more ominous comments about the driver's floorpan needing to be replaced (literally: "...yea, I looked at the pan again for you, you're going to have do do some work on it" - that's never a good comment) - it's starting to sound as if I'll be in this for a pair of pans, possibly a trunk, and a radiator support. Oh, it's missing the passenger's seat too. Bah.

Nothing I can't hack, but it doesn't bode well for the rest. Something tells me that I'm not going to be able to squeeze any other photos out of him either.

It is going to cost another $300 to get it here. $1250 at the end of the day.

Not really worth it, is it?

-Kurt

 

[cudak888]

Came up clear. Hasn't been in any state's database for at least 15 years.

Go for it?

-Kurt

 

[auron73mach1]

Do it I bought mine on just a few photos but knowing it needed a lot of work after a carb fire roached the wires in the engine bay for $2000, and that is before going up there and getting a trailer and bringing it back.

Original 4 photos:









now I does need "some" trunk work and passenger floor pan and I am in the process of redoing the entire drive line, but looking back would I get the same car to start with? Yes every time!

 

[cudak888]

^

May be better than this thing. At least you have an engine and trans.

-Kurt

 

[auron73mach1]

Which were toast. The cleveland had a spun main bearing to the point the crank ate into the block, the engine shop said they couldn't save it. So I bought xoliex's 466 and a t56, traded the t56 now I'm going with his tko 600. So it didn't matter if I had the engine and trans or not, I made no profit when I sold the rebuilt D0VE casting 4v heads ( the only good part of the engine) and the rest was scrapped.

 

[cudak888]

Ok, you've convinced me.

-Kurt