Never Know What you'll Find on a Back Road

[Cobra2572]

I stumbled across these cars sitting in a yard a few miles from my house. 71 Boss 351, 71 Grande Q Code, and a 72 Mach 1 Q Code. He also had a 2012 GT with 2500 miles in an enclosed trailer. Said he might sell the Boss 351. Original motor not in the car but has an original Boss motor for it. It's a 4 speed. Car is rough and seemed expensive for a NOM car.

 

[73pony]

That's a cool find. Sad that they are just sitting there waiting to be rescued. The Q code cars would be cool restos, the Grande doesn't look to terrible in the photos and done right would make a cool sleeper.

 

[Mister 4x4]

Wow - without seeing that VIN plate, I would've laughed me arse all the way back to my car after seeing that trunk 'decal.'

If you're interested in picking it up, make sure to check the stampings on the shock towers (under the fenders) to make sure they match the dash VIN - otherwise, all that might be there is a dash pad from a Boss 351. If there's still a door sticker, check it too - although the shock towers will be the big tell. The car's been repainted, with the painter getting the stripes and hood TuTone completely wrong for a Boss 351, not to mention the honeycomb taillight trim shouldn't be there either. A repaint can mean that sheet metal was replaced.

Considering they've all been sitting outside and all the leaves on the cowl vents of the coupe, I'd expect rusty frame rails, rockers, floor pans & intermediate (back seat area), doors, cowls, trunk pans & drop-offs, taillight panels, rear cross members, and lower quarters - especially around the wheelhouse area. You can even see it starting in on the quarters of the "Boss 351."

That would be quite a collection if they could be had for cheap... won't be cheap to get back together, though. The owner should just let 'em go if he really cares about 'em. Otherwise, they're most likely just going to sit there and rot away.

I'm over $40K into my car (not counting what I would've paid for labor had I not done pretty much all of it myself) starting out with something as bad as I believe that Boss to be... and that's using a LOT of repop and restomod parts on a lowly H-Code. In order to retain any kind of value on those cars, NOS parts are in order with a professional restoration expert at the helm. A guy could spend well over $100K on that Boss 351 alone going that route, only to expect $60-80K return on investment at auction time.

Any or all of those cars can be like-new again, but it won't be cheap or quick by any means.

 

[Carolina_Mountain_Mustangs]

If he won't sell them suggest to the owner that he jack them up and put an 8" cement block under each wheel and at least put a tarp over them. Ounce of prevention. If they are up off the ground just a little the rust does not like it as much.

David

 

[Austin Vert]

IMO - I always thought it was a crime to leave any car sitting out in the open countryside, unprotected,and untouched for decades. To me, it doesn't matter which way you look at it, it's just not right. (WRECKING YARDS EXCLUDED OF COURSE)

Greg.:-/

 

[Cobra2572]

Wow - without seeing that VIN plate, I would've laughed me arse all the way back to my car after seeing that trunk 'decal.'

If you're interested in picking it up, make sure to check the stampings on the shock towers (under the fenders) to make sure they match the dash VIN - otherwise, all that might be there is a dash pad from a Boss 351. If there's still a door sticker, check it too - although the shock towers will be the big tell. The car's been repainted, with the painter getting the stripes and hood TuTone completely wrong for a Boss 351, not to mention the honeycomb taillight trim shouldn't be there either. A repaint can mean that sheet metal was replaced.

Considering they've all been sitting outside and all the leaves on the cowl vents of the coupe, I'd expect rusty frame rails, rockers, floor pans & intermediate (back seat area), doors, cowls, trunk pans & drop-offs, taillight panels, rear cross members, and lower quarters - especially around the wheelhouse area. You can even see it starting in on the quarters of the "Boss 351."

That would be quite a collection if they could be had for cheap... won't be cheap to get back together, though. The owner should just let 'em go if he really cares about 'em. Otherwise, they're most likely just going to sit there and rot away.

I'm over $40K into my car (not counting what I would've paid for labor had I not done pretty much all of it myself) starting out with something as bad as I believe that Boss to be... and that's using a LOT of repop and restomod parts on a lowly H-Code. In order to retain any kind of value on those cars, NOS parts are in order with a professional restoration expert at the helm. A guy could spend well over $100K on that Boss 351 alone going that route, only to expect $60-80K return on investment at auction time.

Any or all of those cars can be like-new again, but it won't be cheap or quick by any means.

Eric,

I looked at your impressive fb album. Is there a way to determine if there's rust underneath the cowl without cutting it open? Looks like you peeled back the top layer to fix it.

Thanks,

Dave

 

[Pastel Blue]

Wow - without seeing that VIN plate, I would've laughed me arse all the way back to my car after seeing that trunk 'decal.'

If you're interested in picking it up, make sure to check the stampings on the shock towers (under the fenders) to make sure they match the dash VIN - otherwise, all that might be there is a dash pad from a Boss 351. If there's still a door sticker, check it too - although the shock towers will be the big tell. The car's been repainted, with the painter getting the stripes and hood TuTone completely wrong for a Boss 351, not to mention the honeycomb taillight trim shouldn't be there either. A repaint can mean that sheet metal was replaced.

Considering they've all been sitting outside and all the leaves on the cowl vents of the coupe, I'd expect rusty frame rails, rockers, floor pans & intermediate (back seat area), doors, cowls, trunk pans & drop-offs, taillight panels, rear cross members, and lower quarters - especially around the wheelhouse area. You can even see it starting in on the quarters of the "Boss 351."

That would be quite a collection if they could be had for cheap... won't be cheap to get back together, though. The owner should just let 'em go if he really cares about 'em. Otherwise, they're most likely just going to sit there and rot away.

I'm over $40K into my car (not counting what I would've paid for labor had I not done pretty much all of it myself) starting out with something as bad as I believe that Boss to be... and that's using a LOT of repop and restomod parts on a lowly H-Code. In order to retain any kind of value on those cars, NOS parts are in order with a professional restoration expert at the helm. A guy could spend well over $100K on that Boss 351 alone going that route, only to expect $60-80K return on investment at auction time.

Any or all of those cars can be like-new again, but it won't be cheap or quick by any means.

Eric,

I looked at your impressive fb album. Is there a way to determine if there's rust underneath the cowl without cutting it open? Looks like you peeled back the top layer to fix it.

Thanks,

Dave

You can get a good indication of what's going on with your cowl from the underside (interior) of the car once you remove the under dash components. If it is rusting through, you will know in this area also. In reality though, you need to be able to remove the factory applied sealer around the top side of the cowl to get a good indication of what moisture has slipped passed this barrier. Even my AZ vert that I am restoring wound up with a small repair (rust hole) after I removed the sealant, the small hole became evident. To completely remove the sealant may require opening the top side of the cowl... just my experience... Good luck.

 

[mach71351c]

Wow this could be a awesome find for the right money.