Many thanks for all of the warm welcomes.
My 71 is a Sports roof model, with the original 302 engine w/ automatic trans. Its very solid, and has had a a frame up restoration about 16 years ago. I bought it last year in Ohio, however it’s originally from Colorado. It was originally Grabber Yellow in color, with a black interior, however the previous owner had it repainted light green, and changed the interior to white, plus he added 17 inch wheels, and big -ss tires, and jacked up the rear end by flipping the shackles. It’s a decent driver, but I have had to fix several things including the front end & suspension issues. I’ve attached some pictures taken just after we bought it.
So…way back in 1971 I purchased a brand new 71 Mustang Sports Roof (351 Cleveland, Functional Ram Air, Hurst 4 Speed, Competition Suspension etc..) eventually putting 100,000 miles on it, and selling it in 1979, when we started raising a family. I drove it for 8 years, and I will never forget how great it handled. It was an extremely stable car. It had quick handling, was great riding, and it was very fast. I was in Law Enforcement in the 70’s and I drove Plymouth patrol cars every day at high speeds. But my 71 Mustang handled way better than any of those patrol cars ever did.
Fast forward to today. We are currently doing a modified restoration of our recently acquired 71 Mustang , and are changing the hood, grill, and other areas, so it will have the appearance of a
Mach 1. I guess it will be a Mach 1 tribute car. We are restoring & returning the interior to black. I’m changing the exterior color to Bright Blue Metallic aka Acapulco Blue, with semi gloss black trim on the hood & lower sides etc.. We’ll keep the 302 engine for the time being. And I’m going to ditch those big wheels, and hard riding thin tires, and probably go with 15 inch Magnum 500’s wheels. I’ve already installed a set of factory correct new Detroit Eaton Rear Leaf Springs, and have gotten rid of the jacked up shackles. And new shocks all around.
I’ve learned a lot of good Mustang Information from this website already. If anyone has any suggestions or comments, I love to hear them. I’m in southern Michigan near Jackson.
