New member

[Tyson Blair]

Hello to you all
I have owned my mustang for about 6 years and have checked out this message board several times but until now have not sounded off. I just wanted to say hi to everyone and post a few pics and a little info. I love these cars and enjoy the exchange with like minded folks.
I own several old cars but over time my mustang has become my favorite by far. I fell in love with these cars in a round about way.
Before I bought a mustang I owned a 69 Thunderbird hardtop.
The reason being I was looking for any big block automatic that was not super expensive and the Tbird
fit the bill. It’s funky looks kept the price down but something about it attracted me. It was painted gold and in good condition so I took a chance on it. It turned out to be a great car and I put a lot of miles on it. The ride quality and handling was surprisingly good and the thunderjet 429 combined with 2.8 rear gears and C6 was more fun than I would have imagined. Though not high performance it had grunt and It was so smooth I could not bring myself to modify it as I had originally planned.
It was my first Ford that I had ever owned and I began to appreciate Ford styling and engineering of that late 60’s early 70’s era. I love just about everything Ford Lincoln Mercury did in those years. Ford designers produced some really bold and exciting looking automobiles when they applied supersonic jet design language to their fastback cars. The 70 Torino being the best example.
At this point I had developed a love for the 429 big blocks and was researching what other cars had come equipped with them because I wanted another one to hotrod. I enjoyed the Tbird too much as it is in stock form and it ran too well to tear into. So this led to me buying a 71 mach1
429 cobra jet ram air with a c6 automatic. As it was the lightest car with a 429 beside the boss 429 mustangs of 69 and 70 which are too rare and expensive.
I had seen these cars years previously and thought they were hideously funky and strangely proportioned. But now I was looking through new eyes. When my car rolled off the truck I thought it was the most exciting car I had ever seen.
Then I drove it.
I don’t know if all the big block 71s ride this way or not but this car was a mess. It looked great but it was the worst driving car I had ever piloted.
The combination of the low ride height , super heavy engine, stiff springs and soft rubber bushings
Made the car feel harsh and rubbery at the same time. The super soft power steering did not suit this car at all. It had terrible bump steer and the poly glass tires got no traction when accelerating. Also the driveline had a vibration and the gauges were next to worthless. Then the steering column fell apart and the steering wheel shaft was flopping around in the column. Not a good first impression.
It was the worst driving car I had ever seen and night and day compared to the thunderbird.
Still I wanted to keep it and was not ready to give up on it but I knew I could not enjoy it as it was.
I was at a cross roads about what to do with this rare car that I had just paid 59k for. I bought it to drive because I thought it would be perfect in stock form but was actually undrivable. Also it was a rare and valuable car and keeping it meant modifying it which destroys the value and erases a piece of history.
I did not buy it to put in a museum I bought it to drive so

I went through the long process of
Overhauling the car. I had enough experience when I overhauled my 57 Chevy end to end to know that
The end product would be better if I left it to the pros so It went to a professional garage to be modified.
The main points are as follows.
I went with Total Control Products suspension and steering. Jim Grubbs built an all aluminum fuel injected big block for street duty. I wanted to keep the factory exhaust manifolds.
Willwood brakes, new wheels and tires, subframe connectors, Dakota digital gauges and a stereo system was added. Also a Vintage air heat and air hvac, aluminum radiator and march pulleys.
I hated to change the car this much but it really improved the experience behind the wheel
and I enjoy the hell out of it.

 

[PNWMach1]

Welcome from Ohio, awesome car! Lastly: "Jim Grubbs built an all aluminum fuel injected big block for street duty".....damn, am I jealous of that statement! LOL

 

[Cleveland Crush]

Welcome to our forum. That's one fine looking Stang Tyson.
I've always believed in building a car for you not the next owner, I like all the updates to did.

 

[Tyson Blair]

I appreciate that guys.

 

[Tyson Blair]

Welcome from Ohio, awesome car! Lastly: "Jim Grubbs built an all aluminum fuel injected big block for street duty".....damn, am I jealous of that statement! LOL

It helped a lot with weight but kind
of a nutty price to pay to save a few hundred pounds. It could handle a lot more power but it is limited by me wanting to keep the ram air functional which meant a low rise intake ( Torker II) and the fact that I wanted to use the factory exhaust manifolds. I also wanted to keep the three speed and 3.0 rear gears so the cam had
To be modest.

 

[tpj71mach]

Welcome from Chicago! Nice looking car!

 

[NOT A T5]

Welcome from Omaha!

 

[Sheriff41]

Howdy and welcome from San Antonio. Beautiful car!

 

[mrgmhale]

Hello to you all
I have owned my mustang for about 6 years and have checked out this message board several times but until now have not sounded off. I just wanted to say hi to everyone and post a few pics and a little info. I love these cars and enjoy the exchange with like minded folks.
I own several old cars but over time my mustang has become my favorite by far. I fell in love with these cars in a round about way.
Before I bought a mustang I owned a 69 Thunderbird hardtop.
The reason being I was looking for any big block automatic that was not super expensive and the Tbird
fit the bill. It’s funky looks kept the price down but something about it attracted me. It was painted gold and in good condition so I took a chance on it. It turned out to be a great car and I put a lot of miles on it. The ride quality and handling was surprisingly good and the thunderjet 429 combined with 2.8 rear gears and C6 was more fun than I would have imagined. Though not high performance it had grunt and It was so smooth I could not bring myself to modify it as I had originally planned.
It was my first Ford that I had ever owned and I began to appreciate Ford styling and engineering of that late 60’s early 70’s era. I love just about everything Ford Lincoln Mercury did in those years. Ford designers produced some really bold and exciting looking automobiles when they applied supersonic jet design language to their fastback cars. The 70 Torino being the best example.
At this point I had developed a love for the 429 big blocks and was researching what other cars had come equipped with them because I wanted another one to hotrod. I enjoyed the Tbird too much as it is in stock form and it ran too well to tear into. So this led to me buying a 71 mach1
429 cobra jet ram air with a c6 automatic. As it was the lightest car with a 429 beside the boss 429 mustangs of 69 and 70 which are too rare and expensive.
I had seen these cars years previously and thought they were hideously funky and strangely proportioned. But now I was looking through new eyes. When my car rolled off the truck I thought it was the most exciting car I had ever seen.
Then I drove it.
I don’t know if all the big block 71s ride this way or not but this car was a mess. It looked great but it was the worst driving car I had ever piloted.
The combination of the low ride height , super heavy engine, stiff springs and soft rubber bushings
Made the car feel harsh and rubbery at the same time. The super soft power steering did not suit this car at all. It had terrible bump steer and the poly glass tires got no traction when accelerating. Also the driveline had a vibration and the gauges were next to worthless. Then the steering column fell apart and the steering wheel shaft was flopping around in the column. Not a good first impression.
It was the worst driving car I had ever seen and night and day compared to the thunderbird.
Still I wanted to keep it and was not ready to give up on it but I knew I could not enjoy it as it was.
I was at a cross roads about what to do with this rare car that I had just paid 59k for. I bought it to drive because I thought it would be perfect in stock form but was actually undrivable. Also it was a rare and valuable car and keeping it meant modifying it which destroys the value and erases a piece of history.
I did not buy it to put in a museum I bought it to drive so View attachment 72770

I went through the long process of
Overhauling the car. I had enough experience when I overhauled my 57 Chevy end to end to know that
The end product would be better if I left it to the pros so It went to a professional garage to be modified.
The main points are as follows.
I went with Total Control Products suspension and steering. Jim Grubbs built an all aluminum fuel injected big block for street duty. I wanted to keep the factory exhaust manifolds.
Willwood brakes, new wheels and tires, subframe connectors, Dakota digital gauges and a stereo system was added. Also a Vintage air heat and air hvac, aluminum radiator and march pulleys.
I hated to change the car this much but it really improved the experience behind the wheel
and I enjoy the hell out of it.

That is a really tremendously beautiful 71 Mach 1. I am very happy you were able to getit into an enjoyable state, they really are nice cars when set up correctly. I get not wanting to change the 69 T-Bird, as we have kept our 69 Shelby GT500 in pure stock form. It is plenty fast as it is, there is no need or desire to goose more power out of it. We also have a 2020 GT500 we are keeping in stock form, largely because I do not want to do anything that may compromise its extended warranty, and with 760 HP coming from it I see no need for even more power being put on tap.

We have a 73 Mustang Convertible with a 3-02 2v, C4 auto tranny, and a very steep 2.79:1 rear axle gears. It is being kept stock as it has only 21,000 original miles on it (barn stored over 40 years), and with those steep rear axle gears we would need to work with a lower set of gears (TractionLok) if we were to want to alter the engine, which is running perfectly well as it is.

With our 73 Mach 1, things are a bit different. The prior owner replaced its base 302 2v with a 1994 F-150 351W (not C), which was built to a moderate street/strip level of performance. He also replaced the rear ale gears with a 3.5:1 TractionLok unit. We swapped an AOL in to replace the C4. There not much else I want to do with the 73 Mach 1. We already installed a Classic Air A/C system (on both 73 Mustangs), and had the alternator rebuilt with a rotor with more windings in it to go from 42 amps to 65+ amps just to handle all the electrical load from the goodies we added (including a dual electric fan cooling system on both 73s). When we got the Mach 1 it was a nice riding vehicle, although the 3.5:1 rear axle ratio spun the engine at 2,700 or so RPM at 60 MPH, a little more RPM than I wanted. The C4 began to slip in its WOT 1-2 upshift. I replaced it with an AOD to retain the 1st, 2nd, 3rd gear performance, plus get the 0.7:1 OverDrive 4th gear to both lower the highway cruising engine RPM, and to reclaim the top end the lower rear axle gear ratio took away. Since the engine has plenty of power at the top RPM ranges it can push through the air resistance found at 100+ MPH speeds, so the OD gear was not wasted. And, at 60 MPH in 4th OD gear the engine RPM is running at a very nice 1,900 RPM or so. now cruising at highway speeds is much more enjoyable. And like your 71 Mach 1, after a deep re$toration it is one terrific looking car. Yet the two Shelby GT500s are my two most favored cars in our little fleet, where the 60 Shelby is my all time favorite car ever.

Our 73 Mach 1:
https://youtu.be/_Fl0B-qmlLI

 

[72Wasp]

Welcome from Colorado!

 

[Stanglover]

Hello and welcome from SW Ontario, Canada.
Nice car you have there and a good story.

 

[Bill Perkins]

Welcome from Opelika, Alabama, very nice car, great job

 

[Kilgon]

Welcome from Ohio. Thank you for the background on it and all the pictures. I'm glad you are now enjoying it.

 

[mach71351c]

Welcome from San Diego. Awesome ride!

 

[PoFoMoCo]

Hello and welcome from a fellow Texan! Thanks for the updates and photos, that’s a solid build. Looking forward to more from you now that you are posting.

 

[DaveMT]

Hello to you all
I have owned my mustang for about 6 years and have checked out this message board several times but until now have not sounded off. I just wanted to say hi to everyone and post a few pics and a little info. I love these cars and enjoy the exchange with like minded folks.
I own several old cars but over time my mustang has become my favorite by far. I fell in love with these cars in a round about way.
Before I bought a mustang I owned a 69 Thunderbird hardtop.
The reason being I was looking for any big block automatic that was not super expensive and the Tbird
fit the bill. It’s funky looks kept the price down but something about it attracted me. It was painted gold and in good condition so I took a chance on it. It turned out to be a great car and I put a lot of miles on it. The ride quality and handling was surprisingly good and the thunderjet 429 combined with 2.8 rear gears and C6 was more fun than I would have imagined. Though not high performance it had grunt and It was so smooth I could not bring myself to modify it as I had originally planned.
It was my first Ford that I had ever owned and I began to appreciate Ford styling and engineering of that late 60’s early 70’s era. I love just about everything Ford Lincoln Mercury did in those years. Ford designers produced some really bold and exciting looking automobiles when they applied supersonic jet design language to their fastback cars. The 70 Torino being the best example.
At this point I had developed a love for the 429 big blocks and was researching what other cars had come equipped with them because I wanted another one to hotrod. I enjoyed the Tbird too much as it is in stock form and it ran too well to tear into. So this led to me buying a 71 mach1
429 cobra jet ram air with a c6 automatic. As it was the lightest car with a 429 beside the boss 429 mustangs of 69 and 70 which are too rare and expensive.
I had seen these cars years previously and thought they were hideously funky and strangely proportioned. But now I was looking through new eyes. When my car rolled off the truck I thought it was the most exciting car I had ever seen.
Then I drove it.
I don’t know if all the big block 71s ride this way or not but this car was a mess. It looked great but it was the worst driving car I had ever piloted.
The combination of the low ride height , super heavy engine, stiff springs and soft rubber bushings
Made the car feel harsh and rubbery at the same time. The super soft power steering did not suit this car at all. It had terrible bump steer and the poly glass tires got no traction when accelerating. Also the driveline had a vibration and the gauges were next to worthless. Then the steering column fell apart and the steering wheel shaft was flopping around in the column. Not a good first impression.
It was the worst driving car I had ever seen and night and day compared to the thunderbird.
Still I wanted to keep it and was not ready to give up on it but I knew I could not enjoy it as it was.
I was at a cross roads about what to do with this rare car that I had just paid 59k for. I bought it to drive because I thought it would be perfect in stock form but was actually undrivable. Also it was a rare and valuable car and keeping it meant modifying it which destroys the value and erases a piece of history.
I did not buy it to put in a museum I bought it to drive so View attachment 72770

I went through the long process of
Overhauling the car. I had enough experience when I overhauled my 57 Chevy end to end to know that
The end product would be better if I left it to the pros so It went to a professional garage to be modified.
The main points are as follows.
I went with Total Control Products suspension and steering. Jim Grubbs built an all aluminum fuel injected big block for street duty. I wanted to keep the factory exhaust manifolds.
Willwood brakes, new wheels and tires, subframe connectors, Dakota digital gauges and a stereo system was added. Also a Vintage air heat and air hvac, aluminum radiator and march pulleys.
I hated to change the car this much but it really improved the experience behind the wheel
and I enjoy the hell out of it.

Beautiful car! But I can honestly say that it looks much better with the Magnum 500's on it than those black wheels that were on it in the first several pics. I was never a big fan of the black wheels on anything as it seems to be a thing for the "millenials". Both of my teenage sons have always loved that blacked out look. I'm just starting to warm up to it having purchased a 2022 Ram Pick-Up with that look. To each his own I guess. Having done most of my growing up in the 70's (I'll be turning 62 years old shortly) I aways preferred the 70's muscle car look with either the chrome or polished aluminum wheels. But your Mach-1 is definitely an eye catcher.

 

[Idaho Chris]

Welcome from North Idaho. Thanks for all the photos with your intro!

 

[cwalker509]

Welcome from Missouri. VERY nice car!

 

[jpaz]

Hello and Welcome from Michigan. Great story and great car!

 

[Greg]

Welcome. Nice car. Love green cars. I'm normally against mods but having owned two big block 68-69 convertibles that I never really enjoyed driving more than a 6cyl car, I get it. Too front heavy. Wrenching can always put it back. Never had the issue in Tbirds and Lincolns. Cars should be driven and enjoyed