Rear Spoilers : Yes or No?

[jpaz]

I like really the front & rear spoilers on the Mach 1 (just look at the calendar this month!). Not crazy about them on the other models. As far as the louvers, I put them on my car & I do like them, but I also really like without too. My rear window is really scratched up so the louvers do a good job of hiding that. :

Now I am really liking the look of the hood locks, which I don't have. Look's like my to do list might be getting longer.

 

[Bill73Ragtop]

What can I say? I'm a fan of the front and rear spoilers on the 71 - 73's. However, I like my 69 vert without.

 

[Stanglover]

My 71 Mach 1 came from the factory a completely 'Plain Jane' with no options except 351 4V, 4 speed with Hurst shifter, and an AM radio. The PO repainted the body and added aftermarket rear and front spoilers along with hood blackout and a stripe kit. All of which were never on the car, BUT to me, they should have been to define the MACH 1 as a stand alone Sport Fastback. I retained these features as that's what looks right, period!

Spoilers should not, in my opinion, be on coups, but I will admit, don't look bad on a convertible.

Stanglover.

Side note: I sold my aftermarket rear spoiler to a buddy who put it on his BRICKLIN!! Yes it looks good on that.

 

[mickus]

To me, born in the early 60's and a very impressionable 10plus year old in the 70's, all the cool cars of the 70's had front and rear spoilers AND rear window louvres. Although many comments appear to be against the rear spoiler on the verts, I can't resist! If only there was a way to fix a rear louvre too!!!

...Mickus

 

[vozaday]

I voted yes on coupe, because....

 

[1bad71]

On a Mach or sport roof defiantly. I think it is a little much on a coupe or vert. But to each their own.

 

[luxstang]

I voted yes on coupe, because....

Looking cool! That's the car I had in mind when I voted "yes" on coupes.

 

[mach71351c]

I'm OK with spoilers on all 7173s as long as the rear spoiler is not on backwards. Coupes should use the taller 6970 spoiler.

 

[midlife]

The Kardashian rear spoilers are a bit too much, IMHO...

 

[mrmach1]

Personally I love the roof line on the 71-73 hardtop. I love the tunnel rear window and the swooping roof lines.

I think adding a rear spoiler not only detracts from that it kinda clutters it. Just my opinion for what that's worth. The convertible looks ok with a spoiler but Just ok, again just my opinion. If owned either one I'd leave the wings to the birds and airplanes and fly without.

 

[73pony]

I voted yes on coupe, because....

I like it. I also voted yes on coupes.

 

[Green 73]

Does anyone know where to find the measurements to mount the rear spoiler on a convertible trunk lid?

 

[rocket366]

YES

For all 71-3's

 

[Austin Vert]

Does anyone know where to find the measurements to mount the rear spoiler on a convertible trunk lid?

Hi There,

See my thread on my Convertible rear spoiler install. That should have all the answers for you.::thumb::

http://www.7173mustangs.com/thread-austin-vert-s-rear-spoiler-install

Thanks,

Greg.

 

[Thin Lizzy]

Big no from me. Prefer the clean lines. And wings are for planes.

 

[Mike429cj]

I'm sure my reply sounds like a broken record to many on here.

I like the look of the cars as they came from Ford - for the most part.

So for rear spoilers - only on Mach 1's, Boss 351's and some muscle/sportsroofs.

As I get older I am more appreciating how these cars looked when new. (or as close as possible) ANY car in that configuration is becoming more rare these days!

I have never liked the look of rear spoilers on Grandes, Hardtops or convertibles.

I have a similar opinion on rear louvers for the sportsroofs & Mach 1's. But my opinion there is influenced in the fact that I have rarely seen any that fit right or didn't look cheaply made. If Ford had produced them for our cars - different story. Try cleaning those things and/or the glass underneath! NOPE. Most people that have them don't keep them for long. I have seen pictures of louvers and spoilers for the Mexican Shelby hardtops. Weird looking to me for sure!

Ray

I am with Ray on this one. First, I like the spoilers on the Sportsroof body type cars. However, I am a purist in the respect of a numbers matching car I think it should stay the way it came. If it's not then it's fair game to change what you want.

I had two very nice Mustangs at one time. A heavily optioned 429cj which had a front spoiler and hockey stripes added when it was restored in 2003. I liked the front spoiler but I never liked that whoever restored the car did not do the body work to get rid of the rocker trim pieces and add the small stripe above the black lower rocker area of the car. That always bothered me.

I recently traded the 429 car to a private collector for a new truck. That car will now reside a few miles from me in a collection of over 200 cars in a private museum. I now only have a 71 Boss 351 Mustang which does not have the rear spoiler. It was ordered with seven options, a rear spoiler not being one of them. I debated putting one on because I love the look so much but could not bring myself to drill holes in my original truck with original paint on the underside along with the original jack instructions. I could have gotten a different trunk lid and went that route but as funny as this might sound it would not be right for the car! I am now quite use to how my spoiler less B1 looks and will never change anything on it.

FYI, there is a guy here in Houston who has a white 1971 Mach 1 with fake machine guns mounted on the hood and a very large "wind up key" mounted on the trunk. I am always embarrassed for that car when I see it. I just wished he had done that to any Mustang except a 71-73. The next time I see it I will take a picture of it, you won't believe it until you see it!

 

[Omie01]

I like spoilers on fastbacks only. That said, My fastback has both spoilers and louvers. Although, some verts look good with spoilers, depends if they have the stripes or not.

 

[mjlan]

Definitely 'no' on Coupes and Verts.

I am a 'no' on Fastbacks as well, I think it clutters up the lines too much and looks like a styling afterthought.

My $0.02....

 

[Spike Morelli]

O,K,, I'm about to be a hypocrite here. When I first acquired my '71 Mach 1. it had the décor group option, that's it. Wheels were hubcaps and beauty rings. It was factory-ish. The seller told me he had plans to "Boss" look the car, and included with the purchase an original chin spoiler and complete original factory ram-air set up from a donor car, complete with factory twist-locs for the hood. The previous owner had back-fired the carb ( without an air cleaner ), and there was a burnt paint portion in the hood's center, so I took the car to the body shop where they just re-painted the center part of the hood in the matte black finish to avoid a complete hood re-paint. It was then that I added the ram air to go with the hood motif.

Fast forward a number of years, driving it on the street, and a movie studio wanted to use the car in a movie. For their purposes, they felt the car would present more aggressive if it had side stripes and a wing, so I had them added, along with the chin spoiler I got with the car. They shot the movie, and I went back to driving it on the street as such.

In March of 2015, I got into a fender bender, and now was looking to have to totally re-paint the car because the new front sheetmetal wouldn't match the older "doors-back" of the car.

I'm enclosing a few photos of the car here. The car looks very cool WITHOUT the side stripes, really shows off the body. If I hadn't already had holes in the deck for the wing, holes in the front valence for the chin spoiler, or had holes in the hood for hood twist locs, I think the car would have been finished WITHOUT. A basic Mach 1 is so much rarer to find than a heavily optioned one. Thank God I've resisted putting Magnums on it. The original hubcaps and 'rings are harder to find and not often seen on restorations today. Most cars restored are heavily over-optioned.

Bottom line.....though I'm being a hypocrite here, and I like it both ways, I think coupes, converts, and sportsroofs show more class without wings, stripes, etc. You kind of expect it on a Mach 1, ( even though mine was produced without).

 

[Carolina_Mountain_Mustangs]

PO put one on the 72 Q I have now have to find another trunk to remove it. He had put a 69-70 on and butchered the reinforcement on a rust free trunk.

Maybe if you were to make the spoiler wider and use taller stands for the convertible it would look right but not as is.

David