Rebuilding stolen convertible

[mustangden]

Last September our beautiful 71 convertible was stolen and stripped. What we got back is the bent and broken shell. Everything from the interior to the engine and wheels was taken. I'm now stuck with the daunting task of trying to relocate parts to rebuild it. I've been looking all over for parts but since I'm retired and on a budget I need to buy everything used. Right now I'm looking for a used small block, tranny and interior. Does anyone have anything laying around? I'm not asking for donations but I need to be treated fairly understanding I'm on a pretty tight budget.
Thanks for reading this and hope to hear from you all soon.

Dennis
Fayetteville, GA

[email protected]

 

[73inNH]

So sorry to hear. I hope you find everything you need!

 

[Fabrice]

How frustrating!! I'm against weapons, but if I'd ever catch someone doing this to my cars, I sure would turn primitive in an instant and kill that f..er with a spoon.
Hope you'll find all you need for not too expensive or free. Good luck!

 

[Kilgon]

Sorry to hear. The few parts I have aren't worth using or I would give them to you.

 

[c9zx]

It sounds like a rusted but intact donor car might be the answer since you need sooo many parts. I hope you find what you need. Fabrice, it sound like you are not against weapons as long as they silverware. The good thing about that is you don't need to re-load. Chuck

 

[jscott]

hope you had good replacement value insurance.




don't know how compatible a coupe interior would be but an engine is and engine, not much info here: https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1201277780635339/?ref=category_feed&referral_code=undefined&referral_story_type=listing&tracking={"qid":"-6246826380637621675","mf_story_key":"5550664308299313","commerce_rank_obj":"{\"target_id\":5550664308299313,\"target_type\":0,\"primary_position\":99,\"ranking_signature\":1096006565095276544,\"commerce_channel\":504,\"value\":1.9879186519909e-5}","ftmd_400706":"111112l"}

 

[jscott]

No idea if you can make these work for a '71 but these were on my 2014 Mustang and you can have them minus the center caps. You would have to come up to Jasper to get 'em Click on this first picture for a photo album

 

[Bill Perkins]

So very sorry to learn about your vehicle being stolen and stripped, I hope the thugs were caught. I have some parts that you amy need and would like to talk to you about what you need and are looking for to put your car back together. If I had you phone number I would give you a call to talk. I'm about an hour 20 minutes to 30 minutes from you. My email address is [email protected].

 

[72MustangSprint]

What engine and trans are you looking for? I have a non running 302/Fmx in a parts car minus carb .

 

[71ProjectJunk]

Really sorry to hear that this happened to you. I assume that the car did not have full coverage. The best thing for you to get that car together is an accident car, a car that was declared a total loss by the insurance company and goes to auction. A convertible that may have been hit in the side or back, or with water damage or something of the sort. Check Copart.com. Right now they have a 73 convertible, in the same colors as yours with what they say is "burn interior damage". All I can see is the lower rear seat has been removed, seems that is what caught on fire. Rest of interior looks fine and cars is said to run and drive so you have a good complete drivetrain. Remove everything you need, and sell what is left of it. If you do this right, I bet you could completely scavenge that car and make all your money back. Current bid is $3200 for the car. Here is the ad:
https://www.copart.com/lot/68675311/salvage-1973-ford-mustang-md-baltimore-east

 

[Electric Wizard]

That sucks that they stole your car. Can you share the details about the theft and how you tracked down your convertible?

 

[giantpune]

They tried to get mine one time. I left it parked at the bar and caught a ride home with somebody else. When I got to my car the next day, the ignition lock was broken and the car had been knocked into neutral and rolled out of the parking spot out into the road, and now had a parking ticket on it.

I will second what somebody else mentioned. Since you're on a budget, the cheapest way to get the most parts to put your car back together could possibly be finding a donor car. Its not clear exactly how stripped down your car is. If they took all the little bolts and brackets, that could be a real pain trying to source everything you need separately. A donor car gets you all those at once. And when you say they took the engine, do you literally mean they took the engine, or did they strip out everything under the hood?

When I first got my car, it had nothing under the hood except the power steering pump and brake master cylinder. No transmission or driveshaft or exhaust. There is enough stuff available on the aftermarket that you can get everything you need to make a running car again, and it doesn't have to be expensive. I did mine on part time pizza delivery income while going to college.

 

[MikeGriese]

If you are on Facebook, there is a 71-73 group that has parts available.

 

[giantpune]

I have facebook but that 71-73 group is broken somehow. They added me to the group but any time i make a post or a reply it automatically gets deleted.

 

[jscott]

Be careful on facebook, several people have been scammed on parts.

 

[7173Mustang]

Welcome, Dennis.

So sorry to hear about your car. Hope you'll find everything you need at a fair cost. Can you keep us posted?

 

[droptop73]

Welcome from west Michigan!

I'm sorry to hear about the theft... I HATE thieves! Both those who outright steal and those who take advantage of other's needs.

I have a good decklid and complete front disc and rear drum brake assemblies if you can use them, they're yours. We'll just need to figure out shipping.

 

[Bobby]

What a bummer! Sorry to hear of yore issues. I just swapped out the engine on my 72 Mach 1 and dropped in a 393 Stroker with an AOD Tranny. I have the old 351 2v engine with a C6 Tranny. It has a Edelbrock Performer intake with an Edelbrock 650 cfm carb. The engine runs good and the C6 shifts smooth. Attached is a pic of the engine before it was pulled. Let’s talk!

 

[mustangden]

It sounds like a rusted but intact donor car might be the answer since you need sooo many parts. I hope you find what you need. Fabrice, it sound like you are not against weapons as long as they silverware. The good thing about that is you don't need to re-load. Chuck

just an update. Got a donor about a month ago. It has a 302 in it but thats ok. The only major item I'm missing now is the convertible back seats cuz the donor is a coupe. I didn't know they were different at the time. If you run across a set plz email me at [email protected].
Thanks,
Dennis

 

[mustangden]

If you are on Facebook, there is a 71-73 group that has parts available.

What is the fb group called?