The most egregious "errors" you've seen on a 71-73?

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Kit Sullivan

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Kind of a weird question but what are the most annoying and oddball "mistakes' you have seen on the big-body cars?

The common ones I see are:

1) Rear spoiler mounted backwards! It is unbelievable to me how many I see that are so obviously mismounted and the owner hasn't a clue! Funny stuff...

2) On repainted 73s, the top of the front bumper fails to get blacked out. The black paint on the top rear section of the front bumper simulated the (now missing for '73) lower black lip on the 71-72 grilles, and also tended to make the new huge bumper a little less massive-looking.

3) Missing black paint (73-style) in tail-light bezels and rear panel strips on 71-72 cars. Many have looked at these lights and trim pieces over the years and never seen the difference...to me it sticks out like a sore thumb if not "correct".

These are all of course, meaningless in the real world, and some people may prefer thier car that way, but...

 
The Magnum 500's look out of place on a 73 to me, since I know they were not available in 73. Although they are good looking wheels, not a big deal.

 
Tu-tone hood paint not following the lines of the hood at 1-1/2" to 2-inches offset from the raised curve surfaces and also not being centered equidistance on the front edge.

Second is missing the twist locks on Tu-tone hoods.

Still that doesn't make me shun these cars because even with an incorrect Tu-tone hood treatment they still look great.

 
yeah, magnums are incorrect on a 73, but they look so great!

Too bad they never offered the 73 aluminum rim in a 15x7 or 15x8 size. That would have really opened up a whole new look.

 
1) 71-72 Mach 1s restored with hockey stick stripes put on when they only came with lower body blackout with chrome trim.

2) Ram air added on factory 4v cars

3) engine bays painted gloss black or bodycolor

4) reproduction air cleaner decal sets that people put on with the "front" label

5) 71-72 Mach 1s with chrome front bumpers

 
Some of these "errors" you point out are evident on my car, however, I consider them "choices".

 
And some are out of neccesity. Chrome bumper on a mach 1may be the only bumper available.

I get annoyed at obvious "mix and match" assembly:

1) chrome hood lip, but painted fender lips?

2) deluxe dash cluster panel, but standard passenger side or gauge-cluster panels?

3) mismatched tire brands or sizes

4) or, a single sport mirror on drivers door, no passenger mirror.

And my favorite ghetto-cheat is those that have simply removed the block-off plates from thier ram-air hood and with an open-element air-cleaner along with the ram-air hood paint and decals proceed to show off thier "ram-air" system to everyone.

The hood decal should read:"351 ENGINE DIRTY-IFIER".

 
I can go on and on, but its all personal taste.

How you want your car to look, or what parts you could afford to buy, or what was avilable at the time the persom was working on the car.

but now,

1.)the backwards rear fin (you have the right part, just put it on the right way)

2.)chrome aftermarket air cleaners, but nothing else matches it in the engine compartment.

 
I must agree with the choices as opposed to errors. Now I totally agree in the case of a clueless owner who hasn't done proper research to ensure there "Concourse Resto" is correct.

Its a Mustang god damn it. A vehicle that Ford knows is going to be modified by the owner no matter how garish. Its is one of the many reasons that made the Mustang last when all others were discontinued.

I have a Ram Air set up on my 302 Mach 1. Got it for a very reasonable price. Do you think I am not going to bolt an original ram air setup on my car when it fits nicely? Available with my options no. Period correct yes because I have seen a number of cars that guys added the ram air because it was a "performance option". I will never put a 351C in my car but for the price the setup generally costs I damn well will not let it set on a shelf wasting away like I have seen to many rare parts do. I have seen rare parts set on shelves never to be used. Sold off when someone died for nothing and they were almost useless because the seals rotted from non use. Rusted to **** because they weren't taken care of. All because of some guy who had a race part that was worth its weight in gold 30 years ago. Magnum 500's are timless classic for Mustangs optional from the factory or not. But I wouldn't say that crosses the line "The most egregious "errors" you've seen on a 71-73?"

 
Hmmm... let's see:

  • Angle-iron with chain welded in between the rear inner wheelhouses to hold up the gas tank
  • Miller High Life beer caps used as 'custom trim' on all dashboard switches
  • Hood lock pins and springs removed, and replaced with bolts and stacks of washers just to keep the locks on the car


Oh! We're talking "in general," not just what I found on mine. :p

I think the biggest pet peeve of mine is when someone gets the markings and placement of trim (stripes and decals) all wrong. It's one thing to stray from the faithful placement and/or shape of such things to be 'custom,' but different altogether when it shows up online for sale and is misrepresented as being original equipment. Some of those things include:

  • Hockey stripes with chrome rocker molding (it's just too much IMHO, and a rookie mistake)
  • Tutone hood paint not done right - it's easy enough to do... take the time and do it right
  • Mach 1 decals on coupes and 'verts (not the hockey stripes... the emblems themselves)
  • Hockey stripes not properly cut-in around the fender flares


I'm cool with chrome front bumpers on Mach 1s - either as a necessity or a choice (after all, if it's good enough for the revered Boss 351...). One of my favorite cars ever [a pewter Mach 1 found on this site] has a chrome front bumper and looks awesome.

I'm also cool with glossy or matte finish on the Tutone hood paint. Matte finish is correct, however just not practical in all cases. Based on other vehicles I've observed with matte/satin/flat finishes, if I paint mine in matte finish, it will burn up in the sun within a few years. At least with a glossy treatment, UV protection [in the way of wax] is possible.

Oh, and dual exhaust w/cut-out valance on a 2V car... just really gets under my skin. rofl



chrome aftermarket air cleaners, but nothing else matches it in the engine compartment.
Oh... you've obviously not seen my engine. :D

 
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First let me say that each owner should have the right to customize their car as they so choose. Based upon personal choice or financial ability alot of this can impact what is done to a car. I must admit there is one item that does stick in my mind as an "error" that does not appeal to me. Rear wings on a vert or coupe. I know we have members here who have made this conversion and I respect their personal choices. Just not what I would do to either of those body styles.

 
And some are out of neccesity.

2) deluxe dash cluster panel, but standard passenger side or gauge-cluster panels?
The standard cluster panel is not reproduced. That's why mine is like that.
Yep, neccesity. Better than no gauges, right?

 
We seem to have gone from actual errors, spoiler on backwards, to critiquing cutom choices like wrong stripes.

Spoiler on a convertible, heck yeah if you like it, but put it on right. ;)

 
OK, I agree...some things are choices by the owner and through necessity, opinion, taste, or availabilty they pick combinations and modifications that are not technically "correct". I have no problem with...in fact I enjoy seeing some tasteful mods ir changes to personalize a car.

I have purposely made several small mods on my car which makes the purists cringe, and out of neccesity a couple of major mods/ changes that make some experts shake thier heads in disgust.

Here are some of my "personal" touches:

1) Horse painted red in center of magnum hub caps

2) radio antenna removed , hole filled in and painted over

3) "429 RAM AIR" decal added to rear trunk stripe over passenger taillight ( simililar to "MACH 1" placement in '73 style trunk stripe) that looks so "right" to me there that I am surprised they weren't there from the factory.

4) raised rear suspension (2"), bigger magnums, bigger tires all around. Looks "right" to me...stock tire/wheel combo in those cavernous wheel-wells look like a football player wearing ballet slippers to me.

5) Front spoiler. Ford's big blunder not making this $5.00 hunk of plastic standard on the Mach 1...not to mention not even available as an option is ridiculous. It looks like it belongs there and they missed a lot of extra profit from not offering it as an RPO.

These changes were made with the mindset that I think Ford should have made the car this way. I know its not "correct", but the car belongs to me for 44 years now and Ford had it for just a few weeks back in '70. My opinion takes precedence.

Other changes have been made on my car over the years due to my sub-standard stunt-driving ability, my poverty-level income and my predilection to just do what was fast and cheap, and then go eat some beers and watch "Starsky & Hutch" on TV.

Wrong dash panel, wrong diff (!), wrong front dog-house, tons of aftermarket sheetmetal, engine mods that made now-valuable parts disappear, several windshields ( each one thinner and more wavy than the last...Damn you, Safe-Lite!), horrible-looking A/C foil-tape repair to the chrome rings on my dash panels...and the list goes on.

Those fall under the necessity category, although I am slowly correcting them as I get time and parts.

I guess you could say my car is one extra-large box of patina!

 
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how about the black strip on bottom of mach1's? I noticed its not suppose to be painted into the door jam to carpet trim piece and on the bottom inside of the doors. But a lot of people paint the inside bottoms of the doors black and continue the black stripe into the rocker up to the carpet. I know it was a pain in the *** masking that all off when we painted the bottom black.

 
how about the black strip on bottom of mach1's? I noticed its not suppose to be painted into the door jam to carpet trim piece and on the bottom inside of the doors. But a lot of people paint the inside bottoms of the doors black and continue the black stripe into the rocker up to the carpet. I know it was a pain in the *** masking that all off when we painted the bottom black.
Don't forget the non-Mach 1's (hardtops and convertibles) with Decor Group. I'll have to look but my conv has the lower body black going up where you can see it when you open the door (I think). And it is original paint. Check out the 429 Megasite under 'paint' - I think they have it described correct.

Ray

 
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