Unlocking the mysteries of the Mach 1

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Damn ladies and gentlemen we have agreement amounst the lead answerers of the VIP fun questions. :udaman: Must be true! :p

 
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and I was just going to say the "05" on the VIN# made it mach,lol

And you are exactly right as the question was asked. It was not what options vs standard stuff was on a Mach 1. It was what makes it a Mach 1 and that the 05 on the vin. Period
I guess if you over think this it"ll drive you nuts , like trying to understand women! :D
 
Damn ladies and gentlemen we have agreement amounst the lead answerers of the VIP fun questions. :udaman: Must be true! :p
Lol. Roy is still ahead by one answer...for now. {insert evil laugh here}

 
True but the thread got a little off topic(not really) with this post and I was answering it, sorry

"RE: What makes a Mach 1 a Mach 1

Hmmmm, "What makes a Mach 1 a Mach 1" That is the $150,000 Barrett Jackson question......Today? Chinese repops LOL! Don't tell that to the Millionaires who buy these cars like money's no object. Big Grin"

thats where the "05" comes from. no matter what options/packages a car has without it in the vin its not a Mach1

 
True but the thread got a little off topic(not really) with this post and I was answering it, sorry

"RE: What makes a Mach 1 a Mach 1

Hmmmm, "What makes a Mach 1 a Mach 1" That is the $150,000 Barrett Jackson question......Today? Chinese repops LOL! Don't tell that to the Millionaires who buy these cars like money's no object. Big Grin"

thats where the "05" comes from. no matter what options/packages a car has without it in the vin its not a Mach1
Tis an excellent thread though if I so say so myself. :cool:

 
gosh, i hate to resurrect such an old thread, (but it is a good one, still!:)) but in 1975 when i got my 1972 H Code Mach 1, completely stock, it had duals, with chrome tips, to be sure, and they might have been added. I THINK it had the dual exhaust valance....but I can't remember....I just do not know. Also recently looked at a dead stock 351 Cleveland H code car that had single exhaust, and non-staggered shocks, as people have noted.

 
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Oh boy - here we go again. :whistling:

We've learned a lot more about the various models since this thread was kicked around. For instance:

  • 351C-2V definitely could come with factory Ram Air
  • Factory Ram Air hoods were equipped with hood locks and TuTone paint
  • There was nothing specifically mandatory about the Mach 1 package, except the "05" in the VIN - everything was on the table


Seems like a weird way to do business - but it makes sense in order to preserve the Mach 1 as potentially a 'more valued' model, than the sportsroof it's based from. If you go purely by the numbers game and fair market value of the same, the Mach 1s carry more value all things considered. But even then the water is muddy because of rarity, options, and condition of other models - a 429SCJ hard top, for instance, carries roughly the same value as a 429SCJ Mach 1 simply because it's such a rarity. An H-Code coupe vs. an H-Code Mach 1... not so much (conditions being the same, that is).

Unfortunately for us, the perspective buyers, the human factor has muddied the waters even further, since the common misconception is that ALL 1971-1973 Mustangs are "Mach 1s." As a result, you have shady sellers peddling non-Mach 1s off on low-information buyers... which happens regardless - it just seems more rampant to me and many others around here (probably because we're armed with more information and are seeing these things unfold from a distance with greater objectivity).

All I know is that I [re]built mine as closely to 'as-equipped when I bought it and verified by my Marti Report' before I added the period-correct cosmetic mods. The only things visibly different about mine are:

  • chrome front bumper vs. body-color urethane bumper (which I still have)
  • missing rocker panel bright trim (since it's originally a "no-stripe" car)
  • full center console vs. short (no clock) console
  • RCCI tach conversion in-place of factory clock instrument cluster


I read an article somewhere that Mach 1s (in general - beginning in 1969) were supposed to have a clock somewhere in the car's instruments. The '71-'73s had an option for the full console with the clock - but if the full console option wasn't ordered, they replaced the 'idiot light' gauge with a clock. If the full console was ordered, there were options of the idiot light gauge, tachometer, or keeping the clock gauge with a clock delete plate in the full console. The 351C-4Vs [and bigger engines] usually came with a tach and 4-sp., so the center console clock is more prevalent in those models. The 351C-2V and 302 cars with automatics usually came with the clock/speedo clusters.

The rest is all about the 'Day Two Restomod' treatment (the things I would've done as a kid if I'd been able to have one back then)

  • Cragar S/S wheels in staggered sizes with performance tires
  • rear window louvers
  • Lakewood traction bars (period correct - actually came with the car)
  • Retrosound stereo (but still looks factory)
  • back-up camera (mostly not visible)
  • extensive engine performance mods (not visible)
  • AOD (not visible)
  • Classic Auto Air HVAC (non A/C car - not visible)
  • power windows (not really visible)
  • power locks/keyless entry/alarm (not visible)
  • Edelbrock fuel injection (mostly not visible... also not installed yet)


So realistically, all I need to do is swap the factory style wheels back on and remove the louvers and the car will 'look' like it came from the dealership. That was my intention - despite being a Day Two Restomod, mine is easily reverted back to it's stock 'cosmetic' appearance... even though it has a lot more going for it than a '71 H-Code Mach 1 would've been back in the day.

Sorry to blather on - but my boss is blind... and as long as he hears my keyboard making noise, I think he thinks I'm actually busy. rofl

 
Well, my '71 has a 351C-2V, and a functional Ram-Air hood, complete with faded '351 Ram Air' decals. Yes... the engine is numbers matching as well.

Kinda throws a wrinkle in the 'only 351C-4Vs had functional Ram-Air hoods' theory, I'd say.
I know a guy, here in Texas AAMOF, who sold his ram air setup to a guy with a silver 71 351 Mach back in the 70s. Don't know if it was a 4v or 2v.

 
I bought my '71 Mach 1 in 1990, used, from a private seller. It was equipped with a 351 2v, fmx, open 3.00:1 rear axle, single exhaust, competition suspension, p/s, a/c, tinted windows, Mach 1 interior, std hubcaps and rings on 14" wheels, black lower body with brite trim, NASA hood. This is how it was built and how I received it.

However...….The seller threw in with the sale the front spoiler, and an original Ram Air set up, ( Ford part numbered) , air cleaner, plenum assy, hood locks, and correct hood springs that he never got around to installing, but which I immeadiately put on the car. I also took the car to the local muffler shop and had them add dual exhausts, along with a replacement rear valence with cutouts and the correct chrome tips for such. Some years later, the car was wanted for use in a movie, and the studios wanted the car a bit more aggressive looking and asked me to add the side stripes and trunk wing,.....which I did for the movie and just left on the car because everyone seemed to like it better. Add to those additions, since I tow with the car, I added a 3.50:1 Trac-Loc, '70 Shelby traction bars ( Traction Masters ), and a rear sway bar along with a heavier front bar.

As someone had said before.....I probably would have ordered the car new as I have modified it to, if I had that opportunity. Likely I would have ordered a 4v too, but 50/50 on a 4 speed or auto.

It was one of the draws to ordering a Mustang in the first place when they first came out,.....is that you could option to the moon your favorite model. So I have added some things to my otherwise restored Mach, but using Ford offered options......the majority of Ford purists dig the car just the same.



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