What is your background story for your interest in these cars?

[cwalker509]

We all probably have some type of story as to why we are interested in these cars.  I graduated high school in 1984.  My first car was a green 1971 coupe.  They were affordable for a kid in high school.  I liked the 69-70 as well but those were already somewhat sought after.  A local gas station owner parked his GT500KR on the corner and while I couldn't afford something like that, it piqued my interest in muscle cars.  The father of a kid I ran track with (his name was Brick Flint, cool name) drove a gold 71-3 Mach I.  A friend of mine was given a 71 Mach I (very nice condition).  There were lots of choices (Trans Am, Camaro, Cuda, etc) back then but why Mustangs and why 71-3?

 

[delawarebill]

when I turned 16 dad said go find a car u like and we'll talk... found either a model T or A coupe st rod.. that went over like a lead balloon. so first was a '59 chevy impala conv. after graduation in '65 unkie sam sent me a employment notice for that December. 3 yrs including a one yr vacation in Vietnam too. got out married and that's when it all started. classic cars and built custom motor cycles. 10 yrs of that and first son came along and put the skids on it. around 20 yrs ago got a '23T bucket and fixed, built another one and 5 cars later I ended with the '73. this is my 4th mustang (64 1/2fb, 67, 70,& 73). the '73 and the '70 mach1 I got new are my fav's. and the Tbuckets I'll add to the list. the last on my bucket like list to build a model A 5 window.. but with all the work done on the stang do I really want to dive into a major project.... kicking the hell out of 74 yrs old so I don't know

ok next story teller please...….

 

[cwalker509]

when I turned 16 dad said go find a car u like and we'll talk... found either a model T or A coupe st rod.. that went over like a lead balloon. so first was a '59 chevy  impala conv. after graduation in '65 unkie sam sent me a employment notice for that December. 3 yrs including a one yr vacation in Vietnam too. got out married and that's when it all started. classic cars and built custom motor cycles. 10 yrs of that and first son came along and put the skids on it. around 20 yrs ago got a '23T bucket and fixed, built another one and 5 cars later I ended with the '73. this is my 4th mustang (64 1/2fb, 67, 70,& 73). the '73 and the '70 mach1 I got new are my fav's. and the Tbuckets I'll add to the list. the last on my bucket like list to build a model A 5 window.. but with all the work done on the stang do I really want to dive into a major project.... kicking the hell out of 74 yrs old so I don't know

ok next story teller please...….

Thx for your service!

 

[c9zx]

I always liked the way they looked and liked the 351C-4V engine. When I rotated back to the US in 1976 I bought a 71 M code Mach1 and really liked the way it drove. Then a 71 Boss 351 that I totaled trying to keep from hitting an old woman in a 63 Chevy II that pulled out in front of me. I missed her but hit the biggest power pole I'd ever seen. Then in 1978 a 72 R code Mach1 that I put CC heads on with the other normal go fast parts an I had a 12.70 sec daily driver (12.70 was quick for a street car at that time). Many years later I had a 72 vert for a very short time. And now the 72 Q code Mach1. I guess I still like the way they look and like the 351C-4V engine. Chuck

 

[droptop73]

I had a 64 GTO for about 20 years and decided it was time to part ways with it. My ex liked Mustangs and I wanted a convertible so we went Mustang shopping. After driving a couple 67 - 69s that drove like crap we found the 73. I liked the way it drove, it was pretty solid for a car that lived it's life in Michigan so we went with it. I have known a few guys through the years that drove and raced 71 - 73s and always liked the look.

At the time, what I really wanted was a 68 - 69 LeMans or 67 - 69 Firebird convertible... So shoot me! LOL

 

[RC92234]

The first car I fell in love with was a '69 Grande my aunt bought in Oct '68. I was 11. Then she left it in the care of my sister for a month, so it sat in our driveway and I learned every square inch of that car. What made me love it? The luxury in a sports car and the "chirp" going from 1st to 2nd (3514V, automatic) -- I'd never heard such a thing before. When I got old enough to get one of my own, pickings in our small town were slim and I ended up with a '71 Sportsroof (3512V) which I drove to death, literally. I put 42,000 miles on that car in one year. Let it go in '75.

Then when retirement came, it was time to again to consider a "just a fun cruiser"; I wanted a convertible. Given '73 (for better or worse) had slightly more substantial bumpers, I ended up with my current project, a '73 Q-code bright yellow convertible, fairly well loaded with options.

 

[Carolina_Mountain_Mustangs]

When I read what Ford was going to do to the Mustang I went and ordered one with every option in 1973 I knew it was the end to a automobile that would never return. Today we have faster, better, stronger. But unlike in the years a bag boy could buy one now the manager struggles to buy one.

 

[Stanglover]

My story began in 1972 in Birmingham England where I lived. At the time I saw my very first 'Big Mustang', I was walking along New Street in down town Birmingham with a buddy when, there it was, a 71 Grabber Lime Mach 1. I remember it like it was yesterday parked at the side of the road. Grabber Lime, black interior, hood black-out, rear spoiler. Oh how I fell in love. I said to my buddy "one day I'm going to own one of those", to which he replied "Yeah right". At that time, I was not working full time, long story and I had no idea that in just 8 months, March of 73, I would move to SW Ontario Canada. I was working for Canadian Fram hand building prototype air cleaners, mainly Chrysler. After about a year, I had saved enough to buy my first Canadian car, so I went looking for a Mustang. I found a 72 Sportroof 302. Not quite what I wanted, but it was a nice car in red, so I bought it for about 2000 bucks. I had that when I got married and until our son was born. Mustang's aren't exactly family cars, so I sold it for a Chrysler Cordoba. 

Fast forward to 1980 and end of marriage #1. So, I went looking for another Mustang, this time I found two locally. One was a Boss 351 minus it's engine but fitted with a 390, the owner wanted 4 grand for a rough car, pass. Then I found a 72 Q code Mach 1 4 speed, no PS or PB just drums all around. Very nice condition overall, but had been painted a darker red. So I bought it for 2 grand. All the seller told me was that the original block had frozen and cracked and been replaced with another that had solid lifters. That's all I knew at the time. ( I regret not learning more about it as it turned out to be a Boss block, found that out only about 4 years ago!!)   

Not long after that, I happened to be talking to a guy I knew at a bar. He told me he had a Mach 1 for sale for 500 bucks as a parts car. It had power steering and disc power brakes. It was an H code Mach 1 in Light Pewter with an identical red and black décor group interior to the Q code. 500 bucks I'll buy that! I never did pull it down for parts, but instead put it back on the road as my winter beater. A pair of snow tires on the back and 2, 50lb bags of sand in the trunk, good to go. I sold that one in 83.

I sold the Q code in 91 and regretted it ever since. My soon to be second wife agreed that when the time was right I would buy another. Fast forward again to 2008, the time was right for Mustang number 4, which I found in Santa Clarita CA. I flew out to LA, rented a car and drove up the 405. That was an experience I don't want to repeat, but anyway I bought the car I now have. It was an 71 M code 4 speed Mach 1, but almost no options. My plan was to find a rust free car to make my own. If I found a Graber Lime, bonus, if not paint the one I had found. That never happened as I found out the one I had deserved to stay in the original Light Pewter which has grown on me over the years.

Below are pictures of my 2 '72 Mach 1's.

Geoff.





Me 40 years ago and 30 lbs lighter.... with hair!

 

[EdM]

I graduated from college as an ME in 1985 and was searching either an early Z-28 of a C2 Corvette. I bought a 65 327/365 Corvette soon after I graduated and did a mechanical restoration. Fun car. A few years later a 68 327/350 was purchased and it was a great car but I preferred the solid lifter 65. Come 1915 and eyeballing retirement I wanted another car to play with. My brother in law had a neighbor with a decent 1973 Q-Code that was drowning financially so I bought the car from photos and my BIL's view as a neighbor. It has been heavily tweaked since purchased and a 1970 Dodge Dart Swinger has been added.

 

[BeerDontCount]

In the summer of '77, after graduating high school, my buddy got a job at the local Ford dealership, low man on the totem pole at the used car lot. One "perk" was getting to drive home the used cars when his boss wasn't paying attention. Anyway, he "borrowed" a 72 coupe and we went camping deep up into the Cascade mountains with myself and another friend. We had a great time way out in the sticks, until it was time to go home and the starter motor got jammed, and we were stuck. So, my buddy walks out to the mountain road, gets a passer-by to stop, and he just happens to be a mechanic, who diagnoses the issue, gets under the car and unbolts the starter motor, freeing it up. We swapped him a couple of beers for his help, and beat a path back to civilization, laughing about the bullet we had just dodged. And after all that, for some reason, I knew I just had to have one. It took me almost a year, but a 73 Grande became my first car. Funny how they just get into your blood.

Scott

 

[1sostatic]

I drove one when I was 16 -- with no drivers licence - under-aged and caught the bug... I always liked muscle cars even before that -- collected films like the Gone in 60 seconds 1974 version - vanishing Point - Cannonball etc.

 

[Mac]

Back in 1969/1970 had a 1966 K-code coupe.  Fun car, gave it to my dad when I left for active duty with uncle sam (big mistake - but that is another story).  Coming home off active duty a few years later I spotted a 71 Mach sitting in the corner of a small dealership.  Turns out it was a demo with 5k miles on it.  Went in haggled with them a little bit, settled on a price of $2995, hung my dog tags on the rear view mirror and the rest is pretty much history.  Still have it.  Now with 40k miles on it.  Never seen winter, my grabber lime Mach shares a space in my heater garage with my 66 convertible and a 94 GT (that I also bought new - now 17K miles on it).

Mac

 

[Hemikiller]

I started early, my first paint job was as a four year old when I repainted several of my Tonka trucks - rattle can of orange or whatever it was. Not "concours" mind you... . Always had an interest in anything "vehicular", planes, trains, cars, boats. I have a brother that had a bunch of car crazy friends around 76~77. There was always some sort of whooped iron parked in our driveway. My mom had a '74 Impala 2dr coupe. my stepfather drove a '72 Olds Vista Cruiser wagon with the glass moon roofs, he bought a '70 Cutlass coupe for my siblings to share. Built countless plastic models of every type of vehicle imaginable, graduated to balsa stick and tissue around 8 or 9. The model airplane hobby still lives to this day, albeit in a somewhat "dis-harmonious" relationship with the car hobby. I used to drag home bikes and power equipment from the neighbor's trash to fix up. One push mower made me a tidy sum over the course of a summer.

As far as the 71-73s, a guy in my high school German class had a green & argent 72 Mach1. Loved the look of that car and it kind of sent me down this path. A customer on my paper route had a '72 coupe. My buddies and I used to rush to the convenience store down the street from the high school on Thursdays to get the latest copy of the Bargain News. In the mid-80's you had your pick of anything muscle related for dirt cheap. My senior year, there was a 72 Sprint coupe A-package car that sat out in front of a house on my way to school. I used to stop an look at it once a week at least. Tried to buy a tired 70 Mach as my first car, but the stepfather would have none of that.

My first car was a '73 Grande' in '89 - 302/auto, Medium Bright Yellow with Ginger top & interior. Paid $75 for it, dropped in a $35 battery from Kmart, $5 in gas and drove it back to my college apartment. Since then I've owned probably fifty cars of various brands, at least thirty of them being 71-73 Mustangs.

 

[Stillakid54]

I grew up in a Ford house, nothing else ever parked in the drive way. I was always a car guy and worked through high school saving for that first ride. Sept. 71 I went my savings in hand down to our local dealer, Metro Ford. It was clear out time. A mach one was definitely out of my price range, though the salesman let me drive a grabber green metalic J code for the fun of it. It came down to three finalists, all yellow/black interior. 1. Convertible, but it was at the high end of my budget, and was eliminated first. 2. Fastback, ram air, H code, relatively few options. 3. Hardtop, ram air, M code, much better optioned (Instrumentation group, console, bumper guards, racing mirrors). When one added the better back seat room for your friends and the 4barrel, this was it. Lasted 10 years before the winter salt of Ontario ate it up in one season. The picture is stopping as it turned over 50 K miles driving the Trans Canada Highway, Calgary to London, Ontario for school.

 

[jowens1126]

I was 7 years old in 71. These cars immediately caught my eye. I remember everyone complaining about how hideous they were, but I thought they were the coolest thing around. I never changed my mind and I still love them. In High school, the band at school bought one in 1982 and raffled it off to make money to send the band on a trip. I got 3 tickets, but didnt win. I always wanted one since then, and now I have one.

 

[cwalker509]

I love these stories. I hope others find them interesting. Keep them coming!

 

[machattack]

It was 1971 I was 13 years old. My brother was chasing me and let it be known he was a little crazy. I ran from him because he would beat the #$%^ out of me. I ran across the front lawn and headed across the Avenue to escape him. As I entered the busy street a car came around the corner and it was a 71 mach 1. I never seen a more beautiful car and I was mesmerized to the point I stopped cold in middle of the street. Man what a car its still in my memory as if it was yesterday. The car ran over my toes on my right foot. didnt hurt because he was going 40 plus. I watched as the car kept going away from me. It was dark green and had a very deep grown to the exhaust. I remember the 2 hood pins as he passed by me. Believe it was a boss.

Well as fate would have it my aunt was behind/following that car and seen the whole thing happen. Of course she went and told my Mom and I got by butt paddled from Dad.

By the way the car never did stop , it continued going down the road.

I never did get a 71 but did get a 65 stang vert my senior year in High school. My wife to be had a 72 torino.

Well......... Sally and I got married had 5 kids and never really got a chance to do anything for ourselves. One year ago we purchased a white 71 mach to restore. Sally has come down with Stage 4 bone cancer (multi Myeloma) and cant really help much now. The folks in this forum help me tons to figure out stuff ........ We Thank you very much!