Why 71-73?

[Spike Morelli]

I've always been a car guy. My first car ( in '72) was a 1930 Model A, then a '34 , then a '65 Hi-Po coupe, a '66 Shelby , a '69 GTO Judge, a '70 442 W-30, even a Toronado. When I bought my house, the bank wanted to see money sitting in an account, so I sold my last musclecar to do so and was driving my ex's Datsun pick-up for a short time. After getting into the house, I was in the market to buy a car , ( not a truck ) that could tow my dragboat and ski boat with, and lose the mini-truck , so one day I bought a "Recycler" newspaper and threw it on the kitchen table. It fell wide open to "Mustangs For Sale" and the first ad I saw was a "71 Mach 1...straight, runs good, $1000.00". I called, went to the sellers home, and purchased it that afternoon. This was in 1990. Prior to buying it, I was not a fan of the "boxier looking" 71-73 Mustang, but it turned out to be a much better car than I had expected. The 9" rearend, the Saginaw steering, the 351c.....beautiful. I may get another car, possibly a new car, but I'll never sell this Mach 1. I'm tired of telling people about the neat cars I "used to" have.

 

[Studdley]

I've always been a car guy. My first car ( in '72) was a 1930 Model A, then a '34 , then a '65 Hi-Po coupe, a '66 Shelby , a '69 GTO Judge, a '70 442 W-30, even a Toronado. When I bought my house, the bank wanted to see money sitting in an account, so I sold my last musclecar to do so and was driving my ex's Datsun pick-up for a short time. After getting into the house, I was in the market to buy a car , ( not a truck ) that could tow my dragboat and ski boat with, and lose the mini-truck , so one day I bought a "Recycler" newspaper and threw it on the kitchen table. It fell wide open to "Mustangs For Sale" and the first ad I saw was a "71 Mach 1...straight, runs good, $1000.00". I called, went to the sellers home, and purchased it that afternoon. This was in 1990. Prior to buying it, I was not a fan of the "boxier looking" 71-73 Mustang, but it turned out to be a much better car than I had expected. The 9" rearend, the Saginaw steering, the 351c.....beautiful. I may get another car, possibly a new car, but I'll never sell this Mach 1. I'm tired of telling people about the neat cars I "used to" have.

That is the most hot rod photo I've ever seen

 

[Heavy Metal]

We were pretty much a Ford family.

My Dad restored Model T's & A's, my brother drag raced Falcons and Mercury Cyclone Spoilers.

I ordered my fist GT mustang when the brought back the 302 Boss in 1983.

Then came the 1971 351Boss Clone with drag pack......i've been hooked ever since.

Currently restoring a 73 vert,

HVY MTL

 

[detritusmaximus]

It seems as if the outside world has a distaste for the 71-73 model years. What got you all into it? Owned by a relative or just like the size of the car, do you prefer it over the other body styles? Just some food for thought, let me know what you all think.

Ha! When I bought my 70 fastback back in 90, people didn't consider that a 'classic' Mustang....68 and earlier was all anyone cared about. The rest of the world will start driving the price up as soon as they run out of other stuff to buy....it will happen. Look at what happened to the fastback Torino prices simply because Clint Eastwood made a movie. Prior to that those cars were pretty much ignored and considered ugly at best.

I remember a 71-72 coupe at a car lot by my grade school around 78. Might have been a Sprint.

mostly though, it was the closest I figured I'd get to one of these:

 

[Stillakid54]

Grew up in a Ford home. My first car was a brand new 71 hardtop. Ram air, which was uncommon. Always liked the 71-73 lines. Took years to eventually find my pair, but well worth it. 

PS: great website. I don't post much, but visit it daily.

 

[JRANGER]

Im on the younger side of the muscle side craze. Originally from Detroit and always had a love for old mustangs. We never had one and oddly in the 80s i never even saw any. We had a 70s coupe for a year we were going to rebuild but moved and my dad trashed it. Lost complete interest in mechanics at that point but always wanted a 60s mustang. Got a 01 when i was 21, an 05 GT when i was 26,then a 67 project when i was 30. Always thought the grande was ugly and just didnt care for the 69 - 73 coupes. I sold my 67 for a 65 fast back project, had an 14 mustang. Before i was looking for a FB project...THe 71-73 were affordable and i really wanted one. I ended up with the 65 about 2 years ago but still wanted one. Didnt think i would like them but a couple months ago i looked at a 72 coupe. Loved it and eventually bought the 73 i have. Its cool and i wish i had it running and driving. My plan after i finish my 65 is to make the 73 a FB or sell it and get a FB

 

[kcmash]

I grew up 4 miles from the Kansas City Ford Assembly plant.  Classic mustangs were as popular as ragweed in my neighborhood.  I really wanted a 66 Fastback because I loved the large C-Pillar Louvers and the side body trim.

Dad found a Mach 1 in the want ads in Kansas City when I was 15, $600 obo.  He said I ought to buy that one, clean it up and sell it to get the one I really wanted.  Once it was on the road and driving it became my trademark and I really liked the way it drove.

I really need to get that mutha back on the road.

kcmash

 

[72MustangSprint]

I grew up in a Ford family, mom worked 25 years at Ford World HQ in Dearborn so when I was 15, dad found a 65 Mustang coupe for $750 and have been hooked since. Owned many Mustangs including my first new car a 82 GT when I was 18. Found my Sprint sportsroof a few years ago in Craigslist and it was priced right. The 71-73 have grown on me and always get thumbs up and positive comments when I drive my Sprint coupe that I bought to drive while the sportsroof gets restored.

 

[NOT A T5]

Had my eyes on a 69 in Chrome&Flames magazine back in 1987 and a couple issues later saw a 71 Convertible for a decent price, drove 300 miles to see it, fell in love with it and bought it on the spot with cash. She leaked and burned oil, needed an exhaust, but I had to have her!

 

[Ed Raver]

Simple question. Wife wanted a convertible, I wanted a project. Done deal. Ed Raver

 

[JimB73]

I have been a Mustang fan since I was a kid and my Dad bought a 1965 Fastback, black with pony interior. He later traded it in for another car and I remember being so disappointed that he didn't keep it. Later on I owned a 1966 fastback (let that one go when we had kids...) later in life I owned a 1998 forest green one. I hurt my back and was hard to sit in it so ended up selling it and thought that was the end of Mustangs in my life. Then another opportunity came up after my father in-law passed away, He had a 73 vert that was passed around for a while but then ended up parked in a yard neglected. My son suggested that it would be a good project for us to work on as I was going to be retiring soon and would need a project. Like some have mentioned I was not a big fan of the 7173 body style but as we have worked on refreshing the car it has grown on me and turned into the money pit that any good project car does   so, I guess we will keep it around for awhile.

 

[West Valley Mustang]

My family had a '66 hardtop that I worked on in my early teens.  It was going to be mine to drive, but my brother got rear ended in his Chevelle, so he got the '66.  I guy down the block had a '69 Grande which I bought at age 15 in '78 and owned for nine years.  Courted my wife while driving it.  Sold it in about '87.  Jump forward to a year ago.  My wife had always wanted to get me another Mustang.  Saw a '72 convertible listed on Craigslist in Sun City, AZ, in the garage sale category.  Went by to take a look.  Ended up buying it and now it is the fun car for desert cruising.  Reasons - It was a Mustang, it was affordable, it showed up.

 

[mustangandy]

For me, having just got my 71 mustang, it was always a dream to one day own a genuine American classic muscle car. Quite a few to choose from of course. I'd narrowed it down to either a 69, 70 or 71 car (no later as power was sadly curtailed thereafter) which, despite being from the UK, still left some good choices however prices inevitably came into it. Seemed like most of the marques (Chevelle SS, Olds W32, Pontiac Judge, Buick GSX, Torino CJ etc) had basically very similar styling with variances to grill and rear bumper. Only the likes of the corvettes and the 71 mustangs looked kind of unique. The former (as well as the 69 and 70 mustangs) were out of my price range for a mostly original car so it seemed natural to then look closer at the 71's. OK they are bigger and heavier, though more powerful to compensate, and personally I really like the fastback styling and silhouette. Long, sleek and low yet powerful and graceful at the same time. Having come across a 429 CJ (rare for the UK) that was that

 

[brushwolf]

First one I ever saw was bright orange 72 Mach and belonged to the brother of a friend.  Thought it was kind of strange looking with the flat back window and saw it as just another evolution of a popular car that didn't look like an improvement.

Decades went by and I still didn't really care for them, but ended up taking one with broken C6 in trade on a Corvette I had decided to sell.  At first I was just going to sell it also, but never got around to actually making much effort to do so.  Being I had the empty garage stall and the body appeared fairly well-preserved, it got the vacant Corvette garage stall.

It had an Atlanta Falcons window sticker on it, so it had been a southern car and the transmission issues had kept it off salted Minnesota roads until I got it.  As I had it sitting in my garage, I gradually began to appreciate it more visually, became aware of the mechanical improvements over earlier models and that it really wasn't all that much heavier than immediately preceding versions. And it had the 385 series-friendly engine compartment while I already had a professionally rebuilt 460 sitting on a stand that would bolt right in.  

Once that idea took hold, really had to convert it to a 4 speed.  Then it really needed Mach gauges, wiring and different rear axle to suit the replaced drivetrain. Subframe connectors to handle the extra power..  Of course, 429 coil springs and rebuild the steering and brakes... While all this transpired, it became clear that structurally, the car was really solid. Likely due to southern origins followed by years of inside storage since it came up north,

Couldn't just leave the perfectly good flat hood on it, so it got the scooped hood and eventually decided it really should have functional Ram Air, so now it does (along with sport mirrors, wing, chin spoiler, etc..). Now I think the body style looks tough, instead of odd.

So, for me it just kind of grew on me and it's gradually become part of the family, though many other cars have come and gone over the years.  The nephew I got it from wants to get it back now I recently heard, but I am no longer inclined to part with it. Hopefully won't need to for many years yet.

 

[Mjordan]

My dad had a 73 Mach 1 when I was a kid, which is the year I was born. And now own his 2nd 73 he bought around 1986. Starting a total tear down now and rebuild as a pro-touring style.

 

[[email protected]]

For me I had always preferred 69-70 Sportsroof/fastback Mustangs.  The 71-73 model years were considered to be too bloated looking, and were far heavier than prior year models.  I just did not take the 71-73 Mustangs seriously.  My loss.  On more recent years I began to appreciate them, then we acquired our 73 Mach 1 in Summer, 2018.  I have owned several 60 Mustang/Mach 1 vehicles, and we have a 1969 Shelby Gt500.  I know these 69-70 units inside and out.  It turns out there are a lot of similarities with the 71-73 model years and the 69-70 vehicles.  We love to drive the 73 Mach 1, a lot.  I feel badly at how I omitted the 71-73 units as worthy Mustangs for so many years.  My loss, and I am trying to make up for it now.

 

[brushwolf]

I had always assumed that the 71-73 Mustang was far heavier than earlier models, but the difference does not appear to be that much given that the 429-460 BB fits and torque provided far outweighs weight gain. These numbers are from ClassicMustang.com and do not specify engine size so likely these are all versions with small blocks, anyone have contradictory information?

1967 - 2,758 lbs

1968 - 2,758

1969 - 3,122

1970 - 3,122

1971 - 3,086

1972 - 3,086

1973 - 3,126 (presumably 40 added lbs. is mostly impact-resistant front bumper, so similar weight to 71-72 if using the earlier bumper)

So, if these published weights are roughly correct, the 71-73 does not appear any heavier than similarly-equipped sought after 69-70 models and only 3,086-2,758 = 328 lbs more than the much smaller 67-68 which chassis won't easily accept the 385 series engines that easily offsets that much added weight with additional torque.

 

[BeerDontCount]

My first car was a 73 Grande, purchased in 1978 as a car to get around in when I was in college.  You never get over your first, and so it was an easy choice when I wanted to get a project car to work on the last few years.  To this day, I am guessing I'm one of the few that prefer the lines of the vert and coupe over the sports roof model.  I didn't have much of a perspective of earlier Mustangs when I bought the Grande, except for the 68 Shelby which was epic and out of my price range.  I wanted a car that was lower miles and only 5 years old or less, so the 73 was the one.

I had the luxury of working in an auto shop at the time that I owned my Grande, as I put myself through college, and so felt very comfortable working on this car having already done much of the work I was attempting, previously on the Grande.  I really like that most of working on this car is nuts and bolts, and the rest can be figured out on this forum.  The Cleveland engine is pretty straight forward, and if I can work on it, anyone can.

- Scott

 

[peche 71]

Because, like Lee said "They're a fat pig!". Actually it was price to buy my 71 ($1400) and my 73 ($1000). But have really come to like the big size and the uniqueness. This site also helps tremendously in liking them more!

 

[Don C]

I found this earlier thread about the same topic

https://www.7173mustangs.com/thread-why-a-71-72-73