Spike Morelli
Well-known member
- Joined
- Apr 12, 2015
- Messages
- 946
- Reaction score
- 1,334
- My Car
- 1971 Mustang Mach 1 ram air 351c H-code, fmx, ps,pb, medium yellow-gold, hubcaps and beauty rings.
It sounds corny, but I really love my car. It's a '71 Mach 1. To start off, I wasn't even looking for the car. I've had a '65, and a '66 Mustang, a GTO, a '70 Olds 442 ram air, a Model A, a chopped '34 coupe, a Toronado, a Datsun pick-up....each one well maintained and clean, ALL good cars to me. After buying my house, and being into sixties vintage hot boats, I thought I'd buy a Ranchero or an El Camino to tow with ( I'm really not a truck kind of guy), so I bought a Cars for Sale newspaper one day, took it home, threw it on the kitchen table, got a Pepsi, then came back to browse thru the ads. The newspaper was opened to the Mustangs for Sale section, and my eye went to an ad stating "1971 Mustang Mach 1, clean, $1000.00". I called just because the price was so cheap, this couldn't be right, but I called and confirmed the price, and went right over to the seller's home to check out the car. I bought it right on the spot and drove it home. The car found me.That was 1990, I've been driving it everyday since. In '97, I started to endure a most brutal divorce, which went on for 5 years, during which time, I really had no money. One day I patted the car's fender and told it to hang in there because I couldn't afford to fix anything if it went wrong.....and for the next 5 years, no lie, the car didn't need a thing, not even a wiper blade. The car really stuck by me when I really needed it to. Further, as I said, I tow with it as well, and it does a fantastic job of pulling. The only short area, in regards to towing, is that hefty brakes are required to stop trailers, but my trailers all have brakes, so, I don't even know they're there.
This horse is a workhorse in race car styling! Not a month goes by that someone doesn't give me a "thumbs-up", or want to take a cell phone photo, or ask me if I'd sell it. None of my former vehicles have been so enamored in the people's eyes as this car.
The car is never garaged, come rain or shine. An occasional waxing keeps it looking great.
It handles better than my early Mustangs, or the GTO and 442. Ford's change to Saginaw steering box was right on.
My wife keeps asking me what car I'd buy if I were to buy a new car. Challenger maybe? I don't know, but i'm not selling my Mach!.
Two weeks ago, I got into a fender-bender, bent my hood, my grille demolished, my right front fender bent. No one hurt, drove the car home. I was despondent about my old friend. You know the saying, "You never know what you got 'til you lose it"? Well, looking at my old Mach, I realized just how much the car means to me. Don't fret, thru connections, I've replaced the bent and destroyed parts with original Ford replacements ( repo grille however, and it's nice), I don't think I want to just paint match a section of the car. It will get a fresh, down to bare metal re-paint, as-was. it's been there for me, I'll be there for it. "Mary Death" rides on better than ever.
This horse is a workhorse in race car styling! Not a month goes by that someone doesn't give me a "thumbs-up", or want to take a cell phone photo, or ask me if I'd sell it. None of my former vehicles have been so enamored in the people's eyes as this car.
The car is never garaged, come rain or shine. An occasional waxing keeps it looking great.
It handles better than my early Mustangs, or the GTO and 442. Ford's change to Saginaw steering box was right on.
My wife keeps asking me what car I'd buy if I were to buy a new car. Challenger maybe? I don't know, but i'm not selling my Mach!.
Two weeks ago, I got into a fender-bender, bent my hood, my grille demolished, my right front fender bent. No one hurt, drove the car home. I was despondent about my old friend. You know the saying, "You never know what you got 'til you lose it"? Well, looking at my old Mach, I realized just how much the car means to me. Don't fret, thru connections, I've replaced the bent and destroyed parts with original Ford replacements ( repo grille however, and it's nice), I don't think I want to just paint match a section of the car. It will get a fresh, down to bare metal re-paint, as-was. it's been there for me, I'll be there for it. "Mary Death" rides on better than ever.
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