njch412

Hello all, this is my first post of what will be many herein the forum hopefully.

My name is Nate, recently I was appointed to the United States Military Class of 2011 at West Point. I have known for awhile if I were to be accepted there I would be buying a car since the education is offered free of charge. My interest in cars turned to classics when I realized I would only need a car in the summer, and it would be garage kept during the MidWest winters.

Recently I found a 71 Mustang Fastback. It is a 351 Cleve and the owner told me it is garage keptyear round and has seenno snow or rain. The car is pristine on the outside from the photos, the man selling it served in the Navy on a Sub for 5 1/2 years. As a military man to be I trust he is telling the truth when he describes the running condition of it. We have basically agreed on a price for the car, now I just have to drive 7 hours and make sure it runs like it should.

Here are my questions:
Please Note, I have an extremely basic understanding ofautomotives.

Q1) Theseller told me thatwhen he bought it, he was told it was a 71 mustang that was built up as a 71 BOSS clone. From the pictures, this checks out. I googled 71 BOSS and the exterior matches this car. It looks like a good clone, but I want to know what it was originally. The seller told me it was a 351 Cleveland. I did not ask if it was a 2v or 4v because for the price I don't care, but is there any way of telling if this car was a Mach 1 originally? The carb cover was removed so it does not say on the engine if it is a 2 or 4.

Q2) What is the difference in acceleration between the Automatic and Manual trans? The owner believes that the trans was rebuilt with the engine, but how much slower is the auto than the manual. The one I am possibly purchasing is an Auto.

Q3) What should I look for in the car when I travel out there? Anything that I could do to make sure it is atleast good running condition.

I attached pictures of the front side rear and engine.

Thank you all for your time, I appreciate it.

[IMG]local://upfiles/61931/1D0E24CA4D2446B48B0D9F526F4D85E7.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]local://upfiles/61931/D65B7E57868D4E219505B1224261CB0C.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]local://upfiles/61931/5FE7FF0C751A42E0B9D0409E44701862.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]local://upfiles/61931/C32593DCC3EE49FFAE559F2B0E440CE9.jpg[/IMG]

BTW, I forgot to mention, here is a list of what he said has been added to the car.
All the following is new, he wanted to build it as a show but another child means he must sell: tires,Exhaust,Alternator,Oil Pan, Oil Pump,Oil Shaft,$500.00 Clifford Alarm,Starter Relay, High Performance Coil, Ford Racing Valve Covers, No More Pointschanged to aPetronix Electronix Ignition, Wiring

He also believes the engine was rebuilt along with the transmission.

rmodel65

take the vin info and door data plate to here www.mustangdecoder.com and enter the info it will break down the numbers

njch412

Wow thank you that helped.

I cant believe I didnt find that, newbie dumbness.

It say it was built in Dearborn as a 302 V8.
Seller says it is a 351 Cleve, is that reasonable to believe? Can I tell by looking at the engine?

Also on this website https://mustangforums.com/timeline/1971-ford-mustang/it says the 71 Mach 1 was equipped with any of the v8 engines. The vin code check did not report it was a Mach 1, so I'm assuming that not all v8's were in fact Mach 1's and that this one was not. Should I even care if it was a mach?

rmodel65

that pic is of a cleve but it might have been a 302 originally and if the vin decodes as that then it was a 302

njch412

yup, vin decoded as that but that goes along with him believing the engine was rebuilt or replaced.

What was the difference between 2v and 4v 351? Anyway of telling from the picture?

I appreciate your help, searching through the ad filled google queries was getting tiresome.

LCC

Back in the early 70's that was a big thing to do, put a 351C in the place of a 302. No big deal, price is right buy it. Car looks good it the pics...BTW mine was orig a 302,but when I bought it it had a 351C stuffed in it....

ih8chevy

that car looks cherry. i would not pass that up.

njch412

Thanks for the help and the vote of confidence.

I'm probably going to be picking it up Tuesday, the price point is perfect and if weather permits I'll drive the distance to pick it up.

One other question I had was sort of a general one. How do you all go about insuring your cars? I want to call my insurance agent (State Farm) with a reasonable knowledge of what I should be doing.

Colorado_Mustang

The easiest way to tell the difference is to note where the upper radiator hose connects to the engine. If it connects through the intake manifold, it certainly isn't a Cleveland. A 429 would be a bit closer to the shock towers.

andrewmp6

mach1 and boss are trim levels of a mustang and you could buy a mustang fastback with any engine from the inline 6 to a 429. while your there drive it see if theres any odd sounds it makes.look around for rust most common rust spots are the cowl vent rear wheel wells and on the 71-73 the back window check the cowl vent which is that vent by the wipers pour water in it if the floor boards get wet its rusted out since you dont know alot about cars have a good mechanic look at it for you. good luck