1973 project
06-02-2007, 10:40 AM
#11
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Join Date: May 2007
Location: Mustang Ranch
Posts: 499
RE: 1973 project
The 71 is pretty clean, the interior is all original except the steering wheel, dash pad and the fronts of the buckets. I haven't cleaned the inside in a year. The engine bay has been at least that long too. It stays in a pole barn and it does get dirty in there, and birds get in there too. I washed the outside just before pix. It has a 351c 4v and a c6 out of a 70 Mach I and a 9" rear end. The hood pins were added because when it shifts gears the hood pops open ( needs sub frame connectors). The paint was done in 1995 and does have a few age spots. The pearl paint has yellowed in a few places and there are a few rock chips. It has been a fun car but I am going to let it go so I can focus on the sportroof.
After I finnish the sportroof I might start working on my first classic, a 1969 Mustang Grande. I bought the Grande from my girlfriend in 1993 so she could buy a 68 Chevelle. I still have that car and I married my girlfriend in 1994. The Chevelle is gone and now she has 2 Trans Ams.
The engine compartment in the 73 just needs a good cleaning which will be done while the engine is out. My mechanic is only 1 mile from my house. I will be taking a lot of pix of the project. I wish I had my digital camera when I started my interior project. The old interior was the ginger deluxe and has been replaced with the black and argent Mach I.
I will be posting throughout the project and I need a name for it. 1973 project is kind of boring. Any suggestions?
After I finnish the sportroof I might start working on my first classic, a 1969 Mustang Grande. I bought the Grande from my girlfriend in 1993 so she could buy a 68 Chevelle. I still have that car and I married my girlfriend in 1994. The Chevelle is gone and now she has 2 Trans Ams.
The engine compartment in the 73 just needs a good cleaning which will be done while the engine is out. My mechanic is only 1 mile from my house. I will be taking a lot of pix of the project. I wish I had my digital camera when I started my interior project. The old interior was the ginger deluxe and has been replaced with the black and argent Mach I.
I will be posting throughout the project and I need a name for it. 1973 project is kind of boring. Any suggestions?
06-02-2007, 10:53 AM
#12
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Join Date: May 2007
Location: Mustang Ranch
Posts: 499
RE: 1973 project
shr;
What year is yours? The hood on mine was about that shade of green. I got it from a local junkyard for $80!! They had 2 Mustangs at that time, 1 plain and 1 ram air. I asked them at the counter how much for each one and they said $70 for the brown and $80 for the green. I said I would take the green one and they asked if I wanted them to get it and I said I would. I brought it up front and they realized it was a ram air and all they could say was " you got a good deal ".
What year is yours? The hood on mine was about that shade of green. I got it from a local junkyard for $80!! They had 2 Mustangs at that time, 1 plain and 1 ram air. I asked them at the counter how much for each one and they said $70 for the brown and $80 for the green. I said I would take the green one and they asked if I wanted them to get it and I said I would. I brought it up front and they realized it was a ram air and all they could say was " you got a good deal ".
06-02-2007, 11:43 AM
#13
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Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Kansas
Posts: 533
RE: 1973 project
mine is a 71 sportsroof, yep its light green with that same green interior that is o-so loved! I almost belive that if you didnt order your mustang with a different color ford put green in everything! but that is changing as we speak-----or type.
06-02-2007, 12:09 PM
#14
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Join Date: May 2007
Location: Mustang Ranch
Posts: 499
RE: 1973 project
shr
What color are you going with? The problem I ran into was not all interior parts are available so you have to reuse some old stuff. What color are you planning on painting the car? Are you going to get the spoilers and louvers?
What color are you going with? The problem I ran into was not all interior parts are available so you have to reuse some old stuff. What color are you planning on painting the car? Are you going to get the spoilers and louvers?
06-05-2007, 10:19 AM
#15
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Join Date: May 2007
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Posts: 499
RE: 1973 project
6/4/07
Engine is out of car. I have never had the heads off so I wasn't sure what to expect. It is all original, never bored and looks to be in good shape. I parked it in 1999 after it started to make noise about 500 miles after a cam change. I thought it has a cam bearing squealing. Good news is the cam was fine and it was a rod bearing that gave out. All these years I thought I did something wrong on the cam. Since I am doing a complete rebuild I will go with a new cam too, no sense risking it on that one even though it looks fine it still may have some damage from metalin the engine.
No pix of the worn out engine, I will wait until we start to rebuild.
[img]local://upfiles/70187/0E23C7F32C7A4538BC73CDA4A3517E3A.jpg[/img]
[IMG]local://upfiles/70187/691A456FA35D456B95FD015436E24086.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]local://upfiles/70187/83BD1F558CB7402C943AD7626C7D661E.jpg[/IMG]
Engine is out of car. I have never had the heads off so I wasn't sure what to expect. It is all original, never bored and looks to be in good shape. I parked it in 1999 after it started to make noise about 500 miles after a cam change. I thought it has a cam bearing squealing. Good news is the cam was fine and it was a rod bearing that gave out. All these years I thought I did something wrong on the cam. Since I am doing a complete rebuild I will go with a new cam too, no sense risking it on that one even though it looks fine it still may have some damage from metalin the engine.
No pix of the worn out engine, I will wait until we start to rebuild.
[img]local://upfiles/70187/0E23C7F32C7A4538BC73CDA4A3517E3A.jpg[/img]
[IMG]local://upfiles/70187/691A456FA35D456B95FD015436E24086.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]local://upfiles/70187/83BD1F558CB7402C943AD7626C7D661E.jpg[/IMG]
Last edited by 73 Sportroof; 11-07-2008 at 07:46 AM.
06-15-2007, 10:24 AM
#16
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Join Date: May 2007
Location: Mustang Ranch
Posts: 499
RE: 1973 project
Update;
Things are going well, just a lot slower than planned. My mechanic doesn't do his own machine work so the block and heads are at a different place and they haven't got around to it yet. He said he could push them but doesn't want anything overlooked on a rush job. The car has just been sitting for a week. Yesterday I helped push it back in to the rack. The mechanic is going to rebuild the rear end and replace the coil overload shocks and patch where one punched through the floor. I am going with the Yukon gears 3.89:1 gears with the Dura Grip posi-trac.
On the engine we are talking about using 10:1 compresion, around a 268 cam 1500-5500 rpm, comp valve springs. Going to use my 2v heads and an Edelbrock Performer intake with a 625 carb. Everything is going to be balanced too. What kind of power do you think I will get out of this? I am trying to have a daily driver with some decent power, but not a high speed racer.
Things are going well, just a lot slower than planned. My mechanic doesn't do his own machine work so the block and heads are at a different place and they haven't got around to it yet. He said he could push them but doesn't want anything overlooked on a rush job. The car has just been sitting for a week. Yesterday I helped push it back in to the rack. The mechanic is going to rebuild the rear end and replace the coil overload shocks and patch where one punched through the floor. I am going with the Yukon gears 3.89:1 gears with the Dura Grip posi-trac.
On the engine we are talking about using 10:1 compresion, around a 268 cam 1500-5500 rpm, comp valve springs. Going to use my 2v heads and an Edelbrock Performer intake with a 625 carb. Everything is going to be balanced too. What kind of power do you think I will get out of this? I am trying to have a daily driver with some decent power, but not a high speed racer.
06-15-2007, 02:19 PM
#17
3rd Gear Member
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Kansas
Posts: 533
RE: 1973 project
sorry i didnt get back earlier with ya, im going grabber blue with black stripes, i have had one before and it was my fav. color combo, the interior im gonna go black and alot of the interior stuff on my bar is good so i got lucky there. i have a resto-mod cruizer in the works im gonna do a 351C (around 400hp) aod tranny, with probably 3.50 track loc gears in it. i want a decent driver nothing too radical so i can take it out on the hiway and actually pass a gas station!
06-16-2007, 10:41 AM
#18
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Join Date: May 2007
Location: Mustang Ranch
Posts: 499
RE: 1973 project
Rear end is done. Took out the 2.75 gears and they show no signs of wear. I will keep them for spare parts. I figured since it's apart might as well put new shoes, springs, wheel cylinders and drums on it. With the 3.89 I should be able to build power before 35mph. When I first got the car everyone thought it would be a lot faster, but those 2.75s had no take off. It did have high speed, it just took a while to get there.
shr; Grabber blue and black is a great choice of color. I am either going to stay all black or lose my side pipes and go black and argent. When I did my interior I went with the black and argent Mach I. The door panels had the wood grain that was peeling so I removed that and applied a decal that looks like brushed aluminum. I just need to get the dash to match. ( need to make a template to go around the gauges above the radio ) Do you have a center console? Someone decided to cut holes in mine for speakers. I kept it for parts and went with the hump hugger and the factory standard. ( The little one that just covers the shifter with an ash tray.) If you want later I will get some pix of some of the interior. With my 3.89s I may go with the aod too, but that will be later. I haven't drove this car since '99 and I am getting anxious. I got mine in '94 how long have you had yours?
[IMG]local://upfiles/70187/280E52BA5BEB4C17A0A0945796C5C0A7.jpg[/IMG]
shr; Grabber blue and black is a great choice of color. I am either going to stay all black or lose my side pipes and go black and argent. When I did my interior I went with the black and argent Mach I. The door panels had the wood grain that was peeling so I removed that and applied a decal that looks like brushed aluminum. I just need to get the dash to match. ( need to make a template to go around the gauges above the radio ) Do you have a center console? Someone decided to cut holes in mine for speakers. I kept it for parts and went with the hump hugger and the factory standard. ( The little one that just covers the shifter with an ash tray.) If you want later I will get some pix of some of the interior. With my 3.89s I may go with the aod too, but that will be later. I haven't drove this car since '99 and I am getting anxious. I got mine in '94 how long have you had yours?
[IMG]local://upfiles/70187/280E52BA5BEB4C17A0A0945796C5C0A7.jpg[/IMG]
06-16-2007, 12:06 PM
#19
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Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Kansas
Posts: 533
RE: 1973 project
yep i have a full center console but it was broke probably from someone leaning on it, i would like to see some interior pics and i have had my car since mid 05 but im really wanting to drive mine again aslo!
06-16-2007, 12:36 PM
#20
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Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Tinhuhceeee, but finally back in Texas
Posts: 104
RE: 1973 project
gonna be a nice car for sure.....I think I'd be at his shop right now borrow his pressure washer and detailing the engine bay. but I'm not suggesting you do that...LOL.
Love tha car!
Love tha car!