72 Mustang Mach1 restoration

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stormy22 said:

Wow, jealous as hell !!!!!!!

I passed up the opportunity to purchase a '72 Mach 1 about 10 years ago, rolling project car, no engine for 1000 GBP, but the wife at the time (1st wife) complained too much as I had 2 x '71 mk3 cortina's, a '78 Mk2 Granada, a Pajero and Volvo 850 at the time... I should have forseen the future and just got the car !!!!
One day, I will get another.

Your's looks to be awesome indeed, what engine will it have?

Love the varied list of cars that have passed under your ownership. Very impressive!

My first 'Yank' was a 71 Mustang. Always loved the shape and paid 1500 quid for it back in 81. It has remained my favourite shape and in recent years I'd noticed how few and far between they were getting, plus how expensive they were becoming.

When this one came up locally, around 14 months ago, I had to go and have a peek. Knowing these cars and how they rot I was impressed how solid the car was, so fulfilled my ambition of buying another one as a keeper. A rotten one could cost you 5k, just in welding and new panels, so was happy to pay nearly 6k for the barn find.

I've just restored the original 302ci V8 and that will fill the bay for the next 2-3 years until I can catch up financially. Then I have spare LT5 ZR-1 engine, backed by a 6 speed ZF, sitting in my workshop that will eventually fill the bay.

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stormy22 said:

nice....I understand the update engine choice, I guess tht means a lot of electronic updating too? Personally I would go for a big block, '71 engine, but I like the old rattly, chugging V8 sound. Didn't some of those, Mach1's have the equivelant of a 7.1 litre V8 ?

Yes, the 71 & 72's had the 429ci (rated around 370hp) as an option. A late freind owned a 351 Boss (rated at 330hp), that came with mechanical lifters as standard. Both had the familiar sound.

I like the drivability of the LT5, plus I've worked on my ZR-1 and am very familiar with the engine. As standard they are capable of reasonable economy as well as power. They take very little work to get to 450hp without sacrificing the original drivability, plus they're capable of 30 plus mpg cruising. Working on the weight of my ZR-1 with all the electronic gizmos and the Mach1's no added extras weight and if I change the rear gearing, I think I can come up with a reasonable cruiser.

Getting over elctronic problems will be a bit challenging though.

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stormy22 said:

I look forward to seeing that end result, and of course, hearing it. Good luck. What part of UK are you?

Cheers! North Kent.

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Matt Harper said:

You are aware, no doubt, that the act of installing a GM engine in a Mustang could quite easily tip the world off it's axis. Some might suggest that this is the worst kind of heresy imaginable.

Some already have. Can't see the problem myself, but it will be good seeing the reaction when opening the bonnet.

An amalgamation of my favourite car and engine.

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Stock LT5's are very reliable, they used a stock unit when setting the world records back in 1990, one being a 24 hour record of an average speed around 176mph. When they stripped the motor they found very little wear. Nicoseal coated cylinder wall liners help.

I will have to get over problems like some wiring issues for the speedometer and such like, however the information is out there somewhere.

I recently saw this conversion of a 70's Granada using a more modern Mustang motor, at a car show near me and spoke with the owner. A lot of what he said went over my head - I couldn't take it all in.

Think you'll agree it's areal professional job.

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Here's the LT5 I put together in my ZR-1

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Stormy,

The engine I'm using for the later Mach1 transplant will be highly polished alloy to go with the blue engine bay. Everything is ali so I'll make good use of it.

Of course another plus will be, once I've sorted the transplant, I can swap the stroker motor in my ZR-1 into the Mach1 if ever I fancy being daft

That Granny is just as good in the flesh, the owner has done a fantastic job.

Have you got any links to your pics?

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Some nice work there Stormy. Like the twin induction on the cortina. And 20 quid for a cortina with a 2 litre pinto - a steal!!!

Some nice cars.

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nicholas1 said:

hi my name is nick love what you have done to your mustang looks great ,have a 72 grande mustang myself witch i got from australia some time a go and its time to look at how to fix her up ,looking on the net for parts but don,t know were or what to look for just found piston heads by chance but need to find a mussel car club if possible but live in north west uk can you help

Hello Nick, obviously pistonheads is a good start as they have several different forums to interact and get ideas from.

One of the first places on your list to register is, http://www.mocgb.net/forums/forum.php

Again there are several different forums on that site that deal with all aspects of Mustangs.


Another good forum is the 71-73 mustang forum in the U.S.A.
http://www.7173mustangs.com/index.php

Real Steel is a good place in the UK for engine parts
http://www.realsteel.co.uk/

Mustang parts can be had from the U.S.A.
http://www.cjponyparts.com/Default.aspx
http://www.npdlink.com/65-73-Mustang/Mustang-Resto...
http://www.laurelmountainmustang.com/
http://www.mustangsunlimited.com/

Hope these links help out.

I'm Interested to know how you came about buying your mustang from Australia?

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The Car is now home and on the drive, let the jigsaw begin. I invested in a perambulator as a temporary home, very handy as it folds down behind the car allowing me to get stuck in.



One of the first jobs Ive started on is installing the new suspension starting with the front road springs. A custom spring compressor makes the job much easier.

The spring compressor is installed through the top of the shock tower, using a large plate to winde the washer and nut against.



At the bottom it bolts into the saddle where the shock bolts to. It really does make easy work of road spring installation.

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ivanhoew said:

that is going to end up looking lovely , nice job chap.

Cheers! Can't think of a better relaxation, as getting lost amongst hundreds of car parts.

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Managed to fold the cover down during a dry spell today and trial fit the old bumper frame, head lamp holders and front valance. Clean up the bolts and fittings and see how it all lined up.

The front valance is an after market part and will need a little work to fit and the bumper frame and head lamp buckets can now be bare metalled and repainted. The old reg plate is now resigned to a place on the shelf.

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Rolled back the covers and let both cars air through. Then started fitting more parts to the mustang. Fitted some of the interior and had a tidy around. Then fitted the fuel tank and one side of the rear springs, using new spring, U bolts and hangers.



New spring fitted and looking forward to fitting the new rear brakes. Also good to see the drive I recently laid is as robust as I wanted for jacking vehicles.

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Also have to remind myself how fortunate I am to have found such a solid car. The floor only needs new sound proofing after a hoover and coating of more protective paint.

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Today I took the Radiator and heater matrix to be reconditioned. Also stripped the covers off the seats to make way for the new Black covers at a later date. All very time consuming, with the rear seats taking more time, removing large amounts of hog rings.

Front seats were much easier once they were taken apart and the hog rings could be located.

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Thanks Eric, things have slowed with the cold weather, although next step will be picking up the Rad and heater matrix and fitting them.

Another important part of a restoration is funds and I've just started selling the old original parts that were taken off the car. I'm selling old parts only when I've fitted the new parts and satisfied that they will be good replacements. Building up funds to buy more new bits. Another interesting part of a restoration.

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Picked up the radiator and heater matrix today. The Rad as been reconditioned and the heater matrix has been flushed/cleaned through and pressure tested for leaks. The bill to have this work done was a reasonable £213. Next step is to wait for the milder weather before fitting them.

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Put the Rad in today and mucked around with a few other things. Really good day with mildish weather and I was like a pig in the proverbial.

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Hello Richard, It does get the old grey matter going, trying to remember where all the parts go. I hear/see you've sold your vette, what's next in line?

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Matt Harper said:

Doesn't the motor look tiny. What's the rationale for (what is it - a 302 Windsor?) that engine?

Yes it's 302 and the smallest V8 they put into that year. !971 was the last year of the big blocks. What makes it look smaller is the huge engine bay, ideal for big transplants.