Mike's 73 Mach

In February 1998, while reading through the classified ads looking for a 1969 or 1970 Mustang Mach 1, which I did not find, I noticed an ad for a 1973 Mustang Mach 1.  I called and made arrangements to see the car.  After looking the car over and hearing it run came the fun part—we both agreed on the price and, at that time, I became the second owner of the car.  The car was a bit unusual in the fact that it came from the factory with a complete vinyl top and a 351 Cleveland motor with a 2-bbl carburetor on it.  It also had factory air conditioning with an AM 8-track radio.

In 2002, I began the slow process of restoring my Mean 73, as it has become known.  First, the passenger side floor plan, carpet, and the trunk floor pan were replaced.  The seat covers came next.  Finally in 2003, the car was placed in the shop to have it painted and the motor overhauled.  This took over a year to do because I decided to replace the 2-bbl carburetor and heads with 4-bbl carburetor and heads.  Next in line was to get headers and a small cam to get the torque back that was lost by installing the 4-bbl heads.  The compression ratio increased from 8:1 to 9.5:1.  The next choice was to replace the points ignition distributor with an electronic ignition distributor.  This combination has resulted in the motor producing 232 horsepower and 252 foot-pounds of torque to the rear wheels to launch this car down the road when needed.  The next decision was to have the stripes painted on the car so that they would not chip or flake off.  The only decals on the car are the ones that state it is a Mach 1 on the sides and then across the rear deck.  The interior was changed from the standard white interior to a red and black interior.

Finally, in May of 2004, I was able to drive the Mean 73 out onto the street and have enjoyed driving it, and have truly enjoyed the looks and comments I have received from all the people.  The car, since its restoration, has been driven to Ohio, Arkansas, Texas, Missouri and Kansas.  It is a very comfortable car to drive on these long road trips and adds more excitement to it.  Since It was the last of the big body Mustangs, it truly is a joy to ride in and see the expression on the faces of the people that happen to be driving by.