New Personal Project – 1973 Mustang

With the near completion of a customer’s project (1975 Model 110 VW) and the beginning of another customer’s Jensen Interceptor, I’ve finally completed my search for my next personal project.

Having recently completed and sold my 1984 Corvette and my 1970 Mustang, I’ve found my next project.

Introducing “Project SR”.  It is a 1973 Mustang Sports Roof.   The VIN breakdown looks like this:

Born:  April 1973 in Dearborn, MI (Code F)

Body Series: 02 Sports Roof  Code:  63D

Engine F Code – 302 2V V8

Color Code 2B – Bright Red

Trim Code GA – Black All Vinyl, Mach 1 Luxury

Axle Code:  8 – 3.00:1 gearing

Transmission Code:  W – C4 Automatic

DSO – Originally delivered to dealership in Omaha, Ne. and then shipped to Arizona(??)

That’s how it left the factory, however, that is not how it’s sits today.  Here’s a little back ground.

Project “SR” is a rescue project for the second time.  The first ‘known’ attempt was by the immediate previous owner.  Pulled from a junk yard by father/son combo for salvation.  This team has spent some meaningful time on this project.  As the factory codes show the car was powered by 302 2V as built.   When the father/son team pulled it out of the desert sun, it had 351 cid engine that was seized.  That is how is end up with the current 351 2v from a 1972 Mustang.  Putting the power to the rear wheels as it drove off the assembly line was a C4 automatic transmission, after all these years it now has a C6 automatic. Front end was completed by the team and then a couple fateful fender benders (both front fender on different days) and a desire to build a rat-rod had led this ‘Stang to it’s new home – my drive way!

Why pick this particular car out of the thousands I’ve viewed online and 30 or so I’ve looked over?  Well, I have a thing for Mustangs (and Corvettes) and this one is significant.   It is the last year for the big Mustangs as the 1974 models were…..um…..different.   What’s more the Code 63D Sports Roof/Fastback has a limited production for the 3 years is was offered.   1971 shows a production number of for the 63D 23,956 units, 1972 end with 15,622 Sports Roof examples and 1973  bottoms out the list with only 10,820 units – that is less than production of convertibles.  So out of the total Mustang unit produced of just over 518,000 for 1971-1973 only 53,358 63D’s were produced.  So you have last year production for the big bodied Mustangs and for the 63D and the lowest production.

So we are going to have some fun restoring this one and my followers on WordPress, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and a couple more will be able to keep up.  Search on #ProjectSR.

Over the next few weeks I’ll do a project shake down that will uncover what it needs which will help me arrive and what I want to accomplish with this beauty.   Follow along and I’d love to hear your thoughts,  suggestions, hints and tips.

Thanks for reading.

Tim

#ProjectSR