It just a great way to start the New Year, firing up the project car and take it for a quick jaunt down the road. Of course the car is ‘under construction” but still have to take out for a short distance.
The ’73 Stang is a long ways from being completed and yeah…I would be taking it out on the freeway just yet, but I does need to get driving.
My New Years resolution for #ProjectSportsRoof? “Get Her Done!” Next Years Day’s video will be 100% different from this one!!!!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!
Rare trip. Just far enough to get the engine hot, take the C6 transmission through the gears and top out at about 70 mph.
Welcome back to the #ProjectSportsRoof. As the discovery process continues we move to the interior. Now each area of the car (engine, body, interior, undercarriage) I’m conducting an inventory, gathering all items that need to be replaced or missing and the work that needs to be done.
Here is a quick run through the interior:
Just a note: I not a camera guy, these are filmed with my Android (sometimes my IPhone) so these are the greats shots. But they will be improving as I learn the art of digital editing.
From these videos I’ll end up with a list of everything – discovered (there will me more). From this list, I’ll be able to build the project plan and with tasked ordered in what is hopefully a logical approach, with the goal of keeping it on the road as much as possible.
Thanks for reading and please feel free to drop a comment or two.
I pulled this dash cluster from a 1973 Mustang Sportsroof that was in a junkyard in 1980. The car had the three center gauges in the mini cluster but had no Tach. Instead it had this clock with a brake warning light in the pod …
Related Finds. 1973 Mustang SportsRoof 1970 Ford Mustang Boss 302 Under Tarp 1970-mustang-boss-302 1970 Boss 302 · Get Email Updates! Instant Daily Weekly. Categories. Stories · Sightings · Our Projects · Events …
Welcome back to #ProjectSportsRoof. I run my car projects much like I run my IT projects. You always have to know where to start and know the end game. As with any project that isn’t being built from scratch, in other word, you have to work with what you’ve got, the final goals may change based on what you start out with. So here at the beginning an inventory of what we have and what is need is necessary.
This is the part of the project where the list of To-Do’s begins. Although these videos are short, I did spend significant time looking over each section of the car. From this I’ll come up with a parts list and then tasks list.
Keep in mind that I intend to this to be a driving project – keeping it on the road while it’s being restored (we’ll see how that works out).
As you can see the body is in pretty good shape over all. But there is still a lot of work ahead.
As I posted before, after a vigorous (not read ‘desperate’) I finally found my next personal project. The 1973 Mustang Sports Roof Fastback is what I settled on. Now we start the project that has been dubbed #ProjectSportsRoof (yes I find it necessary to use the ‘hash’).
1973 Mustang Color Code 2B.
I run my car projects much like I run my IT projects. You always have to know where to start and know the end game and the key to that is knowing what you are starting with. As with any project that isn’t being built from scratch, in other word, you have to work with what you’ve got, the final goals may change based on what you start out with and/or find later. To help reduce the surprises, there will always be something that pops up unexpectedly, it’s a good idea to begin with an inventory of what we have and what is needed and a logical starting point. We (as in me and you the reader) are at the beginning of the project.
Coming up next are the a few videos (maybe on only three, never sure, since the camera guy and I are one in the same) will be my first inspection.
Please feel free to interject via a comment or an email, always welcome the discussions.
1973 Mustang SportsRoof. If Mach 1 Mustangs have gotten a little too pricey for you, may I suggest a less flashy fastback like this? The 351 under the hood isn’t as powerful as the top-of-the-line Cobra Jet, but it’s the same …
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.
1973 Mustang SportsRoof. If Mach 1 Mustangs have gotten a little too pricey for you, may I suggest a less flashy fastback like this? The 351 under the hood isn’t as powerful as the top-of-the-line Cobra Jet, but it’s the same …
