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CadVetteStang
11-02-2009, 11:40 AM
It looks like my bartering deal is going through after a full year of trying to get this car. I wanted a 71 or 72 with disc brakes or a 73 wit a 71or72 front cap. This is a 73 with disc and a combo 71, 72 front cap….. Just what the doctor ordered, right? I’m no sure now…. I mean it is just what I wanted, a car that does not need floor boards…. A non-original car made from a few wrecked cars… Something that I could turn into a Cadillac 500 powered pro-touring/autocross and daily driver (eventually with C 4 corvette suspension) without feeling guilty about modifying a hard to find to classic….. But, I’ve been thinking…. According to the title, it’s a Q code Mach 1….. Now, inspecting it, it looks to me like maybe the Q code Mach was one of the donors and the unibody may have originally been a 72 or 73 plane Jane fastback – but I’m not sure. So, am I getting a car that is worth something or not?

I had planned to let a vo tech school de-rust and prep – possibly even paint the body while I gathered the parts for the Caddy 500 build up and saved for the TH200-4R tranny. I had planned to the Cad-Stang phase as a bolt in with brackets so that if someone wanted to buy the restored car, I could sell it undamaged without the engine and tranny. However, I sub frame connectors and a cage is a must or the engine would twist the body hard enough to break the front and back glass – so it would have to have weld in mods….. Also, for this thing to handle the way I want it to in the budget I can afford, I would eventually turn it into another Cad-Vette-Stang project. The C4 Vette front suspension swap would require cutting and welding to get the Corvette front K frame/crossmember under the car. From there it would be at the point of no return as far as a Ford enthusiast would be concerned because the unibody would be permanently altered in a non-Ford compatible way.

So if – as I suspect- the Q code car was just a donor, do I have a low value toy on my hands that I can build into a dirt cheap super car, or do I have a junk yard gem that will bring good money if I leave this 460 powered Ford alone and sell it. What value am I talking here – as is, and/or with good paint?

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2009/11/73Mach13quarterft-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2009/11/73Mach1side-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2009/11/73Mach1back-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2009/11/73Mach1leftfront-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2009/11/73Mach1frontfstbkgrille-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2009/11/73Mach1rightftenginebay460-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2009/11/73Mach1460toradiatorclearance-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2009/11/73Mach1460enginebayft-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2009/11/73Mach1460tofirewallclearance-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2009/11/73Mach1rightside460tofirewallcleara-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2009/11/73Mach1frontsumppanandswaybar-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2009/11/73Mach1intdriversside-1.jpg


Would you race it or restore it? If it is worth enough, I can trade it for a C4 Vette project car and get 3 times the cornering ability, but the Mach 1 is soooooo much better looking…… What to do….. What to do……

Your opinion?

Cody

DCx
11-02-2009, 02:23 PM
toss an LSX engine in it and beat it up

6'9"Witha69
11-02-2009, 02:38 PM
Tear into it. The Q was a 351C car, not really a rare one. They tried to call the 'Q' the 351C "Cobra Jet". It wasn't really that great. If it were a 429 CJ/SCJ car (71-72), that would be another question.

montessaj
11-02-2009, 02:41 PM
You only live once. Cut it up!

drflex
11-02-2009, 02:52 PM
if it's a factory big block car sell it. if not cut it up, keep the vette suspension, but toss the cad motor and keep the 460 or put a navigator or a 4.6 mod motor in it.

yumyumchoppers
11-02-2009, 02:55 PM
number 1; it's a ford
number 2; it's a 73
number 3; it's not original being made from 3 cars


Make it the most valuable car you can, as in, make it yours. Do it any way you want to, but do it well. That car would be awesome with a 500 caddy, 20 inch wheels, and about 2 inches off the ground!!

Swiftandswank
11-02-2009, 07:06 PM
no need to go original, have fun with it

MoparCar
11-02-2009, 07:21 PM
You want to put a Caddy motor in it right? Go for it. I don't think worrying about values comes into play with your plan. It's all good!