351 V8 Project: 1973 Ford Mustang Grande
The 1973 Mustang would be last of the first-generation cars that launched from the Ford Falcon platform. For 1974, the car would be reinvented as a sub-compact on the Pinto foundation. Due to lots of competition and the literal growth of the car itself, Mustang sales in ’73 were at a trickle compared to its heyday in 1964-66. This ’73 Mustang Grande, the upscale edition, needs a cosmetic restoration, although the engine compartment has been upgraded and chromed out over time. From a dealer in Arlington, Texas, this car can be found here on eBay for the Buy It Now price of $8,340, although interested parties can take advantage of the Make Offer option. Thanks, Jayden P, for this tip!
Changes were minimal for the Mustang in ’73, but the car was larger inside and out compared to the original product of 1964. Although the wheelbase had only grown by one inch, the overall car was more than 12 inches longer and six inches wider. But the difference was apparent up on the scales: it had packed on 575 pounds, a 22% increase over the 2,562 the basic Mustang coupe carried nine years earlier. So, the Mustang II would come along, coincidentally at the same time oil prices shot up due to OPEC and Ford ended up having the right car at the right time, just as it had in the mid-60s.
The selling points for this ’73 Mustang lie under the hood. It’s equipped with a Cleveland 351 cubic inch V8 that is said to run great and has been blinged out. Chrome everywhere. The dealer pulled off the old intake manifold and 2-barrel carburetor and upgraded to a 4-barrel. Using stock figures, that would be a boost from 177 to 266 hp, but since it’s a Holley 600, maybe a few more. New or replacement items include the tires, gas tank and filler neck, fuel sending unit, fuel pump and a complete tune-up. That all suggests the car had been sitting for some time.
Cosmetic issues include both the exterior and interior. We’re told there is little rust, but an inspection of the undercarriage would be a good idea. The paint is old, faded and chipping in places. The seller says the car needs a “right back bucket” which is not there (sorry, I can’t interpret that). The seller says he can sandblast the entire car for you before you pick it up, but at an extra cost, of course.
Ford built 135,000 Mustangs in 1973, but you have to remember they made 607,000 of them in 1966. Of that number, 25,000 or so were the Grande edition, which was the version that had more creature comforts. The interior in this car is going to need a lot of work. The door panels are marred, the dash pad all sun baked and cracked and the two-tone aftermarket seat covers (not upholstery) seem to have been added, not revealing what lies below.
In Fair condition, the market value for a ’73 Mustang is under $6,000 according to Hagerty. But the mechanical work done to the car already should be worth a few more dollars. Once restored, it’s just an $18,000 car. So, fix it up right, drive it as much as you can, take it car shows and forget about what you could get for it later.
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Comments
That will never be an 18,000$ car
You are looking at it all wrong. You could easily sink over $10,000 into this car and with an $8,000 start, you have over $18,000 into it. Doesn’t that make it an $18,000 car?
$8500 strip the clear and the paint ad in the body work and the interior new wheels and tires and the detail I Think 18.000 would be a great deal don’t think anybody in there write mind would pay it maybe 10 grand. I’m not a engine builder but 90 hp by adding a four barrel and manifold I personally think is kind of a reach
The difference between the 177hp and 266hp 351 Cleveland engines was more than a simple intake and carb swap. They used completely different heads with different runner sizes and a camshaft with almost .100 (20%) more lift and greater duration among other things. A carb and intake swap performed on this engine would probably be worth 30hp with an off the shelf carb. They chose a Holley 1850 which used which doesn’t have provisions for transmission kick down and would hamper acceleration from a roll.
With the damaged clear coat and previous shoddy rust repair as well as the needed interior work more than suggests this car doesn’t have much to offer at its current asking price. A smart buyer will keep looking for something better to come along.
Steve R
The horsepower difference between the 2v and 4v Cleveland is partially due to different cylinder heads.
Faded NON clearcoat lacquer or enamel looks lot better & even daily driver decent.
lol Someone is on crack !! That’s not worth $500.00. Wow they are on something or from a diff planet.
The sad thing is that rich old dudes have gone into cahoots with the likes of Mecum and Barrett Jackson to drive the prices of classic cars through the roof and create their own market for items in which they have realized there are millions out there. In the process they have shut out regular folks who have loved old cars since birth. For that reason, this $1500 car will bring $10,000. Wait 10 more years and hopefully enough electric cars will be out that the prices on old internally combusted classics will come back into reach. By that time watered down gasoline will probably be $15 per gallon though. I have a 73 Mach1 that I have had since 1986 and I love it. Glad I got it at 16 and kept it because these are the next ones the prices will go into orbit for.
There are good deals on desirable cars and there always will be. They may not be everyone’s “dream car”, but desirable none the less. When I was just out of high school in the early-80’s me and most of my friends learned that lesson. We all wanted Z28’s, Hemi’s, Shelby’s and Judges. Most of us adapted to the reality of our budget and bought SS Camaros, 383 Road Runners, Mustang GT’s and GTO’s. It’s always been this way, you adapt to the market based on what you can afford. There has been no shortage of great performance cars produced over the last 30+ years that are attainable at reasonable prices, the same goes for desirable 60’s cars with pedestrian drivetrains. The people that really want something will find it if they are willing to put in the effort, those that don’t want to compromise are often more interested in complaining than actually having a car.
Steve R
Had a 73 convertible project 12 years ago. Back then Hemmings had listing between $11-14,000. My goal add work but never exceed those prices. When we sold it we only had $5000 in vested. Today they are $17-$21000. This car could easily be finished for less and enjoyed at a reasonable price.
There are definitely better examples out there at this price point. I’m looking at one on Craigslist right now. I’m not sure how much dollar value the 351C adds vs a 302; let’s be generous and say a 50% premium. Even at that, I think this car doesn’t compare well to others on the market.
That said, this happens to be my favorite classic Mustang generation. Blame James Bond, I guess. I hope this car does get redone in something better than its current 1990s-used-car-lot-lipstick-on-a-pig style.
Steve R, you are correct about buying what you can afford, but the good deals are scarce because with the internet available to folks who are even living off grid, they are few and far between. The prices on classic cars has disproportionately grown in the last 15 years. My 73 Mach1 sold new for $3500. I bought it 13 years later from the third owner for $2000 with 84,000 original miles, factory 351 CJ and 4 speed. I sold my running and driving 65 Impala convertible for $2000 to pay for it. Guess what that is worth today. The Mach1 was worth $5000 15 years ago. Today it’s worth 5 times that minimum. You see I grew up in the 80s too. My dad owned a junkyard in the 70s, 80s and 90s. I bought one of these Grandes for $40 in 1990 in almost the same shape as this one. In 1988 I bought a 65 Plymouth Sport Fury with 29k miles, 383, auto and 4:10 gears for $4k in mint condition. Take a guess what that’s worth today due to the big TV auctions, probably $50k. We crushed Chargers, Coronets, Demons, Mustangs, Chevelles, and the list goes on and on, in the 80s because they were worthless after we parted them out. Makes me sick to think about it. Back then a 69 Mach1 body that had been rolled over or with the front clip torn off at the firewall and rotten floors and quarters was scrap. Today, folks will pay decent money for them to restore because good ones are untouchable for the average working man. There are a lot of young boys and girls out there who are in love with the real classics but most are simply out of their price range and sitting in some rich dude’s 10 car garage right now waiting for the next auction.
During the Mid-1980’s 60’s and 70’s performance cars were readily available in most parts of the country, 45 years that’s no longer the case. Sales were generally conducted on a local level, with the advent of the internet and the ease of transporting cars long distances there are far more people in competition for a shrinking supply. Far too often people arguing their case, similar to yours like to site examples of prices based on cars that were already on the road to a wrecking yard when these were just another used car at the bottom of the depreciation curve. They never bother to reference cars which were 20-30 years older and had already become collector cars. A true comparison would be to look at the market for performance cars of the late-90’s to mid-2000’s, that are now the same age as your Mustang was when you bought it.
It still doesn’t change the fact that someone willing to put in the effort and adjust their expectations will be able to find a desirable car at a reasonable price, just like they always have.
Steve R
These cars are not gone. They are absolutely still readily available. It’s not like they disappeared into thin air and they haven’t been totaled or crushed for scrap. They have been found by fence jumpers and drones, bought through internet commerce and restored as an investment by high dollar restoration companies and folks with disposable cash. You can still own a Boss 302 if you have $80k lying around but unless you’re a Mustang fanatic who won the lottery, that’s a pipe dream. There is no shrinking supply, but ownership of choice examples is restricted to elite owners by inflated prices. That is a fact.
We agree that folks need to be willing to adjust their expectations more these days, but a person’s expectation adjustment rate each year leading up to 2005 was relatively flat and since has greatly outpaced those years annually since then. I still buy old cars, fix them up and sell them but I pay a lot more for a lot less, thus spend a lot more time and money, relative to today’s prices but outside the the actual value of a US dollar, getting them into the same shape.
Example: My car decreased in value an average of $150 per year from 1973 to 1986 and increased in value an average of $100 per year from 1986 to 2005. From 2005 to 2020 it increased in value by an average of $1300 per year until now. This applies to the starting value of any classic car from 1970 to now and probably actually back to 1960. What became the new standard of classic car investments 15 years ago? Barrett Jackson.
I gotta agree with Richard on this one Steve.
Even with effort and adjusting expectations, I think your reasonable price is a lot higher than you would expect, and if not it’s very hard to find.
I like many cars from all 4 companies, and even with all those possibilities there’s almost nothing.
Aside from the luck of finding a deal that no one knows about, I bet the low price ” just needs a few things” sweet deal , ends up being “you get what you pay for” , once you get into it.
By looking at the ebay photos I believe that the “right back bucket” refers to the right rear taillight. The ebay photo of the trunk area shows a lot of black tape over the right taillight. Most likely the white plastic backer of the taillight got broken or got brittle and fell apart, something that is known to happen.
I agree. Anything loose in the trunk and they are toast.