1973 Mach 1 missing engine and transmission, help!

[MI6Agent007]

Hi ya’ll,

My uncle original owner of a 1973 Mach 1; gave me his Mach 1; unfortunately, squatters stole the factory 351 Cleveland engine and factory transmission, so now I don’t know what to do. Initially I wanted to keep it all original since it was all original, but now I’m at a loss since motor and trans are gone. What can I do for replacement motor and transmission? I doubt I can find another 351 Cleveland and factory trans, what would be the tactical approach to solve this issue? Cost wise, what am I looking at? Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

 

[horse sence]

A cleveland isnt to hard to come by ,the transmission depends on the code ,could be an FMX or a C6 . Just dont fall for a 400 motor though ,that is a truck motor and a boat anchor

 

[MI6Agent007]

A cleveland isnt to hard to come by ,the transmission depends on the code ,could be an FMX or a C6 . Just dont fall for a 400 motor though ,that is a truck motor and a boat anchor

Thank you for that info, I really do appreciate the insight. This is my first attempt to restore/rebuild a car, and I am new to all this. Where can I find a Cleveland motor, how much are they running? How do I know what to look for to avoid a 400 motor? How do I tell what tranny code I need? What do I look for on the car or transmission itself? I know I’m asking a lot of questions, but again, this is all new to me, so I want to avoid buying the wrong stuff since I’m not rolling in the dough. Thank you once again for all your help, I really appreciate it.

 

[AeroCoupe]

If you are building it back to stock for sentimental reasons I get it but if you are doing it in hopes of selling for $$$ you need to see what a 73 Mach 1 sells for as it’s not what a 69/70 will bring.

 

[MI6Agent007]

If you are building it back to stock for sentimental reasons I get it but if you are doing it in hopes of selling for $$$ you need to see what a 73 Mach 1 sells for as it’s not what a 69/70 will bring.

Yes, I’m building it back to stock for sentimental reasons, I have no intentions of selling whatsoever. With the said, where can I find a Cleveland motor, how much are they running? How do I know what to look for to avoid a 400 motor? How do I tell what tranny code I need? What do I look for on the car or transmission itself? I know I’m asking a lot of questions, but again, this is all new to me, so I want to avoid buying the wrong stuff since I’m not rolling in the dough. Thank you once again for all your help, I really appreciate it.

 

[AeroCoupe]

I believe there should be a “buck tag” on the driver door just below the latching mechanism. From that you should be able to use various decoders to figure out which trans it came with.

Good site for the 71-73’s

'71 - '73 Vintage Ford Mustang Forum

7173Mustangs.com is a community forum designed especially for fans & owners of the 1971, 1972 and 1973 Ford Mustang! Forums for all aspects of vintage Ford Mustangs.

7173mustangs.com

 

[MI6Agent007]

I believe there should be a “buck tag” on the driver door just below the latching mechanism. From that you should be able to use various decoders to figure out which trans it came with.

Good site for the 71-73’s

'71 - '73 Vintage Ford Mustang Forum

7173Mustangs.com is a community forum designed especially for fans & owners of the 1971, 1972 and 1973 Ford Mustang! Forums for all aspects of vintage Ford Mustangs.

7173mustangs.com

Thank you so much, I appreciate the insight and will into it

 

[2Blue2]

Yes, I’m building it back to stock for sentimental reasons,

If numbers matching is important, a correct engine is hard to come by 50 yrs later.
Barrnet performance might be able to sell you a complete 351c engine but without correct part numbers.
Also go for the C6 trans, jus saying.

 

[Noobz347]

First thing is first:




...and if you're just building it to drive and enjoy then drop a budget crate motor into the thing and press on with pride!


Blamo:

and it makes 30 more HP than the Cobra Jet did, back in the day.

Ford SB Compatible 302 c.i. Engine - 361 HP - Base Dressed - Rear Sump - Carbureted

BluePrint Engines Ford small block compatible 302 c.i. crate engine - 361 HP - Base dressed - Rear sump - Carbureted. Includes 30 month/ 50,000 mile warranty and BluePrint Dyno Promise. Part #: BP302RCTC

blueprintengines.com

 

[Jarhead67]

Check out this site:
https://www.jegs.com/i/ATK-Engines/059/DF39/10002/-1.

All I did was google it.

 

[Noobz347]

Check out this site:
https://www.jegs.com/i/ATK-Engines/059/DF39/10002/-1.

All I did was google it.

That's a Windsor too.

 

[Mcmahst]

Just FYI, many of the 71-73 owners report that the buck tag is located on the radiator support, close to the drivers side headlight. That’s where my was on both my 71 and 73.

 

[Mcmahst]

So, tell us more about the 73, beside the Eng/trans, what else is missing? When you asked that question on the 7173mustangs.com site, you got some good recommendations. Have you found anything on Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist? To determine the transmission, the sticker on the drivers door has a Trans code; it’s easy to Google that to find out. It’s likely a FMX if it’s an auto, unless it was a 4v 351. Good luck.

 

[Mcmahst]

Here’s on in So Cal that might be a good start:

https://inlandempire.craigslist.org/pts/d/yucaipa-cleveland/7766108874.html

It’s not my ad.