My son and I decided to go on a road trip. He wants a project car. He has always been around II's in various states of dis-repair. At 18 months old he sat still on the cowl panel of my Cobra when I put an engine in it. Don't ever remember him sitting still that long for anything else. Not sure if he was terrified or interested but I digress.
We headed out to find a car for him and this idiot tailgated me for a 12 hour drive home. Have to compliment the driver for mirroring my every move as well as being able to duck every time we took a picture.
It's a V8 4speed 78 Mach I fully optioned. Parked in a barn since "99. I think it has every option except t tops. Everything is there and attached except transmission and radiator. Transmission, driveshaft, bellhousing, new clutch, undamaged fan shroud and engine accessories are inside the car. Owner stated he was redoing the engine and could not find motor mounts 22 years ago. Then life got in the way and here we are.
At first glance the car is in fair condition. Minimal rust on the body. Was rust proofed when new. All trim present. Chassis has a few rusty areas but no holes. Hood and hatch have no rust at all. Body lines are fairly straight. The engine looks like it was painted and installed on torn motor mounts years ago.The engine paint still looks fresh. Deluxe black interior in very good condition. Factory dash pad in great shape with no cracks.
As we were deciding to buy it we noticed all 4 pillars are cracked at the welds. Right front wheel is out of alignment and right fender is bent upwards in front of the wheel. The owner said he was doing wheelies with it. I initially doubted it but the signs are there. The right rear spring mount is halfway ripped from the chassis. Rear axle is not centered. The A and C pillars are all cracked, wrinkled and bent outward. The fender looks like it was smashed from below. The roof has several wrinkles radiating out from the A pillars. The drivers floorboard is pushed up from the subframe pushing it up. It appears he was correct and this thing was doing wheelies. Then hit hard on the landing. I have never known a II to do wheelies except a drag car. So I am still a bit skeptical but it appears he was telling the truth.
As demonstrated in my Exorcising A 78 thread I am not a body man. I imagine a wrinkled roof with cracked A and C pillars means she is bent and will require significant chassis work to make her straight. She will never be right again or as strong as she was. We all know II's were not that strong to begin with. With torque boxes, subframe connectors and t top style engine bay reinforcement this probably would be saveable. In the least the damage would have been less.
Do the work Ford didn't do. They never accounted for high horsepower engines being in these cars. they were designed to be light and fuel efficient. Not withstand 200+ Hp engines.
My kid is better off finding a better platform to start with so this car isn't for him. Unfortunately, I on the other hand have to put off buying that transmission. I do now have all the dash parts to add ac and all other options to my t top car. It came with nothing except the t tops. I have a complete black deluxe interior. I also have decent doors, hood, fender and hatch for the Cobra. I have a complete II 4 speed drivetrain including a 302 that can pull wheelies. I will save the body and eventually it may be worth it to someone who has the means, ability and desire to straighten it out. If I learn how and it's doable I may try.
We may put it back together just to see if it really does wheelies first though.
The best part..... My wife was the one to find the car so I am partially off the hook. I was actually allowed a blanket and pillow while I am banished to live in the car. lol
They sure would have looked great as a pair. The obnoxious hot rod t top and the survivor Mach I cruiser.
We headed out to find a car for him and this idiot tailgated me for a 12 hour drive home. Have to compliment the driver for mirroring my every move as well as being able to duck every time we took a picture.
It's a V8 4speed 78 Mach I fully optioned. Parked in a barn since "99. I think it has every option except t tops. Everything is there and attached except transmission and radiator. Transmission, driveshaft, bellhousing, new clutch, undamaged fan shroud and engine accessories are inside the car. Owner stated he was redoing the engine and could not find motor mounts 22 years ago. Then life got in the way and here we are.
At first glance the car is in fair condition. Minimal rust on the body. Was rust proofed when new. All trim present. Chassis has a few rusty areas but no holes. Hood and hatch have no rust at all. Body lines are fairly straight. The engine looks like it was painted and installed on torn motor mounts years ago.The engine paint still looks fresh. Deluxe black interior in very good condition. Factory dash pad in great shape with no cracks.
As we were deciding to buy it we noticed all 4 pillars are cracked at the welds. Right front wheel is out of alignment and right fender is bent upwards in front of the wheel. The owner said he was doing wheelies with it. I initially doubted it but the signs are there. The right rear spring mount is halfway ripped from the chassis. Rear axle is not centered. The A and C pillars are all cracked, wrinkled and bent outward. The fender looks like it was smashed from below. The roof has several wrinkles radiating out from the A pillars. The drivers floorboard is pushed up from the subframe pushing it up. It appears he was correct and this thing was doing wheelies. Then hit hard on the landing. I have never known a II to do wheelies except a drag car. So I am still a bit skeptical but it appears he was telling the truth.
As demonstrated in my Exorcising A 78 thread I am not a body man. I imagine a wrinkled roof with cracked A and C pillars means she is bent and will require significant chassis work to make her straight. She will never be right again or as strong as she was. We all know II's were not that strong to begin with. With torque boxes, subframe connectors and t top style engine bay reinforcement this probably would be saveable. In the least the damage would have been less.
Do the work Ford didn't do. They never accounted for high horsepower engines being in these cars. they were designed to be light and fuel efficient. Not withstand 200+ Hp engines.
My kid is better off finding a better platform to start with so this car isn't for him. Unfortunately, I on the other hand have to put off buying that transmission. I do now have all the dash parts to add ac and all other options to my t top car. It came with nothing except the t tops. I have a complete black deluxe interior. I also have decent doors, hood, fender and hatch for the Cobra. I have a complete II 4 speed drivetrain including a 302 that can pull wheelies. I will save the body and eventually it may be worth it to someone who has the means, ability and desire to straighten it out. If I learn how and it's doable I may try.
We may put it back together just to see if it really does wheelies first though.
The best part..... My wife was the one to find the car so I am partially off the hook. I was actually allowed a blanket and pillow while I am banished to live in the car. lol
They sure would have looked great as a pair. The obnoxious hot rod t top and the survivor Mach I cruiser.
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