Have started the long job of cleaning the 73 Mach 1

[OMS]

Never drove it in salt. I always had several cars and motor cycle. It sat in an open pole barn on 4 flat tires since 1982 on dirt. We had 100" of rain here last year. All the suspension rusts like crazy. No rust on any body panels at all. Most of the suspension stuff had no or little paint on it so no protection means rust.
It is not going to be a show car and not ever going to try make it that. I will not ever go to MCA shows again. It is just a survivor with 12,200 miles one owner and I ordered it not the dealer so I got everything but the block heater and somehow missed that.
It is going to be sitting in a museum with hood and trunk open and nobody going to be under the car. Just going to make it safe to move around and will probably never see the open road again. It may be donated to the museum never know. What am I going to do with it when I am dead, lol.

I have to ask then

1 - Why would you have not taken the $ 25,000.00 you were offered for the car?
2 - If you are going to give it to Steve at the Museum - Why not let him restore / fix it?
Why would you go though so much pain and money to give the car away, especially when they don't
keep them there forever . I think they plan to rotate cars in and out... sorry I'm confused.

[jpaz]

Hey I’m confused too, why not just give it to someone who doesn’t have a vert, like me! Lol

[Carolina_Mountain_Mustangs]

Since nobody in my family likes cars they will get sold at auction anyway.
Yes the cars will get rotated in and out of the Museum it is not that large, I think 60 cars fit?
If the car were restored the value drops by 50% they are only original once. I am only doing safety related items and cleaning and detailing.
Will see how it goes at the museum. The owner of NPD wants to buy it also. They have quite a collection.
This 1950 Ford is also an odd original car. Never had tires put on has original belts and hoses on engine. I did drive it some until 1997 and job and family took all my time again. This car has 16,000 miles interior is original and all the paint fell off. Sat in a barn in Buffalo NY from 1954 until I got in 1995. Sold for $1,000 at estate auction.
Several judges from AACA have viewed the car and said if it were painted would not be worth as much. Seems to be the fad to have original rusty cars, lol. The moths liked the wool seat covers.
The tag in the trunk was on the car when I got it, 1954.
I did not have to do anything to the engine, even the brake master cylinder and wheel cylinders were not rusty. Still has the factory exhaust also. It has turn signals, rear window wiper and rear window louvers, all were Ford options back then. Did not have a radio. I have 4 of these that will be going somewhere also.
A museum in Gatlinburg Tenn. wants this one.
But yesterday I spent all day with wire brush and sand blast cabinet cleaning the suspension and brake parts. Do not have time to wait on the molasses tank.
Should start going back together with suspension next week.

[Tnfastbk]

"A museum in Gatlinburg Tenn. wants this one." 

Which museum? I will be in Pigeon Forge for the rod run in April and September. I would like to check it out.

[Carolina_Mountain_Mustangs]

"A museum in Gatlinburg Tenn. wants this one." 

Which museum? I will be in Pigeon Forge for the rod run in April and September. I would like to check it out.

It is actually the one in Pigeon Forge on the left as you head out to I-40. I forget the name. I also talked with them about the mustang there before the MOM came to be.

[Tnfastbk]

"A museum in Gatlinburg Tenn. wants this one." 

Which museum? I will be in Pigeon Forge for the rod run in April and September. I would like to check it out.

It is actually the one in Pigeon Forge on the left as you head out to I-40. I forget the name. I also talked with them about the mustang there before the MOM came to be.

Could it be Floyd Garrett's in Sevierville ? I ask because Smoky Mountain Car Museum has been closed down for a bit now.

[secluff]

Probably Floyd Garrett's Muscle Car Museum in Sevierville. About 9 miles in from I-40 on hwy 66, on the right side just past the Volunteer Chevrolet dealership. Been there several times and since the collection of cars is constantly changing, each visit is a treat.
If you are ever in the Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg area you really need to include this place on your list of things to do, you won't be disappointed!  
http://www.musclecarmuseum.com/map.shtml

[Stanglover]

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[url=https://ibb.co/fv5N6t9]

 David, I "hijacked" this shot for the hood black-out. It clearly shows the shape and from earlier posts with measurements shown, should be a good reference.
But a question; does anybody know for sure if there were any shape changes from the 71 to the 73 on the black-out? We know the 73 got different strips, did anything else change in that regard? Just wondering if someone in the styling dept. thought it needed an up-grade as well.
Thanks for all the updates on this "clean up"
Geoff.

[Carolina_Mountain_Mustangs]

It is the Floyd Garrett's Muscle Car Museum in Sevierville that I was referring to. The car is not there it is in my garage now.
I have a couple other hoods I would have to dig out and check the date codes on the stampings. They are both factory applied black out also. I have a 72 with a crunched hood I can measure side to side and width of border and such on to compare also.
I pretty much have most of the front end components cleaned up. The sway bar, strut rods, spindles and disc brake mounts were pretty crusty so I blasted and cleaned them up.
I removed the trim from the vinyl top, and the rear honeycomb panel and the door sill moldings and gave them a polish. I just got no name oven cleaner and after about 6 applications I gave up and went and got Easy Off and it removed the anodize the first coating.
The door sill moldings are not anodized so they polish easily. If you send the moldings off to be polished they get $37.00 per foot but they will come back perfect. Talking with my friend that does high end restorations and he had sent the stainless trim off the 69 HO Firebird he is doing now and I think it was $2,500 to do all the trim. I looked at it and it is perfect for sure. The aluminum will never look like stainless no matter how you polish.
The procedure the professional uses is a follows.
Straightens any dents or bends, riles, stones and sands back flat just like doing body work, glass beads the entire surface. He says this gives you a uniform surface to then start to polish. Then he buffs with compound until like a mirror.
I stripped the anodize, sanded with I believe 1200 to remove the corrosion the use fine steel wool then went to buffer with couple different compounds then hand polished with cream.
So now I need to get the roof rail molding off and windshield and rear window and do them. Can't find my windshield trim remover have not used in years. I will go buy another one and come home that then find the old one, lol.
I went to get the new tires mounted Friday and friend at the tire store was on holiday so I go back on Monday to get them mounted.
Help did not show up yesterday to remove hood and pull engine I need to get that out so I can clean the engine compartment and the engine. So I pulled one of the tail lights so I can get that trim back shiny. At least the 73 does not have the black out.
Since I am cleaning inside the garage I got a kids swimming pool to catch some of the run off. It is mainly just dust no rust and very little oil or grease. When I was out getting cleaning supplies I noticed that Dawn makes a floor cleaning soap so I got some to try.
Went to a couple parts houses and nobody has the master cylinder repair kits only want to sell you a rebuilt cylinder. So I will look for that some online. Might have to buy a rebuilt one and pull the guts out to keep my original in the car. If bad pitted I would send off to get the brass sleeve put in then will never rust again. Might be ok have not removed yet.
Might pull the gas tank today to get a look inside. If not too bad will pour in denatured alcohol and marbles and let them beat the crud loose.
I left camera in garage so no new pics will update later today.
Cold rain here.

[Stanglover]

David, thanks for your comments on the hood black-out. It will be interesting to know If there were any differences between years. I doubt it, but one never knows with Ford. I think that will settle the discussion once and for all.
Great work on the 73, I love reading about your progress.
Geoff.