My 1970 Mach 1

This page will document my project from beginning to end, with details and photos.

Here's how it all started, after sitting under several car tarps in my buddy's driveway for over a decade.

Here's how she looks today, complete and waiting for a trip to the frame machine.

Here's what I'm shooting for.

My buddy, Stan, had spotted this car running around town for a while, then found it parked for an extended period of time. He stopped and asked if was for sale because he had noticed that it had some options that his '70 Mach didn't have. The kid that owned it had not taken care of the car and had beaten it up pretty badly on one side, but Stan wanted the rear end, 4V heads and rear seat fold down setup. The kid's girlfriend had got mad at him and tampered with the wiring on the car and he didn't know how to make it run again, so he was willing to sell. Stan took it home in 1991 and parked it in his driveway. It sat there for years. He always told me that it was his parts car and was just there to shelter the parts he was wanting to keep from it: the fold down rear seat setup, 351 Cleveland 4V heads and the rearend. I told him every time we talked about the car that I did not want to see the car scrapped just because of the body damage and that I wanted it when he was done with it. It's a true '70 California Mach 1 4V, with the #s matching drivetrain and fold down, so I couldn't imagine junking the car because it needed some new skin. He kept telling me that if I wanted it, it was mine. One of our other buddies helped himself to some of the good body parts and the original wheels over the years, so in the end of it's time in Stan's driveway, there wasn't much good body left. However, I still wanted the car. At the time, I had a '69 Camaro SS and a '68 Camaro, which Stan and I had passed back and forth. I had the '68 before I found the '69, but '69 was the year I always wanted. Stan decided he wanted the '68 back and I was more than happy to finally have my '69, so I was willing to let it go. But rather than let him buy it back from me, I decided to work a deal for the Mach that I had been wanting for a few years. He said he still wanted the fold down and the rearend, but I could keep the complete #s matching 4V motor. I told him that I would find replacements for the parts he wanted so I could keep the car from losing anything else. Later, I purchased a fold down setup and a set of 4V heads on eBay for Stan's car and we called it a done deal.
On Mach 19th 2005, I brought her home.

It looked like the start of a very long rebuild. I immediately(1st day) took on the challenge of the tail of the car, the only area that I could make a quick transformation. I simply pulled everything off and started hammering things closer to where they should have been.

It's amazing what a hammer can do! The only part changed during the transformation above is the RH quarter panel end cap. The next step was bolting on a front end and some decent wheels.

The body needed attention all the way around. It had been mistreated by the previous driver and what hadn't been damaged, had been removed. The only remaining undamaged body panel was the driver's door. However, there were no rust issues.

The interior was in need of restoration, but the fold down setup was in good shape.

She came with the original 351C 4V, transmission and rear end. The motor ran before being parked for all these years, so it had seized up. After working with it for a day or so, I was able to get it to turn over, but it will need a rebuild for sure.

1970 Mustang Mach 1 351C 4V w/California Emissions

This was originally a 1970 Mach 1 in Raven Black with black stripes and a Vermillion interior with the fold down rear seat option. It came equipped with a 300HP 351 Cleveland 4V, automatic transmission and 9" rear.

Original Sticker Price:
A base 1970 Mach 1 was $3,271

Production #s:
40,970 Mach 1s were produced in 1970.

Current(June '07)Average Selling Price:
eBay -
Barrett-Jackson - $36,450

I will soon add the long list of parts that I have already acquired for the project.

I will soon add a list of parts that I still need for the project.

She's coming together and now has a complete, all original Ford body, but still needs new quarters and taillight panel, which is the next step. It'll be headed to a frame machine soon for straightening and the new panels.

I had found a '70 coupe with a nearly perfect front end shortly before making the deal with Stan. As soon as we made the deal, I bought the coupe for $500 and drove it home before I even brought the Mach home. The front end was a quick change, but the hood had no scoop or locks. My buddy, Brian, had a good hood with the holes for the turn signal hood scoop and hood locks, but needed a plain hood with no holes. My Mach originally had a turn signal hood scoop and hood locks, so we swapped. He also brought the complete wheels and brand new tires on that trip, which I bought for $325. A few quick bolt on parts made a world of difference!