Few ten-year-old cars match the shine and good looks of this Mustang! Believe it or not, the seller claims this never-restored 1973 Ford Mustang convertible spent most of the last forty plus years parked on concrete in a barn, racking up a mere 8082 miles as the weekend plaything of its original owners. Running and ready for occasional driving or a tour of preservation-class car shows, the V8 drop-top can be yours here on eBay, where a single bid sets the market value at $25,000 on the way toward the Buy It Now price of $44,500. Check out the listing for more on this car’s fascinating history and details of its journey from barn find to gently refurbished original. Thanks to reader Kevin K. for spotting this Birmingham, Alabama beauty.
Minor carpet fading and plastic aging suggest a nicely maintained 10 year-old car, but this car is 50. According to the listing, only the stuffing under the rear seat had been mice-eaten and needed to be replaced. The rest is factory Ford, except perhaps the groovy carpeted floor mats.
How about that claimed original top! For safety, the car wears reproductions of the original tires, but the factory tires come with the sale. Amazing! Often panned as the largest and most bloated Mustang, the 1971-’73 models actually weigh less than every V8 Mustang built since 1994, so relax and embrace the extremes of the ultimate long roof, short-trunk pony.
The barely broken-in 351 cid (5.8L) Cleveland V8 got a paint touch-up, and minimal parts were replaced returning the Mustang to running health, but the air cleaner paint is original, and most of the rest was simply cleaned and detailed. Everything removed has been kept and could be returned for 100% authenticity. The long-time owners recorded one oil change, so it only recently enjoyed its second! Would you have refurbished this low-mile barn-find pony or maintained its as-found condition?
Hello all, and many thanks to “Barn Finds” for profiling my 1973 Mustang! I have loved the “Big Body” 1971-1973 Mustangs ever since I got my first one in 1977 at the age of 17. I have owned over 100 over the years with some being the lowest mile examples in the country, and one having only 92 miles and purchased new by the then owner of the largest Ford dealership in Denver Colorado. Barn Finds was too kind regarding the condition of the car and the ill effects its’ thirty years of barn storage had on the car. True, it is beautiful, but up close the paint is not perfect and has defects and touch ups. I gave them over thirty “before” photos which help tell the “whole” story, but obviously they didn’t have the time or space to post them. I almost hesitate to post them here, because they show just how nasty this car was when I got it, but here goes. I may be only allowed to upload one photo, but I’m trying to figure out how to post them all. Feel free to ask any questions you may have, and thanks for looking!
I treated all the little rust spots in the paint with 0000 steel wool and metal polish, wiped it with wax remover, then applied color matched touch up paint to each spot, one at a time. It took me weeks to get the paint where it is while working with the original paint. I waxed the car but never buffed it. Many people would have just blasted the car and repainted it. It wasn’t easy!
Polish
Before
After
Barn picture
Engine
Motor
Engine bay
Air Cleaner
Paint
Convertible top
Dash
Steering wheel
Seats
Carpet
Vinyl
Dirt
If you want the whole story, read the entire ad from eBay. I go into great detail of every little thing I did to the car and what I needed to fix and replace. This car is truly unrestored. It was only cleaned and detailed, and aside from the engine paint and the tiny exterior touch ups, the paint is original. The top, interior, carpet, brakes, suspension, steering, glass, weatherstripping, bright work, molding, wiring harnesses, drive train, engine components, belts, hoses, plugs wires, and distributor cap are all original.
Detailing
Nastiness
Elbow grease!
Beautiful!
I for one love the big body Mustang. Not because it’s the lightest, fastest or most efficient but because it is just a good looking car. Last Ford convertible with a Cleveland motor and it’s yellow. What’s not to love?
Beauty, you’ve owned many. 👏 This big boy is still lighter than a new hardtop 5.0.
Thanks Stan!
Really unbelievable what you have done with this barn find. Your sharing of the process is appreciated.
Thanks Jay!
Nice looking Mustang. Love the yellow paint.
Automatic transmission and 5.8 liter V8 is a smooth combination for cruising. Photos document condition and touch-ups. Did not see air conditioning listed and whether it was retrofitted to more eco friendly status. Price is too much for my retiree’s budget but brings back memories of seeing the big Fords everywhere.
Hi Lance. Thanks for the comment! This car does not have factory A/C but it is easy to add for about $2K and the new systems are so much more efficient than the original ones. I understand on the price but I started a little high to give some room to negotiate.
Thanks for posting this, I just watched your two videos and the job you did on getting this old girl cleaned up is remarkable. I never would’ve guessed she started out this rough. A lot of work.. but a beautiful result.
Thanks you so much John. Comments like that make the work all worth while! Kevin.
Nice job there.
Thanks KH!
If you click on the above pictures they will enlarge in good detail. Here are a few more before and after photos. I utilized my wife’s new hobby of “paint by numbers” to help restore the air cleaner hear riser tube. Her paint kits provide all kinds of cool colors to use for detailing. I would have never found the correct color without the help of her new hobby, lol.
Seat belt buckle-before
After polishing by hand
The end result
Turn signal bezel
Detailing
No painting. Just cleaning
I thought this was grunge and realized it was actually a factory sealant I had never seen before that was used to keep water out of the turn signal, so I left some of it in place, even though it looked “prettier” without it. Ford used it in the trunk as well.
Paisley floor mats are a plus.
Thanks Joe! They are what I like most about the car.
What a beautiful story!! Of all the years on BF this is the best. The work you did to save this old girl is amazing. The hours of labor(Love)to make it look the way it is now is astonishing!! I wish I was closer to you just to look at it in person and to shake your hand. Job well done. People like us love the car hobby since we were little and you buying and fixing and saving these 71-73 Mustangs goes up and beyond. I know I get carried away but I feel our generation is the last ones who really care about these older cars(muscle etc.) I am a Mopar guy but you really change my mind about these Mustangs 71-73. I really hope this Mustang goes to a really good home. 🇺🇸🐻🇺🇸
Wow Big Bear. You made my day. Tears are literally welling behind my eyes. That’s the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me. Thank you so much! Kevin.
I’d buy it for sure
Thanks Beauwayne! Kevin.
Beautiful car for sure, replace all rubber items, drive that suckered. Great detailing is a must! Bravo
Thanks William!