Here’s a good example of, “What you see is what you get.” It’s a desirable model from the outset, a 1970 Ford Mustang Mach I. There are many thorough images and a pretty good description of the car but of course, one always has to dig deeper and that’s what we will do. This Mustang is located in Austin, Texas and is available here on eBay for a current bid of $4,506, reserve not yet met or a BIN price of $10,500.

The ’70 Mustang seems like the last of the original vintage that built the Mustang brand. While very similar to the preceding ’69, its ’71 successor was the BIG Mustang and its ’74 successor was the small, Pinto based Mustang II. All very subjective of course as the big Mustang and the Mustang II certainly have their share of fans but the ’69 and ’70 seem to have an extremely strong, enthusiastic following.

This particular example would seem to have been parked outside for some length of time. It’s not the exterior appearance so much, it isn’t covered with Live Oak mung, but it is pretty rusty inside and the fact that there is standing water in the passenger footwell and leaves scattered everywhere may be a clue. The erupting dash pad would be the result of a lot of outside sun exposure. The seller adds, “Front floor pans are rusty and will need to be replaced. I have a set of replacement pans but do not know the brand as they were in the car when I bought it”. While the door cards look done, the seats may actually be salvageable. It’s hard to tell as there is so much detritus in the car and the seats themselves are filthy. That said, the fabric does not look torn or split, so there’s a positive. In its day, this white Mach I with red upholstery would have been a real looker.

There is no image of the engine bay included but then there is nothing to see anyway as this Mustang is a non-running “M” code which means it originally housed a 351 CI “Cleveland” V8 engine capable of developing 300 gross HP. It is now gone as is the four-speed manual transmission. The seller has an appropriate engine and transmission, not the originals, but he states that the replacement engine needs to be rebuilt and neither it nor the transmission is included with the sale.  The seller believes that the attached 9″ differential has a 5.38 spool so that may help explain what happened to the original, or any interim engines, that occupied the engine room. The M/T slicks are a tip-off too.

Outside really drives home the “what you see is what you get” bargain. There is a bad right side quarter, both quarters possess rust, a damaged front passenger side fender, a rusted out hood (leading edge), smashed grille and a rusty trunk lid. The seller says that he has replacements (though the replacement trunk lid is worse than the one in place) but it doesn’t sound as if any of those items are sale included. The seller adds, “All of that being said it is a pretty solid car for its age”. He does mention that the frame rails and torque boxes are solid.

No denying this is a classic Mustang but it would seem to have been rode (raced) hard and put away wet. Besides the obvious missing powertrain, it’s going to take a lot of effort to bring this Mach I back to roadworthy, driver status, much less a full restoration. No idea where the reserve has been set for this Ford but the BIN price of $10,500 is a bit of an indicator and the initial thought is that this may not be the best example for a project. What’s your thought, not that big a deal or hold out for a better example?