Sometimes a project car changes hands simply because the owner found a different direction, and that is the story behind this 1972 Ford Mustang. The seller bought it as a project but went with a 2014 Mustang GT instead and cannot keep both. This hardtop coupe is in Dacula, Georgia, northeast of Atlanta, and is listed for $8,500. It has been listed for four days, and you can find it here on Facebook Marketplace. We are glad that PRA4SNW sent this listing for us to review.
This Mustang is a base hardtop finished in red with a vinyl top and a black interior. The pictures aren’t great, but the article says the original 351 Cleveland two-barrel has been converted to a four-barrel with an Edelbrock intake and a Carter AVS carburetor. It has an FMX automatic, a 9-inch rear with 3.00 gears, and an open differential. The seller says the car runs but sat for a while with the previous owner, and the carburetor needs to be cleaned and tuned. The good news is that the seller says there is no rust, the floor pans are solid, and there are no bubbles under the vinyl top. The previous owner says the tops of the right front fender were damaged by a falling branch. Inside, the driver’s-side dash panels are missing, but the center panel, heater controls, and original radio remain, and other parts are in the trunk. The odometer shows 114,927 miles, and the seller recommends trailering it home because the interior is incomplete.
The 1971 Mustang was the largest Mustang yet, longer, lower, and wider than before, and the 1972 model carried over with very few changes. The Boss 351 was dropped, and the most obvious change was a smaller Mustang script on the right side of the decklid. Emissions rules and high insurance rates continued to hurt sales, and production fell to 125,093 cars. The hardtop coupe was still the best seller with 57,350 built, followed by the Mach 1, the Grande, the fastback, and just 6,401 convertibles. 1972 was also the year Ford’s New Jersey plant switched to building Pintos, so every Mustang came out of Dearborn.
1972 was also the first year horsepower was rated in SAE net figures, so the numbers dropped sharply on paper. The base engine was the 250 cubic inch six rated at 98 horsepower. V8 choices included a 302 two-barrel rated at 140 horsepower, a 351 Cleveland two-barrel, a 351 Cobra Jet with a four-barrel, and the 351 HO rated at 275 horsepower. The HO was only offered for a short time and only with a four-speed, and about 1,000 cars received it. Ford offered 16 exterior colors for 1972, including the new Gold Glow and Ivy Glow, along with red, white, and blue Sprint packages.
Decent starting ask, but witch the ding…
Pricey, $8,500, for a project. The engine compartment looks awful, doesn’t run well, needs body work, has some indeterminate problem with its dash. Heading into winter, cars sit on the market longer, patient buyers will find better deal.
Steve R