1972 Ford Mustang Mach 1 - H.O. Survivor

I think we can safely say that Eric Petosa is fanatical about originality, right down to stampings, date codes, and even the numbers on brake adjuster plugs. During the restoration of his Boss 302-powered '70 Cougar Eliminator, Eric conversed with experts and even traveled halfway across the country to visit Bob Perkins to track down parts and "Paint OK" stamps to correctly detail his Cougar to fresh-off-the-assembly-line new. Parts were bought and swapped via eBay while a Tupperware storage container became full of notes and documentation. The result is a gem that has been called the "Ultimate Eliminator" by the Cougar Club of America.

Eric didn't need to research and search for parts for his '72 H.O. Mach 1-he bought the 18,000-mile original with 99.9 percent of its original parts still intact.

The '72 R-code Mustang is one of the rarest yet least understood vintage Mustangs. Ford canceled the Boss 351 after 1971, but began offering a slightly detuned version of the Boss engine, calling it the 351 H.O., shortly after the '72 Mustang introduction. Not to be confused with the hydraulic-lifter 351 4V or Cobra Jet engines, the 351 H.O. closely resembled the previous year's Boss 351 with a four-bolt main-bearing block, solid-lifter cam, aluminum intake, and 4300 four-barrel carb. However, the H.O. was detuned for 91-octane fuel with slightly milder cam specifications along with open chamber heads and flat-top pistons, as opposed to the Boss 351's closed chambers and pop-up pistons, to drop the compression ratio from the '71's 11.1:1 to a more tolerable 8.8:1.

Also like the Boss 351, the H.O. was packaged with extra performance goodies, such as four-speed transmission only, 9-inch rear with 3.91 gears, Competition Suspension with staggered rear shocks, and 15-inch wheels and tires. Oddly, the H.O. isn't identified anywhere on the car's exterior. In fact, the only place to find identification is on the air cleaner decal.

But unlike the Boss 351, which was available only in the Boss 351 SportsRoof package, the 351 H.O. was offered in any '72 Mustang body style, although the majority were ordered for Mach 1s and SportsRoofs. According to Kevin Marti's Mustang...By the Numbers book, production included 13 convertibles, 19 hardtops, and 366 SportsRoofs for a total of 398 Mustangs with the H.O. drivetrain. Of the 366 fastbacks, 336 were Mach 1s.

Strangely, ram air was not part of the package. Instead, the 351 H.O. picked up fresh air from a plastic duct under the battery, which funneled fresh air through a flexible hose into the air cleaner snorkel.

It's interesting that the 351 H.O. engine is not mentioned in the '72 Mustang showroom brochure. However, by the time Ford released its October revisions for the dealer's Car Facts Organizer, the 351 H.O. had been added to the "'72 High-Performance Engines" section. Output was listed at 275 hp, compared to 330 hp for the previous year's Boss 351. Note that much of the decrease was attributable to the new SAE net horsepower rating, used for the first time in 1972. The Car Facts sheet also provided one reason that Ford dropped the Boss 351: "Mustang offers no package comparable to the Z28 because of the limited sales potential of all-out performance vehicles in today's new car market."

Ford started taking orders for the 351 H.O. as early as October 1971. According to Marti's database, the first '72 R-code was built on January 20, 1972, with production continuing through the end of the model year.