OK, this is weird. To sit and write about one's self-or one's own car is a hard thing. Even though Lazarus has been a fixture in Mustang Monthly for nearly as long as I have been editor, it still feels odd to wax poetic about the Medium Bright Yellow '72 Mach 1 commonly referred to as Lazarus. Heck, most of you probably know as much about the car as I do; well, except for the little things. And that's where I'll start.
I know where every ding and booboo on the car is, like the one just in front of the rear window on the driver's side roof. It came from a camera and careless movement on a stool. The stool was thrown away-very far away. Or the cracks in the front bumper on the passenger side; those came from painting the front bumper but not fitting it to the car. A dead blow hammer put the position to rights but left the cracks as a thank you. Or the hole in the headliner-never use a shorty screwdriver to install coat hooks. Did you know that a shorty will fly very, very far in the hands of an angry editor? There are other places that ruh-rohs happened, but these will remain in my cobweb-strewn mind.
This whole thing started as a simple daily driver. The Mach was mostly complete; I say mostly because of an incorrect 351-2V block and heads. Thanks to Steve Rabe, who provided a seasoned but very serviceable block and heads, I was well on my way to the original 351 4V bliss Ford intended via the "Q code" in the Vehicle Identification number (VIN) after only two rebuilds in these pages. The Mach was also loaded for bear where the option content was concerned.
Take a deep breath and follow along: 351-4V, four-speed, 3.25 traction-lok 9-inch differential, staggered rear shocks and rear sway bar (part of the four-speed package). Convenience items included power steering and power disc brakes. On the comfy side is where things get positively sloppy with options: console, deluxe interior, full gauge package, convenience group, sport deck rear seat, tilt wheel, Rim-Blow steering wheel, deluxe seat belts as well as a rear window electric defrost.
Outside, Ford saw fit to add the sport stripe and Magnum 500 wheels. The one option conspicuous in its absence is tinted windows. All this came in at just around the cost of a new '72 Corvette.
I was going to get the car up then running then drive it to work. It was perfect for the task. Then Ed Hockaday happened. After telling him about the Mach and its plethora of options and pretty much mint Ginger deluxe interior, he informed me I should consider going Mustang Club of America (MCA) Concours Street Driven. That was where the money started to be spent and I got on the roller-coaster ride called Concours Street Driven. The Concours bar dropped across my lap as I tried to find and purchase original seat material for the driver's seat. It culminated in the Ginger new old stock (NOS) driver's door panel-of course, by that time I was so used to the coaster that the expenditure for the NOS panel was like returning to the coaster barn.