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.
Those of you not new to the mag no doubt know about the rust-free condition, and the NOS quarter-panel install, as well as the Medium Bright Yellow paint applied by good friend Jeff Thompson while the Mach was at Michael's Autobody in Winter Haven, Florida. The one true deviation from stock on the outside is the blacked-out hood. Although we are certain that almost all '72 Mach 1s without the 351 2V and ram air just got body color, we had to break up all that yellow. The black-out was the best way. Besides, we can go back now and redo the base color if we want to. Which we don't.
The undercarriage is detailed as close to factory as I could get it. It was Army OD Green Number Seven originally, so that's the color we painted it again-even though the MCA books state that the "correct" color is either Black, Gray, or Red Iron Oxide. The exhaust is custom with turbo mufflers and was bent by The Muffler and Exhaust Center. Although it isn't stock the note is really sweet and the system flows well.
What we tried to go for on the lead shots was a sales brochure look. Aided by Tammy Zafra, we did pretty well. Wanna know what's really funny? When I bought the Mach 1, I wasn't all that crazy about yellow, even though the first Mach I ever saw and fell in love with was this color. But you know what? I think that after dealing with the car for so long, I'm finally turning yellow.
Sources
There are so many people to thank that we have to do it in a source box. But there are folks that were there at the time of assembly. Here are the ones that helped me to get the Mach 1 done:
| Bob "The Big Kahuna" Myhrer |
Assembly |
| Dana "The Cheater" Cheatum |
Assembly |
| Kent "The Local Parts Guru" Hatchett |
NOS Parts |
| Bob Perkins |
NOS Parts |
| Michael Peramski |
Paint and detail |
| Jeff Thompson |
Paint |
| Carla Ford |
Moral support |
| Tammy Zafra |
Model |
Project Lazarus
Below is a list-mostly complete-of the stories we ran on the Lazarus Project.
| November 1996 |
pg. 20 |
Street Sleeper Cleveland |
| December 1997 |
pg. 59 |
Classic Cleveland Buildup |
| April 1998 |
pg. 42 |
Quarter-Panel Install |
| June 1998 |
pg. 54 |
Chemical Strip and De-rust |
| October 1998 |
pg. 24 |
Rear Axle-Housing Detail |
| January 1998 |
pg. 31 |
351 Cleveland Detailing |
| March 1999 |
pg. 80 |
Tilt Column Detail |
| May 1999 |
pg. 46 |
Taillight Housing |
| June 1999 |
pg. 58 |
Four-Speed Detailing |
| July 1999 |
pg. 73 |
Wheels and Tires |
| August 1999 |
pg. 56 |
Driveshaft Rebuild |
| October 1999 |
pg. 62 |
Prep for Paint |
| January 2000 |
pg. 66 |
Front Disc Brakes |
| February 2000 |
pg. 68 |
Suspension Detail |
| April 2000 |
pg. 43 |
Headliner Install |
| May 2000 |
pg. 66 |
How to: Glue in Glass |
| August 2000 |
pg. 72 |
How to: Roller Cam |
| October 2000 |
pg. 60 |
Engine Bay Detailing |
| November 2000 |
pg. 64 |
Dash Panel Assembly |
| December 2000 |
pg. 78 |
Door Assembly |
| January 2001 |
pg. 59 |
Interior Install |
| March 2001 |
pg. 55 |
SportsRoof Trunk |
| June 2001 |
pg. 72 |
Sport Stripes Detail |