1973 Ford Mustang Fastback â?" Resto-Mod Build with Blueprint 347 V8 and Over $75,000 Invested Why This Car Is Special The 1973 Ford Mustang holds a specific and often underappreciated place in Mustang history. It was the last of the original 'classic' Mustangs before Ford completely restyled the car into the much-maligned Mustang II for 1974. That makes the 1973 model year the closing chapter on nearly a decade of the body style that started it all. Ford sold just over 134,000 Mustangs that year across all body styles, and the fastback â?" formally called the SportsRoof â?" remains the most sought-after configuration of the bunch. The long roofline, the aggressive rear quarter treatment, and the overall proportions of the SportsRoof body are what most people picture when they close their eyes and think 'Mustang.' What you have here is not a preserved survivor and it is not pretending to be one. This 1973 Ford Mustang has been fully transformed into a serious resto-mod over a two-year build process with more than $75,000 invested in the work. The philosophy behind a resto-mod like this is straightforward: keep the iconic shape, throw out everything that made the original drive like a 50-year-old car, and replace it with hardware that can actually keep up with modern traffic â?" and then some. Every major system on this car has been addressed, from the engine and transmission to the brakes, suspension, fuel delivery, exhaust, interior, and paint. This is the kind of build where the money spent is visible at every point of contact. The VIN on this car decodes to confirm it is a 1973 Ford Mustang SportsRoof (fastback body style), built at the Dearborn, Michigan assembly plant â?" the same facility where the very first Mustangs rolled off the line in 1964. Dearborn-built Mustangs carry a certain historical weight for that reason alone. Features List - Blueprint Engines 347 cubic inch stroker V8, rated at 347 horsepower - Tremec TKO 5-speed manual transmission - Edelbrock intake manifold - 2.5-inch Flowmaster dual exhaust - Power disc brakes (front and rear) - Power steering - Upgraded suspension with subframe connectors - Aluminum radiator with dual electric cooling fans - 17-inch American Racing Shelby-style wheels - Dakota Digital VHX gauge cluster with tachometer - Alpine double-DIN stereo - Sequential Shelby-style LED tail lights - Complete new black vinyl interior - Center console - Sport steering wheel - Dual functional hood scoops - Front and rear spoilers - Shelby-style quarter panel vents - Custom PPG exterior paint - Chrome rear bumper Mechanical The engine is a Blueprint Engines 347 cubic inch stroker V8 producing 347 horsepower. Blueprint Engines, based in Kearney, Nebraska, builds their engines on CNC-machined short blocks with forged rotating assemblies and runs each engine on a dyno before it ships. The 347 stroker is built on the Ford small-block architecture â?" essentially a 302 block with a longer-stroke crankshaft that brings displacement up to 347 cubic inches â?" and it is a well-proven combination in the Mustang world. Topped with an Edelbrock intake manifold and a carburetor with a matching air cleaner assembly, the engine compartment is neatly laid out and clearly the work of someone who thought about how the finished product would look as well as perform. Power routes through a Tremec TKO 5-speed manual transmission, which is a significant upgrade over any period-correct gearbox. The TKO series was engineered specifically for high-torque small-block applications and is rated to handle up to 600 lb-ft of torque depending on the specific build. It offers tighter gear spacing than the old Toploader units and includes an overdrive fifth gear, which makes highway cruising at modern speeds practical without thrashing the engine. This is not a show car that gets trailered to events â?" it is set up to be driven. Stopping power comes from power-assisted disc brakes, a critical upgrade on a car this age