1973 Mustangs

Everything about the 1971, 1972 & 1973 Ford Mustang

1973 Mustang General Information

The 1973 Mustang resembled the 1971 and 1972 Mustangs very closely. The front bumpers, front fenders and grille are slightly different.  However, if you look casually at the cars, the average person will not be able to distinguish one year from another.

Bumpers and bumper mountings were modified to meet the new federal crash standards.

Engine availability changed in 1973 because they no longer offered the 351 HO engine.  You could get the 351 4bbl adn 351 2bbl as an upgrade from the 302.

This was the last year for large and performance cars for about the next 20 years. The next performance car Ford will make will be in 1983 when they make a GT with a 4bbl carburetor.  The Lee Iacocca Mustang II made its debut in 74 and thereafter for the next 4 years.

1973 Mustang Production Data

Body Style # Produced
63D 2 Door Fastback 10,820
65D 2 Door Hardtop 51,480
76D Convertible 11,853
63R  Mach 1 35,440
65F 2 Door Grande 25,274
Total 134,867

1973 Mustang Data Plate Decoder

Mustang Data Plate
Deciphering Vehicle Identity Numbers for the 1973 Mustang

3 F 05 Q 1 0 0 2 0 0
Year 1973 Assembly Plant Body Code Engine Code

Consecutive Unit Number

Model Year
Code Description
3 1973

 

Assembly Plant
Code Description
F Dearborn
R San Jose
T Metuchen

 

Body Serial Code
Code Description
01 Hardtop
02 Sportsroof
03 Convertible
04 Grande
05 Mach 1

 

Engine Code
Code Description
F 302-2V
H 351-2V Ram Air
L 250-1V
Q 351-4V
Body Style Code
Code Description Code Description
63D
Sportsroof, w/ Standard Interior, Buckets
63R
Mach 1, Buckets
65D
Coupe w/ Standard Interior, Buckets
65F
Grande, Buckets
76D
Convertible w/ Standard Int., Buckets
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Exterior Paint Code
Code Description Code Description Code Description
A or 9A
Wimbledon White
B or 2B
Bright Red
C or 6C
Med. Yellow Gold
D or 3D
Med. Blue Met.
H or 5H
Med. Brown Met.
K or 3K
Blue Glow
M or 5M
Med. Copper Met.
N or 4N
Medium Aqua
P or 4P
Med. Green Met.
Q or 4Q
Dark Green Met.
T or 5T
Saddle Bronze Met.
3 or 3B
Light Blue
6 or 6E
Med. Bright Yellow
4B
Brt. Green Gold Met.
4C
Ivy Glow
6F
Gold Glow
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Interior Trim Code
Code Description Code Description
AA
Black, all Vinyl
AB
Med. Blue, all Vinyl
AF
Med. Ginger, all Vinyl
AG
Avocado, all Vinyl
AW
White, all Vinyl
CA
Black, Knitted Vinyl
CB
Med. Blue, Knitted Vinyl
CF
Med. Ginger, Knitted Vinyl
CG
Avocado, Knitted Vinyl
CW
White, Knitted Vinyl
FA
Black, Cloth and Vinyl
FB
Med. Blue, Cloth and Vinyl
FF
Med. Ginger, Cloth and Vinyl
FG
Avocado, Cloth and Vinyl
GA
Black, Mach 1 Knitted Vinyl
GB
Med. Blue, Mach 1 Knitted Vinyl
GF
Med. Ginger, Mach 1 Knitted Vinyl
GG
Avocado, Mach 1 Knitted Vinyl
GW
White, Mach 1 Knitted Vinyl
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Axle Ratio Code
Code Description Code Description
2
2.75:1 Standard Differential
3
2.79:1 Standard Differential
6
3.00:1 Standard Differential
7
3.40:1 Standard Differential
9
3.25:1 Standard Differential
A
3.50:1 Standard Differential
G
3.55:1 Standard Differential
K
2.75:1 Locking Differential
L
2.79:1 Locking Differential
O or 0
3.00:1 Locking Differential
R
3.25:1 Locking Differential
S
3.50:1 Locking Differential
V
3.91:1 Locking Differential
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Transmission Code
Code Description
1 3 Speed Manual
5 4 Speed Manual
E 4 Speed Manual
U C-6 Automatic
W C-4 Automatic
X FMX Automatic

 

District (DSO) Code
Code Description Code Description Code Description
11 Boston 12 Buffalo 13 New York
14 Pittsburgh 15 Newark 21 Atlanta
22 Charlotte 23 Philadelphia 24 Jacksonville
25 Richmond 26 Washington 31 Cincinnati
32 Cleveland 33 Detroit 34 Indianapolis
35 Lansing 36 Louisville 41 Chicago
42 Fargo 43 Rockford 44 Twin Cities
45 Davenport 51 Denver 52 Des Moines
53 Kansas City 54 Omaha 55 St. Louis
61 Dallas 62 Houston 63 Memphis
64 New Orleans 65 Oklahoma City 71 Los Angeles
72 San Jose 73 Salt Lake City 74 Seattle
81 Ford of Canada 83 Government 84 Home Office Reserve
85 American Red Cross 89 Transportation Services 90-99 Export





 

Consecutive Unit Number
Each plant started each year with number 100,001. The Ford, Mustang, Torino, T-Bird, and Maverick were all numbered together, regardless of model or type.

 

Fluid Capacities

Model Engine Oil Transmission (pts to add after draining) Axle Gas tank Cooling system
3 Spd 4 Spd Auto Qt. w/ heater with AC
6 – 250 4.5 3.5 18 4 19.5 11 11
8 – 302 5 3.5 18 4 19.5 15 15.5
8 – 351 5 3.5 4 22 5 19.5 16 16