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I currently own a 1969 Mach1 428 SCJ Black on black that I purchased new in 1969... It is now beginning a rotisserie restoration..... The question is I have wanted to complete this car all flat black exterior including black chrome and bumpers together with some graphics that will come later..
The plan is to upgrade the 428 and put a 6 speed auto tranny and also update the rims and mount Mickey T tires..... This would allow anybody in the future to bring it back to it's original beginnings or should I restore it to it's original beginnings now?????
The cars vin #9T02R193587 as it is a SCJ it has the external oil cooler and 3.91 traction lok.

Your comments are appreciated,

Ted Allen

 
Rep Power: 716

You cant resto-mod a 69 Mach 1....it's unholy.

You have a numbers matching car I assume, and it should stay that way IMO. a little bit of a performance upgrade.....maybe, headers, upgrade the carb, stuff like that.....I wouldn't touch the sheet metal, I'd keep it factory colours and leave the interior alone.

That's just me though. I just watched a 69 Boss 429 go on Barret Jackson the other night for over 500K. I'd keep it as close to original as possible, these cars are getting few and far between and they keep getting more and more valuable.

 
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First off, thank you very much for taking the time to reply. As you can see, being the original owner, I am getting along in years and this wiil certainly be the last project. Since you were interested enough to reply, I will give you a bit of history, I ordered this car in the fall of 68, I was driving a 67 390 GTA at the time ( a performance disapointment) I waited for about 3 months and no car. Then driving down a side street here in Ottawa at night the flo mach one stripes appeared in my headlights from a parked car, so I stopped, sure enough it had to be my car, so next morning I arrived at the dealership (Dilawri Motors), they denied it but I was suspicious so I contacted the eastern Ontario Ford Rep. After his investigation he admitted that in fact it was the car and that Ford would as soon as possible get me another vehicle. I drove this car the first winter only and put in the garage in 1975. After fifteen years of marriage my first son was born and four years after twin sons were born. No money for the stang and it just sat there until 1996, the tires were flat and everything known to man was piled on it, but it was time to do something, I cleaned it up and said to my sons lets take apart, everything was labeled and packed in boxes or hung from hooks on the garage ceiling. I went to night school and learned a bit about welding. I then built a rotiserrie and we mounted the bare frame on it. Then one of my sons decided to buy a 65 coupe and away we went on this project it took three years (nice car) so hear I am, how many years later with the frame clean waiting for the next move. I plan to replace some of the suspension components, have the engine refreshed, maybe obtain a Lentec 6 speed auto, (Lentek is just 15 miles up the road in Richmond Ont.) The price to professionally bring the C6 up to speed is in excess of $1500, $2200 for the Lentec?) and keeping the C6 should it need to be put back in the car. Most of the other stuff including the interior is fine, maybee replace some glass. Through all this time I sort of dreamed of finishing this car the way I wanted it, always keeping in mind that it could be changed back, as the changes I had in mind would be only superficial. This car may be sold sometime in the future because funds may be required for the old age home or left to my sons to fight over. But as part of the overall planning its critical at this time for me to be comfortable with the decision, original or the way I want it. I know it will be my decision to make. I have seen a few 69 mustang go through Barrett with some change and different colour schemes that have done as well as original. It seems the timing of your cars sale is critical at Barrett, you can make a good dollar or the car can be stolen for a price that would only pay for the restortion or maybe not even that. Sorry for the long wind and again thanks for replying. Ted.

 
Rep Power: 781

Personally, being that its a rare Mustang I think keeping it orginal would be the way to go. With that being said it is YOUR car and you need to figure out what would make you happy. I would suggest any changes you make, to make sure there only bolt-on or easy changes, just so the car does not get hacked.

 
Rep Power: 716

It seems like it hasn't really been driven much and for that reason alone I'd put it back to original and enjoy it the way ford wanted you to back in 69....but yea, it's your car. Perosnally, you couldn't pay me to build it any other way than back to stock.

 
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thanks very much for taking the time to forward your views, I needed to get a different perspective. I hope you will stay with me and continue to give me your honest views on problems and purchases as I go down the road with this car. The budget is tight so it will take a while. Ted.

 
Rep Power: 781

I will gladly help along the way. I have a 1965 Fastback, which I have owned for my years. I have good knowledge of classic Mustangs. Would it be possible for some ??

 
Rep Power: 748

Six speed automatic??? The C6 is a 4 speed........
Personally, I would do something as stock as possible but with certain upgrades for personal enjoyment. These are things that can be easily reverted.
The factory bodywork on that car is gorgeous, I would leave that as is and make sure the bodywork is super straight and the paint is as glossy as glass!
For the brakes, I would do small upgrades such as upgraded pads and rotors... does the car have a factory rear disk setup or drums?
Suspension wise, you can get custom leaf springs out back with performance valved shock absorbers, lower the stance a bit with some quality suspension pieces and upgrade the sway bars. Get a nice set of 16"-18" wheels with big meaty rubber all around. Personally, I love the look of Torq Thrust II's in 18" on that body style, it looks modern yet retro.
Engine, well here you can deviate a bit without worrying about originality. You can put the original engine aside and build a nice and wild motor, or you can do some small upgrades to the factory engine. If you want small upgrades, you can have the heads rebuilt and the ports cleaned up, 5 angle valve job, upgraded and lightened valves and valve springs, either a well matched off the shelf cam or a custom grind, an upgraded carb, headers, custom exhaust with mufflers of your choice (Flowmaster would rock on that setup), a nice aluminum dual plane intake manifold, upgraded ignition system and small tibits here and there. You could easily pick up 20-60HP with a bunch of small mods on the 428!
For the transmission, just have the C6 rebuilt and stick a matching torque convertor in it with an upgraded valve body. Aluminum driveshaft should help a little as well.

If you spend your money right, you could easily do a nice restoration without really crossing into the "resto-mod" category. YOu would just be skimming that line, but again it's all easily reversible and you would enjoy the car THAT much more. The things I have listed above will give the car a very modern feel. Best of luck, and keep us updated!!!
SS

 
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Thank you for taking the time SS. Its so cold in Ottawa right now 31 below tonight so even though I have a large heated garage, oil costs 90 cents a litre, it will be at least a month before I get back at it. My mistake the C6 is a 3 speed, its because I have been looking into a Lentech 6 speed, they are located 15 miles from me in Richmond, Ont, I need an overdrive, that will give me better milage than the 9MPG i was getting and the RPM needs to be lower when I am cruising around, with 3.89 the racket at 60 is deafening. I was really thinking about having the 428 freshened, a rebore, a hydraulic cam, porting, carb redone, electronic ignition and maybe change the cast iron intake. The stock exhaust manifolds were acceptable. All of this is of course budget driven so the bang for the buck to me is in the transmission update and the corresponding improvement with a change to the torque converter. The front end parts need to be replaced, it has has front discs, replace rear springs etc. with new shocks all around. This car right from the dealer in 69 was a mover but tires were its greatest liability back then as well as the cross mounted muffler. Unless you came off the line slowly and then punched it to the floor otherwise the car would sit there and cover a city block with smoke and rubber. Today we have tires that will get the job done and probably knock over a second of the 1/4. In 1970 I changed the rims that came with the car to 14" cragar SS, they need replacing, its an important item, and the decision will have to come later. The 1970 428 came with reqular dual exhaust configureation, so I would change to that, the mufflers are another problem. My son and I finished a ground up restoration on his 289 65 coupe, the mufflers system he chose was american thunder flow master 40 deltafow designed for the 289, great sound but the drone at 30-50MPH or so is devasting to the point he will replace them this spring, flow master has different models and I am not sure which will suit, maybe magna flows? So to fit the budget, thats what I see, the rest of the money is required to prepare the exterior, replace the front windshield (I crached the original taking it out) and paint. Paint jobs here in Ottawa run $4000 to $8000 with nobody at car shows recommending anyone in particular so I will have to do some home work and probably get it preped and painted elswhere. Its siting completely striped on a rotisserie as the underside is completely sanded and the POR 15 application has begun. If you have other comments or suggestions, its appreciated and when I get back at it i will keep you posted. Thanks Ted.

 
Rep Power: 748

Ahhh, sorry that was a typo! You are correct, it is a 3 speed as is the C4. Lentech offers a 6 speed automatic that bolts in???? Wow, that would be amazing! An overdrive would make a huge difference in that car, I know what you mean about that gearing. My friend has a '68 GT500 replica with a 428, dual carbs, mild cam and it had a C6 with 3.89s out back. He has since swapped to a 4 speed and loves it.
I know those engines have power, and with the right cam/intake/carb you could move the powerband up a bit to soften up the low end torque. The key is to put that power to the ground, which comes in the way of a modern suspension system. These days, there are so many simple bolt on upgrades that are affordable there is no reason not to upgrade. Unless, of course, you're doing a concours restoration. I put quality tires under the suspension category, so make sure to ask around and pick a quality tire. I highly recommend at least a 17" wheel, you can still get a decent sidewall height but it will dramatically alter the feel and improve the handling on its own.
An exhaust upgrade is a must, and if the Flowmasters are too much drone for you then Magnaflow is a very good alternative. I love the raspy sound of the Magnaflows, it's more of a bark where the Flowmasters are more of a bellow. The factory pipes on those things are TINY. You could do very well with a 2.5" system. If you have access to a welder and pipe cutters, you can easily buy a bunch of mandrel bent pipes and make your own custom exhaust system. I also suggest installing an H section.
Beyond that, an aluminum intake manifold will not only help performance but will shave 50+ lbs off the front end! There are many small upgrades you can do, and porting isn't even necessary. Those heads flow enough that the restriction lies elsewhere. A well matched cam, intake manifold, newer design carb, and larger exhaust system will really show dramatic improvements throughout the entire powerband. Match that with a solid torque convertor and you could see a huge increase in power to the pavement!!! You could easily knock off 1.5-2 seconds off your quarter mile times with small upgrades.
SS