When I first encountered this listing I thought, here we go, another Mustang, but it wasn’t until I looked more closely that I realized that it was actually a 1969 Fairlane, or Torino, or maybe even a Cobra. It, and its 1968 predecessor, are probably my favorite Fords (and I’m brand agnostic – not a Ford or any other marque kind of guy). This one is claimed to be an original R-code example, meaning that it was powered by a 428 CI Cobra-Jet engine but the car’s a serious project, and the engine is apart, so let’s do some forensics and see what we have here. This, what would be considered a blue-chip muscle car, is located in Westbrook, Minnesota and is available, here on eBay for a no-reserve bid of $2,370 with eight bids tendered so far.
The listing refers to this Ford as a Fairlane but it appears to be a Cobra, which was a performance variant of the Torino/Fairlane. The VIN is not included and the badging and trim are either missing or not photographed so a positive I.D. is difficult (it does have hood pins however). Two body styles were available, a two-door hardtop (our subject car) or a SportsRoof (fastback) edition. Production estimates, according to How Stuff Works, put the 1969 Cobra production volume at 14K copies.
So, the 335 gross HP, 428 CI V8 engine is out of the car and in pieces. The seller claims, “Engine block is VIN stamped to match title and inner fender stamp“. Added is a statement about the carburetor which is not believed to be original to this car. Whether it’s all here or not is unknown though the seller makes mention of, “How much is a complete unbored original 428 block? Rods? Crank? How much are heads? Intake? Carb? Air Cleaner? Exhaust headers? Smog? Bell housing? 4 speed? Yoke? Shifter? Complete N case? Rear end and axles?” which alludes to all of those components being included. This is a four-speed manual transmission car, complete with a nine-inch, 3.50:1, Traction-Lok differential.
The body is a mess. It’s not well photographed but what’s there shows lots of dents and rust. The seller suggests, “IMO one of the most appealing parts of this order is the Dresden blue on blue“. Considering the condition of the finish, much less that of the body, it would seem to be an immaterial facet not to mention the white door jambs and trunk lid underside which points to Dresden Blue not being the born-with hue. Further stated is, “Body is extremely rough, needs everything. Car was disassembled in order to verify numbers. Left front fender is red, hood is not usable“. This one is going to need major metalwork and the condition of the underside is not stated – but I’d expect effort will be needed there too. It may seem like a trite matter, but I wish the original Cobra badging, or some evidence of it, were present. Here’s a video presentation for your review.
The bucket seat interior is about how one would expect. The upholstery is rough but the dash is not split and the center console is still in place. The seller adds, “Headliner is missing. Rear glass is missing. The rear seat is in tough condition“.
The seller concludes with, “Needless to say I’m 100% convinced it’s an original 428 Cobra R code with the original drivetrain it rolled out on January 15th, 1969“. It may well be, but what a challenge it’s going to be to restore and reassemble this ostensibly, valuable car. Of course, being a no-reserve auction, maybe there’s an upside here. What do you think, worth taking a chance?
My cousin bought a brand new CJ Fairlane on ’69 after serving in the Navy. It was a powder blue mistand no options but the power train. Vinyl floor, no console, no Fairlane ir CJ badging anywhere except on the ram air scoop. It did have the hood latches. He added a Sun tach and a set of gauges, and a cheap Craig stereo and speakers. Car was pure muscle. Body was in great shape when he retired it in Minnesota after the ’73 embargo. His buddy was going to fit the engine in a boat, but it was still sitting there in the mid eighties.
Imagine the grin driving this machine off the lot, then running thru those gears🏁🙌
The seller may be convinced, but in 69 Ford didn’t associate engine #s with car VINs. Best “matching” you can claim without detailed ownership history is a date code on the engine within a few weeks of the build date. Not sure it matters much with this crusty hulk.
That is incorrect information. Starting in 1968 the federal government mandated that all car manufacturers VIN stamp the engines and transmissions in all their cars. So if these are the original engine and transmission for this car they WILL BE stamped with the car’s VIN. Usually though a 428 engine will be VIN stamped on the backside of a head, not on the block.
I think this is a powertrain donor.
My 70 Boss has the vin on the block.
Boss 302 or 429? A small block Ford engine will usually have the VIN stamped on the block. An FE engine like a 427 or 428 will usually have the VIN stamped on the backside of a head.
I have a 69 Cobra and there are 5 numbers on my 428 block that match 5 of the Vin numbers. All original and no rust. Love Colorado cars.
This car is a bit of a mystery. The Cobra was a stripped down budget muscle car, I’ve never seen one with buckets and a console, but maybe they were an option. They also didn’t have much for badging, the only identification was an animated “Cobra Snake” decal behind the front wheel openings, which don’t appear on this one, but it may have been repainted. Either way, the car is unfortunately probably too far gone, but the powertrain is golden.
It’s not a project. It’s a pile of parts. Oh, but “all the parts are there.” BTDT
Hhhmmmmm engine stand facing trunk to pull out something?? Agree with the author, this cars a mess, good luck buyers!!
if you are going to do mickey mouse video with dim light , there are numbers and date codes on most of the parts why not write them down for a buyer to see then it can be valued the body is shot drive train if correct worth about $5-6 k ever part is worth money and every non correct part takes away from value most people would not pay thousands to ship that rust bucket but would buy the parts or if lucky buyer is local
Another contestant for the Al’jon 20.