The Boss 429 engine was Ford’s competition to Chrysler’s Hemi engine in the 1960s, and was originally developed primarily for NASCAR use. Thankfully, homologation rules called for a minimum of 500 production cars to be equipped with the 429 and sold to the general public. This featured car is 1 of 859 built for the 1969 model year, and has just undergone an extensive high-quality restoration. You can find it here on craigslist in Wenatchee, WA for $225,000.
This Mustang is one good-looking pony car! This white paint looks great here, and while it’ll be hard to keep clean if driven, it gives a nice crisp look right now. One of the 429-specific exterior features is the larger-sized functional air scoop on the hood, which gives an aggressive look to the front end. The Mustang’s performance nature is also accentuated by the bright trim ring around the front grill, the air dam under the front bumper, and the scoop behind the rear door. In order to get the massive engine to fit in the engine bay, Ford re-engineered the front inner fenders and associated suspension a bit, which also gave a slightly lower stance than the standard Mustang.
The engine is really the highlight here. Conservative power ratings put it at 375 horsepower and 450 lb-ft of torque. Contemporary speed tests resulted in 0-60 times of 7.1 seconds and 14.09 seconds on the quarter mile with a speed of 102 mph. Top speed was rated at 118 mph, but some unrestricted stock examples reported achieving speeds of 170-175 mph. That was insane for the 1960s, and it’s no wonder these cars became so desirable. This engine doesn’t appear to need any work done to it mechanically or cosmetically, and fortunately it’s attached to a manual 4-speed transmission, which will make the driving experience a lot of fun. Wenatchee, WA is less than 30 minutes from a couple mountain passes, so there’s plenty of back roads to take it for a spin on your way home!
The interior of this Mustang looks just about perfect. The wood grain adds a bit of luxury to an otherwise performance car, and makes this a really inviting cockpit. We aren’t shown much of the interior, but I would assume that after the recent restoration (and with an asking price of over $200,000) that nothing needs to be done to it.
This Mustang comes with extensive paperwork, receipts, build sheet, and Marti Report. Are you ready to be the next caretaker of this Boss 429?
I’m a bit surprised with the reasonable (for a Boss 429) asking price seeing as one recently sold at Mecum for $385k. Looks like a nice flipper for anyone who has 220 large burning a hole in their pocket.
Actually, white is one of the best colors for hiding dirt and staying clean looking. I guess tan would be better.
What barn was this found in?
:)
bt
billtebbutt….
Bulk barn….where else?
A very, very, veeerrry nice barn!
Another beautiful muscle car that I’d buy along with the black Hemi Dodge R/T. That’s if I had about ten million in the bank, a few million for a huge garage and the rest for cars like this!
Keep ’em coming Barn Finds!
The paint looks off from the doors to the front fenders.
The BOSS 429 had a smaller carb than the BOSS 302, so by the time the heads started breathing you ran out of carb.
But still an awesome car
Love me some 69 Pony NO MATTER What’s under the hood. I’d take this over the Daytona and Superbird any day.
Mansion finds…
greg is correct. The Boss 429 came with a 735 cfm Holley vs. a 780 cfm Holley on the Boss 302. The 735 is no slouch though. They probably should have reversed the sizes on these Boss cars although a 735CFM on a Boss 302 may be still too big. The 302’s had stumbling and hesitating issues as well as problems with the secondaries not kicking in.
Ford had experience with dual quads from the 427, and it’s been a mystery why they never graced the 429.
Ford was only concerned with selling enough cars with this engine to get it certified for use by NASCAR. They considered the 428 as their top street engine, whereas Chrysler considered the 426 Hemi as theirs, that wasn’t going to change. There was no upside in spending money for a dual 4bbl set up which couldn’t be used at the track.
Steve R
These were NASCAR engines severely detuned to function on the street. If these came all turned up with dual quads, most of these cars would be gone. Amazing times.
“Fifty Shades of White”
Two – tone White?
My 1986 Ford Escort Pony 1.9 carbureted was Oxford White. Bought new for $6k. No radio (preferred) with 4sp made in mexico. Had it 23 yrs before it was replaced by modern low emission car. Lasted over 123k miles.
So….you had a Boss 1.9? Sorry, couldn’t help myself.
Yes, it was definitely Boss to me !
yeeeeeehhhhhhhaaaaaa!
The car was not restricted for a top speed of 118 MPH, there were no computers limiting top speed. That was as fast as it could go based on gears and aero drag.
The car was not restricted for a top speed of 118 MPH, there were no computers limiting top speed. That was as fast as it could go based on gears and aero drag.
I would trade my 63 SWC for this in a heartbeat.
Not original engine, car has been for sale since last year. Here is a email from owner to someone that was interested in it. 1969 Wimbledon white Boss 9 for sale. Older restoration done in 1995 but kept in climate controlled conditions ever since. KK#1401. Not original 69 engine just gone through. Car is in Washington state. 235k. Call Nick at 509 669-3374 for pics and details.
I recall seeing one of these when new on the showroom floor of my neighborhood Ford dealer who always had something interesting, the one I recall had shaved shock towers to accommodate the Hemi heads? This one doesn’t.
Shock towers are altered
Here’s a fun fact.
This ground shaking Boss 429 with a 0-60 time of 7.1 seconds is substantially slower than mom’s 2019 Camry at 5.8 seconds.
The 2019 Toyota Camry XSE, which is outfitted with the V6 engine, was able to go from 0 to 60 in 5.8 seconds and reach 136 miles per hour when tested.
Having said that, this Boss 429 is certainly a very nice car. Just not particularly fast.
………..Which is a completely relevant comparison from the Department of Redundancy. Because cars haven’t generally got faster over the last 50+ years, right?
Perhaps a more sensible comparison is the fact that a 1968 Toyota Corolla took 16.8 seconds to go from 0-60:
https://www.zeroto60times.com/1960s-car-0-60-specs/#accordion-90
bt
Lighten up Bill – it’s a fun fact. Turns out cars we thought of as fast back in the day were not. Time and speed are not relative. Still fun, desirable cars – just not very fast
bill tebbutt….
Let me guess….at 16.8 seconds the motor blew up…
I can see that…
A better comparison might be Toyota’s own Supercar, the 1968 2000 coupe. 0-60: 9 seconds. 1/4 mile: 16.6. seconds. Certainly a nice car but not very fast. And it sure costs a lot more than your Mom’s Camry.
There’s a *&^%$ Fun Fact for you.
Paolo….
That’s a nice flockin fact indeed!
I expected a better 1/4 than 14.0, although 102 mph is cooking. Cars from that era are definitely cool, but I laugh at the old “conservatively rated” trope in reference to gross HP. No matter the claimed gross output, probably none of these monster cube engines made more actual power than a small block from a a clapped-out 2010’s half-ton truck. Carburetors, 4.10’s, and bias-ply tires were not the zenith of automobiling in my mind, but to each his/her own.
You think they didn’t have more than 300 HP? I hate to burst your bubble but some of the motors back then were over 500 HP and a few pushing 600HP. They were underrated for insurance reasons, trust me as I grew up with these cars. You can look up almost anything on the net, check out a few that have been on a dyno and it will show that I’m correct. Yes cars today make more HP for sure but don’t think that the factory numbers then where correct. Some were severely underrated, some not so much.
Boss 9s were built for NASCAR, not the NHRA. It was built to run at high rpm’s all day long. Back in the early 70’s, most drag cars that tried a Boss 9, went back to FEs…
The times were so slow because the tires of that time didn’t work with the power that Boss made, spun almost all the way down the 1/4 mile. Would be cool to see one with a set of drag radials on and see what it could do. Put slicks on it and you were deep into the 11’s. Didn’t need a huge carb either as it didn’t spin as high as the Boss 302. RPM is were carb size really matters.
Stephen, your mom’s Camry is impressive. I had a friend with a grabber blue box stock 70 Boss 429. I saw him run a 13.8 @Wentzville Missouri in mid summer. That was with a carb (no EFI), points, and 4 gears. New tech is wonderful. Maybe update a Boss (just kidding) with EFI, VVT, and a 6 speed tranny, and see what it runs.
Where is a good place to advertise a rare and pricey car? Lets put it on Craig’s List, its free there. It does look nice, maybe make some money with it?
Not free on Craigslist. 5 bucks. Lol
Hi David, thanks for reminding me, i have never listed a vehicle there, only items.
To Stephen, hope you read Mustang347’s post. Reading those 0-60 times are meaningless. That was with bias ply tires. Thats not how these cars we’re used. Put slicks on, headers ( open) and run 11’s out of the factory. These we’re and are very fast cars. Mom’s Camry can’t do that. Mom’s Camry won’t break the tires loose in 4 gears either.
Jost – you may have Good Old Days Syndrome. 0-60 in 7.1 seconds is not fast.
I don’t have good old days syndrome. Please read what I said. Slicks and headers. You have to allow it to hook up, and allow it to breathe. Those types of mods we’re considered stock in the day. In fact, to me the modern day 2 car with intake, exhaust and a tune, to me is still stock. So, I am sorry to disagree, a Boss 9 is a lot different then a Camry. 0-60 was also different as the wheels we’re still spinning at 60. Its after it hooked up that you would be planted into the seat. THats all I will say, not going to go tit for tat.
I agree that a Boss 9 is a lot different than a Camry. It’s much slower.
Stephen…..
LOL
Stephen,
MLB pitchers are faster today than the were in 1968 as well. Just thought I would add to the pages and pages of “party fun facts” you are compiling.
My 2005 Lotus Elise (with its Toyota motor!) did 0-60 in 4.8 off the showroom floor. My 1965 Lotus Elan does not. And the relevant comparison is….. non-existant.
Bill – why can’t we compare the speed of classic cars to cars today?
When we do, we find that classic cars like this Boss 429 were not particularly fast.
Cars today are different in many ways than classic cars. One of those differences is that they are faster.
That’s a fun fact.
Stephen,
You misunderstand. You are free to compare whatever two things you like – that’s your right. Tilt at windmills all day long.
Others are equally free to point out when a comparison is redundant, irrelevant, or just plain silly. See ya!
bill tebbutt….
Agreed!
Stephen…..
Here is a fun fact….set up an older muscle cars motor the way it’s done today and let’s see what happens…
Just a fun fact by the way>>>
My favorite martian…..I mean Mustang, the BOSS429!! A little hunkered down, 15 inch Magnums, straight forward paint, big hood scood painted body color not black (’70), and the bold block BOSS 429 graphics. Very minimal in crazy stripes or decals, yet to me they look better than a groovy Mach 1. First time I ever saw that engine it took my breath away, its a beautiful thing.
The Boss 429 Mustang was Ford’s strange concoction to get the Boss 429 engine homologated for Nascar’s high speed tracks. I’d like to know the thinking behind the decision to install this motor in the Mustang which need extensive front suspension modification to make it fit. It was the Fairlane/Torino/Cobra chassis that were doing the NASCAR racing. Ford put a lot of high performance equipment into the Mustangs like the beefed up drivetrain, oil coolers, air induction etc. But the engine was seriously detuned to run on the street with smaller camshaft, carburetor so-so intake manifold and 10:1 compression ratio. They redlined at 6200rpm not much more than the FEs and no where near the wide open sweet spot where this engine was designed to run, high banked Nascar ovals not the streets. The Nascar versions were very much modified with different cam, carb, intake manifold and headers, They ran 13:1 compression ratios and used race gas and put out about 620 HP. The street version basically failed to deliver the promised performance. This was Ford’s failure. The Boss needed additional work by the new owner to be competitive at anything and most people didn’t seem to understand that. Performance buyers had been primed to expect ready to run cars with higher performance. There would be no way to run a real Nascar version on the street but even the detuned version was ill mannered and temperamental. It was a double whammy. Many buyers didn’t have need for a real race car and were frustrated by the compromises made for homologation, the poor driveability and maintenance costs. Spare parts were limited and costly Unobtainium. Consequently many were seldom driven, going into storage at a young age. For a long time when one came up for sale it was often as not very low mileage and in good condition. Quite a few received engine transplants usually 428, 429 cube. I pretty sure I saw at least one Chevy 427 and I would not be surprised by a 426 Hemi specimen. The other way you would find them was an engineless and stripped rotten hulk that had been dragged out of a swamp. You don’t seem to find any that accumulated miles from regular daily use.
Like I said, I would like to know the reasoning behind the cration of the Boss 429. Chrysler found an incredibly successful way to homologate the 426 Hemi, Ford’s nemesis. All they had to do was copy Chrysler’s example but that was not the Ford way. The Ford way was to make something complicated and very expensive without caring very much about the regular performance car buyer.
Item location:
Houston, Texas
Why is a 2019 Toyota Camry even being discussed on the same page as 1969 Boss 429 Mustang? Apples and Oranges? Fifty years has gone by and I would hope our technology has advanced to where mom’s grocery getter has improved to the point it has, but our present day muscle cars have really boosted performance to levels that would beat almost everything on the drag strip back then. I think we are in the second golden age of muscle cars right now!
I am not sure why so many of you take offense at comparing classic car performance with contemporary cars.
When we do that, the classics come up short and relatively slow by today’s standards.
We don’t need to compare muscle cars of today against the classics. Instead, mom’s Camry today is substantially faster than the mighty Boss 429.
You can make all the excuses you like (see skinny tires, underrated HP) but 0-60 in 7.1 seconds is slow.
Yeah, Stephen, its old news really. All the way back in the late eighties the comparisons between new 5.0 Mustangs and old Boss 302’s and Shelby GT 350’s drew mixed opinions at best. 0-60, 1/4 mile times, braking and handling, fuel economy of all things…..the new 5.0 was outperforming the older muscle ‘stangs at least in print….several shootouts proved this. You’d of thought everyone would be ecstatic after over a decade of sluggish tape stripe junk.
Not really, and the hate mail some magazines got for making such comparisons came quickly and profoundly.
Youre getting some of that flavor here when you make such claims.
Just sayin’.
Troy – it’s Good Old Days Syndrome. No mystery there.
I love classic cars. Just bought a 65 K Code Fastback. But I recognize the improvements in auto design over >50 years. Cars back in the day were not all that fast – but we still want them.
Enjoy that k-code 289 for all its worth, nice ride Stephen!
Why bother? If I wanted to do that I could compare my 68 year old wife to when she was 18 (if I wanted to die!). See why your comparisons make no sense, other than to start a pointless argument.
vintagehotrods – actually we can compare styling/looks of classic cars with contemporary cars – and the classics do quite well. So well, in fact, that Ford’s new Mustangs are styled like the old ones. Retro.
If we compare speed, however, it’s a different story. Slow.
Kind of like me at 68 today – slow! …..as compared to an 18 year old. Same thing!
I’m heading down to the shop to work on some ’32 Fords, the hi-performance car for the masses in 1932 with 60 HP!
vintagehotrods….
I’m going to try that line with my wife….I think she would be pleased….LOL