The 1969 Mach 1 available here on eBay looks better than many project cars you’ll see on Barn Finds. Thus it is tempting to think it might be a good resto project, despite the fact that the price is already a tick under $20 grand and the reserve is not met. If this one is your cup of tea, get yourself a ticket to Langhorne, PA to collect it. Just don’t expect to pilot it anywhere. The seller says it starts, runs, and drives but is not roadworthy. That’s not all.

We don’t even need a “buyer beware” warning on this one. The seller is frank about this: “Selling this one as a total restoration. Assume the worse [sic].” Well, you said it, not me, so here we go. The body looks relative intact, with rust in the lower extremities of fenders and doors. That’s not good, but it’s not horrible. But look underneath and you’ll find massive and expensive needs. This is signaled by a slathering of black undercoating in the underbody area. Add that to a long gash in one of the (integral) box frame sections and the seller’s words that it looks like the rear frame rails have been replaced and you’ve got Trouble. Yes, with a capital “T.” It’s bad enough that the frame rails have had to be changed out, but there’s no indication as to how or how well this was done. Well, yes there is—that undercoating mess previously mentioned. In short, this car needs extensive rust repair in all the places where that is hardest and most costly to do. The panels may be mostly solid, as the seller says. That’s not what hurts the most to fix in a unibody ponycar.

The owner prior to the one selling the car apparently gathered a number of parts together and put them on the car, but it’s almost like that was done to make this car feel like a more hopeful project than it actually is, because there’s lots to do aside from body and under-car repair. The wheels are correct but some centers are broken. The spoiler doesn’t seem to fit right, and probably doesn’t belong there anyway. The unique pop-open gas cap is absent. The chrome accent on the rockers is missing, and somebody put an early style GT stripe on instead. The simulated brake scoops aft of the doors are new, or never painted. Where would the old ones have gone? That’s amongst many tales this Mustang could tell if it could speak.

If there’s a plus side here, it’s an odometer indicating about 75,000 miles (not guaranteed) and the fact that this is an M-code Mach 1 351-CID 4-barrel and that it has a four-speed manual transmission. In addition, the interior is tidy and looks like it has been preserved much better than the underneath or the body. This vinyl could likely be revived. In short, especially as a Mach 1, this car is worthy of rescue. But you’d better bring your own torch to save money. Just don’t light that undercoating on fire as you try to undo the mess made underneath this Mustang.