By the end of the 1960s, American manufacturers were deeply committed to the horsepower war, resulting in some of the most potent classics to grace our roads. This 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1 is a perfect embodiment of that concept, with its engine bay housing the desirable 428 Cobra Jet Ram Air V8. The car requires restoration, and I must say a big thank you to Barn Finder T.J. for spotting what appears to be a straightforward project candidate. The seller has listed the Mach 1 here on Facebook Marketplace in Glendora, California with an asking price of $47,500.
The GT had been the performance variant of the First Generation Mustang since its introduction, but the release of the Mach 1 for the 1969 model year marked the death knell for the badge. While 72,458 buyers took home a Mach 1 during the first year, only 5,396 handed over their cash for a GT. The first owner ordered this Mach 1 in Indian Fire Red, with the seller indicating that it now sports an older repaint in its original shade. It would undoubtedly benefit from a cosmetic refresh, although, with the car spending its life in California, it is unsurprising that the process won’t involve rust repairs. The panels are straight, while the trim and glass are in good order. The scoop poking through the hood is the first sign that this Mustang might be pretty special.
Lifting the Mach 1’s hood reveals its numbers-matching 428 Cobra Jet Ram Air V8. The first owner teamed the engine with a three-speed automatic transmission and power assistance for the steering and brakes. The Mustang may have been classified as a pony car, but with 335hp and 440 ft/lbs of torque generated by the Cobra Jet, the ability to cover the ¼-mile in 14.5 seconds blessed it with muscle car credentials. The seller states that this classic doesn’t run or drive. They dismantled the V8 and sent it to be cleaned and hot-tanked. It requires a rebore and a complete rebuild. However, with the critical components intact, it appears that shouldn’t be a complicated process.
The originality of this Mach 1 extends to its interior, featuring Black vinyl trim. It is presentable if the new owner prefers the survivor look. There are no gaping holes in the upholstery, and the pad hasn’t succumbed to the Californian sun. Some woodgrain pieces exhibit mild deterioration, but with replacements readily available, that shouldn’t present the buyer with too many problems. The first owner didn’t focus exclusively on performance, adding air conditioning, a rim-blow wheel, a factory tach, an AM radio, and a Sport Deck rear seat for greater comfort.
This 1969 Mustang Mach 1 requires total restoration to present at its best, although some might consider simply rebuilding that beautiful Cobra Jet V8 and preserving the rest of the vehicle as a survivor-grade classic. Lifting its presentation to a higher level courtesy of a cosmetic refresh could yield a potential value of around $70,000, but pushing out the boat to achieve perfection could yield a six-figure sum. The question is, what path would you choose?
Nice car. Still needs another $30k investment though which will be all the money its worth. Maybe a sale price closer to $40k makes more sense. It is nice that you get the opportunity to built the engine to your liking though, restore to stock or modify. Stock this engine likes zinc and high octane so you can change the heads, pistons and cam so and run on pump gas. Put some real miles on it.
New owner can rebuild the motor to their preferred specs.
High zinc oil … oh yes!
Many engine fails and cam wipes after new owner uses synthetic oil on their just bought classic instead of high zinc oil for these pre 1980s non- roller camshaft engines.
My rebuilt 1969 stock cam, flat tappet engine – the Builder sent warning in big letters: high zinc over 1,400 ppm (like oils in the 1960s were) ONLY or no warranty.
Get all the history you can on this one and plan out your budget!
Good Luck.
I think your statement regarding zinc needs a bit more clarification. Depending on the zinc type (aryl ZDP, alkyl ZDP – primary, secondary, short chain, medium chain, long chain combinations) that much zinc (usually expressed in percentage of phosphorus) could have deleterious effects on an engine. There is an excellent SAE paper 2004-01-2986 by Olree and McMillan that delves into the history of engine oils/engines and ZDP and provide a bit more insight.
For Mustang enthusiasts, there are plenty of desirable Mustang models. And for more than a few people, the 1969 Mach 1 ranks high on their list. At least for me, it does. It all goes back to a new white/red interior 428 Cobra Jet which wowed twelve-year-old me when it showed up at my small town dealer.
I hope this one gets attention.
I don’t understand the engine taken apart and tanked to reassemble it.
I would prefer it left alone or the owner going the full rebuild etc..
These are sweet Mustangs..
Well, we see in the notes that the engine block has a repair already made to it. And it has aftermarket pistons for some reason. So something happened to the engine. The crank was already ground down. So the engine likely suffered a catastrophe at some point. Maybe the new engine builder didn’t like the block repair and declined the job if it meant using the original block. Changing blocks would reflect negatively on the value. Just my guess.
There’s no reason to restore this car. Put the engine back together and make sure it’s safe mechanically and drive it.
Exactly. There is too much emphasis on restoring perfectly drivable cars, which removes removes reasonably priced cars from the market over time.
Steve R
69 and 70 Mustang Mach 1s are indeed very desireable. And I’m also wondering why the seller disassembled the engine and cleaned it without doing the rebuild? If it were in running condition before all that it would have been better to leave it alone. Rebuilding this 428 won’t be cheap, and you’re going to be on a long waiting list for machine shops to get it done. Rather find one that was at least starting, running and driving condition.
Fix up the engine, and drive it like you stole it… it will cost too much money to go further, at this buy-in price.
Besides, there’s plenty of those around now.
Nice to see a real ’69 Mach 1, without all the incorrect Boss Mustang add-ons.
I agree with some other comments about why take the engine out, have it cosmetically refreshed, and not rebuild it? Something is afoot me thinks. I also agree with PL, get it running right and drive it. It is after all a “drivers’ car”.
I’d focus on the mechanical – rebuild the drivetrain, suspension, steering components, new exhaust and tires, and drive the wheels off it. The over-restored concourse cars are nice and all but not everything needs to be restored to this level. This Mach 1 is a perfect example to get roadworthy and have fun with it – driving it!
Truer words were never spoken!
The Mustang I once thought I would purchase – if I had the $$.
Just go through the whole car make sure its road worthy. drive a few years and enjoy then do a restoration. That is what i would do…..
Best idea! Doesn’t have to be a Concours restoration. Get it running, drive it as you said, then restore it… and then STILL drive it around, at least on the weekends.