Finally back in a Mustang.... a 69

[Chum731]

Great seeing an old Mustang straightened back out

My 65 Fastback had chicken wire and fiberglass in the bottom of the back window that got installed at one point to repair the inside from a water leak that festered.

The electric fuel pump and fan for cooling the motor were on 2 different colored switches down where your shin hit the bottom of the dash

I liked the fuel pump being on a separate switch (ghetto theft control) but it makes it a pain if you bring it in for service

All that is fixed now but it brings back memories....

 

[Ackbar00]

So I had finally reached a point where I was ready to take the car out of the garage for the first time since bringing it home. Fired it up, parked it on the street, let it idle, noticed it was leaking power steering fluid everywhere. FML. While sitting in my garage, the PS control valve took a shit. Like really? So I order a new one, watch some vids on how to replace it and tackle the job. First thing I notice is the old one has a Remanufactured sticker on it and was really hard to get off. Should have been cake. Once off, I notice this:

The PSCV screws onto the Center link. So whoever replaced it before, put it on cross threaded and flattened the threads! Like OMG! So, time to order a center link. Like magic, one pops up on EBay for $20 shipped. Cant pass that up, shows up, get the old one off, and set the two side by side:

Yeah, it’s a Ford part, but that don’t fit no Mustang. FML. Its for a Torino, not a Mustang. Sooooo, I order ANOTHER one. This time, its correct. Put it on, get the PSCV on aaannnnnnnddddd…….. I have a running driving 1969 Mustang

While I was at it, they had a sale on taillights. After the first set showed up cracked (I swear, I can’t make this shit up….) I got them on and a big improvement.

Old on left, new on right

That’s it for now. Still have to sort out the passenger window, but have been able to drive the car this weekend. Been pretty cool so far

 

[Ackbar00]

Still been working on the car, just haven't been posting much on it. Put a couple hundred miles on it and things had been going pretty decent. With the sale of the RX8, I was able to get some things I wanted to do done.

First off, was getting some horns for the car. It flat had nothing. Lucky, the factory wiring was intact and working. For the life of me, I could not make the horn button work on the steering wheel. Spent WAY to much time trying. In the end, said hell with it and wired in a simple switch. I also got me some ABS plastic and made a gauge pod / AC cover for the hole the previous owners cutout. I also used some to cover up the hole with the radio.

I also added a cheap Tach and Fuel level gauge. The sending unit is bad in the tank. Ordered one and will tackle that come winter. Its always been my plan to put nice gauges in the cluster (Speedhuts), but just not justifiable now.

Next up was the correct trim rings for the headlights. My car had NONE. Found a good deal on Ebay for the outside ones and CJ Pony parts had the inner's on sale with the holiday. Had to repair some more of the Grill to make them fit, but I think it turned out pretty good. I also wanted black Lanyards for the hood pins. Kind of a PIA to find, so the ones I found are for a Go-Pro camera, work awesome!. Also got a Grill emblem coming from Ebay as well.

No trim rings

Trim rings added:

Next was the seats. Got a good deal on the fronts. From a 2002 and were $20! Went to the Pick and pull and got the rears for $67. Didn't have the modify the rear much. Looks a lot batter than what was in there.

Pulling out the old

$20!

I think it looks kind of cool Two tone with the black

Had to cut this off of the rear seat tray

Used these to build up the floor and used factory seat attachments

Had to cut some foam out. You can see the wood risers added in.

And done. Still have to staple the carpet to the wood risers in this pic.

Seats function correctly as well.

Next?
When I last drove it, it just rides awful. Looking at the shocks, its no wonder (I am not sure if they have ever been replaced). So I looking things over and I notice this nut looked crooked. Touched it and the damn thing fell off!

To make matters more interesting, when I went and looked at the drivers side, it has a tubular control arm on it, but the passenger side is stamped steal. Like WTF?! So I have yet to put on, but is in my garage. New control arms, spring perches, 1" drop springs, 1" drop rear shackles, 4 KYB shocks, and subframe connectors. Should ride a little better

 

[BlksvtCobra01]

Nice work ackbar looks good.


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[JetmechF16]

God I love these threads, nice work so far!

 

[Ackbar00]

So I found a little time to work on the 69 some. Got all the suspension stuff I wanted to do, except for the sub-frame connectors.

Here are the front upper control arms after removal. One of the shocks came apart (Lol). You can also see they are two different brands.

New lowering spring vs. Old

And, fronts complete.

From here, we move to the rear. First thing I noticed were the rear tires have a bit of dry rot. Also, I like the white overspray. Guess they didn't cover them very well when the car was painted white.

Next, noticed the rear brake soft line was touching a turn down.

Sigh. Get the rear shocks out, and thought they looked funny....

I then got the rear lowering blocks and new KYB shocks in.

Think the stance looks a lot better now. Just need some 17's or 18's now.

Moving on, I then finally made a bracket to attach the rear seat at the bottom. I couldnt drill a hole, as the 99 seat's went right into the frame. Made this on the quick, should do the job.

Couple shots showing my china grill emblem in black, and all the correct headlight hardware.

Next?
I scored a 302 and AOD from here locally. Think at this point, I am just going to lift and shift the current 302/C4 setup. Later, assuming all goes well, look into Cams, heads, Etc.

 

[nofire]

You're doing an amazing job, boss! I envy you for this build. :beer:

 

[SinisterMustang]

Isn't it amazing what you find in a 50 year old car? On the bright side, the hood strut mounting holes looked exactly the same in my 67

 

[BlksvtCobra01]

Nice work ackbar


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[VenomGTX]

This is ****in sweet

 

[IamRacerX]

Nice work... It's coming together great!

 

[Ackbar00]

Thanks everyone, has been quite the challenge. I am just trying to keep it within its value. My last Mustangs I was horribly upside down on and I really don't want that to happen again. Would like to keep it within reason.

As for rims, these are the directions I am leaning. I really want to do Forgestar F14's, I just dont think I can justify the extra 800$ on them. Hopefully, I can get something like this around Springtime.

http://www.americanmuscle.com/blackamr-18in-9404-sumitomo-stag.html

https://lmr.com/item/SVE-1007DB/1994-04-Mustang-Flat-Black-SVE-Drift-18X9

https://lmr.com/item/SVE-56489652/Mustang-SVE-Series-2-Wheel-18x9-Black-w-Polished-Lip-94-04

https://lmr.com/item/SVE-46489652/sve-series-3-black-18x9-9404

 

[BlksvtCobra01]

I like the series 3 or the drift myself.


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[Ackbar00]

Didn't really get anything done over the winter. Got it out from storage and it fired right up, so I was happy about that.

Picked up a set of 04 Mach 1 rims. The tires were smoked, so it needs a new set as well. Ended up getting a set of 1.5" inch wheel adapters for the front an 1" for the rear. I think its going to look pretty good.

New on rim on right, old on left

With the suspension I replaced last year, the car REALLY needs an alignment, so i wanted to get all it sorted out before I took it somewhere. One thing I wanted to replace, was the export brace. Being as mine was a chrome one (hated it) and I noticed it was not installed correctly. They had drilled holes in in because they couldn't figure out how to install it properly. Got a new one on Ebay for $20 and I got real lucky as I just need someone to pull on it a bit to get it installed. Looks better and I bet it helps NOW that it is properly installed.....

See where they drilled the Chrome one?

Done! I was really dreading doing this. Some vids show you have to do some crazy things to the shock towers to make these fit.

Next time. I noticed that all 3 brakes lines were toast. So those have been ordered and will be on their way shortly.

 

[Sonic605hp]

Awesome progress, keep it going!

 

[Ackbar00]

Ok, Next....

The PS setup never had the hose bracket, so I added that.

After that, I put on my Sub-Frame connectors from last year. Was a minor PIA to put in, just hope it worth it. One of these days, Ill have them welded in, but for now, it is what it is.

Then I got the Brake Lines replaced. The old ones were all shades of messed up. One had major dry rot, another had a hole almost rubbed through it, and the rear was sitting on a turndown. When I put the replacement rear braided line, I noticed they bent the bracket and lines to try and clear the turndown. While this helped the angle, it still rubbed. So I decided to put it back in stock config, re-bent the lines and bought a heat sleeve to protect it. Should be fine.

Damaged lines

New

Rear

When I pulled off the old "groovy" door panels and put the new ones on, I had no hardware what-so ever to put armrest back on the car. Being simple, I started to look into door pull straps. Ended up getting these lift gate straps from a Santa Fe (Part Number: 817922B000HZ ). Think it worked out pretty good!

New OEM Rear Liftgate Door Pull Handle Strap For 10-12 Santa Fe 817922B000HZ | eBay

Then finally, I got new tires for the Mach 1 rims. Delinte D7s in 245/45/17. Nice looking tire for the price. Would have put a bigger size in rear, just didn't have the money. Still, I like how it turned out. The front looks a little high, but they measured the same. Being the springs are brand new, I think it will settle a bit. I might speed that up by cutting a .25 - .50 coil out of it. Time will tell.

That's it for now, once i get it aligned, going to actually drive it. I know, a shocker.

 

[Ackbar00]

So. Like 3 days after the prior pictures were taken, the car broke down on the way to work. Did the same thing it had done when I brought it home from Cleveland. I had replaced so much on the car and it had not don't it since, I assumed it had been fixed. Silly me..... So I was able to limp it home. Car is so simple, its either fuel or spark. Figured I would start with the fuel filter as it is easy to get to and was like, That was easy to figure out! Rusty tank.

So I know the tank has been replaced at some point, but who knows. Decided to replace the tank and the fuel pump. Lucky for me, CJ Pony Parts had a sale and I got everything for less than $200 shipped.

Love the fact they didnt use a gasket or more than 1 screw.

Out with the old

Painted the new tank and the fuel pump with black Spray bed liner. Put some gas back in it and it fired right up. Even my new cheap gas gauge is working now!!!!

So after driving it around some, I notice the springs were not settling to my liking. The front were measuring around .5 inch higher than the back. So, I pulled the springs again and took half a coil out of them. Now the front are .5 inch lower than the rear. Think I finally got the look I was looking for.

Next up: I don't know, Id love to do the 5.0/AOD that I got last year. I just don't have the money to make that happen yet. Maybe if I scabbed it in there, but I just cant do that. I think I am going to try and get side mirrors on it.