I talk the wife into going to look at a 69 Mustang. Found it through a friend and it is around 70 miles away. Here is what the owner said when I called him. The car is a 69 Mach 1 has a 351 windsor 4 barrel with a 4 speed. He states the paint is about a 15 footer the car has very little rust and runs great but needs some work. He is asking $14,000. So we are going to look at it tomorrow. Here is where I need your help. What should I be looking for on this car? Known bad spots or trouble areas. Also how do I tell if this is a true Mach 1? I sure can use all the help I can get on this one. I don't want to be that guy that bought a piece of junk.
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?What To Look For?
- Thread starter 95GT
- Start date
Fast68back
Guest
I would call the guy back and ask for the VIN to order a Marti report, http://www.martiauto.com/ call them and ask for a faxed copy, it will cost you some money, but it will tell you what you want to know about the car. The report will tell you if its a real Mach or not.
As far as problem areas, there are other that know 69/70's much better, but look at floorboards, trunk drop offs and rockers, known problem areas on all cars.
As far as problem areas, there are other that know 69/70's much better, but look at floorboards, trunk drop offs and rockers, known problem areas on all cars.
The owner told you "it needs some work". Ask him to elaborate. Did he send you any pics?
"cmayna" said:
+1
"It needs some work" is pretty subjective, it means something completely different to everybody, ask him to go into more detail. Also like mentioned above, get some pics, they'll be pretty helpful in determining if it's even worth it to drive the 140 mile round trip.
Sluggo
Active Member
A 69 Mach 1 will have a body code of 63c on the door tag. The vin on the door tag should match the one on the dash.
Other things to look for in Mach,
Wire looms in both doors, if looms are missing there should be round holes in the front of the door in the jamb and corresponding slightly smaller hole in the cowl side.
Mach 1 should have deluxe interior with heel pads on all four floor boards, deluxe door panels and comfort weave seats.
Flip open gas cap.
I got lucky and got a pretty clean car to start with.
Look for rust in these places,
floors, roof rails where weatherstrips mount, all four lower door corners (also look for lumpiness here) look at the inside of the door corners as well.
Rear body panel around tail lights, lower quarters and drop downs, lower quarters between rear wheel and door. trunk, trunk troughs were the weather strip sits.
Frame rails front and rear, lower cowl, top of aprons just behind shock towers under the fenders (look for bubbling), Battery tray area (look from top and bottom)
I'm sure I've forgotten something. Others will chime in additional info.
Other things to look for in Mach,
Wire looms in both doors, if looms are missing there should be round holes in the front of the door in the jamb and corresponding slightly smaller hole in the cowl side.
Mach 1 should have deluxe interior with heel pads on all four floor boards, deluxe door panels and comfort weave seats.
Flip open gas cap.
I got lucky and got a pretty clean car to start with.
Look for rust in these places,
floors, roof rails where weatherstrips mount, all four lower door corners (also look for lumpiness here) look at the inside of the door corners as well.
Rear body panel around tail lights, lower quarters and drop downs, lower quarters between rear wheel and door. trunk, trunk troughs were the weather strip sits.
Frame rails front and rear, lower cowl, top of aprons just behind shock towers under the fenders (look for bubbling), Battery tray area (look from top and bottom)
I'm sure I've forgotten something. Others will chime in additional info.
Ok I just got off the phone with the owner. Here is what he told me. First he has no way of sending pictures. As for the car on the door tag it does have 63C making it a Mach 1. The car is now painted a Cherry Red but was original Medowlark Yellow with 3.25 open rear end, DSO code is 75 (He thinks that is Phoenix), wide ratio 4 speed and black Mach 1 interior. Car had new Magnum 500 wheels and tires about 4000 miles ago. Has front and rear spoilers, paint on the hood is like a 70 instead of a 69 and has lots of chrome under the hood. As for the needs of the car the brakes are getting down were they need to be replaced, has a small oil leak on pinion seal and rear seal on tranny. Says he has both seals but has not had time to put them in. Drivers seat has a small hole in it and the oil pressure light and the water temp in the dash stopped working. says it has mechanical gauges for those in the console like a Shelby. The indash tach and speedometer work fine. So with that said I am going to look at it tomorrow. What does it sound like to you and what would it be worth?
Sounds to me that at the very least it is worth seeing. Look for obvious things, like sloppy welds on frame rails, and gaps between fenders, hoods, doors and quarter panels. Drive it, and see if it tracks straight down the road. Remember that these cars are 40 years old now, and chances are every shade tree mechanic has had their hands on them. Even if you are thinking you are getting a very solid, needing minimal repairs car, you are bound for supprises. This one seems to be at the top of your price range, although it may be a great deal, these cars need work so they can be (and stay) reliable. Sometimes the first one you look at, is just worth passing on because you dont know whats in your area yet. If it looks great to you, and is what you want go for it, but dont be afraid to offer a lower price. In this economy, people who are selling these cars, typically need the money, and a buyer can take advantage of that. Good luck, take some pictures, and post them up so we can see what your dealing with.
When i said welds, i should have elaborated. When i bought my car, one of the bumper brackets was welded to the front frame rail, I kinda noticed it was different when i looked at it, but thought ohh, that cant be to bad. Little did i know, what once i cut the weld, and tried to unbolt it, this is what i was dealing with...
Things never are exactly how the appear with these cars, so be prepared to spend a little more to fix the things that come up.
Things never are exactly how the appear with these cars, so be prepared to spend a little more to fix the things that come up.
Sluggo
Active Member
This is not abnormal for any vintage stang."95GT" said:
Take plenty of pics if you have questions and upload them here. We'll help all we can.
Fast68back
Guest
Take a magnet with you to. Be sure and ask the guy before you do anything like stick a magnet on the car to check for filler.