1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1. Mike Mueller
Gear Changes
From CJ to SCJ
New Dimensions
Interior Basics
Mach 1 Specifics
Color Coding
Frameless Forerunners
Pony Bones
Getting Off the Runway
Straight Outta the Horse’s Mouth
Hammer Down
Closing the Book, or Not
Model Numbers
Specifications
Small-Block V-8s
Big-Block V-8s
Manual Transmission Gear Ratios
Rear Axle Ratios
Tire Choices
Options
Paint Stripes
Road Test Results
Warranty Plate Decoding
So many to thank, so few column inches. Guess I’d better start with Bob Wilson, my boss at CarTech, who at the least deserves a laurel and hearty handshake for nursing me through this project. At the most, he’ll be listed in my will, but hopefully not too soon. Presently awaiting word, too, as to who’ll get my Vegamatic or 8-track collection is significant other (and ace copy editor) Erin Welker and best brother (and able-bodied right-hand man) Dave Mueller, who rank right up with Erin’s bestie (and supermodel), Ann Wolz, among the best free labor money can’t buy.
An old boss, Donald Farr, also deserves mucho kudos, both for giving me my first automotive publishing job at Dobbs Publications (Mustang Monthly magazine, among others) in 1987 and for answering the phone repeatedly in 2016 whenever I called with Mach 1 queries and questions. Another former Dobbs comrade, Steve Statham, also discovered that you can’t change numbers fast enough to avoid a Mueller inquiry. Nor does switching jobs help. Just ask John Clor, he of AutoWeek, Ford SVT, Edmunds and, now, Ford Performance. Sure, John, you can run, but you just can’t hide from my endless pleas. See what you get for knowing more about Mustangs than the average bear?
Helping me write this book were two super car guys from the collector car auction world, Mecum’s John Kraman and Drew Alcazar at Russo and Steele, who can both speak pony with the best of ’em, too. Endless appreciation goes, as well, to Mecum’s media relations magician Christine Giovingo for doing that voodoo that she does so well.
Additional technical/photographic support came from various well-known Mustangers, all worthy of far more than the following brief mentions. My apologies for only extending a mere “thanks” to restoration god Bob Perkins (perkinsrestoration.com); Ford archivist, author, and documentation guru Kevin Marti (martiauto.com); Scott Hollenbeck and Chris Teeling at the 428 Cobra Jet Registry (428cobrajet.org); Lance Morgan at the Mustang Grabber Registry (1970mgr.org); David Kee at David Kee Toploader Transmissions, Inc. (davidkeetoploaders.com); and 428 Cobra Jet devotee Jim Woods.
Readers who aren’t familiar with Marti Report documentation need to visit Marti Auto Works’ website posthaste. And while you’re at it, also consider adding Kevin Marti’s Mustang by the Numbers (1967-1973) and The Mustang and Cougar Tagbook to your library. Also don’t overlook Hollenbeck and Teeling’s 428 Cobra Jet Registry: 1968-1/2 to 1970, a priceless info source available on their website.
I owe my career to noted Mustang maven Donald Farr, who gave me my first automotive publishing job in 1987. The 1969 Mach 1, used here as a barber chair by Farr’s wife, Pam, was their daily driver during the early 1980s. Having a little taken off the side is their son Matt, who has since grown a bit. He turned 37 as these pages went to press. Pam, on the other hand, hasn’t aged a day. (Photo Courtesy Donald Farr)
More grateful mention needs to go to Hagerty Price Guide’s (hagerty.com) Brian Rabold for sharing his annual publication’s Mach 1 assessed value information, and Matt Hocker at the Antique Automobile Club of America Library & Research Center (Hershey, Pennsylvania) for supplying a little supportive artwork. Further photographic contributions came from veteran drag racing shooter Bob McClurg, Warren Crone at Ford Images, and Mark Han at The Enthusiast Network.
And I can’t possible forget Doug Turner, Andrew Simmons, Sunny Rodriguez, Jim and Carol Long, and Tom and Michelle Grothouse, who graciously allowed me to photograph their pride and joys, on very short notice, for this work in 2016. Last, I’ll surely always remember long-time friend Tom Shaw, who succumbed to complications following an auto accident in November that year. You’ll see Tom’s fabulous photos on these pages, along with a comment or two demonstrating his unique perspective, as well as his boundless enthusiasm for the machines he loved like few other gearheads out there. Here’s to you, buddy.
The year 1969 certainly was a busy time in Dearborn, Michigan, especially so in the Mustang corral. Fresh variations on Ford’s pony car theme abounded, beginning with the kinder, gentler, “super-luxury” Grande with its regal vinyl roof and uber-deluxe interior. Not kind in the least were two other new-for-1969 ’Stangs: Boss 302 and its bodacious big brother, Boss 429. Following in the smoky tire tracks of 1968’s midyear 428 Cobra Jet model, this rarin’-to-race pair