FYI FORD MustangSteve's Ford Mustang Forum / My 1969 Mustang Coupe Project

**Posted by hydrantwrench** 4/12/2017 10:04 PM

Hi all of you Ford Mustang nuts!
I am in the middle of my 1969 Ford Mustang Coupe project and thought I would share some history of it and some photos of the process. So....

My car was purchased by my Mom and Dad in their home town in 1970. The car was used as a rental for the first year of its life. She is a coupe with a 302, automatic transmission, and factory air. She was originally Meadowlark Yellow with a standard black interior. This was the "family car" for numerous years and my Dad drove it back and forth to work for seven years before getting a different rig to commute in. I was even brought home from the hospital in it after my birth (my first ride in a car, was in this car). A few years later another car was purchased as the new "family car" and the Mustang became a "back up vehicle." My older brother drove the car in High School as did I. My parents gave me the car as an 18th birthday present.

After HS (and an electrical fire) the car sat for many years until I got it running again, to bring my son home from the hospital (his first ride in a car). I kept the car running, but only drove it once a month to keep it that way. Then 14 years later, after getting access to a great shop (thanks again to my folks) I decided it was time to start tearing it down and begin the long process of a rotisserie rebuild.

The original plan was to do mostly a restoration with a few modifications (change in paint color, upgrade electrical, higher end wheels, stereo, etc). Well that quickly changed to a full on customization!

I will post some pics and then write another post with more details of the customization. Thanks for reading/looking and I hope you enjoy!

**Posted by hydrantwrench** 4/12/2017 10:48 PM

I think I will start with a few pics of the car before I began taking it down.

**Posted by hydrantwrench** 4/12/2017 10:49 PM

Dad and my older brother (don't know the cat) shortly after purchasing the '69 Coupe.

**Posted by hydrantwrench** 4/12/2017 10:53 PM

In the mid 1980's my older brother had the Coupe painted maroon. Needless to say the job was done very poorly. This pic was taken about two years prior to the take down process.

**Posted by hydrantwrench** 4/12/2017 10:59 PM

This is the Coupe with my 2009 Mustang just before take down.

**Posted by hydrantwrench** 4/13/2017 8:52 AM

Just after most of the take down process.

**Posted by hydrantwrench** 4/13/2017 8:54 AM

On the rotisserie!

**Posted by hydrantwrench** 4/13/2017 9:08 AM

The body and all sheet metal (along with the bumpers and many other parts) were "dustless" blasted by Master Blaster of Wenatchee, WA.

**Posted by hydrantwrench** 4/13/2017 9:09 AM

More blasting.

**Posted by hydrantwrench** 4/13/2017 9:16 AM

All paint and body being done by Inline Auto Repair of Moses Lake, WA.

**Posted by hydrantwrench** 4/13/2017 9:34 AM

Here is an example of the work on many of the old parts I have refurbished. The rear end was removed, blasted, rebuilt (by a local shop), etched and primed, painted, and new parts added. My plan changed as I continued to work on the Coupe. I have to much invested to change rear ends at this time, but I will upgrade the brakes to disc.

**Posted by hydrantwrench** 4/13/2017 10:12 AM

Front spindle. Another example of a cleaned up part.

**Posted by hydrantwrench** 4/13/2017 10:16 AM

I found a 1990 Lincoln Mark VIII with a 5.0 HO and AOD transmission with only 85K on it for $700! It was purring like a kitten when I pulled it out and it cleaned up nice.

**Posted by hydrantwrench** 4/13/2017 10:23 AM

If all goes well my '69 Coupe will have many modern features and comforts. Here is a brief list of what I plan to do:
5.0 HO w/ AOD upgrade
Disc brakes (maybe power)
Tinted power windows
Remote trunk release (pulled out of an '81 LTD, little modification needed)
Power locks
Cruise control
Leather Power seats (out of a '96 Mustang GT)
Little to no chrome on the exterior. I am powder coating all of it black or having it painted to match.
Modern stereo system with Bluetooth technology
Power steering (which the car already had)
New wheels and tires (a look similar to my '09 Mustang)
Front and rear spoiler
And lots of little things!

Last edited by hydrantwrench (4/16/2017 4:41 PM)

**Posted by Bolted to Floor** 4/13/2017 10:23 AM

Great story, and nice car. The sheet metal didn't look too bad. Lucky you. keep the pictures coming.

**Posted by hydrantwrench** 4/13/2017 3:07 PM

Bolted to Floor wrote:
Great story, and nice car. The sheet metal didn't look too bad. Lucky you. keep the pictures coming.

Thanks. No the sheet metal was in pretty good shape. The car spent its entire life in Eastern Washington (a high desert) where we have 300+ days a year of sunshine. There was little rust on the car and was in only a few minor "shopping cart" type incidents. I only had to replace the inner fender will (battery acid issues), two small spots on the floor boards, a small piece near the tail light, and two small pieces near each rear fender. There were several dents in the roof (which know one knows how they got there and they were under what appeared to be the original paint). The headlight bucks may be salvageable (secondary to my older brother falling asleep at the wheel and waking up in the ditch), but may need to be replaced. Other than that she is good. The body guy said he had never seen an older car with as square of front end in his 30+ years of body work!

Last edited by hydrantwrench (4/13/2017 3:08 PM)

**Posted by hydrantwrench** 4/13/2017 11:12 PM

More pics of the paint and body work.

**Posted by hydrantwrench** 4/13/2017 11:17 PM

These were the only two spots on the floor boards that needed work.

**Posted by Steve69** 4/19/2017 3:33 PM

Nice Work!

**Posted by hydrantwrench** 4/19/2017 7:00 PM

Steve69 wrote:
Nice Work!

Thanks!

**Posted by almcgee** 4/21/2017 9:37 AM

Outstanding; good looking project.

**Posted by hydrantwrench** 4/23/2017 11:45 AM

almcgee wrote:
Outstanding; good looking project.

Thanks.

**Posted by hydrantwrench** 5/13/2017 9:25 AM

The stock 1969 8" rear end after the addition of the GT2008-RMS. I went with 2009 GT parts (rotors, pads, calipers, hoses, etc.). I utilized 2.75" exhaust U-bolts to mount the ends of the Duralast hoses to the rear end. I modified the Duralast hose ends by cutting one side off and drilling the other with two holes (only needed one, but did so for flexibility) I already had SS brake lines and a local shop was able to bend, cut, and bubble flare them for me.

**Posted by hydrantwrench** 9/07/2017 9:42 PM

Test fitting the factory wheels from a 2009 Mustang (which is my other Mustang) on the rear end of the 1969 project.

**Posted by 70 Coupe** 9/20/2017 7:56 PM

Looking good!