Rebuilt motor in summer of 1994 - block is a 302 from a 72 ford truck. Had the block cleaned and magnafluxed to make sure it was free from any cracks or imperfections. Block was then bored .030, making the displacement about a 306. The crankshaft was then turned, and machined down .020. Everything was new on the engine, except the block, the crank (including the main and main bolts). Other than that, new:

• Pistons, pins
• Connecting rods
• Bearings seals
• Timing chain and gears
• Harmonic balancer
• Camshaft (262 intake / 272 exhaust)
• Lifters and pushrods
• Oil pump (high velocity) - also new oil pick up.
• 2 new heads, with increased flow valves
• New edelbrock lo-rise aluminum intake
• 4 barrel 650 cfm holley carb, with vacuum secondaries. This is a nice carb, as it runs off 2 barrels, making gas mileage manageable, but will kick in the other 2 when floored, giving the extra power
• Distributor (incl cap and rotor, obviously)
• Water pump
• Fuel pump
• Ignition coil
• Plug wires
• All new hoses and belts
• Hooker headers (were black, but paint has since burned off)
• Chrome kit (valve covers and air cleaner) is 8 years old, and could use to be renewed.
• Engine has about 15,000 miles on it

A new larger radiator was added with the engine, along with a fan shroud, which keeps the temps low. The thermostat is set somewhere in the middle. It runs cool enough in the summer, but gets hot enough in the winter.

• The power steering pump actuator was replaced in 1992 with a Bendix lifetime-guarantee part.
• The entire brake system was done in 1991 just after I bought the car. All master and slave cylinders were replaced.
• The alternator and voltage regulator were replaced in 1998
• The starter and starter cable were replaced in 2001
• The battery was replaced in 2001
• The heater core was replaced in 1993 when the engine was done.

There is a manual choke, but it is rarely needed

There is a hood lock that is operated from inside the car, with a heavy-duty cylindrical key

The top is power. It still works, but it is about 50% slower than it was last year. Every year since I’ve owned it, it has worked flawlessly. This is the first year is has slowed down. I assume there is leak in the line to the actuators. The convertible top is original, and shows its age badly. It will be the next thing to be replaced. Leaks have been fixed with patches with little regard for appearance. Just trying to keep the inside dry. :) New tops installed run $550.

The weather stripping on the car is also original, and needs to be replaced. A full kit is about $250. In one spot, I had used weather stripping from a random junkyard car, which seemed to match the shape. It works, but looks awkward.

The windows in 1969 mustangs were glued in rather than bolted. The glue wears away in 10-15 years. I re-glued them once, only to have them come out again. I have tried a number of things, but they need to be fixed by a professional. It is about $300 to get them fixed. Right now, it just makes it a bit tricky to roll up the windows. It also makes them seal poorly against the weather stripping.

I redid the interior throughout 1991- 1995. The original interior was tattered, so I retrofitted a newer interior, as I was in college and this was the less expensive option than restoring the original interior.

• The seats are from a 1991 Mitsubishi eclipse GS.
• The door handles are from a 91 accord, and use turnbuckles and custom pulleys to make them work.
• The door panels are custom fabricated and covered in cloth.
• The armrests are from 92 escort rear doors.
• The steering wheel is from a 95 escort GT with a Ford logo in the center. The horn wire did not line up, and is therefore operated by a button on the column.
• The faded chrome turn signal lever was replaced with a black one from a 95-model Ford car.
• The turn signals do not always cancel out, and need to be turned off manually sometimes. A new cancel cam is needed, and they cost about $20.
• The original heater controls did not work, so they were removed and the heat/cold setting is set permanently to "hot", the air direction is set permanently to "defrost" and the blower is set to off. Heater controls from a 92 GM car were put in place, and the only thing that is controlled by it is turning the blower on/off. In the summer, I leave it off. In the winter, I use it to heat the car and defrost the window. It has worked fine the way I use it for 6 years, and it passes inspection with the defroster.
• I added a center console from a 1973 mustang, which fits nicely over/around the shifter. It is painted gray to match the interior with an aftermarket cup holder on the side - have to put drinks somewhere. :)
• The radio, installed in 2001, is a flip-face Kenwood CD player. It plays to 2 6-inch speakers in the rear, and one 6-inch speaker up front, wired to the left channel. However 2 smaller speakers would be ideal up front, mounted in the center speaker location.
• The rear inner quarter panels were cut out to house 6x9 speakers, but the speaker magnets were too deep and interfered with the convertible top operation, an error I realized after I made the cuts. I have since installed 6-inch speakers and made covers to cover the extra holes. It would be possible to recover the panels and make the holes 6-inch for a better appearance, but it would be a weekend project.
• The inner rear quarters are covered in custom gray material.
• The rear seat is covered with fabric from a 92 Nissan altima.
• There is a radar sensor mounted in the back for use with an alarm system, but it is not hooked up, as there is no alarm currently.
• There are also LED lights where the inside door lock plungers use to be. This was to eliminate the temptation for someone to cut the top with a knife and reach in and unlock the plungers.
• The glove box is custom built, with a small pocket on one side, and 6 constant 12v+ fuses on the other. I was running a CD deck, amps, subs, changers, and an alarm at one point, and this was the best way to get the power for it. The power to the panel is fed via a feed straight from the battery. If you wanted to hook up multiple accessories, this makes it much easier.
• The carpet is industrial non-molded carpet, in gray.
• Seat belts are universal fit belts.
• Window cranks could use replacing as well.
• The window channeling was replaced in 1997.
• The rear view mirror was upgraded to a new one in 1992.
• A dash cover was added in 1999, which makes the dash look new and original. It is made of hard plastic, about 1mm thick and has the grain of the original dashboard. As this is not padded, it will not crack.
• A tachometer was added in 1999 as well. It is a small 2" model, which is attached to the steering column.
• The instruments in the car are identical to what the car originally had, although they were taken off a 1969 parts car in 1992 because they were in better shape than the originals. Therefore the mileage has been changed. The odometer reads 20,050. The odometer was near enough to zero when the new engine was built, so it is a close representation of the actual milage, at just over 4,000 miles over motor mileage.

The cost for a COMPLETE interior replacement kit is about $600. This would include new front and rear seat covers, new carpet, new interior door skins, new window cranks, new armrests and door handles and new interior quarter trim. I did not make any cuts in the doors, which would be visible once the car was returned back to stock. I was very careful in all modifications to make sure than anything I did could be un-done at a later time. I have the original steering wheel, but it needs reconditioning. I also have the original seats, but as stated, need recovering. I have almost all the original parts, but most are so worn, they are un-usable.

The interior was originally gold.

http://www.mustangupholstery.com/catalog/69.pdf

Also, the doors do not always unlock. Sometimes they get stuck in the locked position. For this reason, I leave the car unlocked at all times. I have built a custom "club" which locks the car in park, and the brake pedal off. It is all cast steel, and hooks to 2 steel parts of the car. Unlike people who put the club on a steering wheel, not knowing that a steering wheel can be cut in a matter of seconds, making the club removal easy, my club can not be cut out to be defeated.

• Most exterior chrome is new.
• Door handles are new in 1996.
• The antenna is stationary (non power) was new in 1994.
• The letters on the trunk are from 1994.
• The gas cap is 1996.
• The rear bumper was new in 1993.
• The front bumper has some pitting started.
• The outside mirror is a plastic chrome-look repro part. It is faded.
• The chrome hood trim was replaced new in 1994. The place I bought it did not have the lower 1 of the 4 needed pieces. It is not apparent that it is missing, but it is. I think it is about $15.
• The original side "Mustang" emblems have been replaced by running horses (the 5.0 badges in some photos have been removed).
• The rims are 15-inch spoke mags with cragar spinners. I bought them used in 1994 from a garage sale.
• The grill emblem was new in 1995.

The car was repainted in 1993 in Cadillac allante red. It is the most amazing shade of red I had ever seen, which is why I chose that over the mustang red available for the 1969 model year. Lower door areas have began to rust through. Bondo and fiberglass were used to make some fill spots, but not excessively.

The best part about the car is the structural integrity of it. All mustangs rust. Sometimes southern cars can be found rust free, but most all mustangs rust. Floor pans, frame rails, torque boxes and strut towers are main areas that it hits. I replaced the frame and floors the month I bought the car (1991). This was $2300, and included new frame rails, new floors, new inner quarter panels and rustproof undercoating over it all. It is still as rust free as the day it was done. The shock towers were completely reconstructed in 2001, as well as the torque boxes, which hold the front frame to the rear frame. Re-enforcements were added to the front frame as well. Again, a rustproof coating was applied. New shocks were installed, as well as new bushings. I also replaced the 2 stock shock tower re-enforcements with a single uni-brace. This provides MUCH more stiffness in steering. I also added a monte-carlo bar for added support. The work in 2001 totaled $3300.

The transmission was completely rebuilt in 2001 with a 12mo/12kmi warranty. The rear end is original, and is well built for highway speeds, rather than off-the-line power. The car was originally a 250cid inline 6.

The car is set up to be very dependable. Everything I did, I did with the intention of making it a solid daily driver of a car. I have obviously made no attempt to keep it original. I have also not tried to make it a show car. I like to make it nice, but I put functionality over mint-condition appearance. Even when I was strapped for cash, when it came to anything structural or mechanical, I would replace it with the highest quality part I could find. I have used this car as a daily driver on and off for 10 years. I used it for 2 years straight in 91-92, used it for one year at college from 95-96 making repeated 6-hour trips from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh. I used it as my only vehicle for one and a half years in 98-99. That is when the front end gave me problems. When I found out it needed $3000 of welding, I parked it for a while. I had the work done in 2001 to get it roadworthy again. For all work or modifications I have done, have kept these criteria in order of preference:

1- reliability, 2-comfort, 3-aesthetics, 4-originality.

The car runs great, and makes a wonderful modified comfortable daily driver. The work that remains to be done is mostly cosmetic: interior (if you wish to return to original), new top, windows glued, weather-stripping. I have invested roughly $15,000 since I bought the car in 1991. Some of that cannot count towards the amount invested, for example, I put in a new 6 cyl after the first one died at a cost of $700. This was then replaced later by the V8. This running total has been in my head mostly, but I do have some receipts.

I would sell the car for $7000. I love it dearly, and would hate to see it go, but have other priorities now. It takes time, which I do not have. For anyone looking to buy his or her first classic, please realize that this car, or any classic, WILL take some of your time, and often it will take patience. Its a 30 year old car, understand that not only will things wear out on the car, but the technology that was used 30 years ago is not as dependable as what is designed today, meaning parts will need to be replaced with more frequency.