What should I fix first?

[What should I fix first?]

Hey everyone,

I could use some Mustang wisdom here. Just recently purchased my '69, and giving it a ton of love. I just had it evaluated by a pretty reputable classic mechanic in the area, and they provided me a breakdown of what needs to be fixed (with prices attached).

What I'm really trying to decide on is what is mandatory "right now" and what can wait. The car has been driving fine for 6 months, but I don't want to push things to the point of breaking down.

If you only had $10k to spend, what would you prioritize? Also, do you feel these prices are fair?

Full list is below. Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you.

 

Labor	Cost	Parts	Cost
Estimate to install performance suspension and handling package including upper control arms, front springs and shocks, lower control arms,  Custom adjustable front sway bar front sway bar rear springs and shocks . Export brace and Monte Carlo bar. Sublet labor wheel alignment Line total 4800.00	1620.00             195.00	620 lb front springs Spring insulators ASPC upper control arms 4.5 leaf rear springs U bolt kit Lowering blocks 15/16 adj frt sway bar Sway bar bushing kit Custom heim joint sway bar end link kit Bilstein front shocks Bilstein rear shocks Front shock spacers Misc parts… Inner tie rod ends Outer tie rod ends Adjuster sleeves Idler arm Rear spring shackle kits Spring perches Misc parts… Export brace Mounting plate Monte carlo bar	155.00 12.00 700.00   295.00 85.00 60.00 350.00 38.00 95.00   325.00 250.00 12.00 75.00 60.00 50.00 20.00 75.00 40.00   60.00 75.00 65.00 40.00 34.00
Suspension repairs needed if handling package not installed. Found both upper control arm ball joints have excessive play, spring perch rubber bushings dry rotted, and spring insulators rotted. Recommend remove and replace both upper control arms, spring perches, and spring insulators. Found idler arm has excessive bushing play. Recommend remove and replace either arm. Found driver-side outer tie rod boot torn. Tie rod appears to be original, is dry, and is non-greaseable. Recommend remove and replace driver side outer tie rod. Found rear leaf spring bushings dry rotted and cracking. Found shackle bushings dry rotted and cracking. Also found passenger side leaf spring clamp broken. Recommend remove and replace leaf springs and shackle bushings. (extra time due to traction bars) Sublet wheel alignment Line total 2350.00	1500.00                                           195.00	Upper control arms Spring perches Insulators Idler arm Tie rod Leaf springs Shackle kits	230.00 60.00 12.00 75.00 25.00 200.00 40.00
Found steering ram cylinder boot melted against header. Steering ram requires a drop bracket for header clearance. Recommend remove and replace steering ram boot and bushings. Also recommend remove and replace factory type steering ram frame bracket with aftermarket drop bracket. Found power steering hose insulator oil soaked and worn. Recommend remove and replace power steering hose insulator. Found power steering pump leaking. Recommend  replace power steering pump. Line total 1075.00	675.00	Steering ram boot kit Reinforced Steering ram drop brkt Ps hose insulator Reman ps pump paint	16.95   185.00 8.00 175.00 12.00
BRAKES Inspected master cylinder and found brake fluid is dirty and contaminated. Recommend flush and bleed brake system Found front rubber brake hoses rotting, cracked, and old. Recommend remove and replace front brake hoses. Found rear rubber brake hose rotting, cracked, and old. Recommend remove and replace rear brake hose. . Inspected rear brakes and found uneven brake shoe wear with the primary shoes having more wear than the secondaries. This is possibly due to stuck brake cylinders or stuck brake adjusters. Found rear brakes contaminated with rear axle gear oil. Measured both rear brake drums and found passenger side brake drum within spec to remachine. Found driver side rear brake drum oversized and cannot be re-machined. Also found both rear brake cylinders seeping brake fluid. Recommend to replace rear brake drums as a set. The rear brake backing plates are grooved and will need to be welded and resurfaced to insure proper rear brake operation. Recommend disassemble and clean rear brakes, reassembling with new parts.   Line total 1600.00	1285.00	Brake fluid Front brake hoses Rear brake hose Brake shoes Brake drums Brake hardware kit Rear wheel cylinders	16.00 77.90 34.95 40.00 90.00 16.00 40.00
ENGINE AND TRANS Found car has 2 core radiator installed without a shroud. Also found motor has five blade flex fan installed. Inspected radiator and found upper tank full of debris. Recommend upgrade to larger 3 core radiator and install fan shroud. Recommend installing filter in upper radiator hose to catch debris.  Also recommend upgrading cooling fan to a non-flex six blade fan. Recommend replace thermostat as PM to insure it has the correct part. Line total 1330.00 Inspected spark plugs and found them gapped incorrectly at .030 inches. Spark plugs appear to be okay at this time. Recommend re-gap spark plugs to factory spec. (.035 inches) and reinstall. Line total 270.00 Found air filter dirty and worn. Recommend remove and replace air filter.    Line total 15.00 Found throttle cable retainer broken at carburetor bracket. Recommend remove and replace throttle cable. Line total 142.00 Found motor has excessive rubber fuel hose spliced into steel fuel line from pump to carburetor with filter installed. Recommend remove and replace steel pump to carburetor fuel line. Recommend install fuel filter ahead of fuel pump. Line total 316.00 Found intake manifold leaking oil at rear seal and seeping oil at front seal. Recommend reseal intake manifold. R&I ac compressor and brackets for access. Valve covers will need to be removed in order to reseal intake manifold. Recommend reinstalling valve covers with new gaskets and correct bolts.   Line total 895.00 Found oil pan gaskets seeping oil. Recommend reseal oil pan and rear main seal. Line total 952.00 Found motor mounts cracked and sagging. Recommend remove and replace motor mounts. Line total 320.00 Found engine balancer rubber insulator rotted and cracking. Recommend remove and replace engine balancer. Line total 420.00 Found AC belt old and cracking. Recommend remove and replace AC belt. Line total 60.00 Found transmission cooler lines damaged and have rubber hose splices. Recommend remove and replace transmission cooler lines. Line total 390.00 Found transmission has improvised inspection plate installed. Recommend install correct inspection plate and hardware. Line total 88.00 Found transmission mount oil soaked, spongy, and tearing. Recommend remove and replace transmission mount. Line total 125.00 Found rear axle pinion seal seeping gear oil. Recommend remove and replace pinion seal and change diff fluid. Line total 270.00 Found both rear axle seals seeping gear oil into rear brakes. Recommend remove and replace axle seals and inner /outer flange gaskets. Line total 300.00 The heater hoses are incorrectly routed and are very close to the headers. Recommend to replace the heater hoses and re route them correctly. Line total 210.00	675.00                               162.00               nc       102.00           270.00                   810.00                 875.00         270.00           270.00           40.00         340.00           68.00           108.00         216.00           270.00           135.00	Radiator 6 blade Fan Gano Filter Fan shroud Fan shroud hardware Thermostat Gasket RTV sealer Air filter Throttle cable Fuel pipe Fuel filter Fuel hose Hose clamps Intake gasket Vc gaskets Oil pan gasket Rear main seal Motor mounts Balancer Ac belt Trans cooler lines Oil press sender Trans mount Inspection plate Pinion seal 3 gear oil 2 Axle seals 4 Flange gaskets Valve cover bolts Heater hose kit Hose clamps Coolant Distilled water	376.00 75.00 50.00 79.00 10.00 28.00 2.50 12.00 15.00 40.00 28.00 7.00 6.00 5.00 32.00 20.00 52.00 25.00 50.00 150.00 20.00 50.00 28.95 15.00 20.00 18.00   20.00 8.00 18.00 65.00 5.00 16.00 6.00
ELECTRICAL AND MISC Found driver side inner highbeam headlight non-op. Recommend replace both inner headlights. Found driver side outer highbeam light non-op. Recommend remove and replace both outer headlights. Found reverse lights non-op. Needs electrical diagnosis time. Found AC non-op. Needs diagnosis.    Found all 8 seat plugs missing. Install.   Line total 815.00	108.00       108.00     270.00     270.00   nc	4 headlamps 8 seat plugs	48.00 8.00
Customer requested estimate to replace door weather strips. They appear to be in good condition and are not needed at this time.
Customer requested estimate to replace the roof rail weather strips Line total 1484.00	1350.00	Roof rail w strip kit Wstrip adhesive Glass alignment clips	106.00 12.00 16.00
Customer states clock is inoperative. Recommend to remove and replace clock internals with updated components Line total 605.00	475.00	Clock kit	130.00
Customer states odometer is inoperative and request to install LED lights in instrument panel . Necessary to remove speedometer assy and replace with a good used replacement unit.  Fuel gauge will be tested and possibly be replaced during this repair. Line total 815.00	475.00	LED lights Used speedometer Used fuel gauge Prt circ board Elec cvr	45.00 100.00 65.00 85.00 38.00
Customer request to install manual retractable antenna. Requires a bracket to be fabricated for the lower mounting point inside the fender. Line total 370.00	340.00	antenna assy	30.00
Customer request to refurbish steering wheel. Necessary to remove and install a loaner wheel. Sublet steering wheel for refurbish. Will take approximately 6 months to complete. This will also correct the horn operation concern.  Line total 1250.00	135.00	Refurbish steering wheel Horn switch Horn pad assy Shipping	650.00 139.00 245.00 60.00
Customer request to address the rattling in the rear seat area. Recommend to replace the rear seat bumpers and the trap door bumpers. We can also add some foam tape around the trap door opening and on the rear seat trim to help reduce the noise. It should be noted that squeaks and rattles from the fold down seat and trap door are inherent in this vehicle and cannot be 100 percent remedied. Driving with the rear seat in the folded down position will help to reduce the noise.  Line total 445.00	405.00	Seat bumpers Trap door bumpers Foam tape	20.00 8.00 10.00
Customer request estimate to install Dakota Digital Instrument cluster with analog gauges including matching clock Line total 2675.00	1620.00	Dakota Digital VHX Dakota digital clock Misc parts…	795.00 150.00 100.00
Customer states windows do not roll up all the way. Checked and found the right window is working fine. The left window will require disassembly and inspection to determine needed repairs. Line total 270.00	270.00
NOTE: The vehicle has previously had significant repairs and/or replacement done to the front aprons, shock towers and core support, likely related to crash repairs. This may cause some fitment issues with some components requiring additional repair work and/or fitment time.
Estimated Labor	$	Estimated Parts	$

[Does anyone make brushed aluminum trim to replace the woodgrain?]

19 hours ago, mustangstofear said:

We make it in Sterling silver, which is as close as  you can get. It's  on our website. 

Thanks for the referral, MustangstoFear. Looks good, but not exactly what I'm looking for. Appreciate you reaching out. You have some cool stuff in your shop!

[Does anyone make brushed aluminum trim to replace the woodgrain?]

14 hours ago, Adam said:

Are you talking about the wood grain for the radio bezel, door panel inserts, console late etc....??

Hi Adam,

Yes, referring to all areas with wood grain.

[Does anyone make brushed aluminum trim to replace the woodgrain?]

Hey everyone,

Thinking of replacing the wood grain interior trim with brushed aluminum (similar to the previous-year Mustangs). Does any company make a modification/kit for the '69? Haven't been able to locate it just yet.

Thanks!

[Wheel Play – Options?]

Thanks Bob. I live in LA, so not too far from you. Pics attached!

And thanks to everyone else here for the advice. I'll get under the car with a buddy and see if I can diagnose any current issues. 

[Wheel Play – Options?]

Hi everyone. First-time poster and brand new Mach 1 owner.

Just got my Mach 1 a couple of months ago (351W automatic) and really loving it. The previous owner(s) kept it in relatively good shape, and I only had to make a few modifications to get it drive-able.

The steering wheel has quite a bit of play in it, and I've read various posts about how to fix the issue. I replaced the Power Steering Control Valve and hoses (they had been leaking; not because of the play), and that helped a little. However, I'm still feeling enough play that I want to nip it in the bud. Short of adjusting the screw at the top of the gearbox, what are my best options to tighten the steering? Does it fall more to replacing/upgrading the steering box and/or the steering column?

Thanks!