Is this 1969 mach 1 worth buying

[justinberry 0]

I need some help. I found a 1969 mach 1 mustang with a 351w and a 4speed manual trans. I want to know if this car is worth buying it to restore it. It is pretty rusty. The motor and trans are already out and the guy has new parts and old parts in boxes. He want 10500 for it.

[Rsmach1 71]

Depends on how rusty, are we talking surface rust, or floor and panel replacement. Very hard to say, pics, pics and more pics.

[1969_Mach1 333]

Sounds like it could be a nice car.  Not many 69 or 70 Mach 1's left.  Would need pictures.  How bad is the rust?, How was the car originally optioned?  How original is the car?  A big determining factor is how much of the restoration can you do yourself?  Shop rates are very high, especially for body and paint work.  It's not uncommon send the bare shell of a car to a shop and spend over $10k to $12k in body and paint if the car has very little rust through damage.  That is a stock color paint and stripes scheme.  Also, it's not for a any assembly, you get a bare shell back with fresh paint ( not a completed car).

 

Not to be negative, just that body and paint are, I think, the largest chunk of the restoration cost.  If you have the space, sometimes it's worth the struggle, learning curve, and extra equipment cost, to do it yourself.

[Brian Conway 264]

Trying to restore a car can be a very costly enterprise.  Every single part OE, used or reproduction is stupid expensive and with no assurance to be correct or to fit.  As mentioned body and paint are big ticket items. The drive train is another.  I have restored several cars over the years and I can say that I will not do another.  Try to find a car that is mostly together and will not require any major investment of your time or money.  Just me,  Brian

[7TCatvert 24]

Off the top of my head I would say pass. If you don't know the answer, You need to have someone who knows restorations look at it for you. As Brian said restorations are very expensive I did mine, even with me doing most of the work myself I am still upside down, and it's a 390 car with a 4 speed.

[1969_Mach1 333]

I will add there are not many cars that can be restored for less than their final valuation.  If you're trying to make money from a restoring a car, it most likely won't happen. Most of us doing a restoration know and accept that.  I've done all the work myself, minus body and paint, on my 69 Mach 1.  And I had to stretch out the body and paint work over a couple years to pay for it.  I've likely invested more than what it is worth.  But I knew that and did the project for other reasons and not to make money.  If the car you start with is complete, it will help a little because you may be able to rebuild many parts instead of replacing them.

 

I agree, parts, repro, used, or NOS are far overpriced.  I see the pricing strategy of parts similar to real estate.  Pricing is based on what the market is capable of paying.  Back in the 1970's and 1980's middle income people were mainly interested in this hobby and doing the work themselves in their garages.  Parts pricing reflected that.  Now, there are a lot of people with higher incomes interested in these cars.  Amongst other things, I think that has partly driven up the pricing of parts.  

 

 

[STL. Mark 11]

From your description I would pass as body work alone can get quite expensive, unless you have the tools and knowledge to do it yourself. If you can go look at the car. Do a thorough inspection. Crawl under the car and look at the floor pans, torque boxes, floor supports, and front frame rails. Look inside the wheel wells and see how the outer wheel houses are and open the trunk to see the inner wheel housing and trunk area is.

[MikeStang 247]

Paid 7k For my Mach 1 that appeared to be in pretty good shape so far as rust was concerned, but it was a non running car that sat for over 10yrs.... I reused VERY LITTLE of the factory stuff because most of it was junk....

 

New sheet metal was as follows.

2 Door shells, 1 Full quarter, 2 full length floor pans, 3 of 4 inner fender aprons, Hood, Trunk lid, 2 fenders, 2 strut rod supports, Upper AND LOWER cowl, 1 trunk drop off, and a few parts I built myself..

Then all new Interior, New wiring harness, new suspension, new motor and trans, new glass, Etc....

 

I might be able to get what I have in my car now but I doubt it but I really don't care honestly because its my hobby and I enjoy it.

 

Its always best to buy the car that is in the best shape that you can afford because it will likely have less to do because someone else has already started on it.

[69volunteer 84]

Best bet is to find something you can drive while you restore it. I have restored a few cars and like everyone has said (a) it is expensive (b) you are very unlikely to break even and © paint and body is the most expensive work because it requires a large amount of skill and time.

 

If you can find something that will start and stop, then you can enjoy it....clutch is slipping.....we can talk you through that fix. Interior in tatters, fix that over time.

 

Too often, projects are bought, dug into and then abandoned....

[Black_69_FB 49]

I need some help. I found a 1969 mach 1 mustang with a 351w and a 4speed manual trans. I want to know if this car is worth buying it to restore it. It is pretty rusty. The motor and trans are already out and the guy has new parts and old parts in boxes. He want 10500 for it.

 

Justin, others have already given pretty good advice. 10500 sounds high to me for "pretty rusty".

 

Having said that, I bought mine in 1998 for $1750. No engine, no transmission, radiator & driveshaft in the trunk along with a paper bag full of misc. nuts & bolts, hoses, etc. It needed a floor pan replaced along with the doors, trunk lid and hood (which was missing), and I had to replace a cracked shock tower. Frame rails were solid front & rear, along with the cowl & torque boxes. Same car today would probably run somewhere around $4500.

 

It took me 13 years and probably 30k to get it "finished" quote/unquote. So it can be done -- even by someone with limited funds, space (1 car garage), time and tools. You just have to be either too dumb to know when to quit and/or too stubborn.

 

Things to consider:

- do you know it's a true Mach 1? Can't tell by the VIN on a 69

- is the car complete w- all the trim, interior etc

- fold-down rear seat? adds value

- frame rails & torque boxes & cowl solid? adds value / saves time/cost

- tach dash? adds value

- rear spoiler and/or window slats? adds value

 

If the frame rails, cowl, torque boxes, shock towers... all the structural stuff are solid, and the car is otherwise complete with some good options and can be verified as a true Mach 1 via a Marti report, I might consider making an offer on the car.

[manley 13]

in 2001, I paid $2500 for my pretty rusty but complete 69 Mach 1 351W 4V 4 speed.... 

 

http://1969stang.com/forum/index.php?/topic/50244-pieces-the-69-mach-1/

[harrellv10 0]

What about the parts the guy is selling with it? $10,500 is way too much for a non-running basket case. However, if there is a worthy stockpile of parts to go with it, that could change things. Also, the above posts make a valid point. What do you want to do with the car? If it is your dream car and you want to do a resto-mod or something and don't plan to sell it when it is done, then you will likely enjoy it and the end will justify the means. Parts aside, though, I think $5K for a rusty shell of a car with no drivetrain is about the going rate, from what I have seen in the last few years, and it's going up. Minimal rust means a big chunk of the resto cost not having to come out of your pocket. Lots of good parts coming with it that YOU actually find valuable also adds value to you. Without those two variables in your favor, I think you should negotiate the price down quite a bit or keep shopping.

[Trinitys 134]

There is a 67 fastback here on Craigslist that is nearly rest free with what looks like original paint. It's a roller, lux interior and a 302 car, 4 speed manual. Nice car. They want 13k.

 

There is also a 69 in the Dallas area as a comparison that's 18 fully ready for paint on a rotisserie.

 

I'm telling you this because there are other options. Stay away from rust. If it's pretty bad, you'll spend 20k rebuilding it to do it right.

 

I think you'd enjoy a 20k driver way way more than a rust bucket you spend 4 years and 20k getting on the road.

You'd get to enjoy it while you work on it.

 

Of course I'm not you and I don't know you setup, shop, fab skills and ultimate goal. Stock, track, driver, show...or? They all take a different kind of skill set and commitment.

 

Good luck

[RPM 1,190]

There is a 67 fastback here on Craigslist that is nearly rest free with what looks like original paint. It's a roller, lux interior and a 302 car, 4 speed manual. Nice car. They want 13k.

 

There is also a 69 in the Dallas area as a comparison that's 18 fully ready for paint on a rotisserie.

 

I'm telling you this because there are other options. Stay away from rust. If it's pretty bad, you'll spend 20k rebuilding it to do it right.

 

I think you'd enjoy a 20k driver way way more than a rust bucket you spend 4 years and 20k getting on the road.

You'd get to enjoy it while you work on it.

 

Of course I'm not you and I don't know you setup, shop, fab skills and ultimate goal. Stock, track, driver, show...or? They all take a different kind of skill set and commitment.

 

Good luck

I completely agree with this opinion.