Morgans 69 Mustang

[MorganLeBlanc 52]

Well here my story of a barn find in San Lorenzo CA.
This nice lady at the young age of 25 walked into Bill Bland Hayward Ford in the fall of 1968 to test drive the all new Mustang Mach 1. So the salesman put her in the seat of a Cobra Jet equipped with the 428 and 4 speed transmission. She said this the minute she let out the clutch, it left rubber on the pavement. She knew then that she wanted a new Mustang!
So she ordered Mach 1 with a 390, with a four barrel carb and equipped with a 4 speed in black jade. AM/FM, power disc brakes, and black interior.
She drove the car a few miles each day to a school were she worked as an assistant.
The years from the exposure to the moisture of the air in the East Bay Area and constant sun exposure took its toll so she decided to have it painted black.

Then as she got older the clutch became too difficult to work. So she parked it for 19 years where it sat under a car cover in her front driveway
Yet JoAnne always kept it registered and insured.
On September 28, 2019 the next owner came along and here is where the next chapter begins.

I plan to restore the Mach 1 to its former glory with a few upgrade here and there. Definitely a long term project. 

[MorganLeBlanc 52]

 

When I got the Mach1 home i replaced the battery, oil, filter and plugs then tried to start It.  At one point they had installed an alarm system that was a complete wiring disaster.  I work in Sparks NV for an Aerospace Company so I turned the Mach1 over to my friend Mark who owns Mustang Ranch. He went through the electrical system and got it sorted out.  Another friend in the Davis CA area offered up parts he was not using, A Police Interceptor Aluminum Intake and a 750 Holley and a few other parts.   We rebuilt the Holley and put in a new coil and Pertronix.  After sitting for 19 years it runs actually very well, no smoke and no leaks on mostly original parts from 1969.   

 

 #ford #fordperformance #390fe #69mustangmach1 #1969mustang 1969mustangmach1

Mustangrunning.html

[MorganLeBlanc 52]

Since the car had been sitting for 19 years so I replaced the fuel tank, sending unit and fuel line.  

[MorganLeBlanc 52]

I pulled the original floor mat and scrubbed it for a few hours.  The floor and quarter panels are in great shape and just needed a good cleaning,   I saved the original tire and rim and my friend Bob Gaines had a date coded jack for a great price. I also found an original 69 trunk light

[MorganLeBlanc 52]

We removed the rear seat and fold down which was sun faded from the 19 years of sitting outside. The floors like the trunk was solid and just needed a good cleaning. 

[MorganLeBlanc 52]

All interior panels were cleaned and the rear carpet on the fold down was replaced.

[MorganLeBlanc 52]

Before reinstalling the interior panels I laid down sounds deadening mat.

[MorganLeBlanc 52]

The underneath was covered with surface rust and the brakes, shocks and springs needed replacing. Here is where i decided to go on a separate path.  I installed 1" mid eye drop springs and QA1 adjustable shocks.

[MorganLeBlanc 52]

I rebuild the rear drum brakes and replaced the brake lines.

[RPM 1,190]

Sure looks like that S code is in pristine condition. Since out looks like you're keeping it original, and if you're not aware, Dead Nuts On in Fresno has many original Mustang parts. But at a price. 

[69RavenConv 286]

Nice work and you seem to be well connected in the hobby :)

I'm curious about your trunk light  - has it been converted to LED or is it a 3-element incandescent? Or are my eyes just playing tricks? Attached is a pic of my factory light, I'm curious if there is more than one style.

[MorganLeBlanc 52]

11 hours ago, RPM said:

Sure looks like that S code is in pristine condition. Since out looks like you're keeping it original, and if you're not aware, Dead Nuts On in Fresno has many original Mustang parts. But at a price. 

On the outside original much like the interior with suspension upgrades and Torque Thrust Rims. So it should handle and ride much better than stock.  I purchased the tie downs from Dead Nuts On along with a few other small parts.

[MorganLeBlanc 52]

2 hours ago, 69RavenConv said:

Nice work and you seem to be well connected in the hobby :)

I'm curious about your trunk light  - has it been converted to LED or is it a 3-element incandescent? Or are my eyes just playing tricks? Attached is a pic of my factory light, I'm curious if there is more than one style.

I used an LED bulb in the trunk light but still need to come up with a clip and staple where the wire drops down into the trunk.

[MorganLeBlanc 52]

While I was under the car I decided to install the Tie down brackets I purchased from DeadNutsOn.  So at this stage I have cleaned and underneath and painted it. 
The Mustang was built in San Jose so the underneath is painted black from firewall back. I have restored three 67 Mustangs and I have never seen the amount of undercoating that I have seen on the Mach1.  I also found some factory exhaust hangers and had the silver sink coated.

[MorganLeBlanc 52]

It took me a long time to decide between the Magnum wheels or American Racing Torque Thrust D wheels.  In the end I believe that the Torque Thrust D is a better performing wheel for handling and ride quality. Summit Racing is right down the street from where I work so it was easy to buy them there and the distributor a Tire Rack is 15 miles away. So I bought the Cooper Tires there.  235's in the front on 7" rims and 255's on 8" rims in the rear.

[MorganLeBlanc 52]

The hood on the Mustang Mach 1 was rusted and really beyond repair. I dreaded installing an after market hood. Low and behold I found a factory hood that was perfect. It was taken off of a Mustang because they did a 69 Shelby GT-350 replica. Thankful that this part is rust free and dent free. The guy met me in a small town North of Bakersfield and drove up from Palmdale which is in the CA desert.  

[MorganLeBlanc 52]

I moved to the area were the battery was located only because I needed to hook up a trickle charger to it. Next thing you know I am stripping, sanding and painting the metal in the area and installing freshly zink plated screws and bolts in that section. 

[RPM 1,190]

I think every battery tray and inner fender I've seen on an early Mustang needed to be replaced. Yours is in great condition.

[MorganLeBlanc 52]

I reinforced the cross brace which is an old Ford trick for Trans Am Racing. While I was underneath I did some cleaning and detailing. 

[MorganLeBlanc 52]

I spent the last month and as solid weekend restoring the scoop.  There were a few very frustrating moments. I had some paint custom mixed that cost a lot of money and it didn't look even close the the color it should be. I settled on using SEMS semi gloss black out of pure necessity. Eventually the whole car will be professionally painted anyway so this is where I stopped. 

[MorganLeBlanc 52]

I cleaned the front wheel wells. Installed roller spring perched, Grab A Track springs, QA1 adjustable shocks and a larger sway bar.then topped it off with new rotors, calipers, and hawk performance brake pads.

Edited April 14, 2020 by MorganLeBlanc
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[Hamidar05 2]

What a great find and great work!

[RPM 1,190]

You don't mess around Morgan getting it done.

[Caseyrhe 650]

Nice Work

[fvike 173]

Great find, seems solid. Welcome to the site!