[Lizer]

Obligatory backstory:

In 2015 my wife tells me she has a coworker who has a 69 Mach 1 for sell for $15k. I say 'that's a pretty good price.' She said 'he said it's a shell and needs completely restored.'

'Well screw that, never mind then.' (Keep in mind, this was 2015).

The next day she comes home from work and says 'here's the Marti report for that Mach 1.'

I'm no longer interested at this time but I take it anyway and almost fall out of my seat to see it's an R code (ram air) 428 Super Cobra Jet 4 speed drag pack car. Suddenly that $15k just became a smoking deal.

Long story short, the car quickly became MINE. The 428 SCJ motor with it is not the original motor to it, and the transmission is long gone, but my plan is to put an overdrive manual like a TKO600 or something similar in it anyway. The car has 3.91 LS rear end so that wouldn't be fun on a 4 speed.

The car is a shell, that had already had a lot of body work done to it, some great, some completely WTF. It came with most of the interior parts, sheet metal, and a master fastener kit, while a lot of other things like under dash components (wiring, possibly door guts like window regulator, etc) are gone or might be gone.

The car was originally Acapulco blue and will be restored to near concourse with some mechanical liberties I will be taking here or there.

Unfortunately it did not have the ram air scoop with it or the external oil cooler. So there are some big ticket items I will need to hunt down.

This car is not the current project I'm working on (in fact it will start after 2 current projects are finished), but I have started some stuff on it and will chronicle things here as they happen. But there will be long dead spots. For now, I'm just going to get caught up over a few posts on what has happened since acquiring the car in 2015.

 

[Lizer]

The following year (2016), I bought a 69 Grande from a fellow forum member and good friend as a parts car.

 

[Lizer]

In 2020, I bought the front end of a 70 Cougar for around $300 and drug it home. The frame rails are toast on my car, as are the big block shock towers. The Cougars had factory reinforced big block shock towers and everything is the same from the cowl forward. My cowl also needs replaced. I bought this from John's Classic Cougars in Grand Rapids. I was poking around his yard of cars and thought this would be a good donor front, so he cut it off for me.

I am going to need to check into VIN implications. Obviously these fender aprons will have a different VIN stamped in them, though I have my own VIN in my aprons. However I also have the VIN plate that goes on the dash for my car. I am hoping I will be able to graft this new front end on, cut my vins out and transfer them.

 

[rpm]

I already like your wife. Good idea on the parts cars. You are correct on the shaker and oil cooler being big ticket items. Finding an oil cooler is like hens teeth. Good luck.

 

[Turnall]

Definitely a car worth building back. Just from the pictures, never would have known it needed the front clip...

Allen

 

[[email protected]]

Great find!

 

[Lizer]

I already like your wife. Good idea on the parts cars. You are correct on the shaker and oil cooler being big ticket items. Finding an oil cooler is like hens teeth. Good luck.

They are rare and stupid expensive. Fortunately I might have a good lead on several thanks to @gt350sr. For the ram scoop I am planning on doing one of the nice all metal reproduction ones, which still aren’t cheap.

There is also a reproduction oil cooler made which is a limited run reproduction, appear to be nice quality but still very expensive.

And the cooler brackets and rubber insulators somebody is making are just stupid. We’re talking $300 just for one of the little metal
Brackets that hold the cooler, and $50 for the little rubber insulator that goes in it.

Engine needs exhaust manifolds so I will need to determine if I want to do headers or drop $1k for original manifolds. Also does not have a CJ intake on it, nor does it have the carb.

This spring me and GT350sr are going to visit his source and I’m going to bring a pile of cash and see what I can end up with.

 

[Israel]

I’ll Definitely be following!!

 

[patrickstapler]

"...428 Super Cobra Jet 4 speed drag pack car."

The car has 3.91 LS rear end so that wouldn't be fun on a 4 speed.

How could a Toploader 4 Speed NOT be fun? I wouldn't consider this car in any way to be a highway cruiser. Just my opinion though.

 

[jonk67]

Following, amazing how much it looks like a ~'68 Javelin with no window and no trunk lid

That'd be tough choice for me too, going with a hwy friendly 5sp vs. the original 4sp when you're doing so much else to stay original. No one will notice from the outside if you put an original 4sp shift knob on it but you'd still be able to drive it anywhere with the extra gears.

 

[Cason]

Your choice on 4 vs 5 speed but,

I have a 3:91 4 speed car, and at one time I considered swapping it out with a 5 speed.
Now that I have spent time behind the wheel, I like a top loader.

For spirited back road driving or cruising into town on a Saturday night, it works great. (And a proper muscle car, with a real deal 4-Speed is a sweet set up).

If I was you, I would be looking for both, and see what I get a good deal on.

 

[66coupe289]

Instead of changing transmissions you could change the rear end out to a 3.50. That 428 will still have enough torque to get it moving, even with the close ratio 4 speed. 3.50 can be driven on the highway. Wrap the pumpkin with the 3.91 in plastic and put it in the corner.

 

[Helmantel]

I already like your wife. Good idea on the parts cars. You are correct on the shaker and oil cooler being big ticket items. Finding an oil cooler is like hens teeth. Good luck.

They are rare and stupid expensive.

Wives like yours our oil coolers? 😉

 

[Hunter100]

Following! Looks like a real nice project!

 

[Lizer]

Wives like yours our oil coolers? 😉

I think my wife is rare because she is NOT expensive!

 

[Lizer]

I’ve never driven a top loader so I don’t know what I’m missing I guess. But you guys have given me some food for thought. I can say I have 3.55’s on my 67 with C4 and 14” wheels and I hate it. I tach about 3000 rpm at 60. And part of the fun of having 3.91’s is, well, having 3.91 to rocket around!

The outlook I’ve taken is I’m restoring this car for me, not the next guy, and since I’m the one that’s putting up all the work and cost of restoring it, then I’m going to do what I like, not what I think the next guy will. This car isn’t a flip project for me, it’s a keeper so the person the value will be important to is my daughter. But she’s only two right now

Nonetheless, it’s a truly rare, high value car so it does need to be done right which is why I’m doing it as much original as possible. Bolt-ons that can be swapped out I’m more willing to make compromises

 

[jtfx6552]

I'd stay 3.91 and go with a 5 or 6 speed, whichever woulds fit in the tunnel without hacking it all up.

 

[Helmantel]

I think my wife is rare because she is NOT expensive!

The only problem with my wife is that she never comes home from work with a Marti report. Other than that she’s great 👍

 

[kkupec02]

nice project

 

[Cason]

Wrap the pumpkin with the 3.91 in plastic and put it in the corner.

I think people forget that in 1970 people drove muscle cars everywhere. People went across states and coast to coast in these cars.
One of the big car magazines had an article about pinning a Boss 351 @ 150 mph during a regular commute from Phoenix to San Diego.

I drove mine on a 400 mile road trip and I am turning 4,000 RPM at 70mph for hours on end-- and it worked just fine.
Sustained "reasonable" RPM's DOES NOT damage our motors!

For me, I keep ear plugs in the car, because mine is "kinda loud" and couple that with no-AC, which means I usually have the windows down, I want to block out the the wind noise.
For me, this is why I own an Old Car. (If I want more comfort I take my modern car).

Coming back-- FOR ME, I thought I wanted a 5 speed, but owning the car, the way I actually use the car does not make it necessary, and I like the nostalgia.

Point Being-- Don't think a 4 speed is useless or a deal breaker (especially if you find a correct Big Block top loader-- but make mine wide ratio )