November 2009 Featured Car of the Month
Rick and Leslie Pickering’s 1969 Mustang Mach1

Muscle cars, hot rods, customs, to me, they are all great. I owned several throughout my earlier years, the majority of them Fords. I drove a fairly fast “fixed up”65 Galaxie 500 in school and owned several hot rodded F-100s. But vintage Mustangs have always been one of my favorites. That is probably a trait inherited from my dad. While I was building trucks my dad was restoring Mustangs. At one time he owned two 65 coupes and a 65 fastback. I wish he still had the fastback. Fast forward a number of years. The kids are grown . The job is going well. The timing was right to start looking for another project. As fortune would have it, one day, while perusing through the classified section of the paper (yep before E-bay and Craig’s list), there I found an ad for a Mustang in my price range. Better yet, it’s a 1969 Mach1, my favorite Mustang body style - quad head lights, side scoops, black out hood and all. Myron and I headed over to take a look at the car. It’s a Detroit built, 351W, automatic, M code, car. The car did have “some issues” and needed “some work” but who am I kidding, it was really love at first sight. A deal was made and I was now the proud owner. I could hardly wait to get it home and start tinkering.

The “some issues” and “some work needed” included addressing a major exhaust leak, diagnosed to be broken manifold bolts, a major fuel leak and power steering fluid that ran straight through the pump, electrical problems, and windows falling out (‘69 side window hardware was not one of Fords better ideas). More good fortune, the exhaust manifold bolts were just missing. A quick trip to Orchard and the car was much quieter. A new sending unit for the gas tank and a NOS power steering pump hose and I was able to drive the car. Over the next few years we continued to work on the car. The 1970’s style center lines were replaced with Magnum 500s, the red Miracle paint job was buffed out to look decent at twenty feet, the dark tint film was removed from the windows and the night before the Diablo Valley car show Myron and I put a complete interior in. Nothing like waiting to the last minute! Leslie and I enjoyed driving the Mustang to shows and events, including a few days in Reno at Hot August Nights, but in the winter of 2006 is was time to take the Mustang apart, send it off to the painter and begin a complete rebuild.

Funny how fast a car comes apart. Again Myron, our friend Dave, and I spent a day or so stripping parts from the car, carefully bagging and labeling parts. New lower quarter panels were welded in and the driver’s door replaced The Mustang was trailered to Sergio’s Auto body in Monterey. By then Sergio was getting really familiar with Mustangs, having just finished Myron’s R code and a year or so earlier, his M-code. What started off as a simple paint job quickly turned into a major project when I asked Sergio, “what do you think about painting the car black”? Mustang parts were gathered, rebuilt, cleaned, and polished waiting to be installed when the Mach 1 returns. The wait was close to a year.

Remember how quickly the car came apart? It took over a year to reassemble the car including new exhaust, intake, suspension, drive shaft, gas tank, stereo system, windshield, trim, grill, LED tail lights, more than I can remember and want to verify against old Visa bills. The inside of the car was insulated with Thermo-Tec before the interior was reinstalled. Myron and I dropped the complete engine and transmission back in within a couple of hours after swapping out the FMX for a built-up later model AOD transmission. This turned out to be a winning combination. The Mustang runs fantastic down the freeway at about 75.

Traditionally a black Mach 1 would have red stripes with gold centers on the side of the car. Wanting a subtle look against the black, I had custom made black reflective stripes with the gold center stripe removed and replaced with a gloss black stripe.

After two years and some months apart for paint and assembly the car was back together and in time for the 2009 VMOA car show. There is always more of “wouldn’t it be cool to add” and tinkering to do but for the most part the car is done. I appreciate the wrenching, welding, and mechanical help from Myron. He is always ready to lend a hand. I am extremely fortunate to have the support and encouragement from my wife, Leslie. I never heard “Another package from FED Ex?” but rather shared the excitement with me (and some times the other end of the wrench) as we bolted on another shiny piece of “got to have it” or a “we need it”. Since the car has been completed we have enjoyed another trip to Hot August Nights and down to Cheeries Jubliee in Monterey. We look forward to next summer taking the Mustang on many more road trips.

Rick and Leslie Pickering