"Ran when parked" 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1 uncovered after 20 years in storage - Hagerty Media
There are project cars that require major time, effort, and finances, and then there are project cars that can be up and running in just a matter of weeks. In this latest Redline Update, Davin is thrilled to be laying his hands on one of the latter.
Davin’s coworker Cam is the caretaker of a “ran when parked” 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1 that has been sitting for 25–30 years … not in an open field and not under a tarp outside, but on a trailer in a warehouse. It had been Cam’s grandfather’s “we’ll get to it next” project car for years, but it never came to fruition. Cam’s grandpa passed away before the Mach 1 could get back on the road, but he’d love to get it running himself—and Davin just has to help.
“It’s gorgeous …” Davin says. “Since I’m not Tom Cotter [of Barn Find Hunter fame], I don’t like to just look at ’em. What would you think if we can this running?”
“That sounds awesome,” Cam says. “The thought of this being on the road is almost too much to comprehend.”
And we’re off.
After bringing the Mach 1 to the Redline Rebuild garage, Davin explains why working on the Mustang is so appealing to him and the video team.
“We want a real quick payback,” he says. “We’ve been working all summer long. We got the [Honda] Trail 70 running, and quite frankly, we’re hooked. We want to see something else done quickly. And the weather is beautiful this fall, so we’re going to take this and in two weeks turn it so it’s driving down the road.”
The plans include replacing all the ignition components first—fresh wires, cap, rotor, points, condenser, and coil. “That may be a little more than you want to do,” Davin says, “but it will completely eliminate all those ignition problems.”
Then, Davin will attempt to start it, check on a small oil leak, replace the hoses, and check the radiator. Once it runs, idles, and doesn’t overheat, then he’ll assess brakes and steering.
Before diving in with both feet, Davin can’t resist trying to start the car. No luck. “We’re not getting any spark,” he says. “Well, bummer.”
But not for you. Stay tuned for next week’s show, in which Davin promises, “You are going to hear this run.” To keep track of this and other projects in the Redline Garage, be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel.
— Jeff Peek
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