Bone Stock or Restomod???

[DBH69Mach1]

Say you have a 69 M code (351W w/FMX) Mach1 that, beside needing a buttload of work, is numbers matching. Would you build it into a nice street rod or just a bone stock restore? The street rod would probably be more fun but which would be worth more?

 

[rbohm]

first i dont care, for the most part, if a car is a "numbers matching" car. if the car was rare, like say a boss 429 or ZL1 corvette, then i say restore the car. if the car has some sentimental value because it was in the family since new, then restore it if you want. for me i would build the car like i wanted to, i just wouldnt make any changes that could not be easily reversed.

 

[65fastback2+2]

ford didnt do numbers matching, and 351 mach's are fairly common, i say do the street rod with it, imo

 

[candy-a-Mach1]

Two years ago, I asked myself the same thing when I found my M-code Mach 1.
IMO, a good restoration and a wicked restomod will probably cost about the same, and be worth about the same when you are done-on this particular car. Stash the motor and tranny and build a stroker. Stash the wheels and get some 17's. If you sell, then the next buyer has the option. If it was rare, it would be a different story. Do what will be FUN when you are done. Street Rod. Good luck

 

[Hack]

I'm with the other guys. Modify it.

 

[squares98]

resto-mod it
original engine, gearbox and rear end make a numbers matching car
Do you car some justice and do what you like

 

[one2gamble]

build the car you want

 

[DBH69Mach1]

Thanks guys! I was hoping that would be the consensus...

 

[Edbert]

If it is a "real" Mach1 it is worth more than an average Mustang. But a Mach1 without a 428 is never gonna see huge values on its own. This forum is geared pretty heavilly towards the resto-mod approach, it is no suprise that the opinion you'll get from us is to chop it up and make it fast.

You asked which is worth more. VERY few restomods are worth what the owners have into them. I seriously doubt yours will be either. In other words, if you are looking for maximum value for the least outlay of cash then a stock restoration may in fact be your best bet. Putting OEM type parts onto your car is brain-dead simple and will have the best financial payoff IMHO. On the other hand if you want to enjoy the car and not see it as an investment then chop away!

 

[dodgestang]

Build it to keep it forever or don't even start.

Whether you restore it or restomod it you will not make any money on it if you do it right. And if you do it cheap, and then sell it, we will all talk about you as another PO one day

I am a restomod person myself.

 

[dodgestang]

 

[bnickel]

well, if you want advice from someone who has a car that is much much more rare than yours and also doing a restomod, then i say restomod the crap outta the thing. my car is an M-code, auto, ps, pdb, ac equipped 69 GT coupe. ford only made a handful over 1500 GT coupes in 69, the rest of the 6,000 Gt's were mostly fastbacks and a about 1200 verts. so for a 69 model car only bosses and shelbys are fewer in numbers than the GT, by contrast there were over 170,000 mach 1's made in 69 with most being the base engine 351 in ether 2v or 4v form (H and M code respectively) so keep that in mind when you start your project, just don't do anything that can't be easily reversed or anything that is half-assed and you should be fine. right now retomods are the hot cars to have, but in a few years i see the crowd swaying back to more stock type cars. i personally like what i call the "sleeper" restomod approach, meaning that anything done to the car is hidden or at least isn't extremely noticable, like wheels and tires, different paint but use factory stripes even a factory 69 color but maybe not the original color. basically anything under the car and under the hood is fair game, and even certain interior stuff can be changed without getting too far away from a factory look. but that's just the style i like.

 

[mst1969]

If it is a "real" Mach1 it is worth more than an average Mustang. But a Mach1 without a 428 is never gonna see huge values on its own. This forum is geared pretty heavilly towards the resto-mod approach, it is no suprise that the opinion you'll get from us is to chop it up and make it fast.

You asked which is worth more. VERY few restomods are worth what the owners have into them. I seriously doubt yours will be either. In other words, if you are looking for maximum value for the least outlay of cash then a stock restoration may in fact be your best bet. Putting OEM type parts onto your car is brain-dead simple and will have the best financial payoff IMHO. On the other hand if you want to enjoy the car and not see it as an investment then chop away!

the 390 was worth some money in the 69 Mach 1's.....like mine....LOL

 

[Max Power]

Very few restorations are worth what people have into em either...

 

[XXBULLETSXX]

I say Restomod! A stock restoration is like what you found in your Grandma's garage before you built the crap out of it and scare camaros and rice back to the garage to rebuild and try again!
Just kidding about that racing thing...I would never race my baby
But I would come home and grab my 00' GT Conv. with butt loads of mods and 410's and spank that A*S! LOL
But seriously I think early model Mustangs and Camaros are the new street Rods. I mean let's get real, there isn't many steel model A's running around anymore. And most of of grew up wanting Mustangs like what we had or saw back in high school.
R E S T O M O D ! ! ! ! !

 

[Edbert]

the 390 was worth some money in the 69 Mach 1's.....like mine....LOL

"Some" money sure. I had a 390 in a 67 GT fastback that was worth "some" too

Did you see what bnickel posted? They made 170,000 Mach1s, no matter what engine code you had it was just not that rare, which leaves the 428 as the top dog and all the others as worth less. The 428cj is about the most valuable non-boss engine you can have, the 65-67 K-code being a very close second and debatably in 1st place (but obviously not for a 69 car LOL).

I say restomod, but don't do irreversable things if the car is rare. I welded in a rollbar and subs on mine, but it is a 67 C-code and they made TONS of those, MANY more than all the Mach1s combined. Even the convertible factor on my car doesn't make it even semi-rare, they were everywhere back in those days.

 

[mst1969]

"Some" money sure. I had a 390 in a 67 GT fastback that was worth "some" too

Did you see what bnickel posted? They made 170,000 Mach1s, no matter what engine code you had it was just not that rare, which leaves the 428 as the top dog and all the others as worth less. The 428cj is about the most valuable non-boss engine you can have, the 65-67 K-code being a very close second and debatably in 1st place (but obviously not for a 69 car LOL).

I say restomod, but don't do irreversable things if the car is rare. I welded in a rollbar and subs on mine, but it is a 67 C-code and they made TONS of those, MANY more than all the Mach1s combined. Even the convertible factor on my car doesn't make it even semi-rare, they were everywhere back in those days.

hmmm 69 was the last year of the 390 in the Mustang, they only made 10,494 that year, then even less were sports roof (majority of them were though), Mach 1's, 4 spd tranny, 3.25 Rear, and an actually desireable exterior color (red+black)

while it may not be worth a ton, it is rarer then a 428 cj car.....

 

[THX 138]

if it was worth a lot I'd do things that were not permanent or sell it for one that I could mess around with.

 

[Roddster67]

Back when I had my Mach, I just had it slammed to the ground with the stock 14" chrome wheels. I had a stock 351w 4bbl ( but I did put on an Edelbrock combo) and a FMX. Everybody that didn't know about Mustangs thought I had done a lot of work to it to make it look that way. They trip out when you tell em, "Hey, all I did was lower it."
Had it not been totalled by a soccer-mom in a Lexus SUV not paying attention to traffic signals, I would have done a full roller conversion, bigger and better brakes, and an AOD. I already had the PS, PB, A/C and fold down seat.
Now I'm trying to "resto-mod" my 67 fastback the same way. But somehow, it's just not the same. I'm 6'-1" and 210 lbs, and the 67 just doesn't have the room or comfort of a 69 Mach. Now I'm finding that I need different seats and a tilt wheel just to be more comfortable, whereas that wasn't an issue in the Mach.
It's just my honest opinion, but I truly think the 69 Mach 1 IS the best looking Mustang made period. That is probably why clean 351 based Machs can easily reach the low $20k threshold.
Do what you wish with your Mach, just try to keep all your original parts around in case you do have to get rid of it someday.