A Special 1969 Boss 429 is One for the Books

Boss-9

The Boss 429 Mustang is a high-performance variant that was offered by Ford in 1969 and 1970. It was sometimes referred to as the "Boss 9." There were roughly only 1,350 units ever produced. The inspiration for this variant came from NASCAR. During this time, Ford wanted to develop a motor to compete with 426 Hemi from Chrysler. Thus, the 429 was born. It contained a forged steel crank and forged steel connecting rods. A single Holley 4-barrel carburetor was mounted an on an aluminum intake. This behemoth pumped out a conservative 375 bhp and 450 lb-ft of torque. The Mustang's body, however, was not wide enough to encompass the massive BOSS 429 engine and as a result, Ford hired Kar Kraft to modify existing 428 Cobra Jet Mach 1 Mustangs to properly fit the new BOSS 429 engine. Kar Kraft made extensive modifications to the Mustang, including widening the shock towers and extending out the inner fenders to allow this massive engine to fit. Each car was given a Kar Kraft "KK" number.

Photo: Top Speed  

Grabber Orange

Enter Tom, your everyday car enthusiast. One who we might share similar stories and passion for such rare vehicles. He used to own a 1970 Boss-9 Mustang back in 2010. The one he owned was the rare "GRABBER ORANGE" color. Later in its life, he sold the car. It wasn't long before he regretted this decision. Some call it "seller's remorse". This launched the hunt to replace the void in his automotive life and he decided he wanted an early 1969 Boss 429 in a specific color: Raven black. This color was even rarer than the Grabber Orange he owned previously. 

Photo: MustangAttitude.com

>>Join the conversation about this 1969 Boss 429 right here in The Mustang Source forum.

Kevin's Klassic Cars

There are several ways enthusiasts can find their dream cars. It's not uncommon to hear of enthusiasts scouring Craigslist or their local papers for the Automotive for sale ads. Sometimes, you come across some real treasures by word of mouth. If you're part of a car club, often, another enthusiast is almost always selling a different car to get things moving on their current car. However, there are also specialty shops and automotive collector shops who often do all the leg work for you. They hunt for your specific car and sell it to you for a slight markup. Some of these shops double up as tuning houses and many enthusiasts will take the same opportunity to give their new finds a new life.  

>>Join the conversation about this 1969 Boss 429 right here in The Mustang Source forum.

Makeover

When Tom got the call that his dream car was located, he set out to have a look at in person. At first glance, it was quite clear that this gem had lost a lot of its luster as it had been sitting in storage for decades. A restoration was definitely in order. The one thing that he did discover was that the elusive motor in this car was a true original with matching numbers. This indicated that it had not been tampered with and would give him a clearer path to taking on a total restoration. He got in touch with Euler, a Vintage Mustang restoration shop and they began their 2-year journey.  

>>Join the conversation about this 1969 Boss 429 right here in The Mustang Source forum.

Teardown

It was imperative that the restoration took the car down to its core. This meant stripping each part and inspecting for rust or damage and determining whether anything could actually be reused. They wanted to keep the car as original as possible without compromising safety and the overall structure of the vehicle. They decided on media blasting the entire body down to the bare metal. This revealed that the car was truly rust free and had never been in an accident. Even all the glass was intact and useable. Another bonus is that the car was stored away from the harmful rays of the Sun. This protected the interior from fading. The only flaw was a slight crack in the dash pad.  

>>Join the conversation about this 1969 Boss 429 right here in The Mustang Source forum.

Rebuild

Each panel was prepped and prepared to be sprayed with PPG DCC Concept single stage Raven Black paint. After a flawless finish, the heart of the Boss 9 was restored and installed. Everything from the magnesium valve covers, forged crankshaft, forged pistons, and all the high-performance components. The car would be just as fit to cruise the streets as it would to lay down some rubber at the race track. What's more, is that the shop was able to locate factory original Goodyear Polyglas GT tires. This was a restore that took all the major and minor details into consideration. Even though the interior carpet was original and in decent shape, they just decided to dye it to restore it the to factory fresh look. 

>>Join the conversation about this 1969 Boss 429 right here in The Mustang Source forum.

Finished Product

In October of 2015, the car was completed and unveiled at the Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals. It earned a Concours Gold award. Then, in 2017, the car returned to the same show and this time received the Pinnacle Triple Crown Award. This is quite literally one of the highest awards among the Mustang community. It's a stringent process to acquire an award like this especially since the judging is done by knowledgeable experts within the Mustang Shelby communities. Luckily for Tom, this example was going to be a no-brainer. Euler had more than exceeded his expectations with this build and it shows.  

>>Join the conversation about this 1969 Boss 429 right here in The Mustang Source forum.

And, for information on maintenance and repairs for your Mustang, head on over to our How-Tos at MustangForums.com!