Flawless 1969 Cobra Jet Mustang
Slideshow: Ford achieved the perfect pony when it restyled the Mustang in 1969. In terms of looks, the new car was eye-catching, with nearly 4 inches of body length added to it over the previous model—all of it ahead of the front wheels. In terms of performance, the car handled much better with close to 140 pounds of curb weight added. New lines and styles were added which, altogether, gave the muscle car a truly mainstream, performance look. And while standard models featured a not too shabby 351-cid V-8, the true prized horses of the stable were the 428 Cobra Jets.
First, a little history
In the late 1960s, Ford allowed buyers to order a Mustang any way they wanted. There were those that were super plain and looked like they just rolled right out of the factory and onto someone’s driveway. And there were others that were slightly more unique. When the engineers at Ford restyled the fastback model, they gave it pop-out quarter windows along with a simulated quarter scoop and wide quarter panels. After the new design was passed by marketing, it was decided the new model would be called the “SportsRoof”.
The main appeal of the car—it’s engine
With the 1969 line of Mustangs, there were two options to choose from: a 351-cid V-8 option or the 428 Cobra Jets. This slideshow focuses on the latter. That’s because the 335hp 428 Cobra Jet possesses a ton of power and torque. It features pretty big displacement – approximately a 4-inch bore diameter with 4 inches of stroke. It was introduced at the January 1968 Winternationals and won several races thereafter. Of course, by today’s standards, it’s much slower than modern engines, but it can still turn a quarter mile in 10-11 seconds.
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What about this Cobra Jet Mustang?
The model featured in this slideshow is a double “R” car. It’s outfitted with a bevy of worthwhile components, parts and features, including a Shaker ram-air 428 Cobra Jet, C6 Select-Shift three-speed automatic transmission, and in-dash eight-grand tachometer. It was built in November 1968 and is one of 14,663 Cobra Jet Mustangs produced in the 1969 model year.
>>Join the conversation about this 1969 Cobra Jet Mustang right here in The Mustang Source.
Updates to its handling
When the current owner bought this Mustang, it had only 200 miles on it. Still, though, he was not happy with the way it handled and so began to modify the vehicle beginning with an aftermarket Street or Track coilover front suspension system. The system features upper and lower control arms along with reliable Bilstein coilover shocks connected to only the lower arms. You also get the Shelby drop attachment point with this system, which allows for the lowering of the upper control arm pivot to chassis attachment point by some degree (generally speaking, 1" straight down). In this instance, it was dropped 2-and-a-half inches. The result is this particular model handles much, much, much better than Ford’s Competition Suspension alternative.
>>Join the conversation about this 1969 Cobra Jet Mustang right here in The Mustang Source.
Updates to everything else
While the suspension needed updating, the owner ultimately decided to go for a complete rebuild, incorporating a B&M Shift Improvement Kit, Mach 1 appointments like rich woodgrain incorporated throughout and more. Next up, though, is an even bigger project: an engine rebuild. The goal in doing this is to fully restore this engine’s original look and function.
>>Join the conversation about this 1969 Cobra Jet Mustang right here in The Mustang Source.
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