Mustang Monthly

How to Paint Your Engine and Choose the Correct Color

1969-'70

In case you haven't figured it out, Ford became committed to FordCorporate Blue after 1965. It was an engine color people could identifywith; if it's dark blue, it must be a Ford powerplant.

The 1969 Mustang was redesigned from bumper to bumper, with twin-setheadlamps and a mouthy grille. With that came a greater lineup ofengines. Base power was, again, the 200ci six, with a taller deck 250cisix and 155 hp, added to the option list.

A bright spot for 1969-'70 was the standard 302ci V-8, 220hp work-horse.Spanking new for 1969 was the raised-deck small-block displacing 351ci.It was a wider small-block, with the 302's 4-inch bores but a longer3.50-inch stroke. With optional four-barrel carburetion, the 351 made290 hp. Back for 1969 were the 390 High Performance and 428 Cobra JetV-8s--both producing more than 320 hp.

For 1969-'70, two high- performance V-8s debuted that would change theworld of Ford performance forever--the Boss 302 with 290 hp, and thehemi-head Boss 429 with 375 hp on tap. Both were short-lived andavailable only in limited quantities before it all came to an end inlate-'70.

Whether your '69 engine is a Boss 429 or a short-stroke six, it has tobe Ford Corporate Blue in color.

For 1970, a new 351 thundered onto the scene with plenty of torque andthe largest ports ever from a Ford powerplant. The 351ci V-8 introducedfor 1970 was a completely different small-block from the '69 351ci.Place the two engines side by side and you can see the differences. The'69 351 looks like a 302 on steroids. It's wider, yet sports the samevalve covers and valvetrain. The newer 351 has wider cylinder heads withpoly-angle valves and wedge chambers. It's clearly a different engine.

Because Ford introduced two different 351 engines just one year apart,things were a tad confusing. To identify them, Ford gave each anidentifying name. The '69 351 would become known as the 351 Windsor,named for its foundry and plant in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. By the sametoken, the 351ci V-8 engine introduced for 1970 would become known asthe 351 Cleveland, named for its foundry and plant in northeastern Ohio.

What do the 351 Windsor and 351 Cleveland have in common with the 200ciand 250ci sixes, 302ci small-block, 390 High Performance, 428 Cobra Jet,Boss 302, and Boss 429? Yep, they were all painted Ford Corporate Blue.

1971-'73

We are grouping these model years together because they have a lot incommon. When the Mustang grew in size for 1971, it needed greateramounts of power. Standard power was the 250ci six, as the the smaller200ci six was deleted from the lineup. Base V-8 power remained thesame--a 302ci with two-barrel carburetion. From 1971-'73, you couldexpect to find a 351 Cleveland two-barrel underhood, although there isevidence that 351 Windsor 2-Vs were installed in some cars. If you hadto have four-barrel power, Ford sent you a 351 Cleveland with Autolite4300 carburetion for 1971, followed by Motorcraft 4300 atomization in1972-'73. In 1971, when Ford fitted the 351 Cleveland with a mechanicalhigh-performance camshaft and 4300D Autolite carburetion, it became theBoss 351 with 330 hp.

The last year for a big-block Mustang was 1971, the year of the385-series fat-block 429 Cobra Jet. With a mechanical camshaft andHolley carburetion, it became the 429 Super Cobra Jet. Both were fittedwith cast-aluminum valve covers.

As you might have guessed by now, all these '71 Ford engines have onething in common: They're all supposed to be the darker Ford CorporateBlue.

For 1972, Ford dropped most of its heavyweight powerplants. The Boss 351disappeared, replaced for a short time by the 351 High Output with lowercompression. In 1973, the era of mighty Mustangs drew to a close, withsnappy 351 Cleveland power remaining a valuable option. The Ford enginecolor that year was again Ford Corporate Blue, with all engine hardware,including valve-cover bolts, in the blue hue.