|
|
1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429 Restoration - Raising The Restoration BarThis ’69 Boss 429 is restored to assembly line workmanship standards From the May, 2011 issue of Mustang Monthly By Jerry Heasley
|
|
Is this Raven Black ’69 the finest restored Boss 429 ever? Bob Perkins took it one step further. He said, I think this is probably the best restored Mustang, he claims. There’s never been a car restored to this level of assembly line workmanship. There’s not one trick part missing. It’s got everything--from the little stuff to the big stuff--and it was a great car to start with. For this reason, I trekked to Juneau, Wisconsin, to Bob Perkins Restoration. As the Mustang Club of America’s Authenticity Head Judge, Perkins has broken new ground in the Mustang restoration hobby over the last 30 years, many of them first seen here in Mustang Monthly. His shop is full of N.O.S. parts for first generation classics. He owns great unrestored cars and he also restores classic Mustangs for customers with help from Tim Lehr in his shop. “What you start with pretty... “What you start with pretty much determines what you’re going to end up with,” Perkins said. This ’69 Boss 429 was a superior starting point—a 7,000-mile original with zero rust and original parts. Critics say restoration is much easier when starting with an original car. This is true in many ways, such as not having to restore rusty metal. However, restoring to assembly line workmanship carries its own challenges. This particular Boss 429 belongs to Dave Steine from Baldwin, Wisconsin. With only 7,000 miles, Steine’s ’69 was an unrestored original. Perkins said, Dave had the car for several years and he was always on the bubble about whether to restore it or leave it alone. Although the paint was original, it was thin on the edges, with primer peeking through the tops of the fenders. Finally, Steine decided if the car was going to be restored, he wanted the best Boss 429 restoration possible. He began by gathering N.O.S. parts, including a set of assembly line wheels and Polyglas GT tires, exhaust system, battery and vent caps, trunk mat, and other items. Perkins inspected the car and became enthused with a Thoroughbred restoration because the non-service items were in like-new condition. These are the never replaceable parts, such as seats, door panels, carpet underlayment, gas tank sound deadener, and other components installed on the assembly line. Perkins could save these original parts, as well as portions of the paint. The MCA has two classes closely knitted together--Unrestored and Thoroughbred. A Thoroughbred strives to restore to the appearance of the unrestored Mustang when it was new. With this goal in mind, along with 30 years of experience and an incredible N.O.S. inventory of parts, Perkins began an epic restoration. These wheels and tires have... These wheels and tires have never been disassembled. They came off a ’69 Boss 429 with less than 100 miles that was made into a drag car. Assembly line workers sprayed the orange paint code (for Boss 429) on the wheel after the tire was mounted to create the overspray pattern. The reddish-orange stamping at the bottom left is the shipping label, from Goodyear in Akron, Ohio, to Kar Kraft in Brighton, Michigan. Notice the staggered shock plate finished in bare steel. His goal was to duplicate assembly line workmanship. Perkins illustrated factory workmanship when he opened the hood and pointed to what he called stamping marks in the metal. He pointed out the same pattern of stress, or stretch marks, in the metal on the tops of the rocker panels inside the doors. As Bob moved around the car, he noted a run in the paint on the end cap adjacent to a rear quarter-panel. You’ve got to look hard for this evidence of factory workmanship, but it’s there, Bob said. Some people say these imperfections are examples of poor workmanship. But it’s not. It’s 1960’s Detroit assembly line workmanship. Perkins stripped the body to bare metal with the exception of certain places he saved as original. For paint, he uses acrylic urethane, about as close as painters can get to the factory’s original baked-on acrylic enamel finish. Acrylic urethane, Perkins says, dries more to a factory baked finish with the original orange peel appearance. He takes extreme care with the painting process because he does not have the luxury of sanding and buffing out imperfections because that would remove the factory-look orange peel finish. Ford does not sand and buff paint--then or now. The substrate is near perfect and the painting area mostly free of debris. Therefore, they have no mistakes to fix after painting, especially after the baking process flows out the finish. For a variety of reasons, most painters, whether professional or amateur, are not able to leave the orange peel. They must sand out imperfections, which eliminates the natural orange peel finish. Perkins achieves both factory orange peel and a high shine. Orange peel is the natural texture of the factory paint. The factory workmanship on... The factory workmanship on the undercarriage includes an array of color codes, tags, and stickers. However, Perkins believes these color codes have been over-emphasized in restorations. First, restorations must earn their stripes with correct parts and finishes. Perkins said, “Anybody can buy a $200 kit of stickers and a box of Markal paint sticks to apply color codes to parts that don’t even look original or are incorrectly restored.” Orange Peel vs. Slick Paint
Like religion and politics, discussing orange peel versus slick paint on early Mustang restorations is a touchy subject. People can get angry over what’s right and what’s best. What’s right depends on the goal of the restoration. What’s best is a matter of personal preference. A rigorous restoration replicates assembly line workmanship and there must be orange peel. A non-rigorous restoration can simply achieve the original color. The MCA currently has a three-point deduction for the lack of orange peel in the stock judging classes. A factory-style repaint with orange peel demands the substrate be almost perfectly prepared, along with the primer and paint being sprayed in a pristine environment. Debris in the topcoat requires sanding and buffing to eliminate the trash but destroys orange peel, and therein lies the rubso to speak. Painters who produce slick paint with no orange peel do not want to hear their sanding and buffing is corrective work to remove imperfections in their paintwork. Likewise, painters who spend time perfecting the substrate to leave orange peel in their paint do not want to hear critics say orange peel is a factory imperfection to save the labor of sanding and buffing. For those who believe that Ford’s reason not to sand and buff was to save money, even high-end car makers like Porsche and Ferrari do not buff their paint. Also, new Fords today still have orange peel. The choice of factory orange peel or slick paint is up to the individual. Some see beauty in the slick finish. Others see beauty in the paint texture and the fact that the car is restored to factory perfection.  Correct or restored parts...  Correct or restored parts duplicating factory workmanship earn their stripes. Perkins photographed the markings for reproduction in this restoration. The “982” code is common for the 3.91:1 rear axle. Perkins replaced the original exhaust system (due to surface rust) with N.O.S. The muffler has the same 3-69 date code as the original to this Boss 429.  For decades, Perkins has been...  For decades, Perkins has been restoring the machined look to the rear axle “chunk.” Over the years, this bare metal develops surface rust on driver Mustangs. Rear axle housings frequently have runs in the semi-gloss black paint. The yoke (top) is unpainted. The pinion nut is daubed with yellow paint. The outside of the centersection is red epoxy primer (tinted Ditzler DP-74) with a shiny, machined surface and features heat-treated bolts tightened with zinc dichromate plated nuts backed by copper washers for sealing.  This photo reveals the color...  This photo reveals the color rings around the driveshaft and the overspray patterns of Raven Black paint, gray primer, and small amounts of sound deadener. Application of the body color forms an overspray pattern on the floorpan, although black against gray is not a high contrast.  The factory transmission crossmember...  The factory transmission crossmember is bare metal and shows the black weld lines for the attaching bracket. Most cars were exposed to the elements, so this crossmember becomes pitted.  Factory workers wrapped the...  Factory workers wrapped the parking brake cables with this orange strap to prevent interference with the moving assembly line. Perkins has seen maybe a half-dozen of these on cars in his career. He calls this strap “a nice little detail” on Steine’s Boss 429. The red dye on the parking brake cable clip is another trick detail, as well as the drip marks in the floorpan paint (top of picture). These drips are original and formed from paint runs when the body was baked at the factory.  Perkins took care not to disturb...  Perkins took care not to disturb the original sound deadener, seen here in the passenger side inner fenderwell exhibiting its factory “textured” appearance. He sprayed the coil springs with orange paint, specific to the Boss 429, with the paint over-sprayed to the inside of the coil spring. The white paint on the bottom of the spring is a brush stroke.  Inside the passenger side...  Inside the passenger side front wheel well, the factory taped the original build sheet in this odd position, suggesting assembly line workers were in a hurry.  A new development in restoration...  A new development in restoration is lightly machining bare steel surfaces to make them shiny, like when new. For example, notice the shine on the inside of the front brake calipers. Perkins takes off just enough metal to restore the shiny appearance to the raw metal (without affecting fit) and show a “just machined” contrast to the surrounding darker cast pieces. Mustangs are loaded with bare machined surfaces—spindles, rotors, rear drums, rear axle housings, transmission cases, bellhousings, and others. A little oil on the part will prevent surface rust from forming.  The front end reveals a seldom...  The front end reveals a seldom seen detail—spot welds in the unpainted, bare metal of the front unit-body framerails. Almost every older Mustang has surface rust on bare metal under the car. Minor restoration to remove the rust smoothes these original spot welds. The front suspension finish is bare metal for the tie rod ends, drag link, Pitman arm, idler arm, rotors, strut rods, sway bar hardware, and ball joint ends of the control arm. A well-known factory procedure is the inner halves of the lower control arms are dipped (not sprayed) in black paint. Spindles are bare metal, but heat-treated steel, which gives them a darker gray look.  Over the years, enthusiasts...  Over the years, enthusiasts have done their best to restore Boss 429 engines to OEM stock. This engine may just be the best of them all in terms of adhering to the factory procedure.  Another restoration trick...  Another restoration trick that moves this Boss 429 closer to the appearance of a brand-new car is the machining of raw metal surfaces. For example, Perkins machined the flat inlet ports of the master cylinder to a factory shine.  Conventional glass beading...  Conventional glass beading cleans but dulls the finish of Boss 429 cast aluminum valve covers. Perkins restores these covers to the correct original finish, which is cast aluminum with machined surfaces. To correctly restore the covers, Perkins glass beads with ultra fine (#10) beads, then tumbles three to five minutes with ceramic media, then re-machines the machined surfaces with a Bridgeport milling machine.  Boss 429s came from the factory...  Boss 429s came from the factory with a Kar Kraft assembly line upper radiator hose with the factory staple clamp. Very few Boss 429s can boast an N.O.S. hose from Kar Kraft, as seen here.  The anti-backfire canister...  The anti-backfire canister is not a difficult smog item to find, but the gold-galvanized clamp is a tough N.O.S. assembly line part to locate. Perkins got this clamp out of a master pack of clamps from a stash of Kar Kraft parts he purchased from Bud Moore. The galvanizing gives the clamp a textured finish, in comparison to zinc dichromate clamps that are too shiny and smooth.  The spark plug wires are N.O.S.,...  The spark plug wires are N.O.S., date-coded the second quarter of 1969 to fit the window of production for this June 1969 production Boss 429—KK1896.  Although they might appear...  Although they might appear to be generic tie straps from a parts store, these “Panduit” tie straps are OEM. Panduit supplied Dearborn assembly and Kar Kraft. These straps were also used throughout the car, like inside the trunk to secure the taillight harness.  Factory marks, such as this...  Factory marks, such as this “ElTl” on the inner fender apron, are easy to reproduce. The secret is to have a car with enough of these marks visible to reproduce the code and the location. Perkins would never add such a mark if he had not already photographed and found it on the vehicle.  The engine oil cooler is another...  The engine oil cooler is another “saved” item in this restoration. The factory drip marks on the side of the cooler would be extremely difficult to save if a restorer had to bead-blast this part. A detail restorers almost always miss is restoring the cooler with bare metal on the threaded inlet at the top, just to the left of the nut. The factory submerged the oil cooler in a vat of special thin paint. To prevent paint from entering the cooler, they inserted a cap over the inlet and outlet. The cap also protected the threads from paint, thus the bare metal.  This Boss 429 still had the...  This Boss 429 still had the original engine lift hooks, seen here with the original lighter blue-green paint. Bob calls this paint “slop blue” because it was a vendor’s incorrect attempt at Ford Corporate Blue. An outside supplier painted and sold these hooks to Ford.  The factory hung the hoods...  The factory hung the hoods in this slot and then sprayed the paint, causing some damage to the metal as well as an overspray pattern. This slot is another example of factory workmanship, replicated here.  The trunk has every trick...  The trunk has every trick part. Every ’69 came with a plastic bag with the temporary warranty card, owner’s manual, extra set of keys, and a manila folder with the license plate hardware. The ’69s also came with headlight aimers. This car has a letter from BF Goodrich addressed to the original owner. Sent in the early 1970s, it contained a sticker to apply to the space saver wheel. The threaded rod is what Dearborn assembly bolted through the floorpan and into the framerail to attach the car to the skid on the moving assembly line.  This is the infamous, and...  This is the infamous, and almost nonexistent, Boss 429 battery vent cap removal tool. Perkins has only seen three of these tools in Boss 429s. Because each vent cap is sealed with a foam gasket to prevent fumes from leaking into the trunk, the factory tightened the caps very well. This plastic tool was needed to remove the caps.  Perkins opened the passenger-side...  Perkins opened the passenger-side door to show the stamping marks in the metal on top of the rocker panels. Elite restorers look for these factory marks when they grade the quality of the paintjob, but very few people in the hobby know about stamping marks in paint.  Here are more factory stamping...  Here are more factory stamping marks in the metal, appearing in the wall of the inner fender panel under the hood. If this metal is pitted and requires work, then sanding and priming will eliminate these factory marks in the metal.  Perkins saved this small drip...  Perkins saved this small drip mark in the paint on the inside bottom lip of the decklid. Apparently, Dearborn assembly applied more paint than was necessary in this corner and baked the drip in place. Removing the paint destroys this drip mark. Bob blended paint around this original drip. Painters can put runs and drips in the primer, but apparently they cannot bake them on to make them pop like they are factory original.  The factory covered the bottom...  The factory covered the bottom of each rear quarter with primer, but very little Raven Black paint. Most shops would simply fully paint these quarters, oblivious to factory procedure, and if there is a question about authenticity pronounce their restoration better than original.  The interior is untouched....  The interior is untouched. Low miles and good storage kept the black deluxe interior mint. Very few cars can boast a like-new interior after over 40 years.  To be able to say the original...  To be able to say the original door data tag, KK sticker, and tire inflation decal have not been removed is important to a car like this. Luckily, the paint on the 7,000-mile original Boss 429 was in excellent condition on the inside edge of the driver’s door. Therefore, Bob could save this area. He blended the new paint into the bottom edge of the door.  The “P” inside the doorjamb...  The “P” inside the doorjamb was the best original sticker on the entire car. Had the paint been poor in this area, Perkins would have had to restore the metal and remove the paper sticker.  One point of controversy on...  One point of controversy on ’69 fastbacks (not just Boss 429s) has been the screws in the molded rear seat armrests. The two visible screws at the front are panhead-style plated in zinc dichromate (a gold finish). The remainder of the screws in this panel are zinc-finish, oval head Phillips screws.  Bob Perkins’ rule of thumb...  Bob Perkins’ rule of thumb on interior tags and stickers also applies to restoration color codes and various labels on the undercarriage as well as the engine bay. “Only put back on what came on the car or was standard on all production cars.” Every mark and paint code, sticker, and label is backed up with a photo for this car. For example, this manual choke warning tag is original and still attached to the inside edge of the console near the driver’s right knee. This sticker and others are historically accurate and part of a great restoration.
|
|
|