Thinking of buying this 429 Super Cobra Jet

[Thin Lizzy]

Hi All,

Am thinking of getting back into 71-73 ownership, as I miss my old 72 bad.

This 71 429 SCJ is for sale and the Sellers is interested in a p/x with my Lotus.

Would be grateful to know what you think of it?

https://m.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C673038

Thanks,

Mark

 

[Hemikiller]

Pics are kind of small, but nothing glaring sticks out to me. Very nicely optioned car too.

 

[midlife]

Until one has pictures of the engine bay, underside and trunk, I'd hold off. It could be a rust bucket with lots of bondo, a really nice paint job, and a 302 engine that has been transplanted.

 

[OzCoupe72]

If it is really what they say it is which is not often then could be a great car and investment

As others have stated do your due diligence

I'm especially wary of any vehicle that has "fresh paint" as to what lies underneath especially rust

If you can inspect the car and inquire as to who painted it or even better take someone along who has experience in body repairs

Better to pay an expert a few quid than blindly buy a vehicle that will start rusting through new paint in a year or two

 

[Thin Lizzy]

Thanks for the advice. That fact it’s been in the UK for 47 years rings alarm bells too. Most UK cars of that age have hidden rot or have had serious restoration work done. My previous 72 Mustang had been in the UK all it’s life and had major restoration carried out.

 

[donkost]

There are more pics available on the dealer's site:

http://www.sparkscars.com/cars/cars-for-sale/detail/156-ford-mustang-mach-1-429-cobra-jet-ram-air.html

So it's around $47.5K USD which seems like a fair dealer price if everything checks out. IMO not enough of these ever get to market (it is a rare car) in order to establish a solid price range. The engine bay looks good- I just went out to the garage to compare it to my 429 CJ-R. The car doesn't look over-restored and could be driven on the road without the fear of ruining a Concours restoration. Take along a paint thickness meter (get a good one) and a bunch of those magnetic business cards to stick around various places where the paint thickness meter reading is questionable. Or better yet, pay a pro to perform a full PPI on the car with it up on the lift as well. Make sure the power windows go up and down. Mine has them as well, first year for power windows on a Mustang. If the Marti report is available make sure that the color is the factory color, and the car wasn't changed to "resale red" for a quick sale. If the car checks out and you go ahead with the purchase you will have an absolute blast. Mine is a 4 speed but the C6 (there is some parasitic HP loss) should also be great behind that torque monster 429. The car has the lower body trim so it should not have the side stripes, but it is something that's seen all the time. Lack of front and rear spoiler is kind of a nice for a change, shows off the clean lines. End of an era- last big block V8 ever factory-installed in a Mustang.

 

[libram]

yeah their skilled paint and decal guy obvious didn't know not to put on the side stripes or the mach 1 on the trunk lid. Happens to be very very similar to my 72, it wasn't all that common to get the décor group with the color matched bumper no chin and no spoiler or louvers. Mag 500's would have been a nice addition though. New carpets are nice but peek under them and also down into the cowl if there is rust it will be there. Speakers are added so not sure how much damage was done if any to the door panels, rim blow is nice, and that engine is FRIGGIN SWEET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Thin Lizzy]

Thanks for your comments. Is this car the C Code 429 Cobra Jet, not the J Code 429 Super Cobra Jet? Was hoping it was the latter.

I spoke to the seller today. He said you can leave these cars for a year and when you come to start them, they'll start first time. Also said it's had no welding. Sounds like a load of sales talk to me.

 

[jpaz]

Hope it's a nice car and you buy it, would be great to have you back in 71-73 Mustang! I knew you would miss your 72 vert. 

 

[secluff]

Mark, it could still be the car with the engine you desire. "C" code is the 429 with out Ram Air and the  "J" code is the same engine but WITH Ram Air. What made the 429 a Super Cobra Jet was the Drag Pack option which was available with either "C" or "J" engine codes. Without going into a lot of detail on under hood components, the easiest way to check is to look for differential codes "V" (3.91:1) or "Y" (4.11:1) which were available only in the Drag Pack option for the  71 429 Mustang. (3.91 gear was standard on the 71-72 "R" code Stangs)

Looks to be a nice car to get yourself back into the Mustang world. As others have already posted, I would take a very close look at the undercarriage and other areas where shiny paint has been known to hide rust and body filler. Hope it works out for you. And...you know your always welcome here whether you own a 71-73 or not!!  

 

[donkost]

The dealer's web page write-up states "3.50 Traction Lok Rear Axle" and if that's original then it is a 429 CJ and not SCJ. That's ok, means you won't be adjusting solid lifters or hearing the engine RPM screaming at normal highway speeds. I have the 3.50 rear in my 429 CJ-R "J" code, and believe me the RPM's are high enough at highway speeds with that rear. The SCJ choice was meant for more durability while drag racing, and you'd get a little more punch out of the 3.91 or 4.11 rear, along with the slightly higher rev limit of 6150 with the SCJ (CJ rev limit was 5800). The 4 speed cars actually had rev limiters from the factory whereas the C6 automatic cars did not. All things considered it's a fast street car either way. Ranks among the fastest street cars from the original musclecar era of the 60's and early 70's. Oh and if the carb is still the rebuilt original, the CJ had a Rochester (GM) carb for emissions purposes, while the SCJ had a Holley carb. It doesn't seem the car was in the UK for its entire life since the pics show California plates front and back (?).

 

[libram]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/classic-cars/rare-find-very-first-1969-ford-mustang-mach-1-ordered-with-super-cobra-jet-v-8-drag-pack-and-430-gears/ar-BBIq2S6?li=BBmkt5R&ocid=spartanntp

some good info here and dangit he got lucky

 

[OzCoupe72]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/classic-cars/rare-find-very-first-1969-ford-mustang-mach-1-ordered-with-super-cobra-jet-v-8-drag-pack-and-430-gears/ar-BBIq2S6?li=BBmkt5R&ocid=spartanntp

some good info here and dangit he got lucky

Great story, if only we all could be this lucky

I heard there is one of these 428 SCJ Drag pack's in my town, maybe number 2?

 

[Boss1Ray]

Louvers were never original equipment on any 71-3 Mustangs.

Sorry I just had to chime in.

Good luck on your search.

Ray

 

[libram]

what were they dealer add ons?

 

[Thin Lizzy]

Thanks for your comments and the information. The trader that owns the car has changed his mind and doesn't want to part ex it for the Lotus, so I'm back to square one. Shame. I'll keep looking.

 

[secluff]

Mark, sorry your deal fell through. As donkost  posted, the CJ's were more than capable of holding their own against just about anything on the road. The SCJ is not quite as street friendly as you may want. Close friend of mine had two Drag Pack Mercury Cyclones. A 69 428 SCJ and a 70 429 SCJ, both with the 4.30 differential gears, which also meant cars with no AC, a lot of heat, engine noise and 6-8 MPG! He ended up borrowing my Mach 1 for his date nights. (A Lot)  Lol

Just keep looking, something out there is just waiting for you to find it! We'll keep the front porch light on so don't forget to stop by here and visit with us!

 

[Thin Lizzy]

Thanks Steve!  Interesting what you say, yes, 6-8mpg is a shocker, and the price of fuel over here is $1.80 a litre.  My 69 351 does about 9 mpg and that's bad enough, so I'd be happy with a 71-73 with a lazy 302 again and get 18-20mpg.  I used it all the time when I had it and it was great

 

[secluff]

Mark, not trying to discourage you. I can say when I drove his cars they were an absolute blast. Just had to hang on as it felt like those big blocks were trying to rip the seats out of the floor. The 69 was a 4sp car and was an absolute beast that never saw better than 8MPG regardless of how easy you drove it. The 70 was a C6 that was a better handling/driving car but even with me driving never saw better than 10 MPG. He did say he didn't buy those type of cars to baby and he drove them like stolen dump trucks. He tore up a lot of drive line parts (on both cars) but never blew an engine which speaks volumes on the "Durability" of the SCJ engines. He also mentioned that he had a "Friend" with a nice Mach 1 that he could borrow on his date nights!    :whistling:

I just decided to mention the fuel mileage since I knew our European brothers fuel costs per litre of fuel  are higher than a gallon of fuel here in the States. Not going to be a large difference in the engine RPM between the 3.91/4.11 Mustang and the 3.91/4.30 gear ratios in the Torino/Cyclone, so the MPG I mentioned should be close to real world mileage for the Mustangs. If your looking for an occasional and not a daily driver you could still make the SCJ cars work...or you could look for a more "Street Friendly " C or J code CJ 429! Good luck with your search!