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Something killed the convenient Tilt Away steering wheel in 1970. See Fact No. 158 to learn what it was.
159 A noteworthy exception to the federal mandate requiring anti-theft locking steering columns for all 1970 model year U.S. passenger cars came in the form of 789 leftover 1969 Shelby Mustangs. Thanks to increasing in-house competition from the Mach1 and Boss Mustang performance models, demand for 1969 Shelby Mustangs dropped drastically. As the 1969 model year approached its end, A.O. Smith (by then in charge of assembling Shelby Mustangs) still had 789 unsold units. Beating the January 1, 1970, deadline, A.O. Smith converted the unsold cars by adding chin spoilers, hood stripes, and 1970 VIN plate switch overs. Because they were built during calendar year 1969, the steering column-mounted ignition key and locking steering wheel hub did not apply. This made the 1970 GT350 and GT500 the only 1970 Mustangs with the ignition switch still located on the dashboard.
160 Although extremely uncommon, in 1969 and 1970 it was possible to get the sexy Shaker hood factory installed on 351 2-barrel and 390 2-barrel (1969 only) Mustangs for a mere $84.25 ($65 in 1970). A beautifully restored 1970 Mustang 351 2-barrel Shaker hood convertible sold at the 2015 Barrett-Jackson collector car auction in West Palm Beach, Florida. Verified with a Marti report, the 2-barrel Shaker was correct right down to the standard single exhaust system. With its limited intake-tract capacity, the single muffler and tail pipe were adequate for the needs of the mild 351 small-block. Thus, 2-barrel Shaker Mustangs lack the special under-bumper rear valance panel fitted to dual-exhaust Mustang applications. The tail pipe was a simple, unadorned unit made of mild steel tubing.
Did Ford really offer the Shaker hood option on base 351 2-barrel Mustangs? See Fact No. 159 for the scoop.
161 The 1969 Mustang Shaker hood option was the U.S. auto industry’s first mass-produced engine-mounted, through-body air scoop. Copycat efforts from Chrysler and Pontiac followed in 1970 although neither one shared Ford’s rugged die-cast metal scoop construction. Even though Ford dropped the Mustang Shaker hood option after 1970, it remained available on the Ford Torino through the 1971 model run. Beware: Mustang and Torino Shaker scoop housings are not identical. Numerous design differences abound, barring interchangeability.
Similar but different, 1969–1970 Mustang and 1970–1971 Fairlane Shaker scoops are not interchangeable.
162 Add-on brake cooling scoops were an integral part of the Shelby Mustang’s muscular look but were they functional? Yes. No. Yes. First appearing in 1966, 3-inch flexible ducts fed cool air from the scoops to the rear brake drums on all fastbacks. The quartet of experimental 1966 GT350 convertibles posed a problem. Their folding-top mechanisms interfered with the plumbing, so their brake cooling scoops marked Shelby’s first use of bogus scoops. In 1967, Shelby continued using the brake cooling scoops on all GT350 and GT500 fastbacks (no convertibles were built in 1967) but only cars built in the early part of the model run were fitted with functional brake cooling tubes. The GT350 and GT500 lower bodyside scoops were purely ornamental for 1968. The 1969 and (leftover) 1970 Shelbys returned to functional lower bodyside scoops on all models, including convertibles.
163 The 1969 Boss 302 Mustang program provided many challenges to workers in the Ford paint shop who had to apply matte black paint graphics to the hood, rear window surround, trunk lid, and taillight panel during assembly. The most problematic blackout treatment was applied to the outboard headlamp bezels. There, a razor sharp definition line had to be maintained between the outer (body color) ring and the sunken blackout sections. Expert application of masking tape and drop cloth shielding was called for. Today, unrestored survivors show fuzzy parting lines, proof of the challenging nature of the job when attempted in a mass-production setting. The headache-inducing Boss 302 masking job was repeated 1,628 times in 1969.
164 Another detail found only on 1969 Boss 302 Mustangs was the elimination of the faux rear quarter panel brake-cooling body duct inserts. Mustang styling studio boss Larry Shinoda is known to have hated them because they weren’t functional. All other 1969 Mustang SportsRoof fastbacks (including the Mach 1 and Boss 429) retained the scoops. Ironically, the SportsRoof’s faux scoop openings allowed Shelby’s return to brake air scoop dignity for the final two years of production (see Fact No. 162).
165 If the 1969 Boss 302 bodyside tape stripes look familiar to fans of Ford’s international road race program of the 1960s, it’s because they were inspired by the C-stripes applied to Ford’s 1967 Le Mans-winning Mark IV GT40. Boss 302 stylist Larry Shinoda liked them so much he adapted them for Mustang use.
166 Although the 1970 Boss 302 repeated the blacked-out trunk panel treatment of 1969, a subtle change was made to the stainless steel trim surrounding the backlight. Physically and functionally identical, the 1970 trim was coated with matte black to enhance the blackout effect. The 1969 backlight retained the same bright chrome appearance used on non-Boss 302 SportsRoofs.
167 New for 1969, Boss 302 and Mach 1 buyers could pay $19.48 for a trunk-mounted spoiler. Because of its plastic construction, the horizontal wing drooped visibly (and embarrassingly) in hot climates. A thicker (and heavier) fiberglass wing was employed for 1970. Because the stock trunk lid support springs were not upgraded, 1970 Mustangs equipped with the trunk spoiler were equipped with a mechanical support rod to prevent finger-nipping from sudden trunk closures. Speaking of plastic, the 1969 models were the first Mustangs to incorporate plastic grilles instead of metal.
168 Often overlooked, the 1969–1970 body shell came in for numerous dimensional tweaks. The windshield rake angle was increased an extra 2.2 degrees and the fastback roof line was lowered by .9 inch. The altered greenhouse added sleekness but rendered all pre-1969 glass panels non-interchangeable.
169 The 1969 Mach 1 was Detroit’s first-ever application of body-colored dual racing mirrors on a regular production model. Within a decade, virtually every auto maker on the planet had borrowed the scheme in one form or another.
170 The (1969-up) Mach 1 recipe deviated from previous Mustang performance models in its inclusion of a standard-issue (no extra cost) luxury interior that included full carpeting, a console, clock, simulated teakwood appliques, bucket seats, and sports steering wheel, all standard issue. Ford’s decision to coddle the passengers in luxury was successful and helped sell 72,458 Mach 1s in 1969 alone (about one in four).
171 One controversial aspect of the posh Mach 1 package was its inclusion of an additional 50 pounds of insulation and sound deadening material. Consisting of asphalt mats, sprayed-on rubberized body coatings, and fiberglass pads, many devoted drag racers spent hours liberating the dead weight or selected a base SportsRoof or GT model, neither of which carried the baggage. Remember, in a quarter-mile acceleration contest, every 100 pounds shed is equal to .1 second at the finish line. That same tenth is also equal to roughly a full car length at the finish.
172 Often overlooked, the rear side markers added to the Mustang in 1968 came in two distinct and non-interchangeable varieties. Cars built before approximately February 15, 1968, received rectangular red reflectors set into simple, nearly flush-mounted, body color bezels (as seen on Steve McQueen’s fastback in the movie Bullitt). But in mid-February, a switch was made to much more ornate surface-mounted reflectors set inside chromed metal frames with engraved black perimeters. Two different quarter panel stampings were required for each reflector type, so the revision wasn’t painless for Ford production accountants.
173 The 1968 Mustang also received new federal front side markers, but unlike the passive red reflectors used at the rear,
