1970 Ford Mustang Mach I 428 SCJ, 4 Speed, Disc Brakes & Power Steering

1970 Ford Mustang Mach I, 428 Super Cobra Jet, 4 speed Toploader, disc brakes and power steering.

The car is an original Mach I, 351 automatic car. I purchased the vehicle in 2004 and began a top to bottom restoration on her. The previous owner swapped in a 428 SCJ and Toploader 4-speed transmission. The Toploader is tight, rows the gear smoothly, and has a Hurst shifter on it. The previous owner and builder of the motor/trans indicated that the trans was rebuilt prior to installation. Included with the sale is the traditional Hurst white ball shifter handle, as well as the original T-style handle.

The 428 was built by Bill's Speed Shop out of Fuquay-Varina, NC. Although the build was done by the prior owner (who happened to be Bill's son), Bill has confirmed that the motor features TRW .060 pistons with big valve cuts, a Crower solid lifter cam shaft, ported intake, polished Lemans rods, FPP rockers, stands, spacers and pushrods, shell lifters, steel roller timing chain, windage tray and ARP bolts. The motor also had all the necessary machine work done to it prior to assembling this monster. Bill himself ran this motor in a truck of his before swapping it over to his son's Mach, but I was never able to confirm what the 428 came out of. The partial VIN stamped on the block is unfortunately not legible. The rear of the block prominently features the 'C' scratch mark, which indicates that it is a reinforced block used for 428CJ/SCJ's. I have added a Pertronix Stage III distributor with electronic ignition and a new Pertronix Flamethrower coil. The motor is fed by a Carter electronic fuel pump and is topped by a Holley Double Pumper.

The Ford 9" rear end features a Detroit locker with a 3.55 gear.

Suspension wise, the car has pretty much brand new everything. Up front the car sits on a set of Shelby 1" drop springs (550#) on new spring perches for a more aggressive stance. The bushings have all been replaced with urethane bushings and everything is tight. The front shocks are KYB-GR2's, which when paired with the Shelby drop springs, makes for a great combination. The rear shocks are also KYB-GR2s. I installed a set of 1" lift shackles to help give the car a more aggressive stance. The original leaf springs are in great shape and have been cleaned and painted with new bushings installed.

The car runs strong and smooth and pulls like a scolded ape. Throw on a set of headers and some slicks and you could easily run the car on the drag strip.

The front brakes have been converted to disc brakes with new rotors, calipers, pads and hardware. The factory soft rubber brake lines have been replaced by braided stainless steel lines. The rears are still drum brakes, however they have been rebuilt with new shoes and wheel cylinders.

The car had a recent alignment and has new tires on the front, with plenty of meat left on the rears. The front Magnum 500's are brand new, while the rears are a little older and show a little wear (though that's only noticeable when you look closely for it).

The car was media blasted down to bare metal with any areas of rust being repaired. By and large, the car was in pretty solid shape after the media blasting. The previous owner installed torque boxes to strengthen/stiffen the car and the driver's side floor pan was replaced. The only other significant metal work was the driver's side lower rear quarter had a patch panel installed.

Included with the sale is a second cowl panel painted the color of the car with holes drilled for the Autometer gauges that have been moved inside the cabin. This allows the gauges to be placed on the outside in direct line of sight and is ideal for drag racing.

The interior is in fantastic shape with freshly recovered seats (front and rear), a brand new OEM Ford tooling dash pad, new headliner and new deluxe door panels. The original rim blow steering wheel was refurbished and has a new switch installed (which works great). I made a custom gauge setup that slides under the center section of the dash, which is covered in black vinyl that matches the seats nearly perfectly. Underneath the brand new carpeting is a sound deadening insulation (kind of like Dynamat).

The factory wiring harness was completely refurbished by Midlife and is in excellent shape. All the lights and gauges work, as does the AM radio. The Mach clock was working when I reinstalled it about a year ago, but has since stopped. I would imagine it's time for a quartz rebuild kit on it.

There are too many other new or refurbished parts to include in this post, though all receipts from the restoration and some from the previous owner are available. There is a small paint chip on the passenger side headlight bucket from a rock. I've touched it up to make it less noticeable, but you can still see it. She is by no means a perfect car and was built to be a driver - but a damn fine driver. The car is an absolute blast to drive and easily the most fun car I have ever owned. She's an absolute head turner and gets looks and thumbs up everywhere I go. Additional pictures are available upon request. Car is located in the Southwest Florida/Fort Myers area.