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Ford Muscle Cars of 1969
The Year of the Boss 302 and 429
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Torino Talladegas were designed for one
purpose, to win NASCAR races, and that goal
was accomplished handily.
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All Torino Talladegas were powered by the
428CJ engine and an automatic
transmission. Though their contribution to
power output is questionable, the chrome
valve covers and air cleaner lid certainly
add eye appeal to the engine compartment.
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Enthusiasts remember 1969 as a year of many changes at Ford Motor Company, with the
performance responsibilities being completely shifted away from the full-size models, and
concentrated in the intermediate Fairlane and sporty Mustang models. This fact not withstanding,
the company continued to offer a full-size performance version of the Ford with the 429 four-
barrel V-8 engine and four-speed manual transmission. It was not heavily promoted, however,
and very few were actually produced.
In spite of the insurance companies and government regulations, performance was definitely a
key factor in the promotion of anything with wheels in 1969. Performance models, particularly the
Fairlane and Mustang model lines, were always shown superimposed over the comparable racing
versions blazing along Daytona’s high banks or Lime Rock’s beautiful road course, hoping you
would associate even the tamest version of the model with performance. Some of the advertising
even showed popular racing personalities such as A.J. Foyt, Pete Robinson, Cale Yarborough,
around their particular racing Fords, expounding the virtues of that particular model, and the
entire Ford line-up in general.
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Uncle Sam really began flexing his regulatory muscle during 1969, as well. As a result, all 1969
vehicles, not just Fords, were required to add matte-finished windshield wipers, steering wheel
hub, horn ring, rear view mirrors and mounts, and windshield pillars; energy-absorbing steering
column, steering wheel, armrests, and instrument panel; two-speed electric windshield wipers;
safety door latches; front seat head rests; shoulder belts on front seats; safety-designed coat
hooks (when was the last time you saw someone impaled on a coat hook?), window regulator
knobs, radio knobs and push-buttons.
A new small block V-8 appeared in the form of the famous 351 “Windsor,” in both two-barrel and
four-barrel configurations. Like the 429, the 351W utilized thinwall casting methods to develop an
engine that weighed only 65 pounds more than a comparable 302, yet produced 55 more
horsepower. Even though the cylinder heads are interchangeable with the 289 family, the 3.50-
inch stroke necessitated a higher block, longer push rods and connecting rods than those used
in the 289. The larger intake ports (1.94 inches x 1.16 inches) and larger valves allowed the
1969 351W to breathe very freely, and bolting on a set of “early 351W” heads has become a
very popular way to increase the power of a 289 or 302.
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Another of Ford’s more famous performance engines was introduced in 1969, the small block
“Boss 302,” designed to compete in the very popular Trans Am International Sedan Racing
series. By 1969, every manufacturer (including AMC!) had at least one representative in the
series, and winning became extra important, especially to Ford and Chevrolet. The previous
year, Chevrolet had introduced its superhot Camaro Z-28, which was powered by a 327 with a
283 crankshaft, yielding 302 cubic inches, just under the Trans Am limit of five liters, or 305 cubic
inches. Underrated at 290 horsepower, the Z-28s showed everything else the shortest way to the
finish line. Ford already had a 302 in its stables; it was determined to improve that engine with a
better-flowing set of heads. Thus the Boss 302 was born.
Utilizing the same basic design principles as the 429 V-8, a new set of heads was created with
individual rocker arms, mounted at random angles instead of in a row, as in standard 302s. This
unique mounting system created what Ford called “polyangle” wedge combustion chambers. The
result was high turbulence inside the chambers, resulting in more efficient combustion. The
canted valves also allowed for straighter ports, which resulted in better breathing characteristics.
Intake ports were huge for a small block, with 2.23-inch valves. The blocks were strengthened
with thicker webs and four-bolt main bearings, and the crankshaft was a forged steel unit with
forged steel rods. Special forged aluminum pistons were of a pop-up design with compound-
angle valve reliefs. The high-lift solid-lifter camshaft operated specially hardened push rods and
1.73:1 ratio adjustable rocker arms, and was designed to give good low-rpm torque as well as
high-rpm capabilities.
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Just to complicate the matter, Ford rated the Boss 302 at 290 horsepower, identical to Chevy’s
302. Several magazines tested the two different 302s and found them to be almost identical in
performance, with the Boss 302 just barely beating out the Z-28 in most cases. For one, it was 50
cents cheaper!
Early in the season, the Mustangs dominated the Trans Am series, but the late Mark Donohue,
driving a Camaro Z-28, won six of the final seven races of the season, and the Chevys won the
championship by a scant 14 points. In retrospect, it really didn’t matter all that much who won, as
both the 1969 Boss 302 and 1969 Camaro Z-28 are among the most sought after of all the ‘60s
musclecars, with prices well into the five figure range!
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Perhaps the most famous engine debuting in 1969 was the incredible Boss 429, designed for
NASCAR competition in Torinos and Mercury Cyclones. Referred to as the “Blue Crescent 429,”
“Shotgun 429,” and “Semi-Hemi,” the Boss 429 was a very impressive engine from a visual
standpoint, with huge aluminum cylinder heads, and aluminum valve covers with deep spark plug
recesses, which were nearly a foot wide! Even sitting on an engine stand, the Boss 429 is a
gigantic engine.
Utilizing basically a stock design 429 engine block with steel billet crankshafts, the aluminum
cylinder heads featured very large, oval intake ports, and 2.275-inch-diameter intake valves that
led to hemispherical combustion chambers. Exhaust chores were handled by equally large
exhaust valves, 1.900 inches in diameter, with the canted valves actuated by individually
mounted rocker arms. The heads also utilized O-rings around the combustion chambers, and were mounted directly to the block, without head gaskets.
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The Boss 429 engines were referred to as “T” or “S” engines. All “S” and early “T” engines used
hydraulic cams. Later “T” engines used mechanical cams, the same cam as used in the 429
Super Cobra Jet of 1970.
The fact that the competition Torinos and Cyclones were to be the ultimate recipient of the Boss
429 notwithstanding, it was the street version of the Mustang that received the engine. If the FE
engine was a tight fit in a stock Mustang, then fitting the Boss into the engine compartment was
impossible without some serious body “massaging.” All 858 1969 Mustangs destined to become
Boss 429s were sent to Kar Kraft, in Brighton, Michigan, for some front suspension reworking to
allow room for the monstrous powerplant. It was still an engine transplant requiring the use of a
shoehorn!
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Factory rated at 375 horsepower, the big Boss 429 simply had too much valving for serious
street use, with a 428 Cobra Jet normally being able to handle one easily in unsanctioned
acceleration events. When properly prepared in a competition car, however, the results were the
extreme opposite, with Mickey Thompson’s two 1969 Mustang Mach I funny cars literally
overwhelming the opposition for the entire season.
For 1969, Ford Motor Company offered a new version of the “Ram Air” option for 428-powered
Fairlanes, Torinos, and Mustangs—the famous and impressive “Shaker.” The same vacuum-
operated “Ram Air” system used in 1968 was now topped by a black matte-finished functional
scoop, which protruded through a hole in the hood. Cobra Jets had fairly long duration
camshafts, which produced a mildly rough idle. As a result, the hood scoop, which was bolted
directly to the engine, shook as the engine idled, resulting in the “Shaker” name. Not only was a
Shaker impressive to watch, it also worked very well—well enough that Chrysler made a copy for
its “Six Pack” ‘Cudas and Challengers.
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Galaxies
In spite of the fact that the full-size 1969 Fords are generally not considered high-performance
cars, a very lively version was offered with the 429 four-barrel V-8 and four-speed manual
transmission. As a result of this option, the 1969 models will be detailed in this chapter. However,
after 1969, the full-size models, which started the entire legacy of the Super ‘60s Fords, will
disappear from the performance corner.
Completely redesigned for 1969, the new full-size Fords utilized a more rounded profile than the
1968 models. The new extruded aluminum grille featured a single, heavy horizontal dividing bar
with thinner horizontal bars filling the remainder of the grille cavity, with dual horizontal headlights
on either end of the grille. The rear end treatment was very similar to that used on the 1968
Torino models, with rectangular taillights mounted high in the body. A single feature line,
approximately half way down the side of the body, ran the full length of the body. The new
convertible models featured a redesigned top mechanism that allowed 10inches more rear seat
space than in previous models.
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If your needs mandated a full-size car, yet you
had a sporty flair, you may have chosen the
1969 XL GT convertible. When equipped with
the 360 hp Thunderjet 429, the big boats
could be very lively performers, especially with
the ultra-rare 4-speed tranny.
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The stunning black XL convertible is one of
only 6,900 full-size convertibles built in
1969. Wheel covers similar to the 1968
GT500 lent a sporty appearance to the big
convertible, which now weighed well in
excess of 4,000 pounds.
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The restyled instrument panel
clustered all the controls and gauges
immediately in front of the driver, to
create a “cockpit” of sorts. With its
difficult position for the radio on the
extreme left side, this unorthodox
design lasted just two years, through
1970.
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Inside, all full-size 1969 Fords featured a “flight cockpit” instrument panel design that placed all
the instruments and controls directly in front of the driver. While it was pleasing in appearance,
having the radio mounted on the left side proved to be quite awkward, and the design only lasted
two years. The right side of the instrument panel was quite flat, however, and did offer a great
amount of passenger legroom.
The new full-size Fords featured a longer 121-inch wheelbase, overall length increased to 214
inches, and weights ranged from 3,717 pounds for a six-cylinder equipped Custom two-door
sedan, all the way up to 4,500 pounds for an FE-equipped four-door Country Squire station
wagon.
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The Custom remained the base model of the full-size Ford line-up. It included bright windshield
and rear window moldings; a bright metal housing for the front fender marker lights, which
included the engine size when equipped with one of the larger V-8 engines; the FORD name, in
block letters, spaced across the front of the hood and across the lower panel below the rear deck
lid; the CUSTOM script along the rear of the quarter-panels in front of the rear side marker lights;
and stainless steel hub caps. Custom interiors featured all-vinyl seating surfaces and matching
vinyl interior side panels, and color keyed nylon and rayon carpeting.
The Custom 500 was the top trim level of the base Custom series, and included all the standard
Custom features, in addition to a single bright molding along the body side feature line, bright
roof drip rail moldings, and a bright molding at the base of the front and rear roof pillar. Inside,
the Custom 500 interior was identical to the base Custom models, except the seating surfaces
featured a combination cloth and vinyl upholstery material.
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This particular XL GT is
sporting wheel covers from a
1971 LTD, which do little to
enhance the performance
image of the car.
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Previous | Next
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This has been a sample page from
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Super '60s Fords - The Inside Story of the
Most Powerful Fords Ever Built
by John Smith
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In the ‘50s, Detroit built cars with style in mind . . . but as the
‘60s arrived, a younger group of car buyers had another
thing in mind: Performance! Ford Motor Company met that
demand with some of the fastest and most powerful cars on
the street. In this book, John Smith covers the entire Ford
performance story in the ‘60s, -- and not just Mustangs and
Cobras, but Galaxies, Torinos, Falcons, Fairlanes, Shelbys,
Mavericks, and every other Ford that got extra horsepower
stuffed under its hood in this fast-moving decade. Models are
covered year by year, from the Supercharged T-birds of
1957 to the last gasp of the muscle car era in 1973, and
everything in between. Performance engines and stats are
listed for each year, and an informative appendix includes
information on deciphering VIN tags and parts codes.
With 200 black and white and more than 100 outstanding
color photos, this book has the images and information that
Ford fans want on their favorite performance models, from
supercharged Y-blocks to Boss 429s.
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Click below to view sample
pages from each chapter.
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Chap. 1 -1957 The Foundation
Chap. 2 -1958 352 Big Block
Chap. 3 -1959 High Style
Chap. 4 -1960 New Ideas
Chap. 5 -1961 Back to Tradition
Chap. 6 -1962 Legends
Chap. 7 -1963 Fast Backs
Chap. 8 -1964 The First Mustang
Chap. 9 -1965 Big Changes
Chap. 10 -1966 Beat Goes On
Chap. 11 -1967 Changing Guard
Chap. 12 -1968 428 Cobra Jet
Chap. 13 -1969 Boss 302 & 429
Chap. 14 -1970 429CJ & SCJ
Chap. 15 -1971 Last of Breed
Chap. 16 -1972 - 73 End of Era
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This is without a doubt one of the best books about
Ford muscle cars ever written!
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Soft bound
8-1/2 x 11
160+ pages
200 b/w photos
100+ color photos
Item #SA25
Price: $22.95
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Click here to buy now!
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This is a book any Ford enthusiast will enjoy to read over and over.
Read the sample pages to learn more.
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Other items you might be interested in
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Ford Galaxie & LTD Gold Portfolio 1960--1976
Contemporary road and comparison tests, specification and technical
data, driver's reports, long-term tests, new model introductions. 176
pages, 475 pictures and illustrations. Softbound.
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Price:
$29.95
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Ford Torino Performance Portfolio 1968 - 1974
This 136 page book includes road & comparison tests, performance
data, full specifications, model introductions, historical information &
restoration advice. The 34 articles in this book are sourced from Car
and Driver, Car Craft, Car Life, Cars, Circle Track, Classic American,
Ford Motor Co., Motor Trend, & others.
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Price:
$22.95
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Mustang Muscle Portfolio 1967-1973
Road and comparison test, specifications, and model introductions on
the Shelby GT 350 & 500; 390 GT; 428 Cobra Jet; Tunnel Port; Mach
1, 351, 428, 429; Boss 302, 351, 429; Grande; and 351 HO. 140 pgs.,
over 250 b&w photos. Sftbd.
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Price:
$22.95
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