I Wrecked My Dad’s Mustang And Classic Industries Saved The Day!

Hypothetical situation: let’s say someone borrowed their dad’s car. Let’s say that the car was a sweet 1970 Mustang Fastback. And just for fun, let’s say they kind of….smashed it. But, like, only a little. How could that person possibly make it right, before their dad found out?

Well, unlike Spicoli in Fast Times At Ridgemont High, my old man is not a television repairman. Although, he does have an ultimate set of tools — he’s a general contractor. One of the things he’s rewarded himself with for all of his hard work is the 1970 Mustang Fastback you see before you. Unfortunately, the previously mentioned hypothetical situation (like most hypotheticals) is, in my case, very real.

It might be a little dusty, but trust me, it’s his pride and joy.

Pops had the car in extended storage, and I was feeling particularly bad for it when I visited last year. I asked him to let me take it for a while to freshen some things up and get the horse’s blood flowing again. He said, “Sure, go ahead and take it. Do what you want to it, just don’t mess with how it looks.”

In the back of my mind, I thought…hmmm, possession is 9/10’s of the law. So while I have it, I’m going to hook this thing up! The Mustang is powered by a 351 Cleveland and a C4 transmission. Other than a few bolt-on speed parts, it’s bone stock. It isn’t a particularly rare or well-optioned car, either. It came equipped with drum brakes at all four corners, no air-conditioning, no traction-lock, no quick-ratio steering, and no rim-blow steering wheel.

Here is the Mustang right before we loaded it onto the trailer. Unfortunately, that caused some damage.

However, it did come with optional “sport slats,” rear deck spoiler, competition suspension, racing mirrors, and decor group interior. Point being — maintaining the originality with OEM parts wasn’t too big of a concern.

So, how did I crunch my old man’s Mustang? Well, let’s just say it involves some negligence on my part. While unloading it from the trailer, the Mustang suffered a good-sized dent right on the peak of the hood — a potentially tough spot to repair.

But, I’m not one to dwell on past mistakes. I immediately began to think of ways I could fix the situation.

No Use Crying Over Spilt Milk

Classic Industries offers a wide variety of new vintage Mustang parts. Among them are several hood options for the ’69-’70 Mustang. From the basic smooth hood to the Mach 1 and Boss 429 options, Classic had me covered.

I’ve always loved the look of the big-scoop Boss hood, and I knew pops did too. So, I figured, why waste an opportunity to upgrade? And, surely, he couldn’t be too mad at me for making his Mustang look like a beast. I called up my friend Ed Navarro at Classic Industries who was happy to help.

We made sure to order all the accessories needed for the install. There were clips, chrome trim, and the latch mechanism for the hood pins to account for.

Within days, I had a new hood, hood scoop, hood pins, and all the trim needed to install it shipped right to my door.

I honestly had a hard time deciding whether I should go with the Boss 429 or Mach 1 hood. The Mach has the really cool Shaker system and twist-lock hood pins, but the Boss is, well…THE BOSS! Luckily for me, there are so many options from Classic; I was able to mix and match some of my favorite parts.

We ordered the plain flat hood with Mach 1 holes for twist-lock hood pins. Classic Industries sells the Boss 429 hood scoop separately. The hood scoop does require installation, but it’s something I knew we could handle. Below is how it went.

Prep-work:

The installation began with some prep work by marking the locations of the hood scoop studs on the hood and drilling pilot holes for them. We then used a step bit to enlarge them.

We removed any extra material from the mounting holes with a circular file. That allowed the scoop to be taken on and off easily. Next, we secured the scoop to the hood using the supplied hardware and checked the fitment.

Once we had the scoop secured to the hood, we marked the spots that needed material removed and hit them with 120-grit sandpaper on an air grinder.

We made sure to clean up any rough edges left by the grinder with a file and prepped the surface for paint with 600-grit sandpaper. Next was a bath of denatured alcohol (acetone damages fiberglass).

Lastly, we laid down a few coats of semi-gloss black on the scoop and prepped it to go on the hood. It was attached with some adhesive foam strips on the underside. Keep in mind this is just for mock-up, as we will be having the hood painted in the future.

The Boss 429 Hood is much more aggressive than the stock Mustang GT hood.

Installation:

Once we had the hood on, it became a matter of aligning the parts using the supplied shims, then checking and rechecking the fitment. It took us several times to get it right. It was difficult and required three people — one on each side holding the hood making adjustments, and the other person lining everything up and adding or removing shims.

Aligning the hood will take a bit more work, but until we take it to the paint shop, this will do.

The Mustang came out Fantastic! I’m not even worried about the damage anymore. I think my father will be just as stoked as I am with this new Boss hood.

With the hood aligned to a decent level, we got to work installing the Mach 1 hood pins. It was a reasonably straightforward procedure. We utilized the factory hood bump-stop locations and used the supplied hardware. From then on, it was as simple as twisting them into place and securing the mounts with four bolts.

Admiration:

The only thing left to do was sit back and stare at the toughness that is the Boss 429 hood.

I ended up fixing the Mustang in the end. It was all thanks to the hard work of the guys in the shop, and the good people at Classic Industries. I would have been stuck trying to find a replacement from an old junker.

Classic’s catalog had everything I needed. It was lucky for me; they were just a phone call away. My dad’s Mustang ended up all the better for it, too! A wicked-looking Boss 429 hood scoop and Mach 1 hood pins now call his Mustang home.

If you want to check out Classic Industries’ extensive catalog for yourself, check out its website here. I’m going to see if my old man will let me hang on to the Mustang just a little longer, so I can add a Boss chin spoiler and maybe some go-fast parts.

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About the author

Vinny Costa

Fast cars, motorcycles, and loud music are what get Vinny’s blood pumping. Catch him behind the wheel of his ’68 Firebird. Chances are, Black Sabbath will be playing in the background.
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