Project Annabel: The Rebirth of a Mustang Mach 1

Project Annabel 1969 Mustang Mach 1Dallis Allen was 12 years old when he first the 2000 remake of Gone in 60 Seconds. While watching the climactic chase, he fell in love with the 67 Shelby Mustang Eleanor and knew one day he would own a classic Mustang of his own.

In November of 2011 at the age of 17, Allen found a 1969 Mustang shell for sale in Nackawic, New Brunswick. He drove over 700 kilometers each way to pick his dream car up and bring it home. He paid $1,000 because the seller claimed that’s how much the VIN alone was worth as it was an S Code car (390FE).

Foolishly, Allen believed him and purchased the car. When he got home he discovered the Mustang wasn’t a 390 car, and to make things worse it was too far gone to restore. It was nothing more than a rusted shell; he tried to save as much of the car as he could but their wasn’t much he could do.

He began his search again and was told through an email from a stranger that said, “I know where there used to be one, here’s the street name, go find it.” After a hard search he found the car on a property buried under a pile of junk. This Stang was rough around every edge but it was still restorable, the owner wanted $4,000 but Allen haggled him down to $3,400.

Project Annabel 1969 Mustang Mach 1 rearThis Mustang was a red 1969 Mach 1 complete with the original badging and correct VIN numbers. When the car was dragged out the barn it was the first time the car saw light in 26 years as it had been storage since 1986. The car still had a full interior with black leather seats, a Hurst shifter and a fur covered dash. At first, Allen wasn’t sure why the dash was covered with fur but the seller George showed him that it was full of holes.

Waking Annabel from a 26 year slumber.

Under the hood sits a 351 Windsor which is tied to a Ford 4-speed. A unique modification to the car is a custom sun roof that a previous owner installed. The Stang may have been a former drag car as flat drag tires sat on the rear wheels.

The 4 bbl carburetor had been seized solid so Allen gave it a diesel bath and pulled it apart to clean it up. Luckily the body panels were only covered in surface rust and all it took was a little sanding by hand to clean it up. He then tore out the stock floor panels and replaced them with brand new ones, as well as replaced the steering wheel.

The 351w then and now.

The 351 has been torn apart, cleaned up and painted blue. His future plans are to rebuild the 351 and replace the 4-speed with a Tremec 5 speed manual or perhaps a T-56. Allen recently purchased new racing seats and plans on installing a 4-point roll cage along with a performance dual exhaust system.

Annabel currently remains in pieces as Allen is slowly but surely making her road worthy once again. His plans on building her as a resto-mod style so he can cruise around comfortably but race when he desires. As this is his first build things are moving a little slow but with a little luck he shall prevail.

As he is only 19 years old and has limited access to funds he asking for the help of the community. On his Go Fund Me page he is asking for donations to help this make 1969 Mustang Mach 1 road worthy once again. What was your first hot rod or musclecar project and how long did it take you to complete?

Annabel in her glory days, George gave these pictures to Dallis.

Annabel in her glory days.

About the author

Josh Courter

Josh Courter is a Power Automedia freelancer with a serious passion for anything custom. Rods, classics, sleds, and even motorcycles provide inspiration for Josh along with his passion for automotive history.
Read My Articles

Blue Oval Muscle in your inbox.

Build your own custom newsletter with the content you love from FordMuscle, directly to your inbox, absolutely FREE!

Free WordPress Themes
FordMuscle NEWSLETTER - SIGN UP FREE!

We will safeguard your e-mail and only send content you request.

Ford Muscle - The Ultimate Ford Mustang Magazine

FordMuscle

We'll send you the most interesting FordMuscle articles, news, car features, and videos every week.

Ford Muscle - The Ultimate Ford Mustang Magazine

FordMuscle NEWSLETTER - SIGN UP FREE!

We will safeguard your e-mail and only send content you request.

Ford Muscle - The Ultimate Ford Mustang Magazine

Ford Muscle

Thank you for your subscription.

Subscribe to more FREE Online Magazines!

We think you might like...


Muscle Car & Hot Rods
Muscle Car & Hot Rods
Drag Racing
Drag Racing

Ford Muscle - The Ultimate Ford Mustang Magazine

Thank you for your subscription.

Subscribe to more FREE Online Magazines!

We think you might like...

  • Muscle Car & Hot Rods Muscle Car & Hot Rods
  • Drag Racing Drag Racing

Ford Muscle - The Ultimate Ford Mustang Magazine

Ford Muscle

Thank you for your subscription.

Thank you for your subscription.

Ford Muscle - The Ultimate Ford Mustang Magazine

Thank you for your subscription.

Thank you for your subscription.

Loading