In our contentious world, there’s at least one thing that many of us can agree on: there’s something that looks just right about a 1969 Ford. Bonus points if it’s a convertible, and bonus-bonus points if it’s an XL with bucket seats like this one, which is for sale at Unique Classic Cars in Mankato, Minnesota, with an asking price of $18,900.
I’m not always keen on posting cars from classic car dealers, but there are still some reasonable deals to be had and they generally post a lot of pictures, including the car’s documentation and information, such as this door tag.
Here are the basics:
- 9: 1969
- E: Mahwah (New Jersey) Assembly
- 61: Convertible
- Y: 390-cubic-inch two-barrel V8
And the second line:
- 76B: XL Convertible
- X: Presidential Blue Metallic
- 8B: Dark Blue/Light Blue Vinyl Interior
- 28E: Scheduled build date of May 28, 1969
- 15: District Sales Office of Newark, New Jersey
- 2: 2.75:1 open rear axle ratio
- U: C6 automatic transmission
I’d classify this XL as a decent driver that a new owner could tinker with as they saw fit. It’s simple enough, with a 265-horsepower 390 two-barrel under the hood (the 240 “Big Six” was standard, even in the XL), and there is plenty of room under the hood for maintenance. Unless my eyes deceive me, this car doesn’t have power brakes, simply standard four-wheel drums that, in my opinion, don’t need a booster anyway. The car does have operational air conditioning and power steering, which is almost a necessity in a full-size Ford.
Recent service “[electronic] ignition system, fuel sender, lines and pump, radiator, heater core, wheel cylinders, bearings and belts.”
Unlike the Galaxie 500XLs from earlier in the decade, the 1969 model did not get bucket seats and a console as standard equipment, just a plain old bench. Fortunately, this car came with the optional buckets, and when they were ordered, you got a console and a “U-bar” shifter handle. I don’t think it’s a particularly good design, but the instrument cluster is unique, thrusting out and enveloping the driver, but at least the XL had a reasonably good facsimile of wood trim on the dashboard and door panels. The dash pad is cracked, which will certainly be a significant expense if the new owner decides to do something about it, but it’s not a necessity.
The white convertible top has fallen prey to the same predator that attacks them all eventually: dinginess. My 1965 Corvair has an old, somewhat dingy white top that I scrub once a year to keep it presentable. Aside from a couple pieces of tape in the lower corners of the rear window (which appears to be glass…nice!), however, the top appears to be in decent shape, and the selling dealer says that it goes up and down smoothly.
The trunk could use some detailing, and maybe an aftermarket mat, but at least it’s solid (and roomy).
The undercarriage also looks solid (especially for a New Jersey car) and seems to indicate that this was someone’s weekend top-down cruiser rather than a year-round daily driver. It’s not detailed, but there are no serious leaks to indicate that the new owner will have to do any major upfront mechanical work.
And best of all, it’s a 1969 Ford XL Convertible, a car that isn’t at the top of most people’s collector car lists, but one that most people would look at approvingly. The full-size ’69 Ford might be one of the more underappreciated cars in the collector world, and while this one isn’t cheap, it’s a decent deal on something that looks like a fun and solid driver.
Related Reading
1969 Ford XL SportsRoof: Did Jaguar Sneak A Styling Cue From This Full-Size Ford? (by me)
Car Show Classic: 1969 Ford LTD – How My Dad (Temporarily) Turned My Grandpa Into A Ford Man (by me)
Car Show Classic: 1969 Ford LTD – My Father’s Day Present (by JP Cavanaugh)
I think it is pretty cheap for what it is. Unless there is something that wont be found with a test drive or further inspection, it is a decent buy.
It does beg for a front disc conversion, alum intake, vac secondary 600 CFM 4V carb and quiet set of duel pipes.
Purist that I am, I would leave the carb and exhaust config alone. There was no 4-barrel or dual exhaust option for 390 cars after 1968. In fact, no 1969-74 big Ford came with duals, not even 429s, except for some Police Package cars, and they were 428s. They made a brief reappearance in the 1975-76 period on some 460 cars.
Re the brakes, I would do so only using factory parts, especially using the correct pedal trim with the embossed “disc brake” callout. Fun fact, only XLs and LTDs got pedal trim after 1968. A victim of Ford’s PIP program Lido discussed in one of his books. My dad had a ’69 Galaxie with just a plain rubber pedal, still with the embossed circle which immediately spots a power-brake equipped car. Another tell is that a manual pedal sits higher off the floor. Starting in 1968, any factory-optioned power-brake FoMoCo product got discs automatically. It still baffles me why so many people didn’t order them, even on higher-end models. It was only 64 bucks extra FFS.
Factory duals did come with the 429 4 bbl., which put out 365 h.p. The 2 bbl. version of the 429 had single exhaust and put out 320 h/p. Police package big Fords had a police only 428, which had duals.
My father surprised me when he bought his ‘69 Ltd., as he had been a GM man. The reason was my mother loved the big ‘front room’ passenger seating area featured that year. The 390 was smooth and the factory air (first for us) ice cold. Basically trouble free for 140k miles. A friend of my mother had a ‘69 Ltd 2 door with practically every option, including the 4 bbl. 429.
I stand corrected. 429s were so rare on the prairies I don’t ever recall seeing more than 1 or 2. I take it you lived in a salt-free zone?
Roger, you’re correct that the 429’s, in any version, were pretty rare, even on the east coast where I live. From my observation, engine choices of the Galaxies/Ltds were about equally split between the 289 and 390. The 351 was introduced mid year and looked to be popular.
Plenty of salt is used here in the winter. Don’t recall any rust issues on Dads Ltd. Just a big, solid reliable car.
Thank you for sharing this one. I like it, and the price seems to be realistic. I hope it finds a happy next owner soon.
Those 1960s XL’s were semi-magical when I was a child; maybe this wouldn’t be my ideal choice of year, but no complaint. Also, I rather like the blue rather than, say, a bright red respray.
If only I had a *three* car garage….
Not my cuppa tea but at $18K with no rust and functional AC this is certainly a bargain .
The first photo is terrific and will likely sell the car .
Find a good dash then source a factory clock, have it converted to quartz before installing it and you’re good to go .
Wait on the top until it begins to leak .
-Nate
Every one I’ve seen is cracked the same way. My theory is road vibrations cause the out-jutting heavy part on the drivers side to twist against the thin willowy passenger side, hence the cracking. I’m afraid If you want a crack-free 1969-70 dash, a trip to Just Dashes and a Platinum Credit Card are in order. This one is in better shape than most I’ve seen.
I agree that this is something that many of us can agree on – I love these Ford XLs. I saw a ’68 convertible (also with buckets) at a car show earlier this year, and was captivated enough to take a bunch of pictures.
The “U-bar” shifter may not have been a great design, but half a century later, it sure looks neat.
The 1969-70 full-size Fords with bucket seats and the U-shape shifter was really the pinnacle of their imitation ‘cockpit’ styling for pilots (or wannabe pilots). No one else did it better but they really need the optional clock to complete the look. I don’t know if you could get that shifter on the Mercury Cyclone, but it would be even better with the array of instruments (including a tachometer) set into the right side of the dash. That had to be an expensive modification for a low production car.
Still a pretty cool car (especially a convertible). Looks like the control for the convertible top is tacked onto the lower left side of the dash pad.
The U-Shifter was on full-size cars only, on 1968-70 XLs and bucket-seat Meteors, as well as 1969-70 Marauders. It actually made a last stand in 1971 Galaxie 500, LTD and Meteor where the setup was a stand-alone option. Interestingly, it lived a second life in Mexican LTDs until the mid-70s.
I don’t know why the design is being not that great. If not that then it would have been the T handle. I always thought it looked super cool in 1969.
This is a nice looking car and in its condition it will probably sell at the advertised price. The working air is also a real bonus.
I am just not a Ford man. I have driven big Fords of this era and the suspension is so soft and uncontrolled making course changes caused bounding and heaving. Rough roads are a nightmare with the solid rear axle jumping all over the place. Finally, a car this big and heavy needs disks up front. GM stuff of the era was also soft, but not as bad as Ford.
A new set of springs and modern gas shocks make all the difference.
In this era Fords were the worst, and imo Mopar was the best for a full size car that was controllable and still rode decently. GMs weren’t bad but the B and C body cars liked body structure, I had 5 of them ’73 to 76 GM, and 4 Mopar c bodies, ’74 to 77.
There were several big 69 Fords in my life back when, but no XLs. My Uncle Mervin had a 2 door G-500 in this color (same interior, too) and a family friend had a G-500 convertible with bright turquoise paint mated with a black top and interior. I liked both of them a lot, but the LTD/XL grille and taillight treatment really iced that cake. This one is nice!
Every car I ever saw from this era soon suffered from at least 1 dash pad crack, no matter what manufacturer.
One spring Sunday in 1969 my wife and I were out for a ride. In the nearby town of Dowagic, Michigan we saw a 1969 Ford convertible in the local Ford dealer’s showroom. We stopped to take a look. While looking thru the showroom window (the dealer was closed on Sunday), a voice said “My window is dirty, come on inside and have a look” The dealer was in this store doing some paperwork and noticed us at his window.
On the floor was a beautiful 1969 Ford Galaxie 500 convertible (unfortunately not an XL) in Presidential Blue with the 390 V8, power steering, power brakes and automatic tranny — almost an exact duplicate of the car shown here. Within 30 minutes we purchased that car. We kept it for well over 140,000 miles and 20 years! Yes the dash pad developed a crack in it, but otherwise it was a good car. My wife did have one bad experience — one winter after a heavy rain the temperature quickly dropped, and both doors were frozen in their closed position. The windows were also frozen and wouldn’t go down. The real problem was that my wife was in the car at the time, and couldn’t get out! We had a friend who owned a gas station and repair shop, so she drove over there. His suggestion was to put the dop down and get out that way. It worked! He also put the car in his shop and let it thaw out!
I’m a sucker for anything with concealed headlamps and I love these big full-sized sporty cars with them in general (and convertibles wth them in particular). Aside from the ’68-’70 Ford XL, I’m fond of the ’67 Pontiac Grand Prix and the ’68-’70 Chrysler Three-Hundred.
I always thought the 69 Squire wagon was the best looking. Still do.