[JFive35]

As of right now the car i have is completely stock! ORIGINAL EVERYTHING!!!! I want to make sure to keep it that way, but i also have the desire/want to dress it up a bit. Any suggestion what I can do with out ruining it authenticity? Would changing the coolant hoses and valve covers make any difference? Any thoughts are greatly appreciated!!!!
Thanks in advance!!!!!

[66Sprint200]

It wouldn't be a big change if you replaced the hoses. And for originality, you can get hoses that are exact reproductions of the originals, right down to the white markings. As for the valve covers, I am willing to bet that if you wanted to dress it up it wouldn't be changing the originality. IIRC there was a dealer or factory option that consisted of chrome valve covers and the HiPo style open element air cleaner. I'm not 100% sure about it, but if you wanted, you could just take the old air cleaner & valve covers, sand them down and repaint them to make the top end of the engine look better. If yours has the 260 V8 then it will have a black block, oil pan, and heads, while the valve covers & air cleaner are light blue. If you have either of the 289s then it had a black block, oil pan, and heads, while the valve covers & air cleaner will be gold.

[Print Dad]

Originally Posted by JFive35

As of right now the car i have is completely stock! ORIGINAL EVERYTHING!!!! I want to make sure to keep it that way, but i also have the desire/want to dress it up a bit. Any suggestion what I can do with out ruining it authenticity? Would changing the coolant hoses and valve covers make any difference? Any thoughts are greatly appreciated!!!!
Thanks in advance!!!!!

Hello JFive35,
There are several things to consider when changing a vehicle.
If you intend to put the car in a museum or sell it then you may want to
keep everything stock.

From what I have learned it seems cosmetic changes such as valve covers, braided lines, chrome master cylinder cover etc. etc. do not take away from the car's value.
I have asked many people and several I think know.
One friend has a 67 Shelby 500 worth over a quarter of a million and he painted the car. He checked with the Shelby registry and they said it would not take away value.

My advice...change bolt ons like air cleaner, valve covers even braided lines. If you do, keep the old parts like the air cleaner in case a purist wants to purchase the car.

As for me, I am trying to make our Mach 1 look pleasing to us and fun to drive and show. There will be conflicting ideas on this I am sure, but remember, it is your car and you should be happy with her.

Just my opinions....... Print Dad

[Wsovonick]

Sometimes just a careful detailing of the engine and engine bay is all you need for a a really good look.

[JFive35]

Hey everyone...Thanks for your help!! Print dad...that is pretty exactly what I was thinking of doing. keep the originals and put on what I like, even though I don't think I will ever sell it. Again, thank you for all your opinions!!!!!