1969 Mustang Mach 1

Daryn Swails Sets the Standards High with his 1969 Mustang Mach 1 Muscle Machine

Sometimes you have to buy your own Christmas present. Daryn Swails did just that 12 years ago when he drove six hours from his Nebraska home two days before Christmas to pick up a 1969 Mustang Mach 1. This was not a shiny ready-to-drive Mustang with a bow on it, just a shell and a title.

1969 Mustang Mach 1

Over the next dozen years, Daryn built on the skills he learned as a pipeline welder to rebuild the Mustang not just once, but twice. He says the car was a hot rod for years, but when the AutoCross bug struck, he repurposed the Mach 1 into the polished corner-carving competitor it is now. Both versions were the result of countless nights and weekends spent in the garage.

1969 Mustang Mach 11969 Mustang Mach 1

With his home-grown skills expanding, Daryn decided in 2018 to open his own hot rod shop – Swails Standard. It’s named in honor of his grandfather, who owned a Standard Oil station in Geneva, Nebraska, for years.

While Daryn utilized the skills of TS Autobody in Kearney to tackle the car’s sheet metal and apply the dark blue Akzo Nobel paint, he did almost everything else himself. That meant months of learn-as-you-go work on the custom chassis, fabricating home-made suspension components that include Flaming River rack-and-pinion steering and Wilwood disc brakes. Forgeline 18×11- and 18×12-inch wheels are wrapped in Yokahama (front) and BF Goodrich (rear) tires.

The 1969 Mustang Mach 1 is powered by a corral full of ponies in the form of a modern Shelby GT 500 5.4-liter V8 that produces 700 horsepower, thanks in part to a VMP Performance supercharger. A Tremec six-speed manual transmission guides the power to the rear axle that houses 3.89 gears. Daryn created the custom exhaust system that features Magnaflow mufflers.

1969 Mustang Mach 1

The Mustang’s interior is highly functional but stylish in an understated way. The black vinyl upholstery was stitched by Daryn. A roll bar and racing seatbelts are there for safety needs, but a killer sound system and a Vintage Air climate control system provide creature comforts. Dakota Digital gauges reside in a custom dash. An Ididit tilt column is topped with an NRG Innovations steering wheel. The sound system video screen and A/C controls are located just above the custom console that includes handy cup holders.1969 Mustang Mach 1

Daryn says he built the car to go fast on the track, which was evident as he ran it hard in the Summit Racing PRO class during CPP AutoCross competition in Colorado. But the car looks equally good sitting still. With weight-saving goals in place for the future, this 1969 Mustang Mach 1 is sure to get meaner and leaner on the road ahead.

1969 Mustang Mach 1

Photos by Terry Lysak

Dave Doucette is a long-time Goodguys member with a career in newspaper, magazine and website journalism. He was one of the founding editors of USA TODAY, editor of two daily newspapers and co-owner of a magazine publishing and trade show company. He owns and operates Real Auto Media. His first car was a 1947 Ford; he has owned Camaros, Firebirds, El Caminos and a 1956 Chevy that was entered in shows from California to Florida before being sold last year. He was one of the original Goodguys Rodders Reps and served as president of two classic Chevy clubs. Doucette grew up in South Florida, avidly following the racing exploits of local hero Ollie Olsen and, of course, Don Garlits. He remembers riding his bicycle to Briggs Cunningham’s West Palm Beach factory to peak through the fence at his Sebring and LeMans racers.