Topic: Rear Leaf Springs Paint Marks - 390, AC, AT, PB, PS, San Jose - 7/10/69 Build

[QKSLVER]

Model Year: 1969
Model: Mustang Mach 1
Assembly Plant: San Jose
Build Date: July 10, 1969
Options: 390 4V, AC, AT, PB, PS
Part Number Shown on Leaf Springs: C9ZA-5556-C

My fellow Mustang fanatics, I need to know the proper rear leaf spring paint markings.  I hope I have provided all the data needed to properly determine the number of paint marks, and the colors.  Please also let me know the order for the stripes.  I?m attaching a few photos as a reference. Thanks!

[J_Speegle]

Thanks for posting all that info - especially the engineering number from the springs.

Looked at my collection and it looks like I've got one example of the stripes but want to cross reference since the colors have not been cleaned and don't want to mislead.

Will do this in the morning

[J_Speegle]

In the picture above the example to the left is from a pair of C9ZA-5556-C rear springs

Found colors on some buildsheets of the combination of 1 Gold and 1 Brown stripes. Though I don't have a buildsheet that matches your cars options we now know that this combination was used on other cars that same year and I didn't find any with a yellow stripe. Of course the colors in both examples are oxidized and have altered what we see on the surface. I did include (on the right) an example of the "gold" from another usage on a different spring and combination to include for comparison and I think they are the same as far as old oxidized gold color.

Hope this helps 

[QKSLVER]

Thank you.  Thats very helpful.  So, were the stripes that appeared on the rear leaf springs consistent based on the engineering number?  So as an example, could there be examples where the same spring (based on engineering number) was used on different cars with different options and therefore had different colored stripes or would the stripes be the same since they both used the same engineering numbered part.

[J_Speegle]

Thank you.  Thats very helpful.  So, were the stripes that appeared on the rear leaf springs consistent based on the engineering number?  So as an example, could there be examples where the same spring (based on engineering number) was used on different cars with different options and therefore had different colored stripes or would the stripes be the same since they both used the same engineering numbered part.

Spring stamped with the same engineering numbers would have all been (except for human error) would have all had the same paint markings during that time period. The engineering number related to a range of spring rating 

Engineers determine which cars (options and body type requirements) used which springs would be best used as they were not going to make over a 100 different rear springs. So you could have a 351 Mach I with AC, no PS originally equipped with the same rear springs as a 390 couple with the GT package and only PS - just made up to try and describe that different combinations could share the same parts, just like sway bars and other parts

[QKSLVER]

Perfect explanation.  Thank you!