Personally, I would tear them apart and rebuild them with the new kits out there. They are good and the process is fairly easy. As Paul mentioned, the '69's I've seen have been black, so that sort of makes it easier to look OEM.... I did the ones on my '68 Hemi Charger R/T and they came out nice. In '68, they, for the most part I have found, where natural. I cleaned and wire brushed mine, shot them with Permatex Extend for corrosion control and then shot them with a matte clear. Then I proceeded to put the springs back together with a new rebuild kit. Make sure, if you can, to save the bolts that go through them. They are unique with the round head and each side is of a different length.