1973 Ford Torino

Coupe

8 - Cyl.

Automatic

3A35Q199153

Clear

Gasoline

A rust-free SoCal survivor, there is not a single drop of touch-up paint on this car, not a puff of rattle can primer has ever hit it, not a speck of bondo or scratch filler on it anywhere ... this car is as honest as it gets guys! Born in Southern California and lived here all its life, this '73 Gran Torino Sport has all original paint ... no primer or re-sprays hiding anything! The floor pans are PERFECT, and so are the frame rails and undercarriage. This Torino is nicely optioned, coming from the factory with the "Q" code 351 Cobra Jet 4 bolt main engine, C6 transmission and 9 inch rear end. It also features power steering and power disc brakes, FACTORY tachometer (works!) factory AM/FM radio (also works!), bucket seats, dual sport mirrors, and some other minor options. It is not an A/C car. This is a 2-owner car, and It comes with receipts and records going back to 1979. A friend of mine bought this car in 1986. Rick did a lot of mechanical work on it in the mid/late 1990's: replacing the rod and main bearings, rebuilding the brakes, replacing the lifters & intake pan, installed new master cylinder, Pantera oil pump. new upper control arm bushings and tie rod ends, etc ... receipts are included for all of this and much more. In 1998, the radiator developed a leak and the Torino was parked for 12 years. I got the car this Fall, and did the following work all in the last two months: Removed the radiator, had it disassembled and hot tanked, and had the leak fixed. I replaced the water pump and timing cover gasket, put in fresh points, new dist. cap & rotor kit, Bosch Platinum spark plugs along with new spark plug wires, changed the oil & filter. bled the brakes, flushed out the fuel system, replaced the carburetor, put in an Optima red top battery, and installed a new starter motor among other things. The 351CJ runs out strong, it has high oil pressure and 20 pounds of manifold vacuum ... a very solid motor! This car came with 3.25 gears in that 9 Inch rear, they have been changed out to a more aggressive ratio since then ... she loves to fry the tires! The original Motorcraft 750 carb is included in this sale, along with a big wad of docs, parts receipts, smog papers, registration slips, and any other paperwork related to this car going back for the last 30 years. The owners manual and certicard is for a "Q" code Gran Torino ... just not THIS one. Known faults: Although the Holley carb is new, I hav'nt got it dialed in yet. The fast idle choke stays on too long. All of the dash gauges work, but the clock can be cranky. I set it and it works, but the next day it has stopped ... until I set it again. and then it continues to function. The 9" rear was leaking but seems to have stopped leaking now; maybe it's out of oil, or the leak sealed itself after I started driving the car? You need to be aware that this car sat for 12 years until just a couple of months ago. I've driven it around my neighborhood but hav'nt had it out for a good 50 mile cruise to check everything out. The tires all have at least 90% tread but they are all 12 or more years old. They are NOT dry-rotted at all. There are 2 accident dents on this car. This one does not extend into the door- ...And there's a light one at the front of the pass. side fender ... The roof does have a collection of "basketball dings" from the car being parked near a play area ... None of these roof depressions have any hard creases in them. The headliner is out and needs to be replaced anyway, so your body guy will have access to pop these back into shape pretty easily. The trunk is squared away: Decent spare tire mounted on the original rim, all jack and factory tire equipment is accounted for. New trunk mat is placed on a rust-free floor. This IS 37 year old original paint, and as such, it does have all of the little door dings and the bumps & bruises that come with age and use. The 1st owner in the 1970's was over enthusiastic about rubbing out the paint, with the resulting bare spots on most of the sharp edges on this car. The result is "polished patina", but people are still shocked by how nice the paint looks overall, and I always get the "THAT LOOKS AMAZING!!" comment from everyone who sees it for the first time. Paint it if you must, but other than getting the 2 dents fixed, I don't think you will be embarrassed to be seen in this car. Southern California is great for keeping cars rust free, but the dry heat is'nt so kind to interiors. The door panels are in good shape, but the carpet, seatcovers, dash pad and headliner all need to be replaced. This Torino has lived its entire life one hour away from Palm Springs! That's it: just a great looking solid, solid Gran Torino with nothing to hide. I'm in Yucaipa CA, and you are very welcome to take a personal inspection of this car before you bid. NOT an issue, but do note that the car has a duplicate title issued by the state of California. The owner for the last 25 years lost his paper title in 1998 and another one was issued to him at that time. It is still registered to him today. Car is sold "as-is", and without any warranty. Buyer is responsible for all shipping arrangements and costs. The car will not be released until your check has cleared my bank, period. I've described this car as best as I know it. It's not perfect, just ... very nice :) On Nov-16-10 at 05:50:06 PST, seller added the following information: **UPDATE** The carburetor adjustment is now dialed in and working perfectly.