1971 Ford Torino

Coupe

351C 4V

Automatic

1A38M253220

Clear

Gasoline

1971 Ford Torino Cobra Project Car *** NO RESERVE AUCTION *** In addition to the detailed description and pictures in the listing, over 50 high resolution pictures showing the car in its current disassembled state can be seen here.Additional pictures taken during the disassembly process can be seen here. (I have about 300 detailed high-resolution pictures taken during disassembly for the purpose of aiding reassembly. They will be provided to the winner of the auction.) This is a non-running, partially disassembled project car. This car is not for the casual hobbyist. Reassembling the car will require skill, time, and money, so please read the description below carefully and understand what you are getting yourself in to before you bid. The original engine and transmission are currently out of the car, along with the front suspension and most under-hood accessories. The engine and transmission are on stands, and all original parts are packed in boxes and containers. The car is NOT being parted out. This auction is for the car and ALL the original parts in my possession – including the engine and transmission as they sit on stands -- as well as many new and rebuilt parts that I have acquired (listed below). YOU ARE BIDDING ON THE CAR AND ALL THE PARTS. IF YOU WIN, YOU ARE OBLIGATED TO TAKE IT ALL. The car can be transported only by trailer or flatbed truck. The front-end of the car is supported by bolt-on dollies, so it can be rolled around. The winning bidder must be prepared to pick up the car and all parts in person. I will not ship it. I will assist with loading the car onto your trailer or flatbed truck and loading the parts into your vehicle. (A fullsize car trailer or rollback flatbed truck will be needed, along with a large pickup truck or van to carry the parts.) Please contact me through Ebay with any questions you have about the car. I highly recommend and encourage interested bidders to inspect the car in person before bidding. Summary Engine: 351C 4V Exterior Color: Grabber Yellow Interior Color: Black VIN: 1A38M253220 This is an original Torino Cobra. The car was originally from West Virginia, and I have owned it for about 30 years. I removed the engine/transmission and front suspension about 10 years ago with the intention of refinishing the engine compartment, rebuilding the front suspension, and converting the car to power disc brakes (from manual drums), but life intervened and the project stalled. At this point I don't have the time or interest to put the car back together. I'd like to sell it to someone with an appreciation of what the car is and the desire and skill to get it back on the road. The car was in very good condition and ran well when it was last on the road over 15 years ago, with no serious mechanical or other issues other than the brakes (sticking/grabbing, wheel cylinders leaking). Other than the black rocker panel stripes, the car is very original. It's a very low option car; power steering and AM radio are the only accessories as far as I can determine. Ownership History Purchased in 1985. Car originally from West Virginia. Number of previous owners unknown. Car has been off the road for over 15 years. Approximately (within a few thousand over) 60,000 original miles. Exact mileage unknown. (Gauge cluster was replaced at some point years ago; mileage showing now is not correct but is in the ballpark.) Price It's somewhat difficult to determine a reasonable price for the car in its current state. It would be a solid #3+ car if it was assembled in its current condition. In addition, it comes with many new, rebuilt, and used engine, suspension, steering, and other parts, as well as stands and dollies, that I estimate to be worth about $2000. I am setting the auction starting price at $4500 based on a car value of $3000 (slightly below the $3200 #4 condition price in Collector Car Market Guide) plus a conservative $1500 estimate of the parts/accessories value. Condition Exterior Body: Excellent. No rust; very clean and solid. The one exception is the driver's front fender, which shows evidence of fender-bender damage and less than perfect repair on the front half. The repaint is obvious and the bondo is cracking. The inner structure of the fender is also bent where it meets the die cast fender extension piece. There is also a newer dent on the lower front of the same fender (from slipping off a jack). The fender should be replaced. The driver's side corner of the front bumper is scraped and its mounting brackets are bent from the same incident. Other than these items, the rest of the sheet metal is in excellent shape. Paint: Good. Although there are signs of touch-ups, I believe at least some of the yellow paint may be original. The black on the hood (factory-correct) and the rear panel was clearly repainted at some point, probably at the same time the rocker panel stripes (not factory correct) were added. I would rate the paint overall as 6 out of 10. It would probably respond well to a professional sanding/compounding/polishing process. Chrome/trim: Good. Some pitting of the door/window trip. Front bumper should be replaced or straightened and rechromed. Rear bumper is very good. Undercarriage Excellent. No rust; very clean and solid. Underbody is undercoated with the heavy black undercoating typical of the era. Exhaust The dual exhaust system was cut off in pieces during the disassembly, and all the pieces come with the car. I think the H pipe may be original, with the rest (including glasspack mufflers) not original. None of it is fit to be salvaged, but may be useful as a template to construct a new system. Interior Very good, although it needs a thorough cleaning from sitting for so long. (The light spots on the upholstery visible in the pictures are from sitting for so long; possibly a combination of dirt and humidity. They should come off with a good cleaning.) The upholstery is in good shape (a small section of a seam on the driver's side is starting to separate) and the door panels and headliner are in excellent condition. The one exception is the dash pad, which has a crack in the middle. Engine Currently out of the car on a stand. It ran fine when the car was parked. Completely stock with the exception of Ford finned aluminum valve covers that were put on 30 years ago. Original Holley 4-barrel carburetor (OE part; original metal tag with Ford part # still attached). The only work I ever did to it was repaint the intake manifold, install the valve covers, and replace the lifters (again, 30 years ago; almost certainly unnecessary). Transmission Original C-6 automatic; worked fine when the car was parked. Currently mounted on a stand. Differential Original 9” housing. I believe the car was originally equipped with a 3:25 open differential. My recollection is that it had higher gearing when I bought it, which I replaced with a used open center section with 3:75 gears sometime shortly after. The car developed symptoms of a pinion bearing problem (shudder/vibration) at some point after that I think is probably due to the yoke having not been installed properly with a new crush sleeve. That problem has not been addressed, so the differential would need to either be rebuilt or replaced. (A differential installation ½ kit with a new crush sleeve is included in the new parts.) Tires The car currently wears the same 14” Goodyear Eagle ST tires that were on it when I purchased it. They are fine for rolling it around, but due to their age they should be replaced if the car is put back on the road. Gas Tank There was probably some gas left in the tank when I took the car off the road. It likely wasn't full, but I don't recall how full it was, so it should be assumed there is some old gas in the tank. The old gas will need to be dealt with, and the tank will probably need to be removed and cleaned. Included Parts New Parts These parts are new, in the original boxes. There may be additional parts I've forgotten about that aren't listed here. Approximate total retail value: $1200 (The part values are estimates based on published prices from various vendors.) PST polygraphite front suspension super kit. Includes upper/lower control arms and polygraphite bushings (bushings have been installed in lower arms.) ($600) Coil spring seats ($60) Coil spring isolators ($30) 4 (front and rear) KYB gas shocks ($200) Holley 12-854 high-performance 351C fuel pump (chrome, apparently no longer available, $75) JEGs heavy-duty 351C water pump (part #51042, $80) Thermostat ($5) MMS 351C stainless steel engine fastener kit ($35) JEGs Ford 9” 28 spline installation ½ kit ($25) Power-steering cylinder boot kit ($20) Power-steering hoses (3 - $80) pump to control valve (pressure) pump to control valve (return) control valve to power cylinder Rebuilt/Remanufactured Parts Unused; purchased from various sources. Approximate total retail value: $500 Ford distributor ($50) Power-steering pump (pump installed into original refinished reservoir housing) ($50) Power-steering power cylinder ($150) Power-steering control valve ($250) Used Parts Acquired from different sources; excellent condition. Approximate value: $100+ Driver-side fender extension (to replace damaged one on car) Steering center link (The set screw broke off in the original link – which also comes with the car – during disassembly. It can probably be salvaged by drilling out the broken screw.) Original Parts There are approximately 25 boxes and plastic storage bins – from small to large – containing almost all the original parts removed during disassembly. (There are a few parts I no longer have, listed below.) Parts range from fasteners to large items (e.g., front bumper, brackets, radiator, drive shaft, etc.) All original fasteners are bagged/packaged and labeled. (I attempted to refinish some of the original fasteners, but the results are mixed.) As noted, the engine and transmission are mounted on stands. (The stands themselves were both new, assembled out-of-the-box for this project. The engine is mounted on a very nice 4-wheel heavy-duty Allied stand. The transmission is mounted on a lighter-duty 3-wheel stand. The stands alone are worth several hundred dollars.) The following parts have been stripped and repainted. (I tried to match the original finishes. This is probably a partial list; there may be other parts that have been refinished.) Front coil springs Front sway bar Front upper shock mounts Front strut rods Steering center link Spindles Missing Original Parts These original parts are not in my possession. (I think this is a complete list, but there may be others missing that I don't recall.) Valve covers (replaced with aluminum covers currently on the engine) Power-steering pump (exchanged for rebuilt unit noted above) Power-steering power cylinder (exchanged for rebuilt unit noted above) Power-steering control valve (exchanged for rebuilt unit noted above) Engine cooling restrictor plate (aka water bypass plate, bypass washer, thermostat restrictor. Unique to 351C; required for proper cooling. Discarded by mistake; appears to be available from various sources.) Documentation/Accessories The following documentation and accessories come with the car: 1971 Ford shop manuals (multi-volume set) Original owners manuals Build sheet Original keys Extra Tools/Accessories The following items come with the car. I am listing them because they are items of value that are not related specifically to the car. Approximate value: $500 2 engine stands (1 is heavy-duty, 4-wheel unit) 2 frame-mount car dollies (Don't recall what vendor these were purchased from, but they are heavy-duty units with lockable pneumatic casters that mount directly to the frame. I think they cost several hundred dollars.) Auction Notes As you can see from my detailed description of the car, I have made a sincere effort to provide full disclosure. I want this to be a positive experience for the buyer and myself. Please carefully read the following notes. Bid on the auction only if you are completely comfortable with all of these stipulations. Ensure you have the funds on hand to purchase the car before bidding. This is a no reserve auction. That means if you are the highest bidder, you win. Again, this is a non-running, partially disassembled project car. This car is not for the casual hobbyist. Reassembling the car will require skill, time, and money, so please read the description carefully and understand what you are getting yourself in to before you bid. Ask any questions you may have, and discuss any concerns with me before bidding. I highly recommend that you make an appointment to come and inspect the car in person before you bid. I hold a clear New Jersey title for the car in my name. Upon a successful conclusion to the auction, the title transfer section will be completely filled out with the buyer’s name and signed over as per the directions on the title. The mileage statement on the title will be marked as “true mileage unknown”. I will not sign it over to someone other than the buyer, leave the buyer’s name blank, or deviate in any way from the official title handling procedure. The buyer will be required to sign a bill of sale acknowledging that the vehicle is a non-running project vehicle and comes with no expressed or implied warranty, that I have described the car, parts, and issues to the best of my knowledge, that the buyer understands and accepts the issues described in the auction listing, that the buyer is completely responsible for properly transporting the car and parts to their location, and that I am not responsible for any omissions or future problems. The actual auction sale price will be listed on the bill of sale. No additional transfer paperwork will be provided. I will not attest to an alternate sale price or provide any other kind of paperwork. Deposit: The winning bidder is required to pay a $500 deposit via Paypal within 48 hours of auction close. Immediate deposit payment is required if the auction ends with Buy It Now. Balance: The balance is due when the car is picked up, in the form of a bank check or cash. No personal checks will be accepted. Pickup: You must pick up the car and all parts in person within 7 days of auction close. I will not ship or deliver anything. (Disregard the shipping information in the Shipping and Payments tab.) Again, this car is a non-running rolling chassis that will need to be winched onto a full-size car trailer or flatbed truck. You must make the needed arrangements to pick up the car with a trailer or flatbed rollback truck, and must be prepared to load and transport the car, engine, transmission, and the numerous boxes/containers of parts. A large pickup truck or van will be needed to transport all the parts/accessories. Be prepared to deal with the following issues at pickup time: The front of the car is supported by two large-wheel dollies mounted directly to the front unibody. It rolls freely, but the track width is not as wide as the car's track, so the track may be too narrow to span ramps on a car trailer that is equipped with ramps. It won't be an issue for a trailer or flatbed truck with a full-width load ramp, but loading on a trailer with ramps may require some creativity. A full-width, full-floor car trailer or flatbed truck is required. A two-wheel tow dolly will NOT work, and neither will a trailer with an open-center floor. As there is no front suspension on the car, you will need to determine how to properly secure it in place on your trailer. The hood is not on the car. It will need to be loaded and transported separately, along with all the other parts. The rear brakes seem to be locked to the drums, so the rear wheels are not rolling. It may be possible to break the wheels loose via pushing/winching the car. If that doesn't work, it may be possible to roll the car onto your trailer/flatbed using my Go-jack rolling jacks (which do not come with the car) or some other means. I'll help with this situation, but please be prepared to deal with it. (Yes, I could free the wheels in advance if I was motivated, but I'm not. We'll deal with it together when the car is picked up.) You are bidding on the car and ALL the parts in my possession that come with it. The definition of “all the parts” is solely at my discretion. This is not an a la carte situation; you cannot pick and choose what to take. By bidding, you are agreeing to take it all.