Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[62rebel]

green wellies and wet fields aside, i've swapped two Mustangs and a Valiant for a 1971 GT Torino. NO; the mustangs were not gen1; one was a 78 mustang II and the other a plain Fox 6cyl, as was the Valiant. the GT is in pretty good nick given that the PO (previous owner) must have been a complete shambles of a mechanic. it's been transplanted with a 3spd/OD manual trans out of a granada (WHAT?) and this will be replaced with the correct autobox ASAP. in case Torino does not ring a bell for you guys, think in terms of Mad Max Falcon, but not quite. not the starsky and hutch version either; the wedge-ey pointy two-year version. it does start and run well, and the electrics, brakes, etc all work okay. larger than my falcon but much the same car in many aspects.

[Job-Rated]

[Uncle Joe]

I thought everybody knew what a Torino looks like.

Which motor is in it Reb, the 351C?

UJ

[62rebel]

you'll get piccies when i get a digital camera. cars come first!
it's got a 351 windsor, basically a tall deck 302. clevelands are actually very rare and somewhat overrated performance wise. much can be done with a windsor to have a powerful and reliable unit these days. not that i really care too much for all-out speed anymore; just give me sufficient torque to get out of the lights when they change, and somewhere around 17mpg if possible!

[Uncle Joe]

I see what you mean about a shambles of a mechanic....how could someone pull a C6 out......yee gods!

Rebel, if you are looking for better mileage, why not use an E4OD? They are easy enough to fit nowadays, though IMHO not as good as a C6.

UJ

[62rebel]

UJ, you should see the bodging i've had to undo on the car. i've so far taken off seven or eight plastic zip-ties, two of which were holding the rad in. not to mention it was too wide for the lower mounts, both of which needed straightening and new rubbers. installed the correct rad and brackets this AM. have been struggling through replacing the column with a good used unit; such a bad job of rigging i've never seen before. p*key aren't THAT bad. then there's the 30-50m of electrical wire binding things in place, missing parts, and more jury rigging. GGGRRRRRRRRR. the wrong motor (engine) mounts, with homemade adapters to make them fit. GRRRR. if this was not such a pretty car.... what possesses folk to DO these things? what WAS he thinking.

[Uncle Joe]

Reb, I think such bodging is common in older cars, though I will admit, yours does seem a bit extreme. The point is though, these people WERENT thinking.

If I'm truthful, I have a bit of a bee in my bonnet about people that dont do thinks as they should, and just take the easy way out, ie Gaffer Tape and cable ties.....!

I found a strange case of bodging on my Lincoln when I bought it, might tell you some day.....

[62rebel]

removed the tranny and bellhousing today; gawd it's HOT. so; it seems that i MAY have to source an AOD to use, since the engine is newer than i thought and has incorrect balance for C4 trans flexplate. GRRRR. which means i just might swap in a 302/FMX i have already set up to go. ah the joy of bashing your head against a wall. it feels SO good when you STOP.

[Uncle Joe]

I'm getting a bit confused here, isnt the late 351W the one with the 'big' bellhousing? So you should be able to fit a C6 shouldnt you?

I'm suggesting this to confuse the others!

UJ

[62rebel]

nobody's more confused than i am on this car. got the clutch/flywheel off today and located a bellhousing for my C4. this 351w uses the smaller bellhousing same as 302 but slightly larger flexplate. the larger flexplate will clear the b/h by not much as the starter is farther out from the center due to wider block. the 302 b/h works with the small flexplate IF you use a reduction gear starter which will clear the oil pan rail. got you confused yet? the 351m/400 used the C6 bell. here's some more possibilities i may pursue; i have a smallblock C6, a 302 with an FMX, and another 302 with a C4 in case i can't get this combo to work! i believe however that i can get a small case starter to use on the C4 bell. luckily for me this is a project car and not something i have to drive by Monday!

[Uncle Joe]

I've never been a fan of the FMX, dont know why, so if all else fails, I would go for the 302/C4 combo....

Of course, if you werent worried about mileage, then there are the 385 series big blocks.

Wasnt it a Torino with a 385 series that held the Pikes Peak record for a long time?

UJ

[62rebel]

i don't recall the torino having held it but i do know the toronado was always a contender there. one place where FWD really helps, no oversteer and all traction. but i could be wrong...

[Uncle Joe]

I have been trawling the net to find out about the Pikes Peak Torino, but could I find anything.....I suppose to satisfy my curiousity, I will have to look through my own archives now....

I wonder why Pikes Peak winners between 1969 and 1975 dont seem to appear on the net anywhere?

UJ