1973 Torino Tribute Restoration

You could camouflage them with backup cameras too. I think a 10 lb mallet handled by a guy weighing 200 lbs, and a height of 6'-2" should just about get it right. Not just any old ding-dong that comes along.

 

Well, I got the corner bumper pieces in, front and back, and also painted that strip that holds the back cargo area panel on the driver's side in place. It looked like it needed another coat of paint in the photos I have posted. Also went around the wagon's interior and touched up the scratches, knicks, etc, as well. Everything is looking pretty good if I say so myself.

I think I may have found a local chrome guy too. He quoted me $200-250 per bumper. I can't pass up this deal. I think I will be sending my bumpers off in the next couple weeks.

Photos to follow...

 

Those are mid-70's prices for chroming. Good deal!

 

I'd suggest finding out what his guaranty / warranty is, just in case.......
There's good chrome, and not-so-good chrome.

 

I finally got a lil more time to clean everything back up and give her a bath and a fresh coat of wax. My Wife was looking at me like I was crazy (granted she hasn't been out of the garage, and I'm talking about the wagon and not my Wife, but I figured the wagon was very dusty and is sporting some new front end pieces and rear pieces so she desreved another good wash and wax. Here are a few pics of what she looks like at the moment. I really want to send my bumpers off for re-chroming so I may have to "schedule" some Over-Time at work so I can get it done sooner than later. Also still waiting on the seat covers to get sewn up. Hope yall like it.

http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=zovqivs.67sjbgow&x=0&h=1&y=-d5j4jx&localeid=en_US

 

LOL.....I still say .... you will be washing and waxing that beauty in that garage for the rest of your life and NEVER take it outta there!
I tell ya, gpd....that car is way too cool to take out on the street! Man....it sure is looking great.

 

Quick question Norm (since you have re-designed your dash wiring) or anyone else who may know. My "Turn Signal / Marker Lights" wiring is about a foot or so short for this new front end. What do I have to do to extend it? Would it be ok to splice it w/ connectors and same gauge wiring or should I solder it? I have never soldered, but I guess it's a good time to learn. All help is welcome. Thanks in advance.

 

Thank you very much Silver! I really wish I had the funds to do it the way it rolled off the assembly line. Slowly, but surely, I will get it to look "Dealership Showroom Floor New."

I imagine there weren't TOO many base model Torino WAGONS (for that matter) on the Dealership showroom floors!
Lets see in 1975....????

That's kind of a tough one. '75 Mustang?...no such thing...75 Torino?..ok the Gran Torino..Nice car..BUT...Help me out Guys...What car in 1975 did FORD produce that just smacked Americans right off their couch and said, "Come and Get Me????"

Chevrolet had the beautiful....Caprice Classic Convertible....very nice car...One that is on my "Bucket List"

 

Just FYI Guys, I guess I am a lil more sentimental this week and working hard on the wagon because it's my Dad's 5th year anniversary of His passing. I really wish He was here to see it!

 

Hey gpd, I think it is so great that you are building this car as a tribute to your beloved father.
Every minute spent working on it, and thinking about it, and sharing your progress, is really time spent remembering and honoring your father.

I bet your dad is getting a big kick out of your beautiful true-blue Torino Tribute!

David

 

I can relate to how you feel about that, gpd. I wish he could be there too. I have a hunch he is.

 

Right question and right guy too. The Fairmont has the marker lights 'hardwired' into the front harnesses. The Capri has a separate connector system. The Capri extensions are too short, so I'm soldering the connector ends (6" pigtails on each half) to the Fairmont marker harnesses, since I'm using the Capri wiring from the firewall to the headlights. You'd just have to snip off the harness behind the headlights (both sides), disconnect the bulbs and solder it up. Take pictures of your system first, and whatever car you get this from. Routing them in is always a puzzle. It should be a 2-prong flat blade grey connector (male/female) feeding off the turn/park lights (brown and black wires on mine, for the markers) green/orange wire for one side, orange/green for the other side, with a brown (parking) and black (ground) wire feeding into the front park/turn lamp holders).

I figured I'd do this now, expecially since I plan of getting a 4-lamp headlight system and grille from a Zephyr. Solder of course and those heatshrink tubes are great. Trim off any sharp wire ends before you shrink the tubes, then wrap the harness up with tape up to about 2 or 3 inches of the connectors. Allows you to ID the circuit while giving you enough harness strength to yank the connectors apart.

Hope that helps.

Oh! To keep the connectors from corroding inside, use some non-conductive white grease, and see if you can locate a 1/4" hole for one of those plastic wire support clips. They slide into the side of the Ford connector and are taped to the harness. Copper wire does flex and break over time, but even faster if it can shake and get battered by stones and mud and snow, under the fender like they do. Also, I found that mine, coming from Mexico's huge rain storms, had plumber's mastic around the edge of the bulb socket to keep the socket in and the water out.

 

Absolutely phenomenal job, GPD. You have to be so pumped. You're getting so close; you must be so impatient to get er on the road. I know I would be.
Let's see. What car was hot in '75 for Ford that they'd put it in the showroom. A 1975 Country Squire came right to my mind. They had no convertibles; the Mustang was that weird little Mustang II. The Pintos were nothing to write home about. The full size LTD's were fairly popular as I remember, so perhaps you'd find one of those in the showroom back then. What year did they come out with the Starsky and Hutch Gran Torino? Was that '75?
I found a link for it: http://www.classictvcars.com/gran-torino.php

 

Well I know the 74-76 Gran Torinos are what alot of guys are using to clone the Stasky and Hutch Torino, but I think it wasn't till '76 that FORD actually produced a limited number of factory Starsky and Hutch cars. I wanna say 1000 of them.

I stand corrected, the lil Mustang II King Cobra was a pretty cool lil car. Also the Elite's were kind aclassy as well.

 

Have you seen the butt splice connectors with solder and heat shrink?

http://www.tech-cor.net/AutoResBulletin/1995-4/1995-4.htm