Well those who follow my Ford Torino GT restoration may have realized that it has been awhile since I gave an update!! Well snowstorms kept me at bay for two weeks, bitterly cold weather kept me only working for a few hours, and coming back to college again has limited the time to pretty much just weekends.

(Boring technical stuff). So during the cold, I've been going out and getting the door panels, the arm rests, and a few other small parts and cleaning them up and shining them to look like new (most everything is cleaning up well, I need to get some pictures and put those up with this stuff this weekend I suppose). I've also been doing a lot of things like installing a starter, which took 3 hours one afternoon a couple months ago because I had to work around a header, and even ended up bending a wrench to tighten a bolt on it. I had to run a vacuum hose to the transmission so it could shift, I had to change out the thermostat housing gasket, I pressure tested the radiator and found it was in good shape, but got to looking at it and figured out it was the radiator that came with the 429 that someone was trying to put in and realized it wasn't going to fit... so I ended up having to get an aluminium radiator. I've been running the hoses, getting the carburaetor finely tuned, and then I had to build a bracket for the shifter. Now, this would not have been necessary had the car come with the right engine and transmission, but turns out it is. See, if I had kept it like it was, on the bottom of the column shift, where 1st gear is, would be park, and the top would be Low. So a bracket had to be built which took about 2 weekends of cutting, measuring, mistakes, making new ones, building and bending new ones, to get it working right. Plus, it's tight quarters and just takes time, patience, and trial and error to get everything to where it won't beat on anything and to actually put everything together (And you front wheel drive Monte Carlo guys just THINK you have a hard time with those rear spark plugs... you really don't know how easy you've got it, friends ). I've also sealed the gas tank and have it ready to go back in. I've cleaned up the rear seat. So the pictures are here are scarce, but the work has been hard. Enjoy!

The engine, with everything but a few gauges hooked up and the alternator needs to be wired up!



Here are some pictures of the car running around.






This is what it looks like inside the car when you are riding.



And here is a picture of a happy driver!



And the videos!!!!!!!!! If you have time for just one, I recommend this first one!

http://www.youtube.com/user/SuperSlo.../0/pjN_o9Wrn0I

http://www.youtube.com/user/SuperSlo.../1/b8-zygGy69w

http://www.youtube.com/user/SuperSlo.../2/mbFejZbi65o

http://www.youtube.com/user/SuperSlo.../3/9qw1A1m-G8s

 

Awesome to see it running!!!

Do you have any estimated times of completion? Or near completion haha

 

very nice. What year is that? My dad use to have a '68

 

This is a 1968. Original GT with 390! I'm hoping to complete in about another 2 months.

 

very cool Duane! looks great!

 

Looks fantastic thus far. I hope to someday restore an old monte, hopefully a 70 or 71. Dreams are good things to have.

 

Awesome Duane!!!!

 

its always good to see when some ones prodject or dream car almost completed there way. also have the feeling of acomplishment when it is done

 

 

SSuper cool Duane.

Say if I can offer some advice. The car would look better with nicer tires on it. The (well unless you want it that way?) white tires just aren't cutting it for me. LOL

You've come a long way with the car and should be proud of all your hard work. If I'd have done as much work to my latest '57 as you have the Torino, I'd be driving the '57 instead of it just setting against the far wall of the garage like it is.

Good job buddy.