1975 Ford Gran Torino Sport - Beautiful Car!! Unique Starsky & Hutch Paint Job! on 2040-cars
Santa Rosa, California, United States
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Up for bids is a very nice 1975 Ford Gran Torino 2-Door. I bought this car about 6 years ago on eBay. The body was intact, but missing an engine. I don't even want to try and figure up the amount of money I have spent getting this car into a well-running vehicle. I DO have nearly all of the receipts which includes payment spent on parts, labor, and maintenance. As you can see, this is a Starsky & Hutch replica. Why is it blue? Because I hate red. I think the blue looks cool, especially the interior. This car turns heads...it is a RARE event when I pull into a gas station to not have someone come up and either comment on it or ask a question.
Okay, so now the hard part, trying to remember everything I've done to this car. Initially, the car was stripped down to the metal frame and all the rusty areas sand blasted. The original engine was a 400 CID 8-cylinder. Fortunately, an identical engine (recently rebuilt) was found in a junked vehicle and it's been running great ever since it was installed. Initially, I had a terrible time with the electrical ignition. The car would just quit running and wouldn't restart. I finally threw in the towel and installed an HEI distributor. I've NEVER had an issue since then with the car not wanting to start or keep running. I've had the seats reupholstered and the material is very durable and comfortable. I installed sound deadeners in the ceiling and floor before putting in new carpet and headliner. The old AM/FM radio was replaced with a CD player and 4 speakers. The front and rear bumpers were taken off and rechromed. All the wheel well moldings are original, not the sticky tape ones some people put on. I think I've obtained various parts from over 35 different Torinos in order to complete this one car. According to one website, there were only about 5,000 of these 1975 Gran Torino Sports produced which makes this particular model fairly scarce. Now for all the KNOWN issues with the car. The instrument panel is very dimly lit. I've replaced the headlight dimmer switch but the issue is the cloudy, nearly 40 yr old plastic bulb covers. They make new LED light kits for these panels now, I just don't want to invest any more money. Additionally, the temperature gauge does not work and the clock runs sporadically. I have an extra instrument gauge cluster and bezel that I will include (along with a car cover). I'm not sure if all the gauges work but chances are good that they do, and it's not hard to switch them out. Presently, a red warning light is illuminated on the instrument panel. This is either the parking brake or low fuel warning...my guess is the low fuel since I usually only keep about 1/4 tank of fuel in the gas tank. All other interior lights and buzzers work. There are some very tiny paint blisters on the top side of the passenger rear quarter panel. They are hard to see in the pictures but I tried my best. Also, underneath the passenger rocker panel, in front of the rear tire, is a bigger area (about the size of 2 quarters) of paint/rust blisters. None of these has caused the paint to crack yet. If the winning buyer is interested, a local paint and body shop has offered to repaint/repair this area along with the rear quarter panel at a cost of $25/hour for labor. Frankly, this is a fantastic price for labor but the only potential downside is that the new paint may not exactly match the old but the body shop will try to blend the colors to the best of their ability. This is another issue that I don't want to deal with but I will gladly provide contact info as well as getting the car to the shop if the buyer wants to do this. The air conditioner and heater/fan work fine. Sometimes you have to jiggle the knob a little before the compressor engages and the air conditioner starts to run. I do have an extra replacement switch assembly for the fan/heater/air conditioner. Other than what I have described, these are the only problems I know of. Any potential buyer needs to understand that this is an older FORD car, which is extremely COLD-NATURED. In order to properly start the car, you need to pump the gas peddle several times THEN turn the ignition. The RPM will reeve high for about a minute, then idle quietly once the engine gets warm enough. When starting the car with a HOT engine, you need to press the gas peddle to the floor, then turn the ignition. Any deviation from this will only run down the starter/flood the engine/or just cause unnecessary frustration. The engine DOES NOT diesel when you turn the ignition off. The carburetor is set for sea level, so please consider that if you live at a higher altitude. As far as I know, the car has roughly 150,000 miles on it. The original instrument panel (which has been thrown away) showed an odometer reading of around 47,000. Based on the condition of the car at that time, I believe it had turned over 100,000 miles. Since the rebuilt engine was installed, I've put about 3,000 miles on the car. The longest drives were from Pocatello, Idaho to Santa Rosa, California and from Santa Rosa to Pismo Beach and back. Usually about once a month, I take it out for a few miles just to run the engine and work the transmission. I have seen no drops or puddles of oil or transmission fluid on my garage floor. The car has been kept in a garage for the last 3 years and under a car tarp for the time before that. I think that is everything for now. If I think of anything else to add, I will post it here. If you need pictures of anything, please ask and I will post them as soon as I can. My understanding from eBay is that a potential buyer can request and pay for a vehicle inspection BEFORE the auction ends. I would STRONGLY recommend this!!!!! Not that I have any doubts the car will pass a thorough inspection, but if the buyer cannot physically be present to check out the car, this is the only way to be certain of what you are buying. I'm requiring a $200 NON-REFUNDABLE deposit 48 hours after the end of the auction. IF YOU'RE NOT SERIOUS ABOUT BUYING THIS CAR, DON'T WASTE MY TIME OR YOURS!!!! Go buy a cheap toy and play with it instead. ATTN: CALIFORNIA BUYERS - You do NOT have to SMOG this car, the cutoff is 1976. The vehicle is permanently registered in Montana, so you must consider any transfer fees and costs to register this car in your own state. I will be keeping the plates! I have a clear title with NO LIENS! No surprise, but this is an AS IS SALE!!!!!!!! I cannot guarantee anything. ANY QUESTIONS/CONCERNS/ETC, EMAIL ME OR POST ON THE LISTING. I will thoroughly and honestly answer anything! I HAVE A PERFECT eBAY RATING and have been on this site since the mid-1990's. Lastly, I love this car...I have put a lot into it and really hate that the time has come to sell it. It's a beautiful car that runs smooth and fast (the FLOWMASTER mufflers on this car have a nice rumble that's not too loud and gets quieter the faster the car drives.) My reserve price on this is very close to the starting bid. My hope is for the car to go to someone who will enjoy and appreciate owning a muscle car...and baby it to death like I have!!!!! |
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