Ford Gran Torino 1972 Sport

2011-11-13T06:15:00.001-08:00

You will find below some images from my wedding last September. All the guests were definitely in love with the car. It was a magical day, with a dream wife and a dream car!!

Gramby show 2011

2011-08-23T18:37:00.000-07:00

Early this month, I went to the Gramby show here in Quebec. The Torino was a real love story with the public. Everyone kept asking stories about the beast. Also, the transmission C6 is freshly rebuilt. It is without a doubt, the best car in the whole world. Sharp look, fantastic design and historically rich in American racing (Engine: 24h lemans/Body-style: Nascar).

In the pictures below, you see me talking about the car and in the second image; you see lots of interest towards my gas tank!!

Time for some fun!!

2011-06-15T10:51:00.000-07:00

The car is now ready for the road. It drives like a dream. The power it has is almost scary!! I am planning many road-trips this summer. I will post some more adventures shortly. In the meantime, here is a picture of the car next to a historical bridge in the Laurentian near Mont-Tremblant.

Inspection is done :)

2011-06-10T03:29:00.000-07:00

Today is a big day as the inspection has been passed and the car is home. It officially licensed and on the road for the first time in more than two decades. Here is a picture of the car getting pampered by some youngsters at a local car-wash.

Inspection Time

2011-05-31T18:18:00.000-07:00

The car drives great. I had my inspection today and it failed :(
I do not mind too much as it is small things. My low fan speed does not work and I need to change the lower front left side ball joint. Here is a pic of the car in the driveway of the country house!!!

The work is almost done

2011-05-17T19:23:00.000-07:00

The car just had a total mechanical rebuilt. The Cobra jet engine has been rebuilt too. It has started for the first time last week. Here are some images, but I will post more details soon enough!!

The work has started

2010-12-09T18:33:00.001-08:00

Indeed, the car is now at the shop and is getting ready for engine rebuilt and a general tune-up.
Stay tuned for more details.

Engine rebuilt

2010-11-09T13:37:00.000-08:00

Fantastic news as the Torino will go for an engine rebuilt in two weeks. The shop will also make sure the mechanics of the car is tip-top. I will post more details and pictures in two weeks.

Stay tune :)

2010-05-05T12:31:00.001-07:00

Here is a picture at how the car will look like next spring. Same color, trims and engine combination as mine :) My rear suspension will be way more higher though!!

2010-03-30T17:33:00.000-07:00

As a quick update, I have been working on the engine lately. I removed the heads (I found one stuck valve) and I removed the pan to work on a stuck piston which is the one right next to the alternator. I am going slow to break it free as I dont want to do any damage to the cylinder. More pictures to come.

2010-02-15T17:31:00.000-08:00

Above is a little photo montage experiment. I found it funny!!! About serious things, I just installed the new rear springs. Below is a picture of the new vs. old. They should make the car sits 1½" higher than stock. I will get a before and after picture soon enough though. Concerning the engine, I am removing the heads so I can see which cylinder is the rebel one. Indeed, the engine is quite difficult to move by hand, therefore instead of giving my starter a hard time, I rather fix the problem at the root and taking the opportunity to change the gaskets at the same timel. I will give more updates soon enough.

Vintage photo of my '72

2010-01-12T09:28:00.000-08:00

Here is a vintage picture provided by the previous owner of my Gran Torino. It was taken in 1974 and is the only vintage photo of the car so far.

About the car, the rear left fender's body work is almost done and ready to paint. Also, I should receive my new rear coil springs via UPS tomorrow. I'll keep you guys posted on that.

New Torino Facebook group

2009-11-26T04:51:00.000-08:00

If you want to join, just copy and paste the address below in your browser.

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=182991868882

Armrest pads

2009-11-25T12:05:00.001-08:00

I just received my new armrest pads for the car. These are repro from Dearborn Classic. It is a little pricey with shipping to Canada and taxes but I am very happy overall. The quality is surprising. Here is a picture of the new pads. Also, look at the condition of the old pads. It is going to make a big "visual" difference inside the car.

2009-11-24T09:37:00.000-08:00

Here is my latest acquisition on ebay. It is the "Car and Driver" magazine from September 1971. The car featured on the cover is the same year, bodystyle and color code as mine. I am glad i found a mint copy without the address sticker.
If you click on the picture, you can save a full size scan version.

Some rust repair

2009-11-06T07:39:00.000-08:00

Since the last update, I have been busy trying to spin the engine which is stuck right now. There is no rush for me as the car is trapped surrounded by other cars until spring in a heated warehouse. Therefore, I put more lubricant in the cylinders from time to time until it frees itself without me putting too much strength.

Yesterday, some sanding has been done as there is minor rust issues. Next time I will patch up the holes. Also the horizontal pillar in the engine bay has been painted. Here are some terrible cellphone pics as I forgot my camera.

2009-10-08T15:29:00.000-07:00

To everyone out there

Cars need something special attached to them to skyrocket ourselves in the sky. In my case it’s a special meaning attached to this Gran Torino. This car is absolutely amazing but there is more. Way more. Indeed, there is a special someone linked to this object with me. The magical touch attached to the project is my sweet Milana. Without her around, the project would not be the same. A car can be amazing, but a it can be way more when the passion and the project are shared with your loved one.

Milana, you are truly amazing

2009-09-30T11:55:00.000-07:00

Ok, I just came back from the storage where my car is kept. I took the 8 spark plugs out and they were all black and corroded!!! I am sure they have not been changed for many decades. Well, I took them off to spin the engine. Unfortunately, the engine is jam. I guess after 20 years sleeping, it's not something surprising. But I did filled the spark plug holes with WD-40 and I will try again in a couple of weeks to see if it spin. If not, my garagist will unjam it manually so I dont bust my starter.

Here is a picture of the Cleveland when I bought the car and another picture after cleaning the surface dust.

I will keep you posted about the engine's problem.

Stay tuned d^_^b

2009-09-27T11:39:00.002-07:00

Here is a picture where one clearly see the wind marks on the rear fenders. A true rolling sculpture :)

Last week I re-painted the hood and took care of the rust spots on the left rear fender. Next Wednesday, I will tune up the engine. This baby will be road-ready for the spring :)

2009-06-23T04:32:00.000-07:00

I have a dilemma. I will re-paint the car with the same color code as soon as possible. But I am thinking about removing the side rims, fill the pinholes, do the new paint and then install a laser stripes kit. I did a rendering with photoshop to give you guys an idea.

2009-04-28T07:48:00.000-07:00

Here is a little experimental photo design of the Torino I did. Looks straight from out of space. ;)

Mouse nest

2009-04-22T10:59:00.000-07:00

Last Friday, while cleaning the trunk, I found something very interesting. A mouse nest in one of the holes at the complete end of the right side of the trunk.

I am sure a lot of stuffing from my back seat ended up in that nest. When a car sleeps in a barn for 20+yrs, I guess this kind of situation is quite usual.

Well, at least it's all cleaned up by now. Here are some pictures.

Transportation

2009-04-16T17:55:00.000-07:00

The Gran Torino is now home. Here is a video of the transportation of this marvelous piece of history.

Make sure to watch in HD.

Link➙ VIDEO ← Link

2009-03-18T08:48:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of the inside. As you can see, it is still in decent shape. I dont think I will have a lot of work to do in there. One of the main reparation will be to fix the small tear on the driver's seat. God I can't wait to start working on that car.

2009-03-15T12:40:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone. My name is Daniel and I just bought with my sweetheart, Milana, our dream car which is a Gran Torino FastBack 1972 with the Cobra Jet engine V8 351 cleveland 4 valves.

I do not have the car yet because the previous owner is living many hours away from my town, but I do have pictures. The car transporter is schedule in four weeks because I want to be there myself. I know it is a long time, but on a professional basis, I am extremely busy for the next three weeks.

This car has been sleeping for about 20 years in a barn and is ready for a sweet wakening. In this blog, I will share all the different stages of the restauration process.

Until then, thank you for reading and enjoy these pictures. I will post many more soon.