Ron Earp
Admin
1972 Gran Torino Sportsroof
It’s time to move my 72 Gran Torino on to a new owner. I purchased the car in 2008 for my 40th birthday with the intention to make it into a mean street machine and I believe I’ve accomplished the goal. I performed a complete body-off-frame restomod on the car with the basic intent to make it similar to what you could build as a street rod back in the day if you were so inclined. A period hot rod if you will, but intended to be a driver, not a show car although you can win some shows with it if you like.
She started life at Ford as a 2H car, meaning it was a low performance 351 with an automatic. It was built and owned by a fellow who worked at the Ford Torino plant and he owned the car for approximately eighteen years. It was then owned by another gentleman for around seventeen years who repainted it the original color, recovered the vinyl roof, converted it to a 351CJ and four speed using all proper components from a donor 72 CJ. He took it around to some Ford shows including Carlise in 1999 where it won a best 72 Torino award. He drove it off and on, always storing it inside until I purchased it, and it came to me as a running, driving car in reasonably good shape for the age. I drove the car for a year and a half while I formulated plans for it and in 2010 I started disassembly of the car. Over the next two years my racing hobby and restomod project swapped positions in and out of the garage and with the help of my racing buddies Jeff Y. and Jeff G, we finished the car in late 2012.
Here are the basics broken down by subassembly:
Engine
*Ford 460 stroker taken out to 521 inches, or 8.4L for those that prefer metric
*Eagle forged crank and rods
*Wisco custom forged pistons, 12.5:1 compression
*Aluminum Super Cobra Jet Heads, later castings with Kasse modifications
*2.20” intake, 1.76” exhaust valves
*Solid flat tappet Lunati cam speced from CarsbyCarl, 252 In/256Ex @.050, .633” In/.644 Ex on a 116 lobe separation great cam and properly broken in with inner springs removed
*Lunati solid lifters with oiling holes for cam
*Aluminum Edelbrock Air Gap Manifold
*Pro Systems Billet tuned carb, spec sheets included, mechanical secondary
*Crane roller rockers, 1.73 ratio, adjustable, trick flow pushrods
*Awesome Concept One billet serpentine front dress system with mini power steering and Sanden AC compressor.
*The motor is extremely healthy, idles with a bit of a rumble, but does idle well and pulls to 6k+ RPM.
*Vacuum reservoir although the motor does not need it to function properly
*Canton black road race oil pan with trap door sump
*ARP Hardware on internals and ARP head studs
Exhaust
*Full exhaust by R&J of Apex, well-known for race and street rod exhaust work.
*Header, started life as 1 7/8” Hooker 460 C6 units but reconfigured for this engine.
*Exhaust, awesome, custom dual 3” mandrel bent pipes with X-pipe, dual 3” Magnaflows. Tucked up tight and OEM quality, not visible from the sides of the car.
*Two bungs for O2 sensors, currently running one Autometer Wide Band O2 gauge
*Polished turn down tips at rear, looks factory and sounds beautiful.
Transmission / Clutch
*Ford Toploader rebuilt by Dan Williams, all new parts used.
*Close ratio 4 speed gear set
*Big input shaft
*SFI Lakewood steel explosion proof scatter shield
*Aluminum flywheel
*McLeod Super Street Pro clutch and pressure plate
Cooling
*Large Griffon 3” core aluminum radiator
*External Mocal engine oil cooler, all plumbed with AN lines
*2400 cfm electric fan and fan controller
*Car runs cooling driving and idling, no issues
Suspension
*Graphite poly bushings installed everywhere – rear arms, front upper and lowers, etc.
*All new ball joints and bearings
*All suspension pieces blasted and painted black
*Roll bars; 1 1/8” F 7/8” R, new bushing mount kits polygraphite/polyurethane
*Springs, Rear Heavy Duty Moog units, front custom rate from CoilSprings.com based on corner weights
*Bilstein shocks, front and rear, valved for corner weights shown in pictures
Brakes
*All new calipers and rotors, police package/Tbird 13” front brakes
*Braided stainless steel lines front
*Rear disc brake conversion, uses Explorer rear pads.
*New Ford lines, rotors, and calipers rear.
*Ford SVO master cylinder
*Manually adjustable proportioning valve
Rear End
*9” Ford Nodular casting, “N”,
*3.50 : 1 ratio
*Clutch pack LSD, adjusted up fairly tight
*Aluminum driveshaft from the DriveShaft Shop, built for engine power and torque
*New axle bearings and seals
Steering
*Converted to new Saginaw quick ratio steering box much improved steering over the Ford box
*Concept One power steering pump
*Power steering fluid cooler, Mocal, AN lines throughout
*Stainless steel power steering lines
*All new steering components and ball joints throughout
Body
*All panels and body were removed from the car and sandblasted, then rust repair performed on both rear floor pans where the passenger feet go, and the driver’s floor pan. The rust wasn’t too bad but new stampings were used to repair the floor. Vinyl top was removed.
*All other body panels were used after sanding and skimming. The car appears to have not had any major damage or body work throughout its life.
*Car was skimmed and painted 2010 Ford Grabber Blue. The results are pretty nice, not a concurs paint job but it is what I wanted, which was looks good and for it to be a driver. The color is striking with the black contrast wheels and interior.
*All work done by a local painter/body guy that works for a large shop. He does good work for local muscle car enthusiasts.
Chassis
*Sanded, and re-painted gloss black.
*Engine, suspension, and transmission installed.
*All lines for brakes, battery, and fuel installed on frame. AN lines for fuel, new stainless steel brake lines, and battery relocated to truck so battery cables were double insulated and installed along the frame rails.
*All new body to frame isolators and bolts
Electrics
*Wiring harness and fuse box are original, but it was gone through, unwrapped, and wires replaces that needed replacing. Wiring was added where needed, and non-needed wires removed, for example, wiring for the external starter solenoid or voltage regulator.
*Battery relocated to the trunk with proper gauge lines and tidy installation.
*New gel mat battery for 2014 to replace the five year old unit.
*100A one wire alternator from Powermaster.
*Huge 1.7kW IHI gear reduction starter that cranks this motor with ease.
*MSD-6AL2 electronic ignition with adjustable timing (adjustment disabled, don’t need it)
*Electric fan controller with adjustable temp sensor.
*Everything works – wipers, horn, radio, AC clutch, tach, oil, temp, interior lights, radio, etc.
*Radio is the original OEM unit and sounds good through two new Pioneer deck speakers in the rear and one dual coil dash speaker (has left and right in one unit).
*Kill switch in engine compartment
Fuel
*AN fuel lines throughout, from rear to front
*Adjustable pressure regulator
*High volume competition pump
*Sump in fuel tank
*Remote fuel filter at rear of car
Interior
*All new interior and headliner, black throughout, work done by Auto Interiors and Tops in Raleigh NC. Looks very nice.
*Seats recovered and rebuilt with a pattern that matches the original but additionally bolstering was added for a better fit.
*Interior panels spray dyed black, all are in good shape.
*New handles, rests, and other parts where they were needed. Interior is very nice.
*Trunk has a factory liner and the interior was sprayed with a bed liner material that came out very well.
*All new black carpet from Dearborn Classics
*Sound deadening under mat applied under carpet.
HVAC
*AC system completely rebuilt by Classic Auto Air in FL. Converted for R134a use, new seals, flappers, vacuum actuators. It works.
*New Sanden compressor for R134, new drier and new lines.
*AC blows cold, heat works, defrost works, and it seems to function as it should.
Gauges
*White face conversion performed, green OEM lighting.
*Speedometer re-marked and calibrated to 160 mph, works properly.
*All factory gauges work except the ammeter and clock. Paid to have the clock repaired twice, no dice, ammeter not compatible with charging circuit.
*Three external gauges on hump cluster. Autometer oil pressure, water temp, and wide band oxygen sensor. First two are analog, all work and are well mounted using a 12-13 three gauge housing from the Ford Laguna Seca Boss.
Wheels
*Steel black Aero wheels, 15”x10”
*All corners shod with 295-15-60 BFG Drag Radials – great in dry weather, do not use in wet weather. The tires are in excellent shape and still have nubbies.
The car has been stored in my garage since buying it in 2008 and has approximately 108,000 miles on it showing with original odometer.
----------------
This is a fun big block stick shift car that is very rare among muscle cars, even with today’s restomods. AC is often skipped on muscle cars because it is difficult and time consuming, but this car has functioning HVAC as delivered from Ford. The interior is very nice as the upholstery recovering job came out very well. It’s a nice car that is pretty enough to take out and about, but not so perfect you’re afraid to take it out. Great driver that never fails to impress at Cars N Coffee or other shows, or just out to get some ice cream. The motor is astounding with seemingly unlimited horsepower and torque. The big block really is a treat.
As with any muscle car, there are some non-perfect aspects of the car. There are a few minor blemishes in the paint and minor dings from working around the car. I’ve tried to show all of these properly in the photos. The car requires 100 octane fuel to not spark knock. No problem for me as I have a station two miles away that sells 100 for $7.50 a gallon, but you could solve that in a variety of ways. The AC does blow cold, the evaporator gets down to low 30s, but I think the HVAC needs a better fan to pump air through the car. The driver’s side mirror needs re-silvering. And the backup lights just stopped working. Those are items I know are not correct with the car or are minor projects that need addressing.
I’ve tried to put as much information into this advertisement as possible so that there are no surprises. That said, the car is sold as is and no warranty is implied or provided with the car. I will require a $500 non-refundable deposit to take the car off the market for you. Complete payment must be received within seven days of purchase commitment, and the car must be collected within 14 days of closing.
Price is $30500. It’s a cool car, a hell of a lot of fun, and definitely unique. Call 919-949-5851 or email with questions, [email protected].
Thanks,
Ron
There are a lot of pictures along with video here:
Index of /images/torinoforsale
And here are a few teasers. I'll add more as time goes on.
It’s time to move my 72 Gran Torino on to a new owner. I purchased the car in 2008 for my 40th birthday with the intention to make it into a mean street machine and I believe I’ve accomplished the goal. I performed a complete body-off-frame restomod on the car with the basic intent to make it similar to what you could build as a street rod back in the day if you were so inclined. A period hot rod if you will, but intended to be a driver, not a show car although you can win some shows with it if you like.
She started life at Ford as a 2H car, meaning it was a low performance 351 with an automatic. It was built and owned by a fellow who worked at the Ford Torino plant and he owned the car for approximately eighteen years. It was then owned by another gentleman for around seventeen years who repainted it the original color, recovered the vinyl roof, converted it to a 351CJ and four speed using all proper components from a donor 72 CJ. He took it around to some Ford shows including Carlise in 1999 where it won a best 72 Torino award. He drove it off and on, always storing it inside until I purchased it, and it came to me as a running, driving car in reasonably good shape for the age. I drove the car for a year and a half while I formulated plans for it and in 2010 I started disassembly of the car. Over the next two years my racing hobby and restomod project swapped positions in and out of the garage and with the help of my racing buddies Jeff Y. and Jeff G, we finished the car in late 2012.
Here are the basics broken down by subassembly:
Engine
*Ford 460 stroker taken out to 521 inches, or 8.4L for those that prefer metric
*Eagle forged crank and rods
*Wisco custom forged pistons, 12.5:1 compression
*Aluminum Super Cobra Jet Heads, later castings with Kasse modifications
*2.20” intake, 1.76” exhaust valves
*Solid flat tappet Lunati cam speced from CarsbyCarl, 252 In/256Ex @.050, .633” In/.644 Ex on a 116 lobe separation great cam and properly broken in with inner springs removed
*Lunati solid lifters with oiling holes for cam
*Aluminum Edelbrock Air Gap Manifold
*Pro Systems Billet tuned carb, spec sheets included, mechanical secondary
*Crane roller rockers, 1.73 ratio, adjustable, trick flow pushrods
*Awesome Concept One billet serpentine front dress system with mini power steering and Sanden AC compressor.
*The motor is extremely healthy, idles with a bit of a rumble, but does idle well and pulls to 6k+ RPM.
*Vacuum reservoir although the motor does not need it to function properly
*Canton black road race oil pan with trap door sump
*ARP Hardware on internals and ARP head studs
Exhaust
*Full exhaust by R&J of Apex, well-known for race and street rod exhaust work.
*Header, started life as 1 7/8” Hooker 460 C6 units but reconfigured for this engine.
*Exhaust, awesome, custom dual 3” mandrel bent pipes with X-pipe, dual 3” Magnaflows. Tucked up tight and OEM quality, not visible from the sides of the car.
*Two bungs for O2 sensors, currently running one Autometer Wide Band O2 gauge
*Polished turn down tips at rear, looks factory and sounds beautiful.
Transmission / Clutch
*Ford Toploader rebuilt by Dan Williams, all new parts used.
*Close ratio 4 speed gear set
*Big input shaft
*SFI Lakewood steel explosion proof scatter shield
*Aluminum flywheel
*McLeod Super Street Pro clutch and pressure plate
Cooling
*Large Griffon 3” core aluminum radiator
*External Mocal engine oil cooler, all plumbed with AN lines
*2400 cfm electric fan and fan controller
*Car runs cooling driving and idling, no issues
Suspension
*Graphite poly bushings installed everywhere – rear arms, front upper and lowers, etc.
*All new ball joints and bearings
*All suspension pieces blasted and painted black
*Roll bars; 1 1/8” F 7/8” R, new bushing mount kits polygraphite/polyurethane
*Springs, Rear Heavy Duty Moog units, front custom rate from CoilSprings.com based on corner weights
*Bilstein shocks, front and rear, valved for corner weights shown in pictures
Brakes
*All new calipers and rotors, police package/Tbird 13” front brakes
*Braided stainless steel lines front
*Rear disc brake conversion, uses Explorer rear pads.
*New Ford lines, rotors, and calipers rear.
*Ford SVO master cylinder
*Manually adjustable proportioning valve
Rear End
*9” Ford Nodular casting, “N”,
*3.50 : 1 ratio
*Clutch pack LSD, adjusted up fairly tight
*Aluminum driveshaft from the DriveShaft Shop, built for engine power and torque
*New axle bearings and seals
Steering
*Converted to new Saginaw quick ratio steering box much improved steering over the Ford box
*Concept One power steering pump
*Power steering fluid cooler, Mocal, AN lines throughout
*Stainless steel power steering lines
*All new steering components and ball joints throughout
Body
*All panels and body were removed from the car and sandblasted, then rust repair performed on both rear floor pans where the passenger feet go, and the driver’s floor pan. The rust wasn’t too bad but new stampings were used to repair the floor. Vinyl top was removed.
*All other body panels were used after sanding and skimming. The car appears to have not had any major damage or body work throughout its life.
*Car was skimmed and painted 2010 Ford Grabber Blue. The results are pretty nice, not a concurs paint job but it is what I wanted, which was looks good and for it to be a driver. The color is striking with the black contrast wheels and interior.
*All work done by a local painter/body guy that works for a large shop. He does good work for local muscle car enthusiasts.
Chassis
*Sanded, and re-painted gloss black.
*Engine, suspension, and transmission installed.
*All lines for brakes, battery, and fuel installed on frame. AN lines for fuel, new stainless steel brake lines, and battery relocated to truck so battery cables were double insulated and installed along the frame rails.
*All new body to frame isolators and bolts
Electrics
*Wiring harness and fuse box are original, but it was gone through, unwrapped, and wires replaces that needed replacing. Wiring was added where needed, and non-needed wires removed, for example, wiring for the external starter solenoid or voltage regulator.
*Battery relocated to the trunk with proper gauge lines and tidy installation.
*New gel mat battery for 2014 to replace the five year old unit.
*100A one wire alternator from Powermaster.
*Huge 1.7kW IHI gear reduction starter that cranks this motor with ease.
*MSD-6AL2 electronic ignition with adjustable timing (adjustment disabled, don’t need it)
*Electric fan controller with adjustable temp sensor.
*Everything works – wipers, horn, radio, AC clutch, tach, oil, temp, interior lights, radio, etc.
*Radio is the original OEM unit and sounds good through two new Pioneer deck speakers in the rear and one dual coil dash speaker (has left and right in one unit).
*Kill switch in engine compartment
Fuel
*AN fuel lines throughout, from rear to front
*Adjustable pressure regulator
*High volume competition pump
*Sump in fuel tank
*Remote fuel filter at rear of car
Interior
*All new interior and headliner, black throughout, work done by Auto Interiors and Tops in Raleigh NC. Looks very nice.
*Seats recovered and rebuilt with a pattern that matches the original but additionally bolstering was added for a better fit.
*Interior panels spray dyed black, all are in good shape.
*New handles, rests, and other parts where they were needed. Interior is very nice.
*Trunk has a factory liner and the interior was sprayed with a bed liner material that came out very well.
*All new black carpet from Dearborn Classics
*Sound deadening under mat applied under carpet.
HVAC
*AC system completely rebuilt by Classic Auto Air in FL. Converted for R134a use, new seals, flappers, vacuum actuators. It works.
*New Sanden compressor for R134, new drier and new lines.
*AC blows cold, heat works, defrost works, and it seems to function as it should.
Gauges
*White face conversion performed, green OEM lighting.
*Speedometer re-marked and calibrated to 160 mph, works properly.
*All factory gauges work except the ammeter and clock. Paid to have the clock repaired twice, no dice, ammeter not compatible with charging circuit.
*Three external gauges on hump cluster. Autometer oil pressure, water temp, and wide band oxygen sensor. First two are analog, all work and are well mounted using a 12-13 three gauge housing from the Ford Laguna Seca Boss.
Wheels
*Steel black Aero wheels, 15”x10”
*All corners shod with 295-15-60 BFG Drag Radials – great in dry weather, do not use in wet weather. The tires are in excellent shape and still have nubbies.
The car has been stored in my garage since buying it in 2008 and has approximately 108,000 miles on it showing with original odometer.
----------------
This is a fun big block stick shift car that is very rare among muscle cars, even with today’s restomods. AC is often skipped on muscle cars because it is difficult and time consuming, but this car has functioning HVAC as delivered from Ford. The interior is very nice as the upholstery recovering job came out very well. It’s a nice car that is pretty enough to take out and about, but not so perfect you’re afraid to take it out. Great driver that never fails to impress at Cars N Coffee or other shows, or just out to get some ice cream. The motor is astounding with seemingly unlimited horsepower and torque. The big block really is a treat.
As with any muscle car, there are some non-perfect aspects of the car. There are a few minor blemishes in the paint and minor dings from working around the car. I’ve tried to show all of these properly in the photos. The car requires 100 octane fuel to not spark knock. No problem for me as I have a station two miles away that sells 100 for $7.50 a gallon, but you could solve that in a variety of ways. The AC does blow cold, the evaporator gets down to low 30s, but I think the HVAC needs a better fan to pump air through the car. The driver’s side mirror needs re-silvering. And the backup lights just stopped working. Those are items I know are not correct with the car or are minor projects that need addressing.
I’ve tried to put as much information into this advertisement as possible so that there are no surprises. That said, the car is sold as is and no warranty is implied or provided with the car. I will require a $500 non-refundable deposit to take the car off the market for you. Complete payment must be received within seven days of purchase commitment, and the car must be collected within 14 days of closing.
Price is $30500. It’s a cool car, a hell of a lot of fun, and definitely unique. Call 919-949-5851 or email with questions, [email protected].
Thanks,
Ron
There are a lot of pictures along with video here:
Index of /images/torinoforsale
And here are a few teasers. I'll add more as time goes on.
