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Help needed: 2nd gen Toronado (1971) - weak points ?
Hi (Toronado-) experts,
there is a71 Toronado offered not too far away from my location.
If the car s in good condition and available for a readsonable price, it could be a candidate to expand/increase my fleet...
Unfortunately I am completely unexperienced in Toronados so far, though I´m asking
here for advices and recommendations what should be checked in detail and with special attention.
Are there any weak points known on 2nd gen Toronados that need a close look while inspecting the car?
Thanks in advance for every help, hint, advice, recommendation or tip !
Toronados were overengineered from the start, so chassis-wise they're almost bulletproof.
Power options after 50 years would be the only thing I'd worry much about, especially if it has some odd ones like True-track brakes.
Like most cars with vinyl tops they're susceptible to rust around the mouldings and under the vinyl. If it doesn't have VT, not really an issue. They look better without them anyway. Also look for lower fender and inside the trunk rust.
There's little to no reproduction stuff for 2nd gen, but mechanical parts aren't hard to source.
I've owned a 69 W34 for 35 years, but a 71-72 could live here. Toronado got ungainly after the 1973 federal bumper standards took effect, but for their size 71-2 still had some style and grace, and there was still nothing else like them on the road.
Toronados were overengineered from the start, so chassis-wise they're almost bulletproof.
Power options after 50 years would be the only thing I'd worry much about, especially if it has some odd ones like True-track brakes.
Like most cars with vinyl tops they're susceptible to rust around the mouldings and under the vinyl. If it doesn't have VT, not really an issue. They look better without them anyway. Also look for lower fender and inside the trunk rust.
There's little to no reproduction stuff for 2nd gen, but mechanical parts aren't hard to source.
I've owned a 69 W34 for 35 years, but a 71-72 could live here. Toronado got ungainly after the 1973 federal bumper standards took effect, but for their size 71-2 still had some style and grace, and there was still nothing else like them on the road.
I agree with everything said here. I too owned a 69 Toro. One owner car. Not a W car but I absolutely loved that car. All gold. No top. Power bench seat. Factory working eight track. Sold it to my cousin.
Great car to drive. Bulletproof is a good term for it. I can't tell you how many snowstorms that car got thru. 455 up front. Front drive. We used to look for long fields with deep snow. Never one time even close to stuck. Don't even let me get going on surprising puke body stangs in the eighties/nineties.
I say give it a good look. Cars that have been worked show it. Cars that have been left alone do too but in a grungy way.
There was a 68 Toronado on Craigslist out here during Covid times. Turquoise car. Black top and interior. Plates were I think twelve years old. It was 2500 and wouldn't sell. I bet somebody got a hell of a deal.
It has a vinyl top, but what I can see on the photos I got so far, it doesn´t look bad.(see attached).
Regarding the not available repro parts, It seems it is the same like for my 69 Delta88 - there is also not really much available...
I am looking for a '71 car (same age like me ) and IMHO the 71 Toro looks nice (I also like the style of the 71 Thunderbird even it is a Ford )
That is the one I'm talking about:
Has around 65 tmls (believed to be original) and according seller a lot was done to the car in the last 2 years.
The asking price is currently higher than what I am willing to spend (prices in Germany can not be directly compared to the prices in US...), but I don´t want to discuss the price or negotiate with the seller before I have seen the car with my own eyes...
Last edited by snail; January 2nd, 2022 at 12:56 PM.
January 2nd, 2022, 09:37 AM
Help needed: 2nd gen Toronado (1971) - weak points ?
) and IMHO the 71 Toro looks nice (I also like the style of the 71 Thunderbird even it is a Ford 
)
