Ford Family Adopts a 1966 Toronado

[paxtonshelby1966]

As the photos show...the wheels look pretty nasty right now. I love the look of the optional chrome wheels especially with redline tires...but it's hard to find the chrome wheels in really nice condition without paying a hefty price. I'm going to remove the tires ( they're all shot ) and beadblast the rims. Hopefully they'll come out nice enough so I'll be able to get them powdercoated. I was quoted $200 for all 4 rims...with a chrome-like finish ( probably would look more like polished aluminum or polished stainless) with a clear powdercoat on top. That seems like a STEAL to me. Plus...the shop is 15 minutes from my house - NO SHIPPING!!

If the rims come out a little too rough for the chrome-ish finish to look good, I may just go with a silver powdercoating to look like the factory painted wheels.

[paxtonshelby1966]

Some of you might be wondering what I'm doing for bumpers since they're not shown in the pictures. Well...I was really happy to see that, in the back seat/trunk area, there were brandy spanking new bumpers, still wrapped up and in the boxes. I peeked thru the corner of one box and it looked pretty darn nice...so I'm hoping they're in fantastic shape.

I cleaned up the taillights the other night, and hopefully this weekend I'll toss a battery into the car and test the electrical goodies. If the taillights and brake lights work I'll remove the tailpipes, clean up and paint the rear bumper brackets, and install the rear bumper.

The rest of September will be some ugly work. I'm going to wire brush / wire wheel the entire undercarriage and paint it with black rustoleum or something similar. The exhaust system will go bye-bye. The exhaust manifolds will get beadblasted and powdercoated.

Ok - that's enough posting for tonight. Any advice you have would be greatly appreciated. I'll try to keep this thread updated as we make progress. May 1 is going to be a tough deadline...but hopefully we'll be able to make it happen.

One last pic - here's our '66 Mustang coupe - that I like to call the "Monster"...

[Robert Lindberg]

Nicest into ever, good luck let me know if I can help, were are you located?

[Otto Skorzeny]

Ya, talk about sensory overload!

Here's my car. Now you can see what yours would like in Dubonnet. It was the color that sold me the car. It is a daily driver that shares duty with my other DD, a 1956 Coupe de Ville. I don't own a modern car.

I think you should paint/powder the wheels in argent/grey and use trim rings and center caps. They look great and remind me of my all time favorite wheel/cap treatment, the Chevy and Corvette Rally Wheel.

I painted the entire undercarriage of my Cadillac with Rustoleum Semi-Gloss Black. It took 12 cans. I did that in 2007 and it still looks like new. This is a car that gets driven all the time and is not babied. That Rustoleum is great stuff.

Interestingly my family has also owned mostly Fords over the years but I like all cars of all makes. I've owned a '66 Mustang and several 67 and 68s. My mom has a '64 Galaxie and a '76 F150. I have a '79 F 100.

I love the Toro and Caddy, though.

[Otto Skorzeny]

You posted so much information I'm re-reading your posts and answering questions as I find them.

Regarding tires: STAY AWAY FROM COKER. If the car is a trailer queen going to judged shows, then Coker is fine. If it is a car that will be driven, as yours will be, then avoid Coker at all cost. Their repop tires are absolute crap and cannot be balanced. They're built on worn out molds and the imperfections are rampant.

I had Coker Classics on my Cadillac and they were the absolute worst tires I have ever had on any vehicle. They were wobbly, noisy, horrible handling and to make it worse, one of them had a belt separate with less than 10,000 miles on it.

It isn't just me complaining. Search car forums and talk to people at shows. Coker tires are universally despised by people who actually drive their cars.

What tires do I have on my Cadillac now? Diamondback radials. Diamondback will be able to manufacture those triple red line tires in your photo. They take virtually any modern radial tire you want and "erase" the sidewall and vulcanize new whitewalls or redline sidewalls onto the tire.

The tires in the photos below are Yokohama 700R radials that look like bias plies from the 50s. They are the absolute best tires I have ever had on this car.

If the tires you want are not in DB's catalog, call them and they will make whatever you want.

They're expensive but you will not be disappointed.

www.dbtires.com

[Otto Skorzeny]

In case you're interested, the tires on my Toro in the photos above are not Diamondbacks. They are Firestone FR380 235/75-R15.

[paxtonshelby1966]

Nicest into ever, good luck let me know if I can help, were are you located?

Thanks Robert! I'm located in Pittsburgh, PA.

[paxtonshelby1966]

Otto those are some GORGEOUS cars you have there!! If I ever repaint the car I will definitely go back to Dubonnett. Such a great color. Thanks for all the info. I will definitely look into DB tire and pick up some Rustoleum gloss black!

[Doc Hubler]

Agree with Otto's responses to you regarding Coker tires. Diamondback are the way to go for these to get the most authentic tire, in a mondern tire.

Regarding the brakes, you are right on track also. The drums will work well for you and the type of driving you plan to do. Yes, I would get the parts from a 67 parts car to convert to dual MC and get the distribution block and the balancing valve (proportioning valve) for the rear wheels.

Regarding the back panel, yes, they should be painted body color. These are actually aluminum inserts that are painted body color and glued to the huge diecast back panel. If you think yours is rough, try dealing with the egg crate ones from 67!

To see some pictures of a 67 and 69 Toro, go to this FB site. My car is the 67. https://www.facebook.com/PerfectShapeCustoms

[Otto Skorzeny]

Regarding the rear tail light panel: Any good paint shop should be able to match your body color with a scanner in order to mix up a pint or so of paint for the panel.

I think you'll be happier with a body colored panel rather than with a black one.