Toronado.org

For Sale: 1970 Toronado GT in Minnesota
I was told it was really a GT when I bought it, but that may not be true. The transmission is NOT from a GT, the rear bumper is Not original and Not from a GT, the front grill is modified to include earlier ('68 or '69?) Toro headlight covers that you have to manually open, no vacuum motor. Has single exhaust, but is not original.

The body is faded and a bit rusty, was probably repainted many years ago. The interior is in really good shape. There is a tear in the driver's seat, but other than that, it looks almost like new. The dash is not cracked.

Manual windows and locks
Power steering
455 V8 with newly rebuilt and restored carb (thanks, Sparky!)
A/C (no belt right now), not a Climatron
A/M radio (not a Wonderbar)
Less than 1 year and 500 miles on new master cylinder, front brakes (including rotors and calipers), water pump, thermostat, fuel pump.

Odometer shows 7x,xxx, very likely original, but who knows?

The car runs and drives very nice, goes down the road fairly straight, has plenty of power, shifts through the gears very nice. I don't take it on long trips, because it is 40 years old, but is fun to drive to DQ or to get groceries. There is a problem with the heat, I think a vacuum issue. It blows hot for a few minutes, then cools off until you run the temp lever over to cold and back to hot.

NOT a show car, but has potential for a parts car or a driver. Will not part out, though, come and get the whole thing. If it doesn't sell somewhere near my asking price, I'm keeping it a while longer! If you live within 100 miles, you could likely drive it home. any further, I'd recommend a trailer.


I have some pictures of the exterior that I can email. If I can find my digital camera, I'll get some pics of the interior.


hastymeridian@yahoo.com

That's pretty cool actually... The only thing I didn't like about the '70 was it's lack of hidden headlights.

Sure. I didn't do the retro, but I like it. Like I said, no motors for the covers, but they stay up when up, down when down. Easy enough to push 'em up when you walk by in the dark.

I am somewhat relieved that no offers have come in. I am torn . . . should I keep it or sell it. If I keep it, I'll be happy. If I can get enough for it, i'll sell it. My biggest issue is that it won't fit in my garage, so when I work on it, I work outside and can't leave anything "in process".

By the way, now that I've read the latest issue of Front Driver, I can see I take awful pictures. Feel free to use mine as an example of what not to do in the next issue. With the sun glaring in one, and the shadow from the rented dumpster in another, they are pretty bad!

I have to say I actually like it too. I never liked the '70 due to the lack of hidden headlights, and I can see that it makes a huge difference in the character. I may eventually have to pick up a GT and modify it to add to my collection.

I know a guy that has one he can't sell and I might be able to get a nice price. Hmmm.....

Well, I figure I should try one more time to sell this before I have to store it for winter again. My opinion is that it is too rough to restore, and too nice to part out. Someone that wants a good, solid weekend driver can get a nice car for the money. I am asking $2500 or best offer, but any large pile of hundred dollar bills will be enticing for me, especially as we get closer and closer to winter! I need this parking spot for winter, so the Toro goes into storage at $40/ month. Therefore, I am much more motivated to sell it now than I will be in the spring.

I've taken some pictures of the interior. You should notice that there is a tear in the driver's seat, but other than that, it looks pretty good. The rear seat is real nice. The front has the original one-piece flat-floor rubber floor mat, I've taken a picture, you can see that the mat does have a tear in it. One of the pictures shows a dash panel missing that goes just to the left of the glovebox door. i do have the panel, it is just not installed at the moment. One recent development is that the exhaust system has developed a hole in it, so now the car is quite loud. I can't decide if it is a pleasant loud, or just a bother, so I haven't fixed it yet. Any potential buyer should assume it needs new exhaust. I took it to an exhaust shop, and was told that despite the rusty look of the pipes, they are pretty solid, so you may get by with just a muffler. He explained that non-galvanized pipes from years ago look worse than they really are. My plan, if I keep it, is to run new dual exhaust all the way back. The shop I went to didn't have a lot of ideas for a transverse dual in / dual out muffler, though.

I would rather tell all the bad stuff that I know, and have someone come look at it and be pleasantly surprised, rather than the other way around. So, here are some of my observations:

- Gas gauge doesn't work
- When I replaced the pads and calipers, the front left side caliper was rusted tight. The new caliper wouldn't move, either, so I knew the brake line was blocked with corrosion. The parts store was closed at the time, so I removed the brake line, and reamed out the blockage with a cleverly modified coat hanger attached to a cordless drill. It worked at the time, but the brakes on that wheel sometimes drag a bit, as the flow of the fluid is restricted. (a lot like the plaque buildup in my arteries). Plan to replace both front brake hoses eventually.
- After I put the newly rebuilt carb back on, I lost the hardware that attaches the throttle cable to it. I haven't missed it, works ok as is, but someone with a lessor sense of adventure than I have may want to attach it properly.
- I had some trouble with overheating. I managed to fix it, but any potential buyer should know that the radiator is not likely the proper size (looks too small, was that way when I bought the car), the overflow hose is not the right one (I put a non-automotive clear one on so I could watch the flow and direction of the coolant, it gets soft, but so far it has managed to handle the heat), and the water pump that O'Reilly's sold me is too short (I just left off the A/C belt and moved the other two belts up one space). It does have a new (last summer) thermostat, water pump, fuel pump, heater coolant control valve, and fan clutch.
- The tires have good tread, but may be old. They hold air all summer, but tend to lose air during winter storage.

I may be interested in trades up or down for items in good condition. Would be interested in something that runs and drives only, no big projects, my garage is too small for big projects, and I tend to lose interest if I can't drive it once in a while!

- guns or large gun safe
- car trailer
- camping trailer (no fifth wheel or pop up)
- full size pickups
- station wagons
- pontoons or large non-tiller boat
- 80's boxy RWD GM such as Caprice or Delta 88 and 98
- early 80's FWD V8 carburated Toro/Riv/Eldorado
- 90-93 Riviera
- V8 (4.0L) Auroras
- 80's full size Jeep Wagoneer or pickup (Honcho) - usually has Chrysler 360 V8
- 383 or 440 mopar cars and trucks (whole car, don't want just the engine or a half-built project)
- full size Bronco
- almost any Crown Victoria
- almost any "Touring Edition" Oldsmobile, including LSS.

Let me know what you've got, and what kind of deal you are expecting.

I'm still having a hard time keeping myself from buying this car XD I have 6 cars already, I really don't need a 7th. Well, actually, I do... but I'm looking for a big old Diesel pickup.

I was just in St. Cloud about a month ago picking up my new '84 Fiero with T-Tops. Wish I had remembered this, I would have loved to have come and taken a look. It really is a beautiful car you've got there... most of the problems sound pretty minor.

Well, summer is almost over. I still have the Toronado, and still enjoy taking it for a drive every now and then, but don't get to spend as much time on it as I would like. I am offering it for sale, again. If it does not sell before I have to put it in storage, maybe I'll enjoy it one more year.

It is also offered on eBay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayI ... 850wt_1165