transmission issues?

[bren5666]

Hell everyone. I'm about ready to purchase a 1970 Toronado GT restoration project. I've had a couple people tell me to be cautious because the trannies are notorious for problems; but when I search the web, most people say they're practically indestructible. What's the scoop?

[1970w34]

I've owned MANY 1970 GT's and have only had to rebuild ONE trans and that's because it's going into a restoration. I BEAT'EM hard too!

Now, with that said, nearly all of them now leak from various places as could be expected from forty-plus year old seals/gaskets.

What color combo is it?

[Twilight Fenrir]

From my research, I've almost never heard of a 1st gen toro that did not have its original transmission... or even one that did not have an original engine. The drive trains were dramatically overbuilt and very reliable. The only common thing to go walk-about is the carburetor. Every Toro I looked at was either missing its carb, or had a non-orriginal one.

I can't say I know of any systems on the 1st gens that were notoriously troublesome... The Vaccuum operated automatic climate control system, Comfortron, can be woeful to troubleshoot, but it is generally reliable. Oh, I know one, the turn signal switch. It is fairly fragile, and virtually irreplaceable if you have cornering lights. From what I understand, the '66 's rear-view mirror had a tendency to snap off the control-stick on it in the early versions. (I know this, because i have a broken one atm, and finding a replacement has been a nightmare.)

[69W34]

The Turbo 425 has to be one of the most reliable transmissions of the era, especially the OM which came as part of the 68-9 W34 and 70 GT package, other than the proverbial age related leaks they are virtually indestructible. Wrecking one (the trans) would be like getting a traffic ticket in some venues, you'd really have to be screwing up.

[bren5666]

Thanks, I'm feeling more confident about the potential deal now. Interesting that you mentioned the carb problem due to the fact that this car is missing it. That's why I like to join forums for any project car I'm working on. You can always learn new and valuable info!