Big Wheels: 1973 Ford Gran Torino Sport
The 1972 restyle of Ford’s Torino saw the model split into two styles, the basic Torino or the fancy Gran Torino, which featured a bass mouth grill and a few bonus luxury items. The big change under the skin for 1972 may have been the switch back to body-on-frame construction, but you could still get it in fastback, hardtop, sedan, or station wagon (the previous generation convertible was dumped for being a sales loser). Find this 1973 Ford Gran Torino Sport here on eBay
bidding for $4,000 reserve-not-met with a $12,500 buy-it-now, located in Canyon County, CA with 2 days to go.
You’ve really got to be a big guy (or gal) to properly cruise in a 70s Gran Torino, and no hipster skinny jeans are allowed — this thing is pure 70s sexy, like a well groomed mustache over a Hawaiian shirt. If you are going to wear pants, they should be bell bottoms, and some man jewelry is totally acceptable, but lose the bracelet unless your name is Johnny Depp or Keith Richards.
Power in this Gran Torino comes from the diminutive 302 small block, which isn’t a 429, but it is cheap to run and should be easy to improve from the stock 137 horsepower and 230 ft-lbs of torque (SAE Net). The Boyd Coddington wheels are easy enough to replace with a set of Magnum 500s, or even a vintage looking (but modern) Mustang wheel might look better.
See another car begging for a fresh set of shoes?
I like it actually. The rear wheels are too big but I think the style is fine. I love how people who thrown down a bit of dynamat think its sound deadening when it actuality its simply quells panel vibrations. And they used too much to boot. If you want to really quiet that thing down you really need to throw a layer of mass loaded vinyl over top of the dynamat. That will really make a world of difference.
Yeah, get rid of the 20s in back, and that whole wheel style is a bit too cliched these days.
Someone went to a whole, whole, WHOLE lot of work to clean up Ford's awful 5mph bumpers*, the cynic suggests he would have been better off just finding a good '72 Gran Torino which was one of the prettier noses Ford ever deployed.
* The '73 standard was one bash from 5mph in front, and one bash from 2.5mph in back, which is why cars like this one and the C3 'Vette changed one end at a time. For '74 it was 5mph at both ends, and I can't recall if it was repeated 5mph bashes yet or whether that came a couple years later, but it wasn't until well into the Reagan years that whole mess got wound back.
Getting a 72 hood wouldn't work unless you replace the whole front clip. 72 and 73 hoods are different. There was a redesign to incorporate a inside hood release in 73.
On mine I graphed a 72 hood scoop and sub frame into a 73 hood and tucked my bumper like what this guy did…only left mine chrome.
I prefer the 71 model over these later models that got more ugly with each new model year.
In order to drive this, one needs to stop by the Goodwill, and buy a wide collar rayon shirt, open to the third button down. Oh, and don't bother unless you can sport Burt Reynolds grade chest pubes.
Just an FYI, there was a 'base' Torino in '72 and a 'Gran Torino" as well. The Ranchero was only available with the Gran Torino front, but all versions of the Torino (2 door {other than the sport/fastback}, 4 door, and wagon) were available in the 'base' front.
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