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1975
Ford Elite |
| Building
a comfortable, reliable, and fun daily-driven muscle car
with 1960's power and 1970's style. |
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Current
Vehicle Specs |
| Engine |
Factory
460; Early (non-retarded) timing set; Open air cleaner; Custom
2.5" duel exhaust system; Estimated 250 hp, 450 tq |
| Transmission |
Factory
"Select Shift" C6; B&M "Street/Strip"
shift kit; 3.00:1 rear end gears |
| Suspension |
Front:
Heavy Duty "police package" springs, cut by 1/2
coil; KYB shocks; 1 1/8" sway bar. Rear:
Cargo Coil progressive rate springs; KYB shocks; 7/8"
Addco sway bar. Fully equipped with Energy Suspension
polyurethane bushings front & rear. |
| Wheels
& Tires |
235/70
Cooper Cobra tires on stock 15x6 black steel wheels |
| Body
& Paint |
Severely
faded Metallic Silver with red vinyl top; Chrome wheel well
moldings; Rust on lower quarter panels, wheel wells, and under
vinyl top |
| Interior |
"Interior
Decor Group" burgundy vinyl; Sport gauge cluster;
Color-matched Grant GT steering wheel; partial conversion from
wood grain to black trim; manual windows and door locks |
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Since the
Torino was largely regarded as a family car, the Ford Elite was
introduced in 1974 to compete with Chevrolet's popular Monte Carlo as a
"personal luxury coupe." It promised Thunderbird luxury and
style in a midsize package and was very successful, outselling the other
Ford intermediates all three years of its production. Its short lifespan
was ended after 1976 since the Thunderbird was moving to the midsize
platform and Ford no longer needed the Elite to fill the luxury coupe
position.
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| My
Car |
Current
Status |
| My
Elite was purchased in the summer of 2004 for a price of $400.
Despite sitting in a hayfield for 10 years, this car was
surprisingly solid. The chassis is still covered in its original
undercoating and aside from severe weathering of the vinyl top and
the standard wheel well rust, the sheet metal is all intact. The
interior is 90% showroom-perfect with the only flaws being a small
tear in the driver's seat and some holes in the headliner. The
"mighty" 460 even roared right to life after a new set of
plug wires and a fresh tank of gas. So here I was, the proud owner
of a dirt-cheap, big-block powered, mechanically perfect,
cosmetically challenged, two-ton piece of American iron. I couldn't
have been happier. |
The
Elite is still my daily-driver and probably will be for a long time.
Despite the increasingly high fuel prices, I'd rather spend 60 bucks
a week to feed this beast than drive a lesser vehicle.
I absolutely love the new
suspension. I thought this thing handled decent before with just the
better tires, but after the new shocks, springs, bushings, and rear
sway bar the Elite rolls along like it's on rails. It might be a
little stiff for some peoples' taste, but nobody ever said getting a
2-ton car with a big block under the hood to corner like a go-cart
would be easy.
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| Future
Plans |
| With
the suspension complete, the next problem to be tackled will be the
bodywork. I'm hoping to get the roof fixed before next spring, and
by fixed I mean torn off, rust holes repaired, and painted instead
of covered in vinyl. If time and money allows, the rust around the
quarter panels and fenders might be repaired at the same time. All
this will just get primered and sealed to preserve the repairs until
I'm ready to paint, which will come with a few other cosmetic and
functional upgrades. I have a pair of the sport mirrors to replace
the ugly chrome paddle I have now, and I want to switch the
headlight and turn signal bezels from chrome to body color. Speaking
of body color, I'm still learning towards a super-deep, dark crimson.
Around this time I also plan to bolt on a new set of wheels and
tires; 15x8's with 255/60's up front and 275/60's out back. After
this the car will look just how I want it and then it will be time
to move under the hood with a stroker kit and all the trimmings. |
For more info, post in
our forums or email Ryan@SmogEra.com
More photos coming soon
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