'69 Torino GT Fastback

After a failed experiment trying out a Mopar, I returned to the fold last year when I bought a '69 Torino GT fastback. 351W, 4 speed and black bucket interior, it had all the options I was looking for in a musclecar. I got it from the second owner in Michigan, where it had spent its whole life. So, naturally, it needed some body work.

According to the second owner, the original "Black Jade" car had been merged with an "Arctic White" car at some point 10 years ago due to accident or rust. The original owner did it so he wasn't sure. The second owner picked the car up at an estate sale about a year before I got it after the original owner passed away.

Unfortunately, the original owner had been a cheap bastard and got Maaco or some other blow-n-glo shop to do the repaint on the car, so now the paint was peeling off in big chunks due to zero prep work.



Those white spots around the rockers are where the paint is peeling off.

In terms of rust, there was some in the quarters on both sides, in the trunk lip and in the hood latch area.





Not in the pictures is the trunk lid, which is basically junk.

Other than that, the body was solid - the doors and rockers are good, the fenders are good, the torque boxes are fine. There's a bit of surface rust in places but nothing a wire wheel can't handle.

Once we started taking it apart and stripping the paint, it was obvious that the car has led an interesting, accident-filled life!



At some point, both front wheels had been bashed into the body with enough force to put some small ripples into the main body! But there's no frame damage and no evidence of it in the a-arms or the suspension at all. If you look closely, you can see the impact point.

Also, the car looks like a strip of bacon.



Additionally, at some point it had been hit hard enough in the rear end to make the tail panel as wavy as the Atlantic ocean, and slightly ripple the roof! It's hard to see in this photo, but there isn't a straight line on that panel. And the trunk lock support is bent to the right a full INCH off center!



So, I have a new trunk lid and will need to get a new rear panel and hood. Could be worse, it could need doors, rockers, etc.

As for the paint, it's so poorly applied we have been removing it with a razor blade! It took me about 5 hours to strip the quarter panel to this point using the blade.



Lots of shavings!



The next step is to get it straight enough to paint black. I'll update this thread as it progresses.

Boy, I miss my 69!!!! Wish I would have never gotten rid of it.
Looks like you got some work to do!!! Keep us posted on your progress..

cheers
Charlie

Thanks!

Here's the start of the quarter rebuild. I know there are patch panels available for this, but it's actually cheaper to have the body guy build them from scratch! However, the other side is so bad it's better to get the patch.



I started cleaning up inside the fenders, since there is a bit of rust due to the damaged seam seals from the bizarre corner hits behind the wheels. They were hit pretty hard! You can see the bent lip and some of the wrinkles in this photo.



Thankfully, the rest is fairly rust free and straight. But this car has seen quite a few accidents over the years.

He didnt braze that patch over the old panel did he???

Charlie

I remember in about '77 a guy down the street had this exact car in a beautiful metallic aquamarine/teal kind of a colour,it was perfect! I was 13 or 14 and swore I would own one. Some 10 years later,I had bought a Grabber Blue '69 Torino Cobra for $3500,a little rough but stock down to the mufflers...except for the 3500 stall convertor,4.56 gears,slicks and line lock! It had a time slip for 12.20@116,and I ruled the streets for about a year,then sold it. Good luck with your car,it's still one of my favorites!

Man, that one looks awesome. I can't wait until mine is done.

As for the patch panel being brazed over metal, all that corner was cut out and the corner rebuilt from scratch. There's a slight lip overlap but not much.

Looks like you have quite a project on hand. It is looking good so far. I love doing just what you are doing, I had a 71 Mustang that I had to take apart and R&R like you are doing to your Torino. I think the 69 torino is one of the unappreciated Torinos. Some say it was too big and looked awkward. Properly configure muscle wise they are a Torino to be reckoned with. Although I don't currently have any fords on the project list, I found a four speed in the back of my garage that belonged to a 71 or 72 Torino 428 CJ, it is one of the borg warner Top Loader style and has the dual bolt pattern ears. Anyway good luck with your project, hope to see more photos as you progress.

iGoMuscleCars.com
master1027@gmail.com

No photos - I forgot the camera! - but here's a small update.

The rebuilding of the rear left quarter is pretty much done and it looks great. We're almost done the whole driver's side.

I've spent about 20 hours with a grinding wheel cleaning up all the door jams and the doors, which has helped to find all the micro pinholes of rust. Also cleaned up inside the wheel wells a bit. Fenders will be undercoated today and we'll start on the roof while we're waiting for all the replacement panels to arrive: left back quarter, used but mint hood and a used tail panel. I don't think there's a straight panel on this car anywhere! Oh well.

This sunday I remembered to bring my camera so I have some photos to show the progress.

The driver's quarter and door have had all the major work done and have been sprayed with 3 coats of high fill primer.







It still needs final block sanding and some smoothing, but you'd never know that quarter was a cheese factory when it started. There was a dent with a 1/4" of bondo in it!

All that sanding makes things dusty.



The new hood from Arizona arrived. It will require clean up but the old one is bent at the hinges and rotted out in the latch area, so this southern one is way better.



New trunk lid, also requiring work. But the old one is held together with rust and bondo, so into the bin it goes!



New tail panel, same reasons as above. Here we are drilling out the spot welds to get just the piece we want.

In a strange coincidence, all three bits, from three different cars, from three different locations in the US, are all the same ugly red. Did they paint a lot of Torinos orange-red or something?



Finally in the new panel department, a skin from Auto Krafters for the passenger quarter. This will be MIG welded in this week.



Most of what I did yesterday was clean up and undercoat the inner fender areas on both sides, and undercoat the fenders. Now that this is done, the fender can be reinstalled for final block sanding on the driver's side.

First though, have to fix the rusty spots.



Then prime it up. Looks a lot better one colour!



Time for some seam sealer! Now water won't get in and do it's thing again.



Finally, two coats of undercoating to make sure the car lasts another 40 years.



Same thing on the other side. Fix the rust, prime, seal, undercoat.





Then the fenders. Prime with a special rust primer, then undercoat. The lumpy parts are the original undercoating that I didn't bother to scrape off, since no one sees it.









Lastly, we started on the cowl cleanup.



At this rate, it'll be ready for paint probably by August. I might get to drive it for a month before it goes into storage!

damn, your doing a great job with all that work!
hopefully ill be able to tackle the bad spots on my car just as you have.
good luck on your goal for august!