429 Power: 1971 Ford Torino 500

The Ford Torino is one of those autos that served ably in several different capacities, offering everything from economical basic transportation to blistering high performance.  In 1971, engines ranged from a thrifty inline-6, all the way up to a monstrous 429 Cobra Jet.  While it’s not disclosed which engine this one was originally equipped with, potential buyers should be excited to learn there’s a 429 CID V8 under the hood now.  The seller has accurately deemed this vehicle a project, and I concur with his assessment that it appears to be a decent base for becoming something serious.  This 1971 Ford Torino 500 is in the Bronx, New York, and can be found here on eBay, where the seller has set the buy-it-now price at $11,500 and is also listening to offers.  Curvette, thanks for another great tip here!

Other than informing us that a 429 is already in place, the seller doesn’t share much additional detail, such as its source or date code.  However, he does confirm that the Torino starts right up, runs strong, and drives, with the performance described as powerful.  There’s also no mention of the transmission, but the interior shows both a column shifter and a B&M automatic floor shift unit, so all we know is that it’s not a manual.  The third member specs also remain a mystery.

Not many specifics are disclosed about the exterior either, and it’s unknown whether any significant bodywork has been performed in the past.  Looking at the photos, most of the panels appear to be reasonably structurally sound, except for the left quarter.  An experienced bodyman can probably get all of the passenger-side imperfections straightened out, and replacing the grille pieces shouldn’t be a big deal.  It also appears that the rear bumper has been lightly tapped in the past, but overall, the outside seems to be at a fairly good starting point for a restoration.

My late father would have appreciated the interior here, as he was also a fan of using different colors of duct tape to repair just about anything.  It might be more rewarding to axe the front bench, install some buckets and a console, and swap out the steering column for one without a shifter.  How high to take the interior level will be entirely up to the next owner, along with choosing how much attention to give the sheet metal before it gets a fresh coat of paint.  However, having the 429 already in place is a plus here, so hopefully it’ll be a long time before any future decisions are needed regarding the engine.  How would you recommend moving forward with this 1971 Ford Torino 500?