Ford’s classy LTD graced the cover of its sales brochure for 1968. Like many self-respecting late ’60s luxury cars, it features hidden headlights and a powerful choice of V8 engines. In fact, this 1968 Ford LTD in Hillsboro, West Virginia left the factory with the top-dog Q-code 428 cid (7.0L) powerplant. At some point a 390 cid (6.5L) replacement took up residence in the engine bay, and it lives on in running condition today. The machine not only runs, it drives and stops too. The listing here on eBay asks only $2000 for this stylish classic.
If someone can think of a more hideous-looking color for this car, please enlighten us in the comments below. Including the bumpers in the baby blue madness certainly qualifies as adding insult to injury. That said, the $150 respray may have done some good by sealing the panels from surface rust.
Without its original 428, this LTD casts off the purists who only expend effort on factory-correct rides. As ’60s powerplants go, though, the 390 demands respect, and can be built from mild to wild. The seller admits this one smokes a bit, so don’t expect perfection.
The re-upholstered seats look well-done, though not a perfect match to the original hue. Power windows fit with the LTD’s high-class image. If this luxury coupe turned out to be loaded with rare options, it might win back some potential buyers who passed after learning the 428 had flown the coupe.
Despite some shortcomings, this solid-looking Ford presents entry-level enthusiasts an interesting opportunity. I’d drive it as it sits, but not with that blue. What color do you like for this LTD’s inevitable re-paint?
This would be a hoot to renovate, but damn! Repaint this sled! Find a period 428 & build it to be a hot sleeper motor-or better yet a…(thought I was gonna say SBC didn’t you?😜) coyote motor and a T56(Tremec?) six speed behind it.
Or just drive this the way it is until the engine freezes up (or the State Air Police get nasty with you). For $2K it looks like it’d be a perfect beater car.
West VA.; no wonder the bumpers got painted……SMH
When I was a kid in Upstate NY, we called cars like this a “beater”. And drove it through the winter months until the roads cleared in the spring.
Oh yes, we loved our “winter beaters” in Western PA! I had a ’79 Datsun 210 wagon that served 4 winter’s and as work car in summers that I bought for $100. Woodgrain sides over a muted orange base. Horrifying but bulletproof!
“…flown the *coupe*” . I see what you did there…
Oh that poor old car! But then, what can
you expect from a pack of ignorant hillbillies anyway? Yeah, this one’s effed
up” but not to the point where it can’t be
saved. Have a look at Jay Leno’s ’66 7-litre 2 door HT and you’ll see what I mean. His car runs a really badass 428
crate motor rated at 600+ HP mated to a
Tremec 5 speed gearbox. And along with that, he shows you where to get all the
HD suspension goodies to make this old
Ford handle like a sports car! As for the
current 390, pull the heads and slip in a new set of valve guides and rubber seals.
That should cure the smoking problem
that the seller is having with the engine right now. I’d also have the heads milled
to raise the compression ratio to at least
10.25:1. Then slip in an RV cam from a
motorhome, and that should just about do it for the 390 until you can get a 428
crate motor and really have some fun.
If you really want to make it look sinister,
paint it either a very dark blue or black and add a set steelies and dogdishes to
round out the look. That’s what I’d do with it. How ’bout you?
now.
That’s funny, that’s exactly what I am doing with my ’69 XL with a 390. Milled my C4AE heads .030 to raise compression to 10.5 with flat top pistons. The original colour is a deep blue, which it’s going back to, black steels and dog dish caps. The only difference is I’m rocking a comp cams 268 grind.
Well, seems you have some ideas about this old wreck. Are you enthused enough to take action?That’s the real question!
An rv can ,…do they still have those ?
Yes, an RV cam is simply a cam ground with a shorter duration and lower lift numbers. Think low rpm torque.
Damn, that’s a lot of blue! Don’t get me wrong, blue is my favorite color on any car but needs a darker shade. Also chrome the bumpers!
Check the frame good, these were notorious for rotten frames early on. And at least clean the leaves from under the hood. Good luck, freshen up that 390 and go!
Cheers
GPC
Pretty sad because of the cars physical location being from West Virginia the owner is accused of being a hillbilly. If I am not mistaken that was a trend in the 90’s to paint bumpers to match the car. Maybe you would get it if the car happened to be slammed on it’s nuts and a set of Dayton’s.
Be that it may it doesn’t work neither does the stock off the shelf blue paint is very dated. More desirable would be the XL fastback.Not this body style. I would also like to see the frame. These would rust as the frame loops up into the trunk. W.Va. is part of the rust belt.
The missing Q code is nothing to worry about. It is about the same as the 390 performance wise. The Q code 428 is only a motor someone brags about. As in Spinal Tap the number 8 is better then 7. It is still a boat anchor. My 68 Q would strain to spin the tires with the brake on. It like this is a barge. Typical of any 60’s 70’s LTD.
No matter what you do building the motor including swiss cheesing the body to nothing you will never have a serious performance car. Only one that will perform better than stock. They were never made to be a race car for the street.
“It is about the same as a 390 performance wise” Obviously you have never driven a well tuned 428…
Sadly I have. My 68 428 XL had 68,000 miles. A FB with buckets and console w/tach. A one owner car. Was wrenched on by a guy who currently races a 460 powered FOMOCO in Nostalgia drags.,,,,,,,,,so my car equated to well tuned. Put the motor in a lighter body then yeah, not bad. It is still a very heavy package.
Because my handle make reference to American Motors do not assume I do not know what a Ford is capable of.
if you had JL’s money you could do whatever you
wanted. his “garage” has an estimated net worth
of 50 mil. he does have an amazing collection!
I like the blue personally, but as AMCFAN pointed out, the monochrome look lived and thankfully died in the 90’s, had nothing to do with “hillbilly;” like leisure suits in the 70’s we just thought it looked good back then.
I had a ’70 XL Convertible. Had only 52k orig miles back in ’02, ex cond. Factory grabber blue, white conv top, blue int w/ a 428. Buckets, AC, loaded. I bought it for $1200 at an estate auction. I was looking for small things to resell when I overheard a cpl kids talking about ‘taking the eng out’ & put in their mustang to race at the 1/4 mile Firebird track here. I said ‘what engine”? They said “That” pointing to it in the garage. When I saw it was near mint, I just couldn’t let it get taken. When it hit $1200 I said standing next to them very loud & fast “I DONT KNOW ABOUT YOU BUT I’M GOING 5 GRAND” & they stopped bidding! Vapor locked a cpl times on way home about 12 miles as the crow flies. Put new gas tank on & the last sending unit the Ford dealer found in a barn in Kentucky, shipped to me in ID. Dad hadnt moved here yet or I’d have given to him. Barely fit in the garage so had to exit climbing to passenger side. That got old fast. Ebayed 9 mos later for $7k to a guy in New Hampshire. Anyone out there seen it since!?
1970 would of had a 390 or 429, unless someone stuck in a 428. Engine callout were on the front fenders in 69 and 70.
Without the 428 forget about it. The 390 is a boat anchor slug, The 428 is a beast. I’ve owned both including a 428CJ. that was the most powerful factory stock motor I ever drove. This LTD will have whatever heavy duty brakes, transmission and suspension that was available for the full size Fords.That color looks like one of the shades that Earl Shieb offered for $19.95.
.
This is a money pit- stay away
I just want the bumpers.
I tried reading the eBay add but the seller, or whoever placed this add, the Grammer and spelling is so horrifyingly bad, it was a distraction for me. No periods, one long run on sentence. Egads!
Kelsey Grammer?
Earl Schieb went out of business soon after all of that blue paint was shot on this poor Ford. LOL I’m a big fan of the coupes from 68-70 and have had opportunities to buy some with police packages. This one deserves a nice, thorough restoration starting with new chrome and interior kit.
A sad disaster. Power windows and no AC. A paint job which probably looks worse than the car would have looked without it. So sad.
I don’t know why everyone is so down on this car being blue. It kind of looks like Richard Petty blue. Remember, Petty left Plymouth for Ford for the 1969 NASCAR season. So, it would kind of make sense to have a Ford of this model year to be painted this shade of blue.
However, I would get rid of the vinyl top and have the whole car repainted blue. I’d put 2 small STP stickers on the vent windows.
Good points!
I bought it and driving it now,.