The Ford LTD was still a popular car in 1972, with more than 475,000 of them rolling off the assembly line for just that one year alone. But fewer than 1% of that number were convertibles- 4,234 to be exact- so this one’s kind of rare. It’s also the last year the LTD was offered as a droptop, and if you’ve been in the market for an affordable full-size early seventies convertible, this one might be worth checking out. The car is located in Des Moines, Iowa, and can be found here on Craigslist with an asking price of $14,500. Barn Finds reader Gunter Kramer sent us the tip on this one, and we’d like to thank him for it!
The seller bought the car about a year ago, but prior to then, it had been sitting in a Hemken Auto Collection since 1979. It’s said to be an unmolested original example with a straight body, and while there’s no evidence of any body filler, the seller believes it may have had some touch-up paintwork done at some point. The top looks surprisingly good and is possibly new, although there was no documentation from the previous owner that it had been replaced. To be 50 years old the car looks pretty well-preserved overall, with only a few minor issues outside, such as the bumper having a light tap on the right side and a small crack in the tail light on the other side. The hood is sticking up just a bit near the back on the passenger side, but hopefully, it just needs some adjusting and tinkering.
There’s good news under the hood, as the 62,000-mile 400 is still running, and it’s also received some recent maintenance including a carburetor rebuild and an oil change, plus the gas tank, sending unit, and fuel pump have also been replaced. The belts and hoses are the same ones that have been on there since ’79, and the car needs a new exhaust system, so unless you live in Iowa you may want to address these before driving it home, or you can always bring a trailer. No word on the state of the transmission or if there’s been any work performed on it lately, but there are new tires all the way around.
We don’t get to see all of the car’s interior, but the seller says there are no tears inside and the top of the dash looks like it’s in nice shape. He’s also not yet cleaned the inside and states that it could use a good cleaning, so maybe an afternoon with a bottle of 409 would be some time well spent. Things are said to be solid on the underside, with just some surface flaking down below from sitting for all those years. This one seems like with a little more work it could be a really nice neighborhood driver, and maybe a regular at your local car gathering. What do you think?
If the buyer is unfamiliar with these cars, it will be a dream to drive. Always liked those optional turbine hubcaps. Time can be spent squeezing more horsepower and spunk from that drivetrain this winter.
That engine looks like it lived on gravel it’s whole life .
My Father had one of these, gold with a black hardtop, he traded his 69 Marquis for it. I never really liked it, but it was ok. The 400 was ok, but I missed the Marquis as it was a much nicer car. It was my fault, my horses got out, and my Mom ripped the entire exhaust system off resonaters, two mufflers, and the rest. That and the rust had started to take hold. He got a new car every 3-4 years, that was normal for rural Michigan. We had for it about a year, and I asked my Father why we had so much dust in the car. Opened the trunk and both inner fender wells were gone, they had used some imported steel, and this was a common problem. I looked at my Father and said, ” why didn’t we just keep the Marquis? ” He was not too happy with that answer. They replaced both rear fenders, but down deep he knew I was right. Don’t see many anymore, except for the color, it’s a very nice car
My dad had a ‘72 Galaxie Hardtop. She was a nice running and riding automobile. Dad traded her in for a 1979 Buick LeSabre two door hardtop. He really liked my ‘71 Buick Electra 225 coupe so he dropped Ford’s hold on him since 1949. He kept the Buick for ten years; his longest held car.
I’m partial to these big Fords as I currently own a ’72 Galaxie 500 that I’ve had for 27 years. While this car looks pretty good on the outside, under the hood, the interior and the trunk are a mess. True, it’s a fairly rare convertible but the seller could have put a little effort into cleaning the interior up to get the car to look its best. These big Fords were great cruisers that rode very well, and they are not often seen these days. I’ve taken mine to the Ford Nationals in Carlisle, PA., several times, a trip of over 300 miles, and it’s a fine road car the eats up the miles effortlessly. This convertible is probably worth the ask, or close to it but if you’re going to hit the show scene with it, you’ve got a good bit of work ahead of you.
Damn, now I’m sad. I had a 1971 rag top with a 429, 4BBL, dual exhaust, silver, white top, white interior, factory spoke hubcaps, power everything, AC, tilt… It was a blast to cruise in and surprised a LOT of cars when I went by them on a straight road. (Easy on the curves!) Sold it to help buy a bigger house when the kids kept coming, oh well… It was fun while it lasted!
To me its kinda scary they only show it with the top up, does it work? But overall looks to be a fun car to just enjoy
Great looking car. But the seller should have put a little more effort into it for the price. Like detailing the engine compartment to make it look better. A dirty engine makes one wonder if the car runs as good as the exterior.
Ok, here’s my 2 cents worth. Don’t repaint, just refresh the existing original paint. New carpet, bucket seats and convert to a t-bar auto console. Pull the engine and repaint the engine bay, refresh the engine (all hoses, belts consumables etc, install high performance heads and convert to fuel injection, and reinstall. Upgrade all suspension and address the underbody surface rust and then seal, add some sweet wider Mob Steel Wheels but retain the hubcaps, and then drive that puppy all day, every day. It will still look original and go like stink.