I will admit that my attraction to hotrod black cars is not strong. But there was something about this car that drew me to take another look.
When I discovered that the body had been set onto a 1982 Oldsmobile Toronado chassis, I was intrigued. You see, I am an Oldsmobile Man.
When I examined the craftsmanship, I was astounded. Such great attention to detail! The builder utilized the two cars to the fullest. He successfully transplanted the great luxury and power features of the Toronado into the Ford body.
The body on this car is very solid and sound. As mentioned, I am not a fan of the hotrod black look. You could just scuff it and paint it the color of your choice. There is no body work needed.
When you look at the car, you really can’t detect that it isn’t stock. I suppose the wheels give it away, and the mirrors are not proper. But otherwise, he did a great job.
The stance is right. He was able to install Ford hubcaps and Coker radial wide whites onto the Oldsmobile wheels, the body was not altered. You would never guess this is a front-wheel drive car. The windshield is the old two-piece style that old hotrodders used.
The powertrain and chassis is all Toronado. The 307 Olds is a great engine. The transmission is the 325-4L four speed overdrive. The suspension is independent at both front and rear. There are disc brakes on all four corners. The wheelbase is the exact same 114″ as the 48 Ford coupe.
The engine is nicely dressed up. There are power brakes and steering. The exhaust is dual stainless steel. This car has working climate control. When the A/C is on, an auxiliary electric fan kicks in to keep the engine cool.
The interior appointments are great. The luxurious Toronado maroon leather interior is almost enough to put you to sleep. The power seats work properly. The steering column tilts and telescopes. The mirrors are power adjusted.
You will enjoy the Sony AM/FM/CD sound system. There is a 19 channel CB radio, too. The Cruise Control works, so does the power trunk latch release. You will get a kick out of the wolf whistle.
There are manuals, brochures, spare parts, the jack/spare/lug wrench in the trunk. The ignition and door lock via key.
The final drive gear ratio is 2.73 to one. With the .67 overdrive transmission, you will realize great fuel economy. The engine is designed to run on 87 octane unleaded fuel. The brakes and fuel system were all recently maintained. In fact, the fuel tank is new.
The man that built this hotrod put lots of time, energy, effort and cost into getting it right. His widow sold the car after he passed. The next owner got it back into reliable driving condition.
Just put gas in it and roll. I would not be afraid to make this my daily driver for spring, summer, fall and winter
