Barn Beast! 1970 Ford Torino 429 CJ 4-Speed
Update 8/9/21 – After about three years this Torino is still on the market. The price hasn’t even dropped but could it sell this time around? Find it here on eBay where it’s listed for $18,000 or best offer. Thanks go to Larry D for the tip!
From 11/8/18 – We featured this one back in August, but it’s still on the market. Though not a survivor, this once-restored Torino retains its original numbers-matching engine, and a sweet one it is! The 429 Cobra Jet engine made 370 HP and 450 lb-ft of torque. The mighty 429, along with the J-code Ram Air “shaker” hood and four-speed transmission, makes this 1970 Ford Torino 429 Cobra Jet in Middletown, NY one of the hottest Fords from that era. The listing here on craigslist includes many pictures and a not-too-crazy $18,000 asking price.
The decade-old paint job is described as “Maaco Quality,” and while legends exist about show-car quality paint jobs from the occasional prodigy working at a national franchise spray shop, I’ve personally seen them spray over sap and whole bugs. This Torino may be closer to the lesser of those two possibilities.
Flashy red paint and a serious-looking black interior — a classic combination that works well for Ferrari or Ford. From this angle it appears to be one pedal short for a manual transmission, but the Hurst T-Handle shifter suggests a row-your-own gearbox as advertised. That rusty metal in the back may be the accessory mount for what looks like dealer-installed air-conditioning, an option universally reviled by those who experienced it first-hand.
With all due respect to the back seat, here’s where the magic happens. Most American cars saw their power numbers peak in 1970. By 1972, compression ratios like this car’s 11.3:1 number were history (thanks to hemmings.com for some details). This is a big car, but there’s not much room between the left rocker cover and the power brake booster. The newer battery suggests recent unsuccessful attempts to fire the long-parked 429, which was said to run well when retired to this garage. The current description said it turns freely. Are you ready to give $18,000 for one of the last high-powered classic muscle cars?
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Comments
High school,dragin main, spotted one of these at the repair shop and asked if it was for sale. Yes, pay the repair bill the neer-do-wells skipped out on and it was mine.Cobra version, N-code, no shaker but a new timing chain and gear made it run like new. Total rust-bucket,automatic trans.,but I didn’t mind those details, 175 dollars sealed the deal. 1st car I ever had that would do a truly awesome burn out, and did we ever give it a work out. Sold the 429-c-6 to a buddy who installed the combo in his 64-XL.and threw the rest away. Engine-trans still resides in his Galaxie to this day.
Definitely LOVE the ’64 XLs but now I have a ‘63.5 XL, that I’m grafting my ’64 XL interior into. It will be totally built to offend.
Just wonderful! One of my favourite Muscle Cars.
I had the N coded 429 thunder jet convert GT . It was a hoss in shock towers etc. unfortunately the triptomatic in lieu of the four speed.
I couldn’t make out if this had the ribbon tach with the dust on dash instruments but it’s a good restoration project . Price lil high but hey less rust means more cash to buy 💰👍
I like the color too!
Torino’s were good muscle cars!
I like this Torino but only 15K tops worth. Still too many issues to deal with on the car. Just because NADA says it will be worth 80K when professionally done doesn’t mean you will get 80K.
When I was much younger, I tried for years to buy one (nearly identical except yellow and auto) from a local. He wouldn’t sell. Every 2-3 months, I would knock at his door and ask if he was interested. I did it for so long that we were on a first name basis… but he always said no. One day, I stopped in for my short visit. He had traded the car in for a minivan. I immediately went to the dealer, but he had already sold it.
You should have given the local your telephone number – but alas, hindsight is 20/20.
I imagine Lance you probably got a sick feeling in your stomach. Did you ask why the hell he didn’t call you first? Same thing kinda of happened to me, and I did ask. He told me that he thought I had lost interest since I hadn’t been around in while. 🤬 Sometimes I think people do that just for meanness.
There is NOS Shaker assembly posted on Craigslist for $7k. This car has been for sale for nearly a year, the seller must be stubborn. The top value is $45-$55k for these, not running I would say $12 at the most the neglected ride.
Yea these torinos never really took off Value wise. Personally I like them and would love to own one. These had a strange corrosion problem up in the firewall that’s not easily detectable. New paint, not running, rust belt….inspector carefully!!
Cheers
GPC
Believe me the Torino 429 “J-code”Cobra is an absolute street beast! My brother still owns his 1970 Snake since we were teenagers.Its a rough survivor loaded with options.Our dad bought it from the original owner that drove the car from California to Pennsylvania.A very fast but heavy car! $18,000 is too high for this one,but if you have the memories in a ‘429 Torino like we had with our late father,maybe talk some cash offers,you won’t be disappointed with the ride!
Certainly rare.
But resto botched so far.
Not even worth half what he is dreaming about
I’ll never understand why these aren’t worth more, I’ve loved them since I saw a dark green one at a towing joint back in the early 80’s.
The most underrated and unappreciated muscle car of the time, and the sharpest looking. Price is quite reasonable for something you don’t find sitting on every street corner anymore.
In 1975 i was working in a gas station and found one these on a local car lot for $1200 bucks, green with black int. Beautiful looking car 429 cj with 4 speed. The salesman brought to the gas station and let me put it on the lift, had a very poorly repaired bent frame so I decided to pass on it. End up buying a Plum crazy 340 duster instead. Seems like the world was full of $1000 dollar muscle cars back then that not everybody wanted.
Neat-o……
I believe the clutch pedal is on the floor. Looks like a clutch pedal sized brake pedal to me. That optional ribbon tach was so poorly located you could change lanes of traffic just looking over at it. How motivated are you as a Seller when you post pictures of the car in a dimly lit setting unless of course, you have so much crap disconnected you can’t move it.
Killer street sweeper, maybe Ford’s best street machine was one of these with the super cobra jet 429. I just think this engine turned some Ford guys away, those who knew the tried and proven FE engine and probably had a garage full of parts. Plus it was late in the day for this type of car to have a completely different engine if that makes any sense, especially with key words like the quiet one..the clean one..needed more time to really catch on with Ford fanatics, which there was little of. One more year and it was over for the high powered 429’s.
I don’t know my Fords that well, but from what I see in the Dropbox photos this car is very hurt underneath. The frame rails appear to be “capped” and the floors and rockers are smoked. It’s all stuff I’ve done but the buy-in is a bit fearsome for that amount of work.
It’s a shame… this is sorta Ford’s answer to the Road Runner. It’s a stripper Cobra coupe with all the right moves (except the lack of a Traction-Lok diff) and it deserves better than continuing to decline in the hands of someone that “knows what I got”. We know too–you showed us photos. It’s just not an $18K car, as much as I’d love to own it.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/zszrj4u5z7p6w2t/AADlE3FKb57DM_SRxB9os16ja?dl=0
Sold.. Best offer accepted..
Always wanted one of these. Coming from a die-hard Mopar guy I really can’t say why. I always like the body lines and it goes without saying who doesn’t like a 429 cobra jet? With the work needed I do think it’s priced high.