Thoughts and opinions?

[CaptainKRM]

looking at this, this coming weekend;

http://milwaukee.craigslist.org/cto/3905021030.html

any thoughts on this car? trouble spots or issues?

[tjc78]

As long as it isn't rusty, the rest should be fine. I wouldn't, want to feed it. My 79 Town Coupe with a 400 barely broke 13mpg.

Otherwise, looks pretty good.

[mcninetyone]

Personally, I wouldn't touch that thing, certainly not for 2000 or anything even close, 500-700 maybe?
To me you're looking at a big, heavy, powerless gas hog. And it would take many mods to make it a nice car.
And if it's ever in an accident, body parts will be EXTREMELY hard to find.
I think you would be much better off with a CV/GM wagon with a 5.0.
But this is just my opinion and thats worth what you paid for it.
Gotta follow your dream!

[gadget73]

They aren't wrong. Neat car, but thirsty. They also handle poorly. I know people say a stock box handles badly, but those barge chassis cars are vastly worse. Fun as a project / fun car but I wouldn't daily drive it.

[L1011tristar17]

$2000 isn't a bad price for a nice weekend cruiser, but I wouldn't touch it as a daily driver. Like others have said, you will have trouble finding parts in a junkyard and most dealers stopped carrying parts for it by the time Reagan left office. I've been to a few junkyards, and the only late-70's full-size Ford I've seen was a Town Coupe that was in really rough shape. But if you want a fun project or something different to bring to car shows, then I would definitely check it out!

[Mainemantom]

Nice wagon. 460 is a major gas hog. The best my Ltd with the 460 got for gas mileage was 12 mpg. I have to use Premium gas. Parts availability in the East will be hard. In the west, not so bad. I have stocked up on spare parts for the past 15 years. Just in case. Don't use the arm rest to close the doors. The plastic is brittle by now. I would not use it for a DD. $2,000 is not too bad if there is no rust. Mine will be sold for much more. Check the back bumper core to shock mounts area for rust. Two different metals that were used together caused major rust issues. Trying to find a mechanic that knows how and will work on these cars, is a major headache. Worse than trying to find parts. Hopefully the wagon has a C-6 trans. as it is tough.

[79lincolnlover]

Check the back bumper core to shock mounts area for rust.

This! I had to have some new metal welded in for my '79 TC to pass inspection a couple of years ago. The metal was painted with primer after the job by the shop. I sprayed thick undercoating around there for extra protection.

[Mainemantom]

This! I had to have some new metal welded in for my '79 TC to pass inspection a couple of years ago. The metal was painted with primer after the job by the shop. I sprayed thick undercoating around there for extra protection.

You might want to take the bumper off, put thin rubber spacers between the two metals, then reinstall and re-undercoat.

[CaptainKRM]

i've owned and loved a 90 colony park, sadly taken from me by a drunk driver. i was certainly not going to use this as a daily driver, i have more than enough of those in the driveway/garage. this would be a weekend cruiser.

[gadget73]

well in that case...

I believe Ford was using a goofy cam retard timing set on the 460's at that point. If thats the case, you can probably get a nice bump in power just by changing the timing set and re-jetting the carb to give it enough fuel, along with possibly re-curving the distributor.

[pantera77]

Barges are cool, good cruisers but a stock 90 colony park would run circles around it in nearly every performance category. Also, I would be leery that someone has already put flowmasters on it.

[Mercracer]

looking at this, this coming weekend;

http://milwaukee.craigslist.org/cto/3905021030.html

any thoughts on this car? trouble spots or issues?

That is the last of the true tanks. 9" with a C6 and a 460. Those things are beasts. As it was mentioned, forget about fuel efficiency. What you would have is a great bullet proof tow vehicle and plenty of room inside for your gear and passengers. It does not get much more simple to work on than that car. Other than body panels, standard replacement parts should not be difficult to find, just be prepared to wait a day or so for them to be ordered into your local Advance, etc. Make sure that the rear gate window and latch work. On any vehicle that old, be prepared to replace brake and fuel lines from front to rear. I would recommend dropping the gas tank and cleaning it out also. If it is bad, replace it.