Faults:

Transmission slippage was the main problem with this car (transmission was the standard C4 automatic.)

Fuel economy was terrible for a low-performance V8: consistently 11.4 mpg, mainly highway driving! I attribute this possibly to transmission slippage just mentioned.

The car had a full vinyl roof and small rust spots were beginning to show in two areas.

The air conditioning didn't handle extended use on a long trip and eventually blew hot. But, allowed to "rest" for a while, it began to work just fine.

It might be said that rear visibility was very poor in the Grand Torino. Looking through the rear windshield, you just had to guess where the trunk was when you were backing up.

General Comments:

Performance was less-than-spectacular with the factory-rated 141 horsepower 302 V8, but this could have been due to the weak/ailing transmission.

Faults:

Everything has started to rust. Most of the rust fortunately is the bolts that hold everything that needs replacing.

The rear shocks are totally gone. Just the center support rod for each one is all that's left.

I can't remove the right rear brake drum to repair and put on new shoes.

The radiator support frame is rusting out from under it.

Battery holder box is gone, (rust).

The AM radio works, but needs a new speaker.

The driver's side wiper is in serious need of replacement.

The heater fan motor doesn't work either.

All the rubber gaskets around the doors are shrinking. Not coming loose, just kind of shrinking. I know it sounds strange. It's like they are loosing their shape, but they aren't.

This is all not manufacturing problems. This is from all the years that the car sat up.

General Comments:

This car was purchased new by a 66 year old man when he retired from work in 1972. I have had several of these cars and each one has been very good. The problems with this are the usual things that come from being 30 years old and not being taken care of. The man only drove it in this town and sometimes in the county, or the state (we live next to the state line). It had never been out of this county until I got it. It was only driven to Church, the doctor, the stores and the post office. Most of its life, it was parked in the weather. Never in a garage or carport.

The car has never seen the 100,000 mile mark yet. I have driven this car with the utmost care for 7 months of the past year I have owned it. I knew it was needing some work. I was doing what I could with what I had. I do plan on trying to get it back into shape. The interior doesn't need more than recovering the driver's side of the front seat. The windshield could stand to be replaced. Mostly just the normal stuff that wears out at 60 to 70,000 miles. And of course, the vinyl roof, and then repaint the body. What little rust is on the body is around the bottom of the doors. Especially the driver's door.