So I go to see a lead on parts car for my '53 today. The guy has three '52-'54 Fords (one he's selling for parts)...unfortunately, nothing I need. They've already been picked clean. We start to shoot the **** so he takes me on a "tour" of a few of his buildings....Everything from Model A s****s to SS Elkies...We were just getting ready to leave and he says "Here you'll appreciate this..." Pulls a tarp off and there is a complete functional front end minus outer sheet metal of a late '70s Ford Granada all the way to the dash where it is just cut clean sitting on two wheels and a stand in the back. Looks like someone just took a sawzaw right behind the windshield. Disc brakes with a 250 six installed WITH 12 MILES ON IT!!!! It was used as a teaching aid in the early '80s. Ford had donated it to the local vocational school where this guy bought it from 20 years ago. Said they only used it for troubleshooting, my concern was that a bunch of kids cut their teeth screwin' with it .... the factory vacuum lines were still soft as a baby's *** and you could eat off the damn thing! Asking price is $2K right now....Also had a 231 V6 still on the crate from Chevy that he bought from the same place...
But if you buy it, you'll have part of a 70s Granada... a Malaise Era car that rusted easily and came with an underpowered smog motor. What would you do with it? If you have something that fits the wheel track that's different, you could swap that front in, and the motor will probably respond to normal hotrodding.
So basically, your ready to part with 2000.00 for a pair of spindles and disc brakes that could be worth upward of 150.00 in the most expensive U-pull it yard ever... Cause that's about the only thing usable on a '54 Ford from that front clip. I must admit that 250 would peak my interest a little in one of my Falcons, fortified with a turbo, hell I've got one. As a matter of fact, mine only has about 20,000 miles on it, it cost me 150.00
I don't understand what exactly is "too good to be true" about this setup you have discovered. While it may be in excellent condition, unless it fits YOUR car and you're prepared to modify/manufacture body mounting points/brackets, it would seem to be more expeditious (and cost-conscious) to buy a nice aftermarket IFS with discs from the myriad of suppliers that make they specifically for your car. I think finding stuff like that is neat, but feel you may have overstated its impact of hotrodding in general. dj
At best that is exactly what you would get. And you have to figure that the engine probably either has lots of hours on it from being hooked to a scope or has been apart and back together a number of times over the years. The rest of it is only worth something beyond s**** prices if you have a Ford product it will fit on. 500 for the whole works would seem on the high side to me and then only if you can hear the engine run and see that it has good oil pressure and no noises.
No he said 2k. I double, double checked because I thought the same thing. I hope he's not confusing Granada with MustangII... Even that would be way overpriced...
$2k ? no way $500 ok use the front end in a project drop the 6 cylinder into a lakes replica roadster , just because the milage is low doesnt mean its gold ,
I wonder what the rear end(8 inch) and brakes in my Merc would be worth? They came off of a Granada too. Like Shelby parts price range maybe??
It's one of those stories that's too true to be good. Those school test buck cars tend to be real pieces of **** when the school is done - and normally are supposed to be s****ped, too. There's every chance that when the school got it, they used the whole car as a test mule, and when it got obsolete, then they cut it down and junked the rest. SUNY Morrisville in NY 10 years ago still had about an '85 Buick Century RWD test buck and it looked about like the cop car at the end of Smokey & The Bandit III - it was drivable, but only had enough body left to hold the seat in it, the rest was bare frame and mechanicals. They did that with it, it was a complete GM donor car once. I don't think it even had 300 miles on the odometer. Some of the more complete ones that did run saw some pretty nasty abuse while I was there. For $2000 you aught to be able to buy a complete Granada with 12 miles on it, really.
really Mr ****in Smarty Pants..?............what about the Shop cl*** smallblock the DRD has in his 32 roadster?
only buy it if it has the Japco automatic transmission. you know the one that popped out of park whenever it felt like it.
maybe the $2K asking price is part of reason guy has had it for 20 years (Ha!). So, if it is only front of car how does it have 12 miles on it? oh ya, p*** on the V6 too.
If you have the $2000 then just go and buy a NEW complete front end for your ride and will still have some money left over for some other parts you really need ! Retro Jim
Edit the post to say "interesting find". Lie about the price ($200.00) and you'll get positive feedback.
Hey...you gotta have fun in life sometimes, don't ya'! This did happen...but I DID walk away empty handed. As my grandpa always said, "He was pretty proud of his ****!"
i don't think the deal is "too good to be true." However, if you consider that a new fusion (basically today's granada) is going to run at least 22K(even after negotiation) new AND if the 250 really only has 12 miles and has not been experimented on by the kids AND 2K is the asking price not nessesarily the selling price then the deal is not as bad as it may seem if you ****ize it with more scrutiny-----the 250 could be used for transportation. a) But yes, you could probably get a running, or several running complete granadas for that price. 2) Also if if the other engine is 231, it's buick not chevy. Also not nessesarily a bad deal it it's new.
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