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Re: Re: 1984 Toranado?
These cars had many excellent features. At a time when most domestic cars still had rigid axles in the back, these had a good, independent semi-trailing arm rear suspension (like a BMW), and provided a better - than average ride.
They were better handling than almost every domestic car made at the time. Put some decent low profile tires on them and they will stick to the corners wonderfully with little understeer. They had better straight-line tracking than most cars and the front wheel drivel traction is excellent in bad weather. Also, unlike most domestic front wheel drives, these had NO torque steer when you mash the gas pedal.
It's better to get a car with the factory sporty suspension package; it makes a difference. If the car has an anti-sway bar on the rear suspension, its got the sporty handling package.
The engine is the same as an older rear wheel drive car, a cast-iron 307 v8 is bulletproof and easy to maintain. I loved the earlier (79-81) Toronados; many came with a 4 bbl Olds 350 V8, which was quite powerful and fast, for the day.
The transmissions were largely the same, (and just as reliable) as the rear wheel drive transmissions (usually a THM 425 3 spd auto, although yours is likely the 4 spd overdrive variant).
There are a few weak points:
The trans cases were just reworked to sit beside the engine, facing ' backwards. There is a Hy-Vo chain at the rear of the engine inside a housing, which often needs replacement at about 100k miles.
Most front drive cars use this kind of chain, but the engine torque seems to wear them out faster on these cars.
If you floor the gas pedal, especially at low revs, a worn chain makes a thumping noise. No thumps means the chain is fine.
The front drive uses axle shafts and CV joints like any other front drive car. These are very reliable, but eventually will wear out, but they'll last just as long as any other front drive car.
These cars were prone to rust, in the body at the bottom of the doors and behind the wheels.
Also you MUST check for rust on the frame rails behind the rear wheels. The last 3 feet of frame rail was notorious for disappearing altogether and letting the bumper hit the ground.
BTW, the bumpers used an aluminum structure, covered by chrome plated steel. Beware of corroded aluminum. Get underneath and look at the back of the bumper. Tap it with a hammer and make sure its solid.
Finally, the door hardware is a bit fragile, the door hinges like to wear and sag, locks and latches may break and the power window guides would sometimes get mis aligned so the doors would not seal well.
IMO be sure to get the best Toronado you can afford. You can buy a flawless one for less than it would cost to fix a ratty one.
I would buy a good one tomorrow, if only I could find one.
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Re: 1984 Toranado?
