Vehicle sighting - '68 Ford LTD

[Number_35]

Saw this one a couple of weeks ago. A friend bought a 4-door '68 Ford Custom ex-company car back in '76 - Canadian National Railways orange with a 240-CID inline-6, 3-on-the-tree MT, and armstrong steering. It's interesting to me how similar the two cars look (at least in my memory) despite the difference in trim levels. Same basic body shape, although of course the Custom did not have the hideaway headlights or the vinyl roof. I'm pretty sure this minty LTD does not have the six-banger either. 302? 351W or C? 390? Note how the rear side reflectors met the letter of the law for the '68 model year. GM and Chrysler used actual marker lights, as did Ford the next year.

 

[Kestas]

Didn't the ones with the 390 engine have an emblem on the bottom of the front fender denoting it? Of course, this car may have been debadged.

 

[Number_35]

In the same model year, Chevys had displacement tags integrated into the front marker light for all V8 engines (307, 327. 396, 427) but none for their 6-cylinders. I'm not sure what Ford did. I've seen these on '68 Novas, Malibus, Biscaynes, Bel Airs, Impalas, and Caprices.

 

[69GTX]

Note how the rear side reflectors met the letter of the law for the '68 model year. GM and Chrysler used actual marker lights, as did Ford the next year. My 69 Plymouth GTX's, and 1969 Dodge SuperBee and Roadrunner all had rectangular quarter panel reflectors. I don't know when they eventually became real lights....probably some time after 1970. Oddly, my 68 GTX did have round front fender lights and possibly round lower lights on the rear quarters. But in 1969 they were cheap reflectors.

 

[Linctex]

Originally Posted by Number_35

4-door '68 Ford Custom ..... with a 240-CID inline-6, 3-on-the-tree MT,

I have never seen a passenger car with a 240, only in light trucks

 

[khittner]

My parents' '66 Custom 500 had the straight six, but with a 3-speed automatic.

 

[Number_35]

From the Wiki article: 240 The 240 cu in (3.9 L) six for 1965-1972 full sized cars (continued to 74 in fleet models) and 65-74 trucks or vans produced 150 hp (112 kW) (gross). In stationary service (generators and pumps) fueled by LPG or natural gas, this is known as the CSG-639. The 240 had a bore of 4" and a stroke of 3.18". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_straight-six_engine

 

[Number_35]

Originally Posted by 69GTX

Note how the rear side reflectors met the letter of the law for the '68 model year. GM and Chrysler used actual marker lights, as did Ford the next year. My 69 Plymouth GTX's, and 1969 Dodge SuperBee and Roadrunner all had rectangular quarter panel reflectors. I don't know when they eventually became real lights....probably some time after 1970. Oddly, my 68 GTX did have round front fender lights and possibly round lower lights on the rear quarters. But in 1969 they were cheap reflectors.

Interesting! I remember the small round rear side markers on the '68 Plymouths and Dodges, and assumed that Chrysler had used continued to use lights (rather than reflectors) thereafter.

 

[CKN]

There are VERY GOOD reasons they don't make them like that anymore.......

 

[dishdude]

Originally Posted by CKN

There are VERY GOOD reasons they don't make them like that anymore.......

Yeah but it's still a cool piece of history. Technology has made great advances in 50 years.

 

[RTexasF]

That color! No problem finding it in the grocery store parking area.

 

[Number_35]

Originally Posted by RTexasF

That color! No problem finding it in the grocery store parking area.

I wonder if that was the factory colour?

 

[HM12460]

Very cool old Ford. Did not have the 351C as standard, as that engine's first model year was 1970.

 

[gman2304]

The good old days.....mostly. An older brother had a 69 Ford LTD wagon with a factory 429.

 

[My442]

Fords rusted faster than any other make, especially in areas that use road salt in the winter. Driven daily, they were rusted out in 5-7 years.