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Hello Toronado Community! I was so happy to find my 77 Toronado at a local US-Car Dealer in my area at the Baltic Coast north of Germany. I fell in love with it right away. That was the first one I have ever seen in Germany so far. It was never registered in Germany and still had only the US title. But amazingly all the old original paperwork, manuals and even the sales receipt from the dealership in 1977. So it took a while to get it fully official inspected here and get all the paperwork but now it’s all set and done.
I just love the car. The body, the paint, the interior, the smooth ride and even the old 8-track tapes I found in here. When I ride it it’s just like a time machine that lets you travel back to the 70s. Since it’s so rare here, you get a lot of looks, People give me thumps up as I drive by. It seems that this lovely Toro does not only amaze me.
Of course after 43 years it’s not everything perfect but I think most of it is in better shape then I am with three year less in age
The next month (or years) I will try to bring it to perfect again what will not be easy because it’s very hard to get parts over here but for now I will just enjoy riding it till the winter hits us.
I am looking forward to chat with you about our cars and hope to get some hints and help on some future fixing.
There are a handful of '77 and '78 Toronado owners on this forum, myself included. I have a '78 Toronado XS I bought in early 2017 in non-running condition and have brought it back to life since then.
Your Toro is a "second generation" Toronado (1971-1978), and I separate the '77 and '78 Toros from the others because the '71-'76 Toros had the 455 while the '77 and '78 had the 403. Also, '77 and '78 were the only years for the XS model, which featured a wrap-around rear window as an available option. My Toro has this.
I have found that mechanical parts (brakes, engine, etc) are fairly easy to come by. One big exception is the radiator. While other Oldsmobiles and other GM cars used the 403 over the years, the radiator differed among these cars because of the cars' differing dimensions. To the best of my ability to search, no one makes new radiators for the 403-equipped Toronados. I had to have mine rebuilt. Body and trim pieces, like any other full-size Oldsmobile, are not made new, so anything you need will have to be NOS from ebay or a source like that, or taken from a junkyard car.
I created a "tribute" site for the '77 and '78 Toros. I invite you to check it out. I think you'll find some useful, or maybe just interesting, information there.
Here's a photo of my car. Note the wrap-around rear window. This is the so-called "bent-glass" technology that was also used on some '77-'79 Chevy Caprice two-doors.
Last edited by jaunty75; Nov 18, 2020 at 09:45 AM.
...Note the wrap-around rear window. This is the so-called "bent-glass" technology...
Or "get bent glass" if the window is no longer available. I'd be afraid of some Beavis/Butthead type having a nearby rock handy, for when some evil spirit decides to whisper into his ear. As a preventative measure, I'd either pull the window and just drive around without the glass (being in a desert anyway, it would look both cool and would keep the interior temperature low enough with all the other windows down) or else add the fourth window payne for setting up a rattle snake terrarium which should get Beavis to think twice before hurling that proverbial rock windowwards
Or "get bent glass" if the window is no longer available. I'd be afraid of some Beavis/Butthead type having a nearby rock handy, for when some evil spirit decides to whisper into his ear. As a preventative measure, I'd either pull the window and just drive around without the glass (being in a desert anyway, it would look both cool and would keep the interior temperature low enough with all the other windows down) or else add the fourth window payne for setting up a rattle snake terrarium which should get Beavis to think twice before hurling that proverbial rock windowwards
With an attitude like this, I'm surprised you bother to get of bed in the morning.
Yes, I'm really likely to remove the rear window and drive around without one. Any other brilliant ideas?
Thank You all for the warm welcome.
yeah I’ve seen some XS on the internet, those windows look amazing I think.
Are there still replacements available just in case?
Realy nice website you put up there! I found it looking for info on the 77 before I even bought it. Very informative!
Walle, www.toronado.org is an excellent resource for a Toronado owner. Jane sends out an e-newsletter every so often in addition to the club's bi-monthly Front Wheel Driver magazine and club is also on social media, which makes it easier for international members.
yeah I’ve seen some XS on the internet, those windows look amazing I think.
Are there still replacements available just in case?
Not new. I've seen NOS rear windows for the XS on ebay in the $700 to $1000 range, and, of course, you could always take one off of a parts car.
But, unless you live in Killian Morder's dystopian world where people go around breaking the back windows of cars on a daily basis, this business of worrying about these back windows is a tempest in a teapot. How often does a back window break in any car? So infrequently that it's a non-issue. And my car is a COLLECTOR car, not a daily driver. I don't leave it unattended for 8 hours in the parking lot where I work or for an hour or whatever at the shopping mall. The car is always with me, either driving it or parking it at a car show. At home, it's in a locked garage. It's as likely to get struck by a meteorite as it is to have someone throw a rock through the back window.
Last edited by jaunty75; Nov 19, 2020 at 09:59 AM.
