Photos: Chadly Johnson Words: Charles James & Chadly Johnson
Charles James’ 1968 Torino GT has earned its stripes as a Family Fastback since it rolled off the production line brand new, until the present day. It’s not common in modern times for the same family to own a car for a half century, so when I met Charles I was curious to know the Fastback’s story. No one knows the car better than Charles, so I’ll let him take over.
“The car was purchased by my dad in September 1967, less than a month after I was born. He paid a little over $3,300 for the car. It was his first new car and his pride and joy (second to me). At that time he was working two jobs to makes ends meet as his second child had just been born. Dad traded in a 1958/9 Ford Skyliner Hardtop Convertible, and regretted how little he got for it in trade especially as they became a collector car only a few years later. Because of this, he held on to the Torino.
“This was the car I grew up in. We would go to the drive in movies and I would lie on the back partial tray under the rear window. This is also where I would sleep on long road trips. (The days before seatbelt and infant and child seats laws). We lived in San Jose, California and my grandparents were located in Eastern Washington State. We would often drive to visit them, and it was on one of these road trips when the car sustained its only significant damage. We were on Siskiyou pass, heading north on Interstate 90, when an elk came bounding up the steep hill on the side of the road, hitting the passenger fender, hood and windshield. Luckily no one was hurt, but there was damage to the ‘68’s fender and hood.
“My dad drove the Torino primarily until about 1974 when he purchased a pickup truck. He continued to drive the ‘68 off and on until I was 16; then I drove it to school and work. One night while driving to work, the brake booster went out and I skidded through an intersection using the emergency brake to stop. That incident, and the fact I was spending more money on gas than I was making at work, resulted in the car getting parked in 1984. The Torino was rarely driven after that. Likely sometime in the early 1990s, my dad replaced the brake booster and drove the car to his retirement property near Spokane, WA. There the idle Fastback sat both outside and inside of his shop. Dad always talked about restoring the car, but never did.
“In 2012 my dad died suddenly, and the GT was in his shop when the estate was settled. My three sisters offered me the car. Despite my wife’s protesting, I accepted, and transported the car to our house in Walla Walla, WA. It was there the old Ford was kept inside our shop until we moved to Coos Bay, OR and sold the property. A few years later we began looking for restoration shops nearby. We found there are not a lot of Ford shops around, with most being Chevy or Mopar. We found that Metalworks Classic Auto & Speed Shop had done several Mustangs (despite being mostly Chevy guys). I was looking for the job to be done right with taking the car own to bare metal before the rust was removed and metal replaced. I also wanted the Torino rebuilt and modified to make it more driver friendly and reliable. I know my dad would be amazed with the results, and with how his old car looks, handles, and drives.
“MetalWorks took the ‘68 from ground zero of acid dipping the body to driving out the door. Externally the GT retains an overall stock appearance, but with many performance upgrades under the shiny new paint. The original 390 engine was treated to an Edelbrock top end kit with FiTech EFI delivering fuel. The radically improved handling and stopping duties are from a combination of HEIDTs suspensions front and rear, and 4 wheel Wilwood disc brakes. The final package is pure pleasure to drive and will ensure many miles of enjoyment for James and his family for another 50 years.”
