1978 pre-purchase advice

[OldJim]

Hello everyone! I came across a 1978 Town Landau for sale roughly 3 hours away, and I am seriously considering going to look at it and possibly buy it. It has the 302; roughly 60,000 miles; claimed to have new front brakes/rotors; and a recent new gas tank. Online photos don't look too bad - some rust developing on the rocker panels; chipped paint in spots; missing a few exterior trim details; and interior looks immaculate, but will also require some minor restoration. Being a 48-year-old car, and I know nothing about these, is there anything in particular I should look out for? Are there any particular things that would be a deal breaker? Thank you!

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[biddle]

Being a 48-year-old car, and I know nothing about these,

If you don't know anything about it, a trusted mechanic needs to inspect the car before purchasing.

 

[OldJim]

Thank you. I did not mean to imply I know nothing of cars and trucks. I've rebuilt 302's before in my garage. My last project was a complete tear-down restoration of an old Harley Davidson Road King. What I meant was, I don't have any personal experience with 1978 T-Birds. I recall seeing them around when I was in high school, along with Monte Carlo's and a few Grand Prix; Chevelles; Mustangs; Camaro's and Firebird Trans Am's. When it came time for me to buy my first car, I opted for a 1969 GTO with a 400 under the hood that I paid $700 for. (In retrospect, way too much horsepower for a 17-year-old that went through rear tires on a monthly basis.) So, what I'm asking is, for those of you who have experience with these particular cars, is there anything in particular I should look out for that these cars may be notorious for? Or, are they pretty basic and any problems are essentially universal? Again, Thank You!

 

[missinglinc]

I owned a lot of similar cars, based on the same platform as the 78 Thunderbird and always found them to be pretty durable vehicles. I will say that the 302 in 1978 was pretty much a gutless wonder, net horsepower is in the 140 range, torque mid 200s. They make a good cruiser, and if that's what you want, go for it. They are very comfortable and have a smooth ride, will provide reasonable fuel economy. Parts availability should still be pretty good, considering that Ford used a lot of the same components through it's mid size and full size vehicle lines in the day.

 

[OldJim]

missinglinc - Thank you. I assumed I'd be fairly safe with a 302. They've been around a long time now. In fact my F-150 has the Coyote 5.0 under the hood and it has plenty of "get up and go" when you hit the pedal which is pretty good for a 4x4 truck. I have to also consider the times: Late 70s, just after the 1973 oil crisis, gov't mandates to improve fuel economy and emissions, etc. My plan, if I buy this, is to restore it back to OEM (mostly) if I can find the parts, and register it as a "Classic." As for the horsepower, I'll have to do more research on the requirements to maintain/retain all that emissions stuff. Again, thank you for the response.