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Jerry B.'s "Starsky & Hutch"®Replica
1974 Ford Gran Torino Sport®
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Jerry bought his 974 Gran Torino Sport after his third
deployment to Iraq. On December 26, 2011, he found her it online in Charlotte, TN. He was stationed in Fort Campbell,
KY at the time, so he drove to Tennessee and was "very pleased" to see that the car was all original,
minus the stereo. The best part, he says, was seeing that the door jam tag said the original car color was 2B.
He says, "I could swear I heard 'Starsky & Hutch' theme song playing in my head."
"When I heard the car's 351-2V Windsor fire up, I knew I had to have her." He drove it back to his place
and purchased custom "ZEBRA3" plates right away (see below). He started by taking it to local shops to
see what needed to be fixed and to start prioritizing the car's needs. He got all wires, hoses, fan belts, spark
plugs, carburetor, oil, and air filters changed out. He contacted John at Blue Oval Ford Parts and ordered the
rocker panel trim and front passenger wheel lip trim that were missing. While he waited for those parts, he got
the brakes and rotors checked. After those were changed, with the help from the guys at Rick's Wheels and Tires,
he began looking for some 5-slotted U.S. Mags. He purchased 15x7 for the front and 15x9 for the rear, purchased
Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 tires, and topped it off with some air shocks to give it "that little bit of an
aggressive stance." "Of course," Jerry says, "while you're waiting to get all of these added
you just have to get an old school police light." |
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Once the car got back to Jerry, her Windsor started
to look a little tired so he decided this was as good time as any to give the engine a much-needed paint job. He
still has plans to take it to a shop and get the engine rebuilt, but for now it is still driving strong.
After all that work, Jerry decided to take a break and his bank account "was very pleased with this decision."
On June 8, 2012, he dropped that car off at Graham's Paint and Body Shop and had them "straighten her up a
bit" and also patch up some rust damage in the trunk. "I liked the 'Starsky & Hutch" movie Viper
Red color and went with Ford's Limited Production 'Starsky & Hutch' vector stripe design. At this time, she
is my daily driver and I am currently in the middle of transitioning her interior from tan to black." Jerry
and his Torino attended their first car show at Ford's Fun Weekend at the Memphis International Raceway in August,
2012. |
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| Jerry says, "I'd like to thank my wife for letting
me run wild on this project, John Haney at Blue Oval Ford Parts for always coming through with the hard to find
parts, and Walter at the Local Valvoline in Oak Grove, KY for always keeping her running smooth. Thanks to the
guys at Rick's Custom Automotive for installing the tires, wheels, and air shocks, and Graham's Paint and Body
Shop for making her look good while cruising down the road. Finally, thanks to Aaron Zimmerman (seen above with
his 2012 Mustang GT 5.0) for always being the 'Ford Guy' to talk to for all my Ford questions. All of this could
not have been possible with out you!" |
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"Starsky
& Hutch" Torino Home
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This Page © 2012 StarskyTorino.com
Created November 10, 2012.
All Rights Reserved. Photos are the Property of the Car's Owner.
"Starsky & Hutch"®
is a registered Trademark and Copyright of CPT Holdings, Inc.
"Ford Gran Torino"® is a Trademark of Ford Motor Company.
The presence of strobe lights, wig-wags,
sirens, and/or red revolving lights
in any car that is not an official Police car is illegal in many states.
Check your own State and local regulations!
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