Instead of the Mustang, what if Ford put a Boss Nine in a Torino instead?

Words and Photos: Joe Greeves

Automotive addictions generally begin at a very early age. John Jinnings from Churubusco, Indiana, smiles when he thinks back to earlier times and his personal passion that began at age 4. Today, he knows a lot about building things — he’s owner of a heavy equipment business that builds bridges and big buildings. His Torino is his latest construction site.

A dedicated Ford guy for the last 30 years, John has owned more than 130 cars and put himself through college by buying, fixing, and reselling cars to pay for tuition. With each build, the vehicle quality got a little better. This 1970 Ford Torino GT Fastback is his 20th custom car build in the last 20 years.

“The ante gets higher each time, and we try to up it a little bit with every new vehicle,” John says. “For me, attention to detail is the biggest thing. Some of the stuff that’s available today versus what we had to work with 10 years ago, it’s just amazing. I would spend weeks trying to find a series of pulleys that would line up to allow us to run air, power steering, power brakes, and alternator on the front of the motor. Now with companies like Billet Specialties, it’s just a phone call away. While some things may have gotten easier, a build of this quality still takes considerable time.”

The impetus for the build began when Jon Kaase Racing Engines Inc. released their Boss Nine replica “Shotgun” engine. That power plant fit perfectly into John’s plan, a vision he had been mulling over for some time.

Back in 1969, Ford tucked that big engine in the Mustang. So the question in John’s mind: “What if they put it in the Torino?”

Determined to find out, he turned to the Internet and began the search for a suitable project car. It was not long before he found this 1970 Ford Torino GT Fastback in Saginaw, Michigan. The Torino had been a race and show car for 17 years, but had languished in a warehouse for many years. Amazingly, when John got the car home, it turned out to be virtually rust free. Next, he contacted Kaase, and the project began.

Chassis tuning

Knowing the horsepower potential of Kaase engines, John’s first step was to establish a strong foundation for the car, and that began with the team from Martz Chassis in Bedford, Pennsylvania. Jerry Martz, who had recently released a coil over four-link suspension for Fairlanes and Comets, jumped at the opportunity to prototype one for the Torino. The entire process took about nine months, but John received the first one.

The Martz chassis uses a QA1 coil over front-end suspension system featuring a control arm on the bottom with a tubular A-arm on top, fully adjustable for castor and camber. This suspension configuration opened up the engine bay for the huge engine to sit between the fender wells. Subframe connectors tie the front end to a rear four-link/coil over suspension tamed by a large Panhard bar.
“I can put a jack under any corner and lift three wheels off the ground, the chassis is that stiff,” John says. “Wilwood brakes were added to all four corners, and the steering is a stock Ford rack and pinion.”

Boss Nine beginnings

The John Kaase Boss Nine 460c.i. engine was increased in displacement to 572c.i. and features 9.8:1 compression and a mild cam. At its core is an A460 Ford Motorsports block, Diamond pistons, Oliver rods, Sonny Bryant crank, and custom COMP Cams hydraulic roller cam. A Pro Systems Single Venturi, SV1 carburetor flowing 1400 cfm feeds Kaase heads and intake.

John smiles when he says, “[The carb] is almost the size of a toilet bowl. When you open it up, you can stick your fist in it! Pre-programmed from the factory, it ran a 14:1 air/fuel ratio right out of the box.”
When it was tested on Kasse’s dyno using race headers and C116 fuel, the motor-produced 850 hp at the 6,300 rpm redline.

When John received the engine, he bolted up a set of 2.25-inch FPA exhaust headers flowing into a 3-inch dump that holds the electric cutouts. The 2.5-inch exhaust system is equipped with dual Flowmaster 50-Series mufflers that barely contain the roar of the big V8.

In its current street-savvy tune, the engine produces 700 hp on pump gas with 700 lb-ft of torque. The torque comes in at 3,500 rpm and holds that threshold all the way to the 6,300 rpm redline. Ken Felice and the experts at Felice Racing Engines in Ionia, Michigan, handled the assembly of all components.

Taking it to the Streets

Transferring the power rearward is a Lentech AOD 4-speed trans rated at 1,500 hp and 1,000 lb-ft of torque. It has a 2,800 rpm stall converter, making it quite pleasant on the street. The 9-inch Ford Eaton TruTrac rear is fitted with 3.50:1 gears and Moser axles. The Torino rolls on Budnik Spark wheels, 18×9.5 with 4.75-inch back spacing at all four corners, wrapped in Nitto 555 Extreme tires.

Cosmetic Treatments

The paint and bodywork was accomplished at Evers Collision Works in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. During their full rotisserie restoration, the bottom of the car was painted NASCAR gray, while the frame, suspension parts, and rear housing were either painted or powder coated black for contrast. Body mods to the vintage Fastback began with a thorough dechroming, the stainless steel trim around the windows and the drip rail moldings were powder-coated Ford Tuxedo Black to slightly contrast the body color. The front and rear bumpers are fiberglass from Auto Krafters and were massaged to fit tightly to the body.
A NOS Cobra grille, complete with quad headlights and single chrome bar, replaces the original. Terry Delong created the tall Boss 429-style hood scoop, generating an aggressive look, as well as providing a functional blast of ram air.

BASF Gloss Black followed by multiple coats of clear cover the entire car, with satin black inserts on the hood and rear panel, again providing some contrast. The only graphic on the car is the airbrushed skull wearing a cowboy hat and holding a full house, illustrated by Gary Morgan. It was John’s wife, Linda, who named the car “All In” finding the skull T-shirt graphic while visiting Las Vegas. That graphic established a uniform theme for the Torino.

Comfort features

Keeping passengers comfortable inside was the task of Shawn Krist from Krist Kustoms in Fort Wayne. John had worked with Shawn nearly a dozen times through the years, so assigning him this duty was a natural, telling Krist, “Make it look stock but make it look cool.”

Krist chose bucket seats from a 1969 Mach I and retained the factory rear seat, covering both in a combination of black and antique Mahogany leather. A highlight of the interior is the new Dakota Digital VHX Series gauge package that includes both analog and digital monitoring of vital engine functions. Originally designed for a 1963 Chevy pickup truck, the gauge package was adapted with a piece of laser cut stainless steel to fit the Torino dash.

Krist found a convenient spot for the MSD module in the glove box. Mike Ball created the fiberglass center console that holds the switches for the overdrive transmission, cutouts, and B&M shifter. To keep the mechanicals hidden, the space between the back seat and the fold-down panel in the trunk became the perfect spot for the car’s electronics. This compartment holds the dual batteries, stereo components, and master kill switch. Krist also upholstered the trunk, creating the drop-down panels and a false floor compartment for storage.

Now that it’s complete, John looks back and realizes the fun is in the building process. He usually keeps his cars a few years and moves onto something new, but he smiles when he says, “This one might stay a while.”