P6 Ford LTD Repair Manual

P6 FORD LTD – 1976-1979

The P6 Ford LTD beared absolutely no family resemblance to the then current XC Falcon and  caused something of a sensation. Styling was clean and crisp in the American fashion. The wheelbase was 3074mm, the longest of any modern passenger car in Australia. The engine continued to be the well proven 5.8-litre V8, now fitted with a Carter four-barrel carburetor and designed to meet newly introduced emission controls. Transmission was the T – bar operated three-speed Cruise-O-Matic and braking efficiency through the four-wheel discs was increased with the addition of a larger capacity booster.

The Silver Monarch, a super-luxury optional version of the LTD which featured Stardust Silver exterior paint with especially imported Normandy Grain silver vinyl roof and Cranberry Red crushed velour cloth seats and door trim and white sidewall tyres. Other metallic exterior finishes were available in Regency colours of blue, green, lime and bronze.

Developed to give more precise handling and road holding for long distance touring, this handling option included heavy duty shock absorbers, increased fade resistant brakes and a slightly increased ride height. Coupled with a long range fuel tank and either of the factory fitted towing options to tow a boat or caravan, made the LTD an excellent long distance tourer.

Practical as well as prestigious, the big LTD made light work of towing up to 1587kg. They were also popular for pulling horse floats.

The long wheelbase contributed to the excellent legroom available to rear seat passengers in their contoured seats. The rear seats featured their own air-conditioning ducts, ashtray, cigar lighter and power window switch on each door, individual map pockets, a pull-down central arm-rest and good forward vision afforded by the use of narrower front head restraints.

Leather trim was an LTD option and gave the high-back front seats a real feel of a gentleman’s carriage.

The dashboard was revised for the LTD with the crash pad lowered for better forward visibility. The speedo was strip style with a series of warning lights. The parking brake had a push button, pull handle release. To allow greater legroom, the steering wheel was flattened on the bottom, giving an oval shape. Knee padding was placed below the dash. The stereo cassette player and AM/FM radio were still optional extras.