The Torino parts can be classified into three distinct groups: 68-69, 70-71 and the 72 and later cars. There are few parts that interchange between the groups. The 72 and later cars are totally different. There are some parts that do interchange between the 68-69 and 70-71.
How can you be assured that some advertised parts will fit your car?
I had the great fortune to work for an Apollo era engineer in the late 80s in the space shuttle program. His mantra was " people lie, drawings lie but the hardware never lies" I think this applies to parts compatibility.
I am in the process of parting out some 68-69 Torinos. This gives me the opportunity to compare some of the 70-71 parts side by side to compare. Not everyone has the opportunity but there are some people out there that have that experience. There is a good group of loyal Torino owners that have owned dozens of these cars of various years. These people are the true experts.
I use the Hollander interchange manuals extensively. They are pretty accurate for the parts they list. They do not list the small parts however. Used Hollander manuals can be found on eBay at a reasonable price. Better yet, befriend someone that has a set.
The Ford Master parts manual is another good source for small parts. These manuals are over 1000 pages and require some time investment to understand. I have found the information from these manuals to be reasonably accurate. You can buy these manuals on CD for about $30 on eBay.
I am cautious about information on parts interchange on the various forums on these cars. I usually try to validate this information with one of the above sources.
Suggestions
1. Before buying a used part from a vendor ask them what car the part was removed from and if they removed it themselves.
2. If it is a large part, ask for the Hollander parts interchange information
3. Ask for a guarantee that the part will fit
