While the seller and I disagree on exactly what rust is, it doesn’t change the fact that this very original Ford Country Sedan wagon is worth looking at. The seller states that it was a barn find and started right up on fuel sprayed down the carburetor. As a big car, it fits in well in Texas (where everything is big) and to be exact, it’s in San Antonio. The wagon is listed here on eBay where bidding is at $2,500 and the buy-it-now is $4,500.
This picture is before the car was washed, but I included it so that you can see the one crease in the driver’s side door and the dent in the left front fender. All the paint (what’s left, anyway) is original. I’m sure some of you would want to paint the car and some would keep it exactly as is. Feel free to explain your reasons for either one in the comments.
Even the vintage AAA decal looks the part! The stickers on the license plate are from 1976 and 1977, so this wagon has been “circled” for a long time! As readers know, I love these old wagons and they really are useful. There are lots of closeups of potential rust-through areas in the auction listing, but while the seller states there is no rust, I would argue there’s plenty of surface corrosion. That being said, if it’s treated now it could easily be eradicated. But then you’d lose the originality. The next owner will have to make that choice.
The interior seems really nice, although the seller thinks part of it has been replaced previously. Regardless, it’s nice by any standards. The dash looks particularly nice.
Under the hood really highlights how the car needs some cosmetic help. The surface corrosion is particularly bad here and I’d want to at least stop the rust from spreading. But again, that’s up to the next owner. It is nice to see the seller’s high feedback ratings for similar sales, so it looks like nothing is being concealed. Let us know if you are interested, and I’d really like to hear whether you would restore the car, or conserve it as original?
It’s a wagon with a V8 and three pedals. What more do you need?
Minor surface rust is not a concern. It’s just light oxidation and is easily removed without compromising the integrity of the steel. All metals oxidize. It’s only a problem when the oxygen permeates through the interior of the metal. This car shows very little problem rust, and should not be a concern when determining the structural condition of the vehicle. Very easily repaired even for a novice restorer.
nice. leave the roof rack off it has a cleaner look to it. if you want a rack add a thule roof rack the raingutters will do all the work and you can have a larger platform.
love it. should be an easy job to get it running and driving ‘well’. will never be as good as a newer car – hey it’s the wallowing ’60s but it would be a fun cruiser.
Love it and would make for a cool daily driver.
Rust is rust…Period.. Matured rust ends up as rot..Some sellers tend to discount the affects of oxidation to make the vehicle more appealing to a skeptical buyer.
Nice find. Great car. As the price indicates, these are wagons are becoming popular.
Surface rust due to thin paint is not a problem, period. Some types of metal corrosion even protects the metal by slowing further oxidation. The surface rust on this car will wipe away easily and there should be very minimal damage to the structure of the body. If you’re scared off by this type of light corrosion, maybe you’re in the wrong hobby.
Amen Tim…..
Ahem…. Cough,,,, cough… Rust is rust.. it doesn’t wipe off.. Thin paint or not,, steel will rust.. Granted, a light oxidation on the surface will wipe off with certain acids, but rust in and of itself has roots which travel deep down into the metal molecules which causes rot.. THAT is how it works..
I’ve done rust and rot body work for over 50 years and unless you cut the rot out, it keeps coming back..along with disgruntled customers.. I’ve also been to quite a few paint and body seminars, especially with Nason (which is what I use) and evening college courses..
Let me re-iterate.. Rust is rust, and unless it’s treated properly, it comes back..Some evidence is bubbling paint, small pinhead blisters and large areas of lift where seams come together..
I apologize for the rant, and hope no insults have been slung out there.. It’s a hobby for me now and not my full time job any more.. I still love getting dusty and smelling the paint along with restoring old Mustangs..
Wipe away = sanding down to clean metal, conditioning and priming before paint. That cars body is intact. Not rusty.
Agreed.. some people and their “expert” rants are so aggravating.. Cutting metal out and filling with any form of moisture sponging filler causes rust.. My ’61 Biscayne has been rusted and will remain “rusted”.. It will never rust through and no “treatments” needed.. Car has been rained on and snowed on during long drives–no further rusting has occurred.. Dry storage and no constant moisture will allow a car Iie this wagon to stay in it’s state forever-without much effort..
One more comment on rust.
Imagine it’s 1965 and two identical Ford station wagons like this one roll off the assembly line. One gets shipped to Arizona, and one gets shipped to lets say, Buffalo New York or wherever they get a lot of snow and treat the roads with salt. The owner of the Arizona car never parks the car in a garage and doesn’t bother to even wax the paint. The Buffalo car gets garaged every night and washed a couple of times a month. The Buffalo owner waxes the paint once or twice a year. Both of them are driven regularly. And both are maintained according to the owners manual. Then around 1976 (like this one) they both get parked. The one from Buffalo gets parked in a garage, the one from Arizona sits outside.
In 2016 the one from Arizona will look much like this one as the paint will have evaporated and the exposed steel will develop surface rust from the once or twice a year rain event that happens in Arizona.
The one from Buffalo initially looks good as the paint is original but when you get it up on a hoist, you find all kinds of problems with rust that originates from inside and under the body, entering through body seams and spot welded joints and bubbling under the paint. The frame might even have some structural integrity issues at suspension pickup points if the garage it was parked in had a damp dirt floor.
The interior of the Arizona car is crispy with much cracking and sun bleaching of the interior plastics. The interior of the Buffalo car is near perfect.
I’ll take the Arizona car and never worry about structural integrity of either the body or the frame.
If I’m planning to restore the Arizona car hopefully I’ll have a chance to buy the Buffalo “parts car” car to use for all of it’s interior bits and pieces. Painting the Arizona car will be little different than a “bare metal respray” of just about any similar car.
I thought of this too late to edit my first post.
Piper62j is talking about the Buffalo car.
Tim, Dan, and John P are referring to this one, the Arizona car, and even John P’s Biscayne .
Sort of apples and oranges, which are both fruit and sweet, and yet are different.
Personally, like John and his Biscayne, I would get this one running and fully sorted mechanically and hit it real good with WD-40 from time to time. Nothing more.
Z1, that’s an excellent assessment! Well explained and I agree–I’ll start with the Arizona car too!
Very well said.
I would guess with what it looks like under the hood if this is an original TX car then it spent more than a day down on the gulf and probably out on the sunny beaches…
Funny, I moved from the Buffalo area to Phoenix 40 years ago…I completely agree as to what vehicle(s) I prefer!
The buy it now price is gone, guessing final price will be more than that
A lot of people (ok, at least two) will be kicking themselves for not hitting the reasonable (IMHO) BIN
Yeah it’s a popular car. It has a nice patina to it and it’s solid and complete.. If it were closer to me I’d be interested
It’s a nice original car with that barn fine look ! but one important thing 1965 cars whether Ford or Gm both has frame rot problems ! as the metals just had rust problems in that year ! & some 66s coming from a dessert state away from water it should be ok hope someone just does a mechanical freshening up & enjoy its original-itnal-ness.