I’ve always had a “thing” for Chevrolet’s El Camino but have been indifferent towards the Ford Ranchero. I’m not sure why, after all, Ford beat Chevy to the introductory punch and jumped on the downsizing trend several years in advance. I don’t dislike Rancheros—no, not at all. I really appreciate the car/truck concept and if that were the case, I probably wouldn’t write this review. With that thought in mind, I’d like to present this 1973 Ranchero 500 and give it the once over – perhaps it will change my thought regarding Ford’s long-discontinued ute. Cooling its jets in Bakersfield, California, this non-runner is available, here on craigslist for $1,900. Thanks are due Tony P. for this discovery!
The other day, I opined as to how many things automotive seem to manifest themselves in threes – and the ’73 Ranchero, and its three trim levels, is no different. At the entry-level was the 500, such as our subject car; followed by the sporty Ranchero GT, and then concluded with the faux wood-sided Squire perched at the top. All told, Ford knocked out 45K Rancheros in ’73 – a pretty healthy number! Of that total, 25K comprised the base trim 500 variety.
The seller tells us, “I bought it for parts” which usually isn’t a good start for a resale. It basically looks OK, the biggest exterior issue is faded paint. It seems that this black Ford may have been blue at one time based on what’s surfacing under the degraded finish. I’m not seeing evidence of rust-through but I’d suggest giving this truck a thorough looksee. There are two images of the cargo bed and the only thing noted there, fortunately, is typical surface rust. Rounding out all four corners are American Racing Torq Thrust-like wheels – a nice addition. As a subjective observation, one of this Ranchero’s biggest drawbacks, along with that of the Torino, is the railroad tie-sized federal front bumper – it’s just not integrated well and that may be some of the source of my Ranchero indifference. Of course, to be fair, the ’73 El Camino’s jaw was as ungainly, if not more so.
The bench seat-equipped interior didn’t photograph very well so a thorough picture is not revealed. What can be seen is a sound black vinyl seat, a multi-split dash pad, and a thoroughly worn-out carpet. The instrument panel is revealed in one image and the only obvious thing noted are dusty gauges – but it all looks complete. The seller claims the headliner is “good“, so that’s a help.
There’s no VIN provided so I can’t tell you what originally powered this Ranchero but it wasn’t the current engine room occupant, a 460 CI V8 of unknown provenance. A 429 CI V8 was as large as things got in ’73 so we know this prime mover is not the original powerplant. The seller states, “Missing the distributor I never tried to start it.” Reading that, makes me wonder what else may be missing. A three-speed automatic transmission is tethered to the big 385 series powerplant.
The seller suggests, “bill of sale only you can take it to DMV and register it.” I guess that will depend on what state the next owner wishes to affect registration. Positives? It’s cheap, only $1,900. Negatives? Powertrain unknowns. Will this Ranchero alter my views one way or another? Nope, but to be objective, I should search out a ’68-’71 example and write a review – that could change things. Anyway, enough of my view, what’s yours?
You know you could be buying a pig in a poke but for the ask there’s not too much to lose. You could always part it out. It seems pretty solid so install a distributor and see what ensues. What I find amazing is how that big block fits like it was made for this truck.
The big block fits so well because the 429 was the largest engine you could get from the factory, but the 429 and 460 shared the same block and bore, the 460 simply used a “stroker” crank to increase the displacement. The 460 was the standard engine for the Lincoln Mark Series until 1976, when the T-Bird got it also, to compensate for declining power output as a result of tightening emissions standards. Before then, the 460 was optional in the T-Bird, but the only power plant for the Lincoln Mark IV. An inspection of this “ute’s” VIN will tell you what engine it was born with.
At $1900, it’s worth a shot, and I’d buy a new port EFI kit, with a new intake manifold and a new electronic ignition distributor to replace the missing “lighting whirler”!
I like these slightly better than the 1969-71 examples, because the earlier versions were unibody cars, the 1972-79 examples had full perimeter frames under them, but were still built using unibody techniques, so they are rock solid, as long as they don’t rust out! Despite the battering ram federal front bumper, I like the front end of the 1973-74 examples better, the grille opening is more to my liking.
You know….. I was thinking….. I lean more towards ElCaminos myself….. However, if you give it the Starsky and Hutch ” Striped Tomatoe ” paint scheme…… I think you’d have something here.
Hahhah! Was thinking the same thing but the white stripe going up the B pillar!
No problem fitting the 460, my dad had a 1974 Gran Torino with a factory 460. The engine compartment basically the same. At 30MPH you could boot it and tires would start to smoke!
Alabama didn’t have car titles until 1974. All you need to get a license plate is a bill of sale and liability insurance.
Stand on the gas in this 460 Ford and have some fun 😎
Thanks J.O. 🏁
If I lived in a surrounding state to Kookafornia? It would be on a trailer, heading home, by now.
Ditto. It would cost more to ship home to Massachusetts than he’s asking for it, otherwise I’d be looking to buy it myself! The only way it could be better would be if it was a GT, with bucket seats and a factory console!
Sorry basically almost scrap maybe it could be brought to life again then there’s no vin etc or really info plus I see the bed separating that maybe it’s been hit in the rear and maybe frame damage the only thing good is it’s cheap and if you’re young or have money to spend it might be worth it in the end . Plus it’s not that expensive for the parts& upgrades to the engine without hopefully a rebuild..
Get a battery, distributor and a rebuild kit for the carb, and see what happens. RockAuto has all of the parts for short money. $52.79 for the distributor, $42.79 for the carb kit, $149.79 for a battery, plus tax and shipping. Buy the battery locally, as shipping that lump of lead will cost a fortune! Get it running for under $300, then see what else it needs. Turn it over by hand and run a compression check before you start it.
I currenty own a 72 that I updated with a 460. I’m a custom engine builder so I couldn’t leave the engine alone. I kept it street-able to drive as a parts getter. With no weight to speak of on the rear it breaks the tires loose at half pedal. Mine came with a 400 from factory, same bellhousing pattern and motor mounts, it has different brackets for mounting accessories. Most came with 9 inchers so beefing that up is easy. Good luck to the new owner you have a real catch on your hands. If you’re a car guy this one is a keeper.
I think it is a good buy if you could get the tow truck behind it thrown in. Seriously when my son was younger and in H.S this would have been a good project for us.
The ad’s gone, so it sold! Someone got a good deal. Hemmings has a ’76 for $6k, that one has bucket seats and a console, but only has a 351 under the hood, so I was seriously considering buying both, and making one good Ranchero out of two (2) mediocre ones by dropping the 460 into the one with the console and bucket seats, LOL!
I found it today on offer up same pics with one difference “only 2 parts missing” is what it reads transmission and distributor,lol Ken
Where’s the link to the new ad? I should be able to find a C6 or AOD tranny to bolt to it somewhere, LOL! If he still has the transmission, you could send it out for rebuild before putting it back in the car.