- Seller: Sam J (Contact)
- Location: Seattle, Washington
- Mileage: 145,000 Shown
- Chassis #: 3J74S217891
- Title Status: Clean
- Engine: 400ci V8
- Transmission: Automatic
Sedan? This is a wagon, Scotty G. Have you finally lost your mind? Well, yes, on the second part of that, but Ford didn’t refer to their Country Sedan as a “wagon,” believe it or not. There was no woodgrain on the Country Sedan, but it was only one trim level away from the top-level Country Squire. The seller is asking $4,500 for this 1973 Ford Country Sedan, which is located in Seattle, Washington, and listed here as a Barn Finds Exclusive!
As far as 1970s Ford cars go, this is my favorite grille of the bunch. Those bumpers look like they could withstand a 55-mph crash rather than the 5-mph standards, but other than that, I love the sweeping eggcrate grille across the whole front of this car, and the round headlights. The offset red badge is the finishing touch. There aren’t a lot of elegant exterior details on the mid-trim Country Sedan compared to the woodgrain-sided Country Squire wagons, but this car looks great so far.
Oops, I spoke too soon. The seller doesn’t mention rust, and Seattle isn’t an area that I normally think of when I think of vehicles rusting, but something is going on with the bottom of the right quarterpanel. The last version of this model, the sixth-generation cars, were made from 1969 through 1974, and the 1972, 1973, and 1974 models were known as the Galaxie 500 Country Sedan. Here’s what the cavernous rear cargo area looks like. The only woodgrain on the exterior of this car is on the rear window air deflector. The detailed exterior photos show rust on the bottom portions of the car and lots of bubbling under the paint.
Sadly, the seller didn’t show an overall photo of the dash, but they do show a couple of detailed photos of it in the gallery. They say the front seat was recovered by the previous owner, who bought this car new and owned it until 2017. That’s a long time to own a vehicle. There is a new headliner, and they mention it has a nick in it by the dome light. The back seat looks perfect, and with all that vinyl, you’d probably want air-conditioning. Luckily, this car has that feature, but it isn’t currently working. Bummer. There was a six-passenger model and a nine or 10-passenger model, and they show a photo of the under-floor storage area. I don’t see a fold-out seat back there, so I’m guessing this is the six-passenger model.
The engine is Ford’s 400 OHV V8, which by 1973 had 167 horsepower and 312 lb-ft of torque. It’s backed by a three-speed automatic sending power to the rear wheels, and they say it “runs good once warmed up.” This is what I call a 13/13 car: 13 seconds to 60 mph and 13 mpg. It has a rebuilt carburetor, new wheels, tires, and hubcaps, a new battery, new u-joints, and more. If you’re looking for a huge hauler with the best grille Ford offered in the 1970s, check out this Country Sedan!
Seattle? I guess you could fit a Bigfoot in the back seat.
“Harry and the Hendersons”!
My oldest brother had one exactly like this, this would of been in 1981. Myself and another brother worked at the same place and Gary let us borrow it for a work car. One morning on the way to work we on a two lane outside of savannah and I crested a small hill and all I saw was eyes. I have no idea how many raccoons were in the middle of the the road but it was more that I have ever seen at one time in my life before or since, they were ditch to ditch and I went right thru the middle of them, It was a slaughter. There might have been some hide value there but we were always running late so we just kept on heading to work
I had a 2dr version. Same color. Great car to drive, but fuel economy was brutal!
My parents had this same vehicle in black, LTD Brougham, with wood grain. 429 with a 4v car potater. 8 gallons per mile . . .
go back with the w/w and full caps. looks to be a better selling feature
I had a 73 Country Squire with a 460 back when I was in college. It ran like a top but rusted to death by 1980. Sold the motor and the rest went to the junkyard. A 7-year lifespan.
I bought mine when it was 7 yrs old for a winter beater. 100 bucks. Huge depreciation. It was so rusted out you could see the ground thru the trunk.
The 400 isn’t my favorite Ford V8, but a crate 460 or 572 is only a phone call away, if your bank balance can stand the strain, LOL! A good restoration/restomod candidate, a “frame off” restoration would allow a good look at the factory frame to check for frame rot. If the frame is rotted, and aftermarket replacement from the usual suspects (Art Morrison, Schwartz Performance or The Roadster Shop) would allow for suspension upgrades from the stock chassis, such as airbags, a four-link or IRS rear end. I would also consider trying to find a set of the dual side-facing rear seats and a frame-mounted trailer hitch to install, to set this bad boy up for trailer towing duty! The $4500 asking price is entirely reasonable, given the condition! GLWTS!
Your ideas would probably cost
$100 K, and when done you’d have doubled the value of what it’s priced at now.
JMO-
True, but wagons like this are a dying breed. Saving the few remaining examples that are left is worthwhile. Maybe not $100k worth, true, but worth saving nonetheless. The restoration could probably be done for less, but any car can be restored to an unbelievable level, if you have the cash and the desire. Worth is in the eye of the beholder.
The dual-facing seats and trailer hitch aren’t that expensive. Repairing the stock frame instead of replacing it is certainly an option, and a rebuilt 429 or 460 from a junkyard could also keep the cost down, but the 400 is a bit of an orphan. It was only made from 1970 through 1982, and last appeared in passenger cars with the 1979 model year. It was designed to replace the much older “FE” engines (390, 428) as a more modern and emissions friendly design, , but ironically, as the emissions standards tightened, the 400 became less able to meet the newer, tougher standards, and was dropped from production. The details are buried deep in the engine’s design, but details are available here:
http://grantorinosport.org/bubbaf250/history/history04.html
I am amazed at how many older cars have air conditioning, but it doesn’t work. Was there something inherently wrong with the air conditioning systems back then? I agree with Robert, rear facing seats would be great for traveling with the kids. I do think it would take a large chuck of cash to fix everything if you were to do a frame off restoration, as I believe a lot of problems you can’t see now would come to light.
Add some dual exhaust and cruise it.