As a person whose daily driver is descended from this 1962 Ford Ranchero, I do have quite a soft spot for them. This one is a nicely presented vehicle that will need a little bit of work, but none of this would be beyond a relatively competent individual in their home workshop. Barn Finder Pat L referred the Ranchero to us, so thank you for that Pat. The Ranchero is located on North Lake Tahoe, Nevada, and is listed for sale here on craigslist. The owner says that the first person to hand him $3,500 walks away with the car.

The Rangoon Red paint on the Ranchero looks to be really good, while the 14″ chrome rims and moon hubcaps set it off very nicely. There are no photos of the driver’s side of the vehicle, so hopefully, it looks as good as the passenger side. The exterior trim and chrome also look good, although some of it is in need of a polish to return it to its best. I don’t see any obvious signs of rust, although I wouldn’t mind getting a look at the bed and underside of the vehicle to confirm that it is solid.

The interior of the Ranchero also presents quite well but isn’t completely original. The door trims look right and also appear to be in good condition. The owner mentions a new dash pad, but it either hasn’t been fitted or was fitted after these photos were taken, because the dash pad in the photos is very badly cracked. The seat upholstery isn’t original, and whether it would remain as is or would be changed would be a matter of personal choice. There are a couple of minor items and handles missing off the vehicle, but sourcing replacements should be pretty easy.

When it comes to the mechanical aspects of the Ranchero, we get a mixture of both good and bad news. Firstly, the bad news. The 170ci straight-six engine in the Ranchero currently has a blown head gasket, so the next owner is going to have to collect the car on a trailer. This isn’t an uncommon malady with these engines, and if the next owner has some mechanical abilities, it should be an easy fix. The good news is that the rest of the Ranchero looks like it is mechanically okay. The 2-speed Ford-O-Matic transmission might not be the ultimate choice in a low powered vehicle like this, but it might be possible to swap in a C4 transmission to improve performance. Otherwise, the Ranchero has recently been treated to a new fuel tank and lines, a new fuel pump, electronic ignition, and air shocks. That’s not a bad starting point for the next owner.

I quite like this Ranchero, and I think that it does show a lot of promise. Provided the engine issue is only a head gasket and nothing more sinister, then it should be easy to get the car back onto the road and running fine. The next owner could choose whether to leave the vehicle essentially as it is or to make any changes that would suit their own personal tastes. Either option would be fine by me.