Is it a car? Is it a truck? Is it both? Well, yes, it’s both, but it’s a lightweight in terms of its truck tendencies. Still, 20,000 buyers lined up in 1962 and plunked down $2,300+ for Ford’s functional Ranchero ute. Today’s find, courtesy of Curvette, is a nicely restored example hailing from Gresham, Oregon, and it’s available here on craigslist for $14,500.
The seller tells us, “We bought this gem about 2 years ago as I was looking for fun project to work on. We purchased it from a car collector in Kelso. The previous owner did a restoration about 15 years ago and did some really neat stuff to it to make a cool hot rod cruiser.” Well, it certainly looks good with its deep finish, powder-coated wheels, and lowered stance. The seller mentions that the floor pans have been replaced, and the body appears to be free of rust. A tonneau cover, a nice addition, unfortunately, precludes us from getting a look at the cargo bed. The seller concludes with, “She has a few dings and isn’t perfect, but looks great!”
The interior has undergone a redo with non-stock upholstery, but it looks great. The tan fabric upholstery is exceedingly clean and offers no evidence of wear. The door panels have been recovered to match the seating upholstery, the carpet is new, and the steel dash has been refinished and pinstriped. While not stated as original, the headliner is sound. Minimalism is the watchword for the instrument panel, but I surely appreciate its simplicity.
Power is provided by a 200 CI, in-line six-cylinder engine that originally held court in the engine room of a 1978 Ford Granada. Upgrades and replacements include: headers, a new water pump, new hoses, a new belt (there is only one), a new Carter fuel pump, a new dual circuit master cylinder (original was a single circuit/pot), a rebuilt carburetor, a Pertronix electronic ignition, along with new spark plugs and wires. A three-on-the-three gear selector actuates the three-speed manual transmission.
The seller concludes with, “This thing is so basic and easy to work on, it makes one think, where did we go astray with all this unaffordable technology that we drive and have to service today.” Give this man a cigar! That’s often my question too. Sure, we mostly know the reasons, but we seem to have pushed things, finally, too far. So, with that thought, this Ranchero is one way to bypass all that modern excess. Let’s talk price; at $14,500, what’s your thought, priced right or not quite?
When I saw “hot rod” in the title, I was expecting to see possibly a 390 V8 under the hood or at least a well-baked 302. But a six? I initially was disappointed but what the heck. Whoever restored this did a nice job and if I had the room and the money tree was blooming, I’d be interested in this half-a-truck.
Truck or car ?? Neither. To us antipodeans, it is simply an old Falcon ute. If you venture into the outback, you can find these things rusting peacefully on farms all over the country.
Easy to work on. Until it becomes necessary to access the wiring and fuse box under the dash. The fuse box(2 fuses) is attached to the light switch which is invisible from under the dash and almost impossible to remove without removing the pedal assembly.
Having owned two Falcons and with my dad having owned a Falcon and an early Mustang I can vouch for their basic simplicity. Yet, I well remember replacing the heater hoses and having to remove the complete heater-defroster unit to get a clear shot at the in-the-car hose clamps. Still, I’d enjoy owning all four of those vehicles once more.
Cute and sexy but 9500$ worth
Very impressed, with the upgrades and the seller’s last comment. That newer 200 should give the new owner what they want performance wise.
I have a 62 Falcon with a 200. It was originally a 144. With a 4- speed and the original gears it’s really spunky, they do t weigh much
My Dad had one as the family’s second vehicle when I was in high school. Same year and trim. It was original, the suspension was un-touched. It looked about this low in the back after loading a keg at the local Coors distributor and driving to Ernie’s backyard to party!
Not a fan of the color but “a few dings and isn’t perfect” are words I like to hear. A driver! No trailer queen here. With the manual 3spd behind the 200/6 I bet it scoots down the road nicely.
a fav vehicle; not overly customized here.
Woulda preferred the 4.1 six, tho / backed by T5 or AOD, just me.
SCCA livery w/lowered, bigger wheel, beefy stang breaks/suspension
(SN95)? yeah.
nice
While I don’t think it can haul as much firewood as my 66 F-100, this can certainly haul 1/4 ton, well maybe more. A couple of years later Odd Job had one that pulled out with that Lincoln “cube”. I had to say it.
Great Car (or truck)! GLWTS! Just don’t try to haul any crushed Lincoln Continentals in it, especially if there’s a million dollars of gold in the Lincoln when it was crushed, LOL! Nice work, Oddjob!