Sometimes you will look at a particular car and wonder what the story is behind it, and how it has eventually gotten to the stage that it has. This Ford Country Sedan is just such a car. Built in 1969, it was driven until 1974 when it was parked and left. I wonder why someone would park a car that was only 5-years-old, and basically never touch it again. Well, it’s now out of hiding, and looking for a new home. It is sitting in South Beloit, Illinois, and is listed for sale here on eBay.
While there is some rust in this Ford, it is not too bad. There is a small amount of rust in the floor under the jump seat, but the rest of the floors are solid. The worst of the rust on the outside is in the bottom of the back door on the driver’s side, around the rear wheel opening on the same side, and the usual rust that seems to appear around the filler flap. There are also a couple of other minor areas of rust, and a few minor dings around the place. Otherwise, it all looks pretty solid and clean.
The Ford comes with a nice combination of a 390ci V8 engine, a C6 transmission, and a 9″ rear end. The owner has poured fuel down the carburetor, and the car did run, which is an encouraging sign. At some stage in the past, someone has had the intention of rebuilding the front end, and there is a reasonable cache of new parts for this included with the car. It also looks like the car is fitted with power steering, power brakes, and air conditioning.
The interior of the Ford is a bit of a surprise packet. The owner provides several photos of various areas, and it really looks like the interior would come up very nicely with a bit of old-fashioned elbow grease. The carpet and upholstery all look quite good. This is interesting because while the car was apparently only in active use for 5 years, in that time it clocked up 98,000 miles. I really expected a bit more wear-and-tear than is actually present with that sort of mileage.
As I said, I’d love to know why the car was parked after only 5 years. It looks pretty solid, and it certainly has some potential. While bidding on the car has been quite lively, the price hasn’t soared to great heights. At the time of writing, bidding was sitting at $510. That seems like a lot of car for the money.
Nothing like wheelbase for a comforting ride. So much sheetmetal dedicated to the engine!
That was a HARD, HARD life in those 5 years fella! LOL Looks like, with the rust where it is, the car was never washed after driving through 5 winters. Ridiculous that a car retired after 5 years should look this bad, dirty, rusted air cleaner says a lot. But, but…..man…..I like it!
I call bull#!$@ on this one! 5 years on the road and it looks like this? Nah, nope, nuh uh, don’t believe etc…lol
And since the car is in South Beloit right in my backyard, I know what comes out of that area…..trouble and junk…
Next car please….( unless it’s a Grand National again…ugh!)
Our family had a ’69 Ranch Wagon, exact same color, with a 302. Bought new in ’69, traded in ’71 for a Country Sedan Wagon.
Looking at this one and going back to 1974 (at which time I worked at a new car dealer while in college), a few thoughts as to why it may have been parked. High mileage (back then cars at 100,000 were considered “used up”) and rust (this thing looks like it was daily driven in northern climate) made them worth less than whatever the cost of major repairs could have been. A bad engine or transmission was enough to send the car to the junkyard.
This one looks like it could have belonged to a rural mail carrier or paper route delivery driver. In fact, had a neighbor who was a rural mail carrier and drove Ford wagons like this. And by the time he was done with them, they were pretty much clapped out. Never washed, minimal maintenance (more brake jobs than oil changes). I suspect whoever owned this originally could not accept the fact that after 5 years it was pretty much worthless and opted to keep it instead of letting it go.
When will people learn, just because the TAG has a date on it, doesn’t mean the car was last registered or on the road in that year. The eBay listing shows a 1974 Illinois tag, with spots for the tax decal to go. This could have been parked many years after 1974. It for sure was “hung up wet.” Just look at the unusual rust around the gas filler door and >>gulp<< around the left and right of the tailgate! Very tough repairs for the average buyer. I call BS also!
Seems like this Country Sedan needs a good bit of rust repair. Looks like rust-through between the taillights and the gate with possible rust along the bottom of said gate. I’d want a close look at the floors, front and back, so getting it up on a lift would be a good idea. With 98,000 miles showing, there are probably quite a few mechanical bits that will need to be replaced/upgraded including the front end as the seller has mentioned. Fuel system and brake system will need to be gone through as well as addressing engine and A/C needs.
It is a nice wagon to start with but I see a good bit of time and money needed to bring this Ford back to life and looking good. If you can acquire it for a reasonable price, it could be a great project to take on but the operative word here is “reasonable.” I’d like to see it brought back to factory original, can’t be too many ’69 Ford wagons like this one left.
Certainly room to be skeptical about the 5 years and parked story.
But setting that aside the bids are at 900 and change and perhaps the car is worth it assuming it’s as described and does run.
That was the days of the energy crisis, maybe parked because it cost too much to run it ?
That’s a lot of rust for only five winters on the road.
There’s not actually. That’s normal. And really bad.
I’d be willing to bet the frame is rotten also, Up here in NY they rusted out right quick, Cheap money but all I see here is a drivetrain.
Cheers
GPC
From that stance, that motor is long gone. Maybe the trans too. Not a bad start for a project though. It has potential, if you’re good with a welder.
This would make a great car for a retro Fire Chiefs car. However I agree something isn’t right with the claim of being parked after only five years
Parked after 5 years;where ? In a swamp?
I like the model and driveline, however I’ve seen wagons of this vintage that spent 20 years on salty winter roads in better condition… There’s something about a car that sees regular use;though exposed to the elements all year long, a caring owner can keep deteroriation on an arms length surprisingly long.As opposed to a car unused for decades stored under crappy conditions.
Bids increase in 1dollar increments at this stage, hopefully someone gets a good deal and brings it back where it belongs – on the road
How this car escaped the demo derby is beyond me. There’s still time,,,
Parked for 5 years because back in the day when a car got to 100,000 miles it was assumed it was wore out! Many cars back then did go bad at 100,000 miles!