1961 Ford Falcon Ranchero

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David in Sugar Land

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Apr 28, 2005
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Sugar Land, TX
Will pick up my new project on Saturday south of Austin... Actually not a "project", this truck is roadworthy but rust holes along bottom of all quarterpanels, both sides, and unrestored interior means it needs some work before primer black respray and red stuff inside...

Anyway, any thoughts on good dino for the newly rebuilt (500 miles) 200ci straight 6 (from '67 Ford) with a C4 3spd "cruise-o-matic" (rebuilt from '70 Mustang)? Thinking of using Rotella and MaxLife 10-40.

Thanks in advance for piping up on this ride.

-David
 
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I owned a 61 with the 170 ci motor and the 2-speed automatic. It was two years old when I bought it and there was almost nothing I could do to break the thing. I drove it until I got drafted and the new owner totaled it. The only problem was the turn indicator stalk kept breaking off. Other than that I always got me where I was going without car problems. The Goodyear tires were hard as nails and would not wear out. The car was a bit tinny but I have nothing but good memories.
 
Looks like a fun project. I don't have an oil recommendation for you, but I do have a question.

I noticed that the master cylinder looks like a dual reservoir type. Have the brakes been upgraded?
 
Nice truck! And an indestructable engine.

The narrow white walls and dog bowl hub caps not only look period authentic, they look danm good on that truck.

Are those wider than stock steel rims?

If I may suggest...If you are going to spray it primer looking, use grey with a hint of shine. A small truck with simple clean lines like yours will tend to look like a small lump of coal if it's flat black. It need some light reflecting off the formed sheet metal in the body sides to keep it from looking like a small used bar of bar of soap.

I assume you already know to use a primer looking finsih coat instead of driving around with real primer on it.

Also don't be tempted to de-trim it. The minimal amount of shiny metal on the truck looks just right.
 
That thing is awesome! My crystal ball indicates a cool fall evening, a fire, a cooler full of Yuengling, and that truck with a lawn chair in the back of it backed up to the party. On topic, either of the oils mentioned would be fine, but the Maxlife wins for me only being 3.00 more at Wally.
 
quote:
Originally posted by beanoil:
That thing is awesome! My crystal ball indicates a cool fall evening, a fire, a cooler full of Yuengling, and that truck with a lawn chair in the back of it backed up to the party.
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The full sized 57 Ford Rancheros were built on a station wagon floor pan (The Falcon probably is too). On the 57 there were a couple of panels in the cargo box floor that you could remove and get access to what was the rear seat foot wells....Built in beer coolers?
 
Hey, thanks for all the suggestions and memories shared.

Paulo57509: Yeah, the brakes have been upgraded. The PO has some other brake upgrade stuff from Scarebird he hadn't gotten to to give me tomorrow.

XS650: Good catch, the rims are 4 lug 14" wheels usually used on 1st gen Mustangs. Easier size to find tires in and (as you see) can use original hubcaps. Also big thanks for the tinting tip for the paint.

I appreciate all the compliments and replies. I hope pretty soon she will be looking fine and pulling occasional Norton-hauling duty!

-David
 
quote:
Originally posted by David in Sugar Land:

I appreciate all the compliments and replies. I hope pretty soon she will be looking fine and pulling occasional Norton-hauling duty!

-David
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Norton hauling?? It just keeps getting better.
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I was all for not adding anything to the outside of the truck, but a Norton in the bed would be a the perfect addition.
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David - If you would like a twin for that truck give me a PM. There is another one in my neighborhood, although I have heard the price is not reasonable yet.

My connection to these vehicles is two-fold. My first car was a 63 Falcon Sprint, 260 V/8 with 4 speed. And a high school buddy had a Falcon Ranchero with a very hot 289, done Gasser-style with a straight front axle and radiused rear wheel openings around huge tires.

Tell us more about that "red stuff" for the interior. Leather tuck and roll (from Tijuana, Mx of course), or velvet with fuzzy dice from the mirror, plus a necker knob?

BTW, how will you ever reach those plugs?
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Oh, for the days when you could pull an engine in less than an hour......
 
Hey David, My brother has an old Falcon, not the ranchero, as well. He has had a great deal of fun restoring the car and also participates in a local Falcon club in Houston. I thought I would drop you the link to their website in case you wanted to meet up with them and see some of their cars.

http://www.michellesfords.com/SpaceCityFalcons.html

Oh, they are meeting this saturday at
Prince's hambugers I-45 (Gulf Fwy.) at Fuqua at 6:00PM
 
Myself I would use any modern oil that suits your fancy, that vehicle is not exactly a high stress environment for oil, the cam in there has very little valve spring pressure to work against.

Best thing I ever did for this engine was to install an electronic ignition distributor from the later 240. That 200 points distributor if it was like mine did not have a mechanical advance curve. What a world of difference that made, car actually had some throttle response then.

IMHO - also get a solid export brace and monte carlo bar to tighten up the front end. That is basically the same platform as the original Mustang and alot of stuff will cross over.

I wish they offered a car like that here again. In Australia the "utes" like that are still popular. I would love a 2 seat Honda Civic with a small truck bed for my job.
 
Yeah, I got a trusty '73 Norton Commando 750 which I commute on most days. In the two years I have ran it almost daily, I has let me down exacty one time and needed a lift home. Still, now I feel more secure with a personal motorbike carrier-type vehicle.

Oh, and as to the interior, it is originally red and unrestored. I don't want to go too overboard, just get the seams stiched back up, the material replaced if necessary, etc. A modest good-looker inside. I plan on spending more time inside looking out than in a lawn chair looking at the body.
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Cheers!

-David
 
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