1966 Ranchero Question
 

Did 1966 Ranchero's have an original firewall to shock tower brace?
I have seen them on '65's. Is it important to have one on a 66? Why not ?
Will an original 65 brace fit a 66, if it's a good idea to have one. I don't like the after market braces i have seen.

Wow !! 119 views and no comments ? Was it that dumb of a question.

Not dumb at all. No one knows.

I would guess it did. You should be able to see up on the firewall where it bolted to the firewall. The one piece and two piece braces bolt up the same I think.

Why is it important? Because it's part of a triangulation design that gives the whole front end enough strength to stay fairly close to it's designed shape.

Fairly.

These things--Ranchero, Mustang, Falcon etc, are pretty flexible and prone to getting whacked out of shape. "Weak" would be another way of putting it.

No shock tower braces in 66
 

Though I wasn't really clear myself (even though I happen to be president of a FCA chapter) I did a little research and there were no shock tower braces in '66 Falcons - the foundation of the Ranchero for that year. Or, at least, I can not find a single image of one with shock-tower braces.

Though it was still a uni-body car, Ford must'a not thought it was needed, whereas the year before it was needed. The engine bay radically changed in that one year though - allowing for much larger motors than you could shoe-horn into the bay in '65.

Could it benefit from one is perhaps the question. That I can't say for sure, but I think the more torque your motor can make, the stiffer you want things t be.

Hope this helps.

Glad there is so much help here ����

1966/67 Falcon steering gear. Manual steering different than power steering.

1966 ranchero question
 

I believe that Ford changed the Falcon to the Fairlane chassis in 1966. I could be wrong (usually am), just look at the tail lights.

Ranchero was a Falcon in 1966, became a Fairlane in 1967. 1966 Falcon used a completely different body shell and front clip than 1964/65, 1966/70 Falcon's are basically the same.

The only Ranchero's that have a separate chassis are 1957/59 & 1972/79.

1960/71 Ranchero's have integral bodies, the body & chassis is a one piece welded assembly, w/a stub frame for the engine/trans to bolt to.

Just bought a 66 Ranchero at Mecum, in Harrisburg. Having been brought with GM, I need some help finding some needed parts. If someone could respond with some suggestions, I would appreciate it. Mike D (Western NY)

Welcome to FTE!

What parts do you need?

66 was a ******* year for all Falcons, including Rancheros. many parts are 1966 only.

Mostly, the 66-70 Falcons were the same as 66 Fairlanes. There were some minor changes to the 67 Fairlanes that got incorporated in the Falcons starting in 67 (dual bowl master cylinder to name one). In 68, the Fairlane changes completely, but the Falcon did not.

So if you are having trouble finding 66 Ranchero Parts (I am assuming you have tried Falconparts.com., Macs and/or AutoKrafters), trying searching for 66 Fairlane or 66 Falcon station wagon parts, as the Ranchero was based on the wagon.

Yes, and the Falcon stayed on that same 66 Fairlane chassis all the way through 1970, but not 1970-1/2.

1970 1/2 Falcon (assembled from 1/2/1970) is a sub series of the Fairlane, uses the Fairlane 2 door sedan, 4 door sedan and 4 door station wagon bodies.