Though I joined FTE because I just picked up a '66 F100, I also have a '63 Ranchero (don't let the '62 grille fool you, it's a '63). Rather than post a whole thread-worth of pictures I've attached the link to the Falcon Club Forum where I post most things. But I have a couple pics here if you don't want to register there just to see the pictures (a feature there I don't much like).

Club Thread:

Call me crazy - Ranchero's (again) - Rainier Falcons > The FalconForum

If you can believe it, it went from this:



To this:



To this:



To this:



In 9 months...

I went a little crazy.

 

Originally I put the 200 six in it that it came with (just gone through lightly to know what was in it):



But I built the car for a 289 I had laying around, so I built it and shoe-horned it in a year later:



Much funner this way!

 

Very Nice !!

 

Thanks BullDog. 'Preciate that.

 

Had a couple PM's asking about my image. It's something I Photoshopped. That's John Candy from Trains Planes and Automobiles driving...

 

Me Like!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I remember when I was a kid in the 60's, when the 6 got tired, my dad swapped in a 260.......it would really run!

 

Not posted much about my Ranchero, so figured I'd do an update.

Truthfully I made a change to it a year or so ago to a 3.25 trac-loc, added traction bars, sub-frame connectors - and then found it was no fun to drive. The gearing with the automatic made it OK on the side-roads, but didn't like the freeway driving, which I do a lot of.



Also had some valve pushrod issues, which caused me some grief. The guy who built my motor (me) did an idiot move and used guide plates on a motor that had rocker arms that were guided too. Wasn't a good thing. New rocker arms and pushrods... so far, so good.



So this fall I decided to bite the bullet and do a T5 conversion in this, which I suspect will bring the joy back into driving it. Not quite done yet, as I'm doing a couple other WIAI™ things, but getting close.

The T5 is in and just got my drive-line back.





WIAI™ I decided to deal with some cooling issues by adding a electric fan and smaller engine fan (found my bent pulley while at it)...



...swap out the grille to a '63 grille...



...add electric power steering (fail - not getting this into a Falcon)...



...instead decided to just rebuild my steering box...



...now I'm working on the hydraulic clutch, which I'm doing using Mazda MPV hydraulic parts...



I hope after all of this it will be more fun to drive.

 

Finished up the T5 swap last week. What a difference this made to the little Ranchero. Before it was quick - in an automatic sort of way - but the ability to really control things with the T5 and having the overdrive, what a dramatic change in character.

Once I had the T5 in (used Mazda MPV hydraulic parts) there was not enough clutch travel, so I had to engineer a new lever-arm for it.


After getting all together I looked at the carpet and all the patches (6-cyl 4-speed, then a C4, then/now the T5) and decided to gut the interior and remove the shifter bump and patch the floor, and put in more Dynamat.





Bought new carpet...





Put it all together. Notice I added a '63 Comet instrument cluster.



Here's how it looks today with a '63 grille I got from a Falcon club member.



Of course, they're never done, sbut I just picked up a '63 Falcon hardtop, so focus is shifting there for a while as I drive this.

 

Nice work and great update posts!

 

It's been a while since I posted, but since I did this work on the 'chero I lost my job of 37 years (days after my last post), got married, remodeled my wife's house, sold my house and 80% of my collections of "stuff", moved and now sit waiting for a garage to get built so I can get this car inside - and start my own business... maybe building cars. Who knows.

The Ranchero has also developed a low knock I have yet to investigate due to where it's at in a ghetto garage. It had some valve train issues (essentially caused metal to get into the oil) and as much as you try to clean it out, filter, magnetize stuff, etc., damage has been done. Because it was a .060 over 289 already I've decided to get a crate motor for it at some point and bump it up to near 400hp. At the rate it is taking the garage builders to get their act together (assuming they ever do), I may just drive it until it blows. That's what AAA is for, right?

 

Nice ride. A lot of good work in that.