Sorry its been a while since my last update, been busy. Ive got the car up on the lift and me and a buddy are working on fabbing up a home made exhaust. I was going to have a new exhaust system bent out but the guy that was supposed to do it hasn't gotten back to me in over 3 weeks so my buddy said screw it im helping you do it. The muffler that was on it was kind of an oddball. 14" oval case with offset 2 1/2 id tubing. I didn't think that it was that odd but my parts guy couldn't match one up in his catalogue. We got one that is a little larger and with a set of couplers it fits well and hes gonna weld it up tomorrow. My fuel sender is on order from MAC's and should arrive tuesday. Once the exhausts done and the tanks in, off to the paint shop and finish all the minor details like cleaning up the engine compartment and de-greasing the front suspension links and a nice coat of black rustoleum for the undercarriage!

 

Thanks for the update.

Mitch

 

If the wiper motor works like a 66 pickup the motor has power to it when you turn yhe key on, the switch works the ground.

 

Hello again!

Just a little progress to report, got the exhaust finished a little while back and it sure is nice and quiet! Just how i wanted it. Fuel tank is back in and I finally have a functioning fuel gauge again! I gave the underside a nice coat of rustoleum flat black and a good cleaning. Hopefully ill have the time to post some underside pics up this week. Im hoping to get it painted within the next couple weeks. I was brave and took it out for a blast on the I355 Tollway last week and it didn't miss a beat. She loves cruising along at 60-65 mph, ran like a top!

 

Very cool project, can't wait for the pic's.

 

Sounds awesome! Seems like your getting work done to it fairly quick and i cant wait to see the finished project!

I sure do love those ol rancheros! Great car too pick up! Good luck on the final steps of your car.

 

Thanks!

Just got a set of hubcaps off of ebay and i went to my shop to pound them on, really makes the car look good! I keep forgetting my camera but I will take some pics soon.

 

Today on my day off I decided to tinker around with those darn wipers that have been inoperable since i bought the thing. Also it was raining cats and dogs out and it made me wanna fix em even more. Starmilt was correct about the wiring. I took my time and traced all the wires and i found that one was chewed by some kind of rodent, and someone before me tried fixing it but connected wrong. Cleaned up the motor, the wires and made some new ground wires and sure enough, it works!! Got some replacement blades and fit them into the original Trico wipers with the air deflectors on em. For a single speed motor, they sure move pretty fast, faster than I expected. If i would have had more time i would have detailed the engine compartment better but thats work for a nicer day. I know its not painted yet, but heres some new pics of the hubcaps and the wipers installed.






Thanks for reading!!

 

Sorry I havent been around for a while giving any updates. Car is finally in the paint shop, I have made quite a bit of progress. I found a pair of nos outside mirrors at a flea mkt in Wilmot, WI for a DOLLAR! Still brand new in their original boxes. The exact part number that i needed. I almost fell over when I found those. I also installed an exact replacment steering wheel instead of that china made fake wooden one. Looks very nice! I dont have any pics yet because up untill yesterday it still looked the same. When it comes back from being painted, yes there will be several pictures! For those who have commented, you will not recognize her.

 

Finally got some pictures of the finished product! I still have some very minor details to finish, still need a couple emblems and a couple small things to do but here it is!

 

Thats a nice ride

 

Sweet ride.......

 

What year is that?? I had a 66' and it looked just like the 66' fairlane! Did Ford make two different body styles that year?? Or is that the 65' bode registered as a 66 or something? Kinda weird! Awesome car though!! Looks mint!

 

Thanks for the compliments!

Yes, Its a 1966. This Ranchero is the last one to be based on the Falcon. 1966 Ranchero is based off the Falcon station wagon. So the Rancheros and Falcons for that year shared body panels and interiors. The 1967's wore Fairlane sheetmetal (stacked headlights, Fairlane interior ect..). My car has tail lights off a '67 Ranchero due to the originals being stolen some time ago. 1968-75 Rancheros were all based off the Torino platform. 1976-79's were based on the LTD II. Because of that 66-67 Rancheros are unique in their own ways. Ill be at the 2010 National Falcon Club convention in Dearborn, MI in july so if anyones gonna be in that area come check it out!!

Thanks again for the compliments and encouragement, Ill post more pics this spring once i install some new emblems, clean up the interior better and have it all ready!

 

Speaking of the interior, it doesn't appear from the picts you posted that much needed to be done. If you did have to do interior work, I'd appreciate if you'd post pictures of those progress picts.

BTW, it looks like you did an awesome job on the exterior.