1960 Ford Falcon

Pickup truck

6 - Cyl.

Automatic

OR27S193935

Clear

Gasoline

For Sale: 1960 Ford Falcon Ranchero. Originally red but was been repainted blue at some point. It is now primered in both black and gray. I am selling this for a young friend of mine (sort of a nephew figure), who doesn’t know cars (or eBay) very well. I, on the other hand, used to be in the auto-restoration business and have a long-standing eBay presence. I looked this car/truck over pretty well once he bought it, so I can speak with some assuredly about its condition, which I will, below. Before that, however, I need to preface this auction with the following: I am not in the position to run over to the storage facility and check a hundred things bidders are likely to ask, so place your bids given the information I am about to lay out. This is a one-shot, no reserve auction. The Ranchero needs to be gone no later than two weeks after the auction ends. Here’s the deal: The Story: This car was donated to the local high school auto shop by an alumni who became ill in the middle of restoring it. My young friend bought it from the high-school auto shop teacher. The Good: It would be an awesome parts car because most of the hard-to-find parts are there and most of what’s there is in very good condition. However, it is in good enough condition that, if I were still in the business, it would be a challenging but fun and very do-able restoration project. This is a first year version of this car, and the suspension and running gear was used on everything from these little Falcons and their ‘big brother’ the Fairlane to the so-plentiful (and plentifully-restored) first-generation Mustangs. Because of that, most of the parts are still available. To the best of my inventorying, all the trim parts are there and most of that is in 6 – 8 out of ten condition. It can all be straightened and buffed to bring it up to about a 9, but to make it perfect, everything should be replated. The body is really straight. It’s not perfect, but it’s really good. There is some patched (good but not perfect) rust in the right rear fender well. One of the front fenders also has a little rust along its lower back edge that has been patched so well its hard to see. As best as I can figure out, it is an always-been-in San Diego (or at least California) car, so all the fasteners and so on will come apart easily. It has brand new brakes all the way around including the brake lines. The brake drums themselves are not new. The original (170?) engine was replaced with a 200 cid (I think), that runs very well. There is no exhaust system on the car below the manifold, so I did not warm it up to do a compression test. It has a fairly new looking battery in it. The original three-on-the-tree manual was taken out and replaced with a fairly new C4 automatic, but the speedo cable and the linkage have not yet been installed. There is a floor shifter like out of a Pinto or a Mustang II in the parts box. The split bench seat has very good upholstery. The bed is in great shape. I doubt anyone ever hauled much of consequence in this truck. With minor work, some new fasteners, and a fresh coat of paint, it could look factory fresh. There are two heater assemblies that each look to be serviceable. The Bad: It is missing the windshield and the rear window. The door panels were reupholstered but pretty amateurishly. They are all there for patterns, though. The instrument cluster is not really salvageable. The glass is broken and the gauges are toast. The ‘chrome’ trim, however, is in fairly decent shape. I think at some point the whole truck was taken apart and then crudely reassembled. Everything is loosely fastened together. As a result, I wouldn’t trust that any fastener on the truck is the one the factory put in. The radiator is serviceable but really should be rebuilt. The no-name tires have good tread on then but their sidewalls are badly weather checked. The lower front valance (the part that sits behind the front bumper when it’s on) is pretty bent up. It can probably be straightened, but it would take some time. The rear bumper is bent badly enough it would easier (and probably cheaper) to find a replacement than get it straightened and re-chromed. The front bumper is in very good condition. The Ugly: I’m guessing the floor pan was probably rusted through when the previous owner started the restoration project, because the guy cut it completely out. The high school shop teacher had the students practice their metal-bending and welding skills making a new floor pan. It was probably a great exercise for the students, but I’d start over. It is completely made out of poorly bent pieces of galvanized metal that have all been spot-welded together. It is laughably bad. As a result, the car really needs a whole new floor pan welded in. I wouldn’t even step into the passenger compartment for fear of the whole pan falling out from my 250# weight. The three hardest parts of this job (as a restoration project) would be replacing the floor pan, sourcing all the right fasteners, and getting the gauge-cluster back together. But, with the right parts, it would make a great project and the finished product would be something to be proud of. One other option, save parting it out, would be to place the body on an old Jeep Scrambler or Cherokee frame. It would also be fun to build a pre-runner tube frame upon which to mount the body. That would be an interesting looking and fun-to-drive vehicle. Too bad I no longer have a shop, or I’d do that one myself. Okay, that’s it. If local people want to come look at it, we might be able to arrange it, but we are both pretty busy people. Read my description carefully, and look over the pics, then bid your conscience. If you win full payment is due within 48 hours. After that, tow it home, and let the fun begin.