1965 Ford Falcon

Futura Convertible

8 - Cyl.

Automatic

5H15C128863

Gasoline

1965 Ford Falcon Convertible, Purchased new on March 17, 1965 from Hardaway Ford, Columbus GA, by me. Warranty Plate data: Body Style: 76A (Convertible, bench seats) Body Serial Code: 15 / Color: X (Burgundy, metallic) Interior Trim Code: 59 (Palomino, vinyl) Date Code: 12K (October12,1964) District Code: 21 (Atlanta) Rear Axle Ratio Code: 6 (2.80:1) Transmission Code: 6 (Dual Range Automatic, C4) Assembly Plant Code: H (Lorain OH) Engine Code: C (8 Cyl. 289 Cu. In. 2V carb, regular gas) The general condition of this car is "Good, Unrestored" The engine was rebuilt in 2006 and the car is in Very Good running condition. Although the transmission was rebuilt in 1971, it has only about 35,000 miles on it since that time and it is in Very Good operating order, however, due to time, some of the seals are leaking. primarily around the manual selector shaft and downshift shaft. These seals can probably be replaced without dropping the transmission? The extension housing shaft is Not leaking. The body condition is a different story, this car has lived mostly in the east, NJ, NC. There is rust but it isn't bad, perhaps because the car had a full undercoat at the time of delivery? The worst rust spot is in front of the left rear wheel where there is a good sized hole, although the photo doesn't show this very well. This is the only rust hole I know off that impinges the unit body structure. The car was repainted in 1973 and a rust hole above the headlight on the left fender was repaired at that time (well repaired as it doesn't show today at all) There is surface rust showing underneath the car but nothing is visably rusted through. The rocker panels have never been off but it should be assumed that there is probably rust behind them, as this is a prime rust location for cars garaged in the east. The convertible top was replaced in 1984 and is in Very Good condition, including the rear plastic window. The are several places inside where mice have removed some of the top padding but this is minimal damage. The upholstery is in reasonably good condition excepting the tear on the drivers seat (easily seen in photo) The front seat really does need to be re-upholstered as the padding underneath is worn and has had some removed by mice over the years. The carpet is original and is still in Good condition. It has been covered, front and rear, since delivery day, with Sears clear, tan tinted, vinyl floor mats that are in amazingly excellent condition still. The car needs a repaint and rechromed bumpers (When the original bumpers began to rust in 1973, I exchanged them for a re-chromed set, the quality of the rechrome job was bad as was the replacement set, making me wish that I had never replaced the original that were not that bad when I took them off) The windshield glass has a crack down the center, this is the original glass which has a tint throughout the entire glass, replacement glass is available but has only a tint at the top per current federal regulations. All the weather stripping is pretty well shot and needs replacing (See the last photo) Everything mechanical and electrical works well, including the AM radio and the power top (The plastic lines have never broken and I've never had to add fluid in the pump) Originally, the car did not have backup lights but several days after purchase I bought a factory kit and installed them. The kit came with a set of tailight lenses with the backup lamp in the center. I sold the original, all red lenses, on Ebay several years ago. This was the car of my youth, I'm not proud to say it's been through a number of drunks but has Never Been Wrecked in any way (Never in an accident) I think its time to sell it just in case it starts to talk! The car comes with a number of spare parts, including: Alternator, Two fuel pumps, one the original and not rebuildable, and another from a Ford car (ca. 1970's) that fits and is repairable (The fuel pump now on the car was new in 2006 as part of the engine rebuild) There is a spare rear differential, same ratio as the original (The original differential had the pilot bearing fail in 1970, I replaced it with the same ratio from a junk yard. The original was repaired and put back in as part of the 2006 engine work. The existing spare is the one from the salvage yard, It is in Good condition but has always had a "whine" - the original, in place now is quiet) There are two spare wheels (These were used for snow tires in the years that the car was in NJ) There is a spare wheel cover that I found along the road in CA around 1993. Other major spare parts include three sets of new spark plugs, 6 oil filters, three headlights, front damper puller and a number of small, misc. parts. There is a cloth car cover that comes with the car (Only good for keeping dust off, not an outdoor cover) Originally the car came with a road draft tube for crankcase vetilation, as PCV wasn't required until early 1965. As part of the 2006 engine rebuild, the exaust pipe was replaced, these after market parts, especially exaust parts are never exactly like the original and the "configuring" I had to do to install it made it hard to properly support the road draft tube. The original carburator spacer plate has an outlet for the PCV valve and a plugged hole in the right valve cover for that purpose, thus I installed a PCV valve at that time. The car comes with the original road draft tube for posterity's sake. Also, as part of the 2006 engine work, all new brake lines and hoses were installed as well as a new fuel line, engine mounts and heat shields (original were steel, new shields are brass) The car has manual steering and manual brakes, as original. The car is as original as has been possible to keep it. The tires were new in 2006 and the car has had only about 3500 miles put on it since that time. Only synthetic motor oil has been used in the car since the engine rebuild (excepting the first few hundred miles when regular oil was used to facilitate the break-in) The car drives very well. The only suspension parts replaced have been one lower ball joint (inadvertantly, it wasn't bad) One lower control arm bushing and steering idler arm. However, the ball joint grease "bags" are bad as are the permanently lubricated steering knuckle seals, thus these need more frequent attention, though none are yet worn out (I squirt some Synthetic oil into the steering knuckle joints from time to time) The gas tank was replaced in 1973 and is still in good condition. The weak part on the engine has always been the aluminum water pump, I believe that this is the fourth pump on now since the original (Ford went back to a cast iron pump on the 289 engine in 1966) A new heater core was installed in 2007 and a new cardboard glove box in 2008. The original 5 volt electro/mechanical instrument regulator went bad, the after-market replacement was junk, so it now has a modern solid-state regulator for that purpose. The radiator has been replaced, also in 2006, the original had two rows of core, the replacement three. This made it necessary to remove the fan spacer but the original spacer comes with the car. This was an early production 1965 model and it has some differences from most of the 1965 Futura's, namely the trunk lid has only the Falcon letters, most futura's have the letters on a decorative metal plate. The inside door handles are of an older design, though perhaps they were used because the cream color knobs match this interior color better? The 1965 model year required front seat belts in all cars, this one came through with a 1964 design belt latch on the right and 1965 design on the left (see photo) Actually, when the car was delivered, the two male ends were on one seat and the two female ends on the other seat! Quality control back then wasn't what it is today. Not to say that this car hasn't been reliable and fun to own and it still has the majority of it's original parts. Any questions? Please ask, I know this car well over it's 46 years. General garaging places and periods: GA 1965, NJ 1966, MA/GA 1967, NJ 1968, NC 1969-1982, NJ 1983-2002, NM 2003-2007, NC 2008-2010, NM 2010-present. Car comes with original owner's manual, shop manual, two parts manuals and the original sales brochure. It also comes with nearly all the repair and service receipts from over the past 46 years. Two sets of the original keys, one set well used, the other is mint, having had little use. Car has the 1965 Georgia license plate and Hardaway Ford metal trim. Original top boot cover and storage bag for it. Battery is quite old, 1998 as I recall but still in good condition (Not a lot of charge/discharge sequences over those years) Additional note: Air cleaner and clamp that retains heater hose to automatic choke have been powder coated in a color as close as possible to the original, the 289 decal is a new reproduction as is the inside fender decal. Shipping: Buyer arranges to pick up the vehicle or to have it transported to desired location, car is in good, drivable condition.