1961 Ford

Wagon

8 - Cyl.

Manual

Gasoline

Up for auction is a 1961 Ford Ranch Wagon. This car was purchased new at Holmes Tuttle Broadway Ford in Tucson, Arizona. The original title is dated Mar 16, 1961, and was stamped no liens. Cash purchase. The original purchaser was my father in law, and I've known this car since the early eighties. Since my first car in 1970 was also a 61 Ford Country Sedan, I was interested in picking this car up from his estate. The car was a special order car and has a very unusual set of specifications. The driveline is a 292 2bbl V-8 Y-block coupled to a 3 speed manual column shifted transmission. Added to this is a factory overdrive, and the rear axle is a 3.89 ratio. No power steering or brakes, no radio. But what it does have is factory air conditioning, complete with the original green tinted glass. Also, it has the power tailgate window and a recirculating heater. The car is completely original, with the exception of GM alternator (single wire), cloth seat covers, and patched rubber floor mats. The paint is all original (where it's still intact, and there isn't an ounce of bondo or filler anywhere on the car.There are several dents in the car, most notable are the LR quarter just behind the rear door, where an errant driver backed into the car then took off.... and at the bottom rear of the LF fender. Minor dents are here and there as could be expected with a daily driver car. The interior is in fair to poor shape, I have all the headliner sections, but the plstic retaining trim has turned to dust. Dash is straight, but the paint has been sunburned off the top, the left front door panel is damaged at the top front and the rubber floor mats have been patched over the years. The seats have been recovered in a serviceable cloth that still looks pretty nice, and the load floor was covered most of it's life, so it's in nice shape. The original owner was a machinist, and was quite meticulous, keeping a record of every repair and service. The car has also been kept in very original, stock condition, and is amazingly unmolested. The car was driven regularly up to 1990, when my brother in law purchased a new Taurus wagon (also white and blue) and retired the 61 Ford in (and beside) his parent's carport. Just prior to being retired, a head gasket failed, and a valve job was performed, the A/C was given a bump charge and the transmission and overdrive were gone through. I bought the car in 2007, and had it shipped to Virginia. We've gone through the driveline, adjusted the valves, rebuilt the carburator, bought new motor mounts, etc. The engine runs well, no noise, nice and quiet, and surprisingly, does not leak oil. The brakes still work, and the clutch is good, allowing engagement of all the gears. We've had the car on a short run, using an electric fuel pump and a small gas tank in the engine compartment. Currently, the gas line to the tank is plugged, and the gas tank has not been cleaned. The tires are 20+ years old, and are a matching set of 5 H78-14 bias-ply skins. No unusual wear patterns are present on the tires, suggesting the front end is still in decent shape despite the age of the rubber parts. The A/C compressor cuts in when the fan button on the A/C unit is pushed. Rust. This is the killer in any almost fifty year old car. Until I shipped the car to Virginia, I don't think this car was ever outside the Arizona state lines. It is not rust free, however. There are areas of surface rust here and there on and under the car, but the only areas of heavy rust/rust through that I can find are on the driver's floor on a horizontal seam behind the clutch and brake pedal maybe 8 inches long and 1/2 inch wide and behind the RR wheel housing where there appears to be some rust under the paint. I suspect this was caused by a leaking seal in the rear quarter window. Other than that, the metal is very solid, and completely devoid of bondo or filler as you would expect of a car that lived it's life in an arid climate. Included in the sale is a second 61 Ford, a Galaxie 4 door sedan, minus the engine/trans and seats. What the Galaxie does have, is an original pushbutton tube radio,fresh air heater, and all the Country Sedan stainless body trim, hood front fender ends, lower stainless spear, and left and right washboards. Tailfin and rear cove trim are also on the car. No title is conveyed with the parts car. I've owned this car for 3 years, and have not had the time to do it justice. We've carefully brought it out of hibernation, and have been amazed at how nice the car is mechanically, of course my brother in law just smiles and says "I told you so.". I casually looked for an old Ford wagon for years, and it's exceedingly rare to find an unmolested wagon with a documented one owner history, that also has A/C and and V-8 with manual and overdrive. As a friend of mine remarked "Where are you going to find another one?". Currently, the wagon is stored indoors near Greenville, SC, and the parts car is in Chesapeake, VA. Mileage of the car approximately 150,000. Not sure exactly, haven't seen the speedometer for 6 months... Upon completion of the auction, a $400.00 deposit is required via PayPal, balance upon pickup, cash or wire transfer. Good luck, and please feel free to email me if you have any questions. As always, if you win this auction and upon seeing the car, feel I've misrepresented the car, you're released from purchase and your deposit will be refunded. I've got 100% feedback, and I make every attempt ensure every buyer is pleased with their purchase. Thanks for taking the time to read my auction! On Jul-04-10 at 07:13:26 PDT, seller added the following information: Addendum 1: The rear tailgate window is shown disassembled, the motor was locked, so we removed the regulator in order to assess the condition of the spare tire well and the bottom of the tailgate. Spare tire well is rust free, and complete. Spare good tire (matching), good rim, original jack and handle, and the original wheel hold down rod and fastener are all present and accounted for. Parts car also is equipped with the original dash clock, have not verified if it works, but I which side of a bet I'd be on.... Stain behind the RR wheel well on lower fender is not rust through, but the paint is stained, implying that there is some minor rust present. Loose wires (red and black) in the engine compartment are for the temporarily rigged electric fuel pump. Fuel pump has a vacuum boost on it, and the vacuum wipers do work. On Jul-05-10 at 07:12:41 PDT, seller added the following information: Addendum 2: Added pictures of the parts car, light blue/blue Galaxie 4 door sedan. The parts car has very nice tinted windshield. Minimal stone chipping and wiper marks.