New project, 1966 Ford Ranch Wagon

jimbbski wrote:

JFX001 wrote: The 289 wasn't a bad choice, plenty of power for our needs....IIRC, there was a 352 engine available that year ( Galaxie) as well. Do a search for Galaxie Clubs, that may help you find trim parts.

IF more power is needed than a 351 swap would be easier as it's just a bigger Winsor V8 where the 352 is a small "big block" FE engine. As for weight, I would guess that it may be just under 4000 lbs. The '66 my dad had was a 4Dr sedan bare bones 'Custom" trim version (Think Taxi.) and had only the 289/auto/PS & AM radio for options. It weighed just over 3600 lbs.

Understood...just relaying that the Galaxie also came with the 352 that year....

My parents had a '64 Country Squire with the 289 and "3 on the tree" and we replaced it with a '66 LTD 4 door hardtop with a 289 and automatic. The 289 doesn't do to badly in these cars when they are unloaded, but where they really need help is at high speeds (like over 50 MPH). I don't know what the rear gears on our Country Squire were, but it also had an overdrive that was still available then....only used it a few times. I would guess a lightly loaded 289 with a decent 4 barrel carb setup would be fast(ish) and economical.

This will purely be a Sunday driving type of car to me, maybe occasionally drive to work, so alot of power isn't a huge deal to me. But all this talk of putting Torque Thrust D or SN95 wheels is really making me think of swapping a newer drivetrain in there. I like getting this all thrown out there now so I can get to planning. I like having the column shift, it is really fun to drive, I don't know if I would want to give that up for a floor shift... yet

Don't be hatin' on the 352. It's not going to scream and spin tires, but it's a good workhorse...

I talked to the guy this weekend at Road Atlanta about having his class sort out some of the BS to get it road worthy. I know, I should be doing it myself, but if someone else is gonna do it for free labor, then Im jumping on board. Also, I may be leaving the country for a year and he may just keep it at the school for me. Anywho, here are some more pics. The interior looks really good:

Oh the hotness increases with each new picture you post.

I don't know how I missed this thread, but if you're still contemplating engine swaps and a 289 is still possible, my buddy has one sitting on an engine stand he pulled out of his Mustang when he upgraded, don't know details but I know he was thinking of getting rid of the car and spare engine...

Fantastic find. I hope you can retain the patina, but lift the body up, roll the chassis out and roll in the chassis/drivetrain from a P71. It's easy! Just roll out, roll in.

Haha, yeah. Maybe that will happen. But maybe I will just throw some wheels on it and drive it the way it sits.

Oh and the new car pack from Forza 4 isn't helping my anticipation of getting this car.

1. Bag that bitch on some 20" shineys.
2. Drive.
3. Be rad.

would some 17" steel from a P71 fit ?

DILYSI Dave wrote: 1. Bag that bitch on some 20" shineys. 2. Drive. 3. Be rad.

I concur...

The tires wont hold air right now and it is a pain in the ass for the students to move the car around so instead if buying new tires for the crappy stock wheels I decided to order these Torq Thrust D knock-offs.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0074NID64/ref=ox_ya_os_product

Sweet hot rod wheels, is the car staying at the school whilst you are off chasing fame and fortune over seas?

Our cars should be friends

http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/what-to-do-with-this-lead-sled-content/45750/page1/

In reply to LopRacer:

Yep. Free storage AND free labor. The car's running gear should be perfect when I get back.

In reply to singleslammer:

That car is in fantastic condition. I sure hope you keep it for a while.

So, I have finally started in on the Ranch Wagon. Took apart the whole front end suspension to start rebuilding and converting to disc brakes. It feels good to finally be starting this project. The friend getting it done through school fell through but he is letting me work on it at his property whenever I want. Pretty sweet deal.

And as per your request, this thread has been moved to the Builds section.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Anti-stance wrote: Anyone know any good resources for classic Fords as far as exterior trim and the such?

Unfortunately on the fullsize, post-1964 Fords a lot of the trim and other parts are not reproduced. (My father has a '67 Galaxie 500 convertible and we just helped someone else restore another '67 Galaxie 500 convertible) You're likely going to have to scour junkyards or eBay. Also, Ford was on a yearly cycle, so parts from the '65 or '67 do not carry over to a '66 and trim was usually different between the different trim levels and models as well.

In reply to David S. Wallens:

Thanks David! Didn't want to clutter up the grassroots threads.

In reply to NickD:

I have just recently started doing research on all of this and that was a new thing to me about the changes every year.

I found a guy here locally in Atlanta that buys old Fords and parts them out. Some of them are for his personal projects. He's building a 65 wagon right now and is appearing to be a wealth of knowledge. I am buying the fenders, hood, grille, and parking lamps from a 66 Galaxie from him. Also going to be buying some parts from him to do a front disc conversion. The tricky thing seems to be finding aa brake booster that bolts up to the firewall. I bought a new booster for a 66 but the bolt pattern was different. I'll post up a pic of the firewall tonight and maybe someone here knows. The guy that I'm getting parts from says he thinks the 70 Galaxie he is about to buy has the correct booster but we will see.

I can't see the pictures Which is sad because this sounds like something I like.

In reply to Anti-stance:

Dearborn Classics does make some reproduction stuff for these, but like I said, the repro stuff drops off drastically after 1964. I think a reason of that is because of the baffling differences is years and trim would mean that so many parts would be limited application. (For example, a 1967 LTD has a stamped stainless while a 1967 Galaxie 500 uses an aluminum grille, and the only piece of glass that transfers between a '66 convertible and a '66 fastback coupe is the windshield. I use '67s for reference simply because they are what I am most familiar with).

Don't get discouraged though. Mid-to-late '60s full-size Fords are some of the most handsome Ford designs and I guarantee you will rarely see another at a car show.

http://www.dearbornclassics.com/ is one source for repro Fairlane parts. There are a bunch of other Ford parts houses out there, you can check to see if they offer anything: Dennis Carpenter, Autokrafters, Macs, etc.