Ford Ranchero 500 1970 images

1970 finally gave the Ford Ranchero its own identity — Ranchero or Ranchero GT badges on the glovebox instead of Fairlane or Torino script, plus a pointed grille, hideaway headlights, and coke-bottle styling that left the old body looking dated overnight. Four distinct trims rolled out that year, from the woodgrain Squire to a GT that could be ordered with a 370-horsepower 429 Cobra Jet. Here’s how Ford split its unibody truck-car into four very different personalities for one model year.

A very small , but significant change that beganÂ in 1970 model year is the Ranchero no longer has a “Torino” or “Fairlane” badging above the glove box; instead, the badge is either “Ranchero” or “Ranchero GT.” Other, exterior changesÂ for 1970 and ’71 includeÂ a slight point in the grills center and from a side view the model isÂ Â more aerodynamic with smooth, flowing lines-coke body styling. There is also the addition of a fourth trim option in 1970; itÂ is the plushly outfittedÂ “Squire” or “woody”-sportingÂ woodgrain applique on the dash along the exterior, down the sides, from bumper to bumper, like the Country Squire station wagon.

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MCF thanks Gateway Classic Cars for the images provided here

For its first several years wearing Ranchero badges, Ford couldn’t quite decide what to call the thing riding the glovebox — Fairlane, Torino, anything but its own name. 1970 changed all of that, and it changed a lot more besides. The grille picked up a point, the headlights learned to hide, and the whole body gained a coke-bottle curve that made the previous decade’s Rancheros look positively boxy by comparison. A brand-new top trim also joined the lineup that year, one that borrowed its look from Ford’s biggest wagon rather than anything with a truck bed. Which raises the real question: with four trims and enough V8 options to fill a menu, which 1970 Ranchero was actually worth having?

Four Trims, One Very Different Truck-Car

Ford built 21,640 Rancheros for 1970, split across four distinct personalities: 4,816 base models, 8,976 500s, 3,905 GTs, and 3,943 of the brand-new Squire. The Squire borrowed its woodgrain applique straight off the Country Squire station wagon, aiming the Ranchero at buyers who wanted luxury trim rather than a stripe package. The GT went the opposite direction entirely, wearing a wide color-keyed stripe down the body sides and across the tailgate for buyers who wanted the sporty crowd to notice. Two badges, two completely different audiences, one unibody platform underneath both of them.

The Engine Room: From Economical to Cobra Jet

The GT came standard with a 220-horsepower 302 V8, but the option sheet climbed fast from there. Buyers could step up to a 351 Cleveland in 250- or 300-horsepower tune, or go all the way to one of three available 429s, topping out at a genuine 370-horsepower Cobra Jet. A mid-size unibody hauler that could be ordered with the same 429 Cobra Jet found in Ford’s meanest Torinos is exactly the kind of factory oddity that makes this era of Ranchero worth chasing today.

The Torino DNA Under the Skin

By 1970 the Ranchero was riding on the same platform underpinning the full-size Torino lineup, which meant these trucks handled and rode more like a genuine mid-size car than anything with a bed had any right to. That shared architecture is part of why the GT and 429-optioned Rancheros in particular built such a devoted following — buyers got Torino performance and ride quality with a bed bolted on, not a compromise in either direction.

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