Posts Tagged: Ranchero
Jeffrey Harkins bought this 1969 Ford Ranchero already dressed up as a low-rider, sagging on the wrong springs with side pipes bolted on for looks. Eight months of real work later, from suspension to floor pans to a swapped-in Mustang 302, it sits proud and ready for its first show. It’s a reminder that the best rescues aren’t about paint, they’re about undoing somebody else’s bad decisions first.
This 1979 Ford Ranchero GT was the final Ranchero Ford ever built, closing out a twenty-year run competing head-to-head with Chevrolet’s El Camino. Gateway Classic Cars brought this GT-trim example into its Tampa showroom, built on the Fairlane-derived platform Ford chose specifically to match the El Camino’s V8 displacement options. One viewer even laid out the platform history in detail in the comments. Watch to see how the American car-truck idea went out — and why some buyers still think it went too soon.
Ford built exactly 57 of these R-code Fairlanes in 1966, not for showroom sales, but to satisfy a NASCAR homologation rule requiring a minimum production run. Every one wore the same white-over-black color combination and hid a 427 side-oiler under a stripped-down interior. Only about 25 are believed to survive. Here is the story behind Ford’s rarest mid-size muscle car.
This 1957 Ford Fairlane Club Victoria hardtop hides a fuel-injected 5.0-liter Fox-body V8 under its Colonial White and Spectramaster Blue two-tone paint, backed by an AOD automatic and a 9-inch Ford rear. The gauge cluster and power windows were adapted from a 1988 Thunderbird, while Granada front brakes and Fatman dropped spindles modernize the ride without erasing the original drums out back. Vanguard Motor Sales in Michigan has the full build documented. Watch to see how three decades of Ford parts bins ended up under one 1950s roofline.
Part pickup truck, part passenger car, the 1968-1969 Ford Ranchero offered genuine hauling utility without sacrificing Torino-level comfort and trim. A redesigned grille, plush upholstery options, and three distinct trim levels gave Ford a single body style that could compete against both work trucks and upscale personal cars. Read on for the details behind this early car-truck hybrid.
Ford built 24,946 Rancheros for 1971 and only 3,632 of them wore the GT badge. Fewer still left the factory with the 429 Super Cobra Jet, an engine that made this car-based pickup quick enough to run with a Chevelle SS 454. It was also the last year that combination existed, which is why finding a correct one takes years rather than weekends. Here is what made the 1971 Ranchero GT worth the search.
This 1966 Ford Fairlane 500XL hides a 1969-spec 428 Cobra Jet under its personal-luxury styling, backed by a four-speed, a 9-inch Posi rear, and period-correct 427 R-code exhaust manifolds. WeBe Autos Ltd. is offering it as a finished, sorted build rather than an unfinished project. Watch the full walkaround for the complete parts list.