1958 Ford Ranchero on 2040-cars
North Hollywood, California, United States
Engine:292 V8
Vehicle Title:Clear
Fuel Type:GAS
Exterior Color: White & Black
Make: Ford
Interior Color: Red
Model: Ranchero
Number of Cylinders: 8
Trim: Custom 300
Drive Type: RWD
Mileage: 110,000
I've owned this Ranchero for 26 years, but sadly, I need the parking space. She's not perfect--and keep in mind that photos tend to make things look better than they really are--but she's very pretty. Original colors in and out, with carpet, headliner, and paint redone about 15 years ago. Automatic (three-speed Ford O Matic), 292 V8, "Master Guide" Power Steering, "Swift Sure" Power Brakes (which in this case is a factory under-dash Kelsey-Hayes bellows-type booster unit). New stuff includes: tires, brakes, water pump, thermostat, ignition switch, belts & hoses, exhaust system, spark plugs & wires, carburetor, and some other bits and whatnot. The ignition is a Pertronix unit, which is really sweet since there are no points worries and it's hidden so it looks 'correct'... but that original stuff--including the ballast resistor--is still with the car just in case. The original carb comes with the car too; it's a Holley 4-barrel 4160, but I just couldn't get it running right. Wrong jets, maybe? Anyway, there's a brand-new Holley 4160 on the car and it purrs like the proverbial kitten.
The wheels aren't original--they should be standard stamped steel with hubcaps--but the white spokes were on the car when I bought it and I never changed it back. One photo here shows the car with the original-style tires and wheels, which don't come with the car; I swapped those from another '58 Ford for a period-1961 Tom Hanks/Emma Thompson/Paul Giamatti movie shoot. For the record, that film is "Saving Mr. Banks", due out in December 2013. The radio antenna isn't original; reproductions are available for less than $100 bucks if you really get nit-picky. But I think some of that stuff was dealer-installed anyway, since this antenna's fender hole isn't even the same place as some others I've seen. I'm not sure the red-and-white seat vinyl is original to this model, but its sturdy construction feels very 'factory', and the seat cushion is a bit flat, so it's either original or a very old re-do. And the seats exactly match the material on the door panels, so who knows? At some point this Ranchero had a CB-style screw-on antenna mast on the roof. The screw mount is still there, and I do have a stubby 1-foot antenna that screws on just for looks, but it's not functional. One photo shows a body mount, in this case near the area where the front of the cab meets the fenders. This is pretty typical of the mounts and overall undercarriage condition; not perfect, but decent. It is a California car, after all.
What's wrong with this vehicle? It's starting to show the typical bits of rust in two spots: above the headlights (see photo), where dirt tended to collect inside the fenders on most '50s cars... and at the bottom of the tailgate, which is apparently common with Rancheros, as owners forgot to keep the drain holes clear. The old paint is a bit checked in spots, especially along the center valley atop the passenger fender. There's a couple inches of peeling chrome on the front bumper, but it's behind the center crossbar and is essentially hidden (I've tried to show that in a photo but you really can't see it). Some of the interior chrome is a bit pitted, particularly the horn ring and vent window handles, although still pretty nice for a driver. The rear bumper chrome is quite good except for around two bumper bolts, where it has some surface rust. The original floor-mounted accelerator pedal was replaced somewhere along the line with a flat rectangular piece (not sure why, as those old rubber pedals are available, but this actually works great so I've never bothered to change it back). The gold anodizing along the sides is pretty dull but complete and undamaged. A lot of the weatherstripping is typical for California cars: very brittle and cracked from exposure to the sun. Windshield and rear window gaskets seem to be good though. At some point somebody installed couple patch panels between the bed and the cab, likely to strengthen or replace weak/rusted metal in that area. In heavy rains, the carpet behind the seats does get damp, so maybe that was a troubleshooting attempt (it could be just the old weatherstripping that lets water in... who knows?). It's certainly not a professional repair but at least it's symmetrical and isn't real obvious. The steering wheel finish is quite worn, but miraculously, no big cracks. The "Ranchero" scripts near the tailfins are reproductions, and while they were purchased through a very well-known vintage Ford parts dealer, they're not exactly right: the lettering should have sharp, well-defined edges, and these repops are kinda rounded-off, as if their molds were made from script that had been rechromed or polished too much. Obviously a small point, and perhaps current reproductions are better than these ten-year-old ones. Also, just barely visible (barely!) is at least one of two tears in the seat, one of which is about two inches long, where the passenger's butt sits. The other is where the seat cushion and back portion meet, near the driver's door (also about an inch or so). The radio could use a tuneup; it works, but not all stations come in as strongly as they should.
Can it haul stuff? The last really heavy thing I transported with the Ranchero was an FE-series Ford engine/transmission to and from the rebuild shop. That's a lot of weight, and the engine actually shifted en route when a couple cheap tiedown ratchets broke. The Ranchero handled it just fine, although it was an eye-opener to have that much weight shift while at speed on the freeway. There's still a couple scratches in the bed from that adventure. The interior floors appear to be in great shape too, with no 'give' or weak spots that I can find. Have they been repaired? I really don't know, and I'm reluctant to pull up the old carpeting/sound deadener at this point. The spare is stowed behind the passenger seat, and in that area the carpeting has suffered from things being tossed back there that weren't completely clean.
Other than freeing up the parking space, I'd also really like to get my old Ranchero to a new owner who'll take care of her. She hauled a lot of band gear (PA's, keyboards, etc.) back in the day, and has been sort of a member of the family for the last 2-1/2 decades. I don't have any history prior to owning it, but I bought it here in Southern California in 1987. And I've got lots of receipts on maintenance and parts purchases since then.
Ford Ranchero for Sale
Auto Services in California
Zenith Wire Wheel Co ★★★★★
Yucca Auto Body ★★★★★
World Famous 4x4 ★★★★★
Woody`s & Auto Body ★★★★★
Williams Auto Care Center ★★★★★
Wheels N Motion ★★★★★
Auto blog
Ford Ka Concept shown in Brazil, could enter production by 2014
Wed, 13 Nov 2013The Ford Ka (pronounce it like a Bostonian saying "car") is the Blue Oval's sub-Fiesta offering in a number of markets that aren't North America. It's been a staple in Europe since it launched in 1996 and in South America since 1997, where it's enjoyed quite a bit of popularity as an affordable, efficient city car.
The European and South American models grew apart over the years, until Europe ended up with a Fiesta-inspired car and Brazil retained a more evolved version of the original Ka's styling. With this Ka Concept, which is really a concept in name only, Ford is previewing a Ka not just for the European market, but as the brand's new, global small car. With city car sales expected to grow dramatically in coming years and the ever increasing price of fuel, Ford's move to get a new, competitive car into the market on a global level isn't surprising.
Wearing Ford's new, familial grille, the Ka Concept features the same crisp, sculpted sheetmetal that's adorned the Fusion and Fiesta. Developed in-house by Ford Brazil, a production version could launch by 2014, according to Ford's press release. It's unclear what engines will sit under this car's hood, although we'd bet the 1.0-liter, EcoBoost three-cylinder from the Fiesta will be available at some point.
J.D. Power study identifies top seats for your tush
Tue, Aug 29 2017File under News your fanny can use: The seating systems in the Ford Escape and Edge, the Audi A3, Chevrolet Cruze, Kia Cadenza, Porsche Cayenne and Toyota Tundra received top marks in a new J.D. Power study on seating and seat belt quality and satisfaction. The J.D. Power 2017 Seat Quality and Satisfaction Study asked more than 77,000 new owners and lessees of 2017 model-year cars and light trucks to rate their vehicle's seats and seat belts within the first 90 days of taking ownership. The survey is broken up into seven vehicle segments and scored on total seat problems per 100 within each segment, with awards presented to the seating system supplier. Canadian auto supplier Magna won three of seven first-place awards for its seating systems in the A3, Escape and Edge. Ireland-based Adient got top marks for its seats in the Cadenza and Cayenne. Lear Corp. won for the Cruze, and Avanzar Interior Technologies scored highest for seats in the Tundra. J.D. Power says its study is intended for automakers and suppliers with quality and satisfaction information to be used in developing and marketing seating systems. "But the results are just as interesting to a consumer audience," the company says. "After all, some drivers spend a considerable amount of time behind the wheel, and it's helpful to know which vehicles offer the most comfortable seats for those long commutes." Ain't that the truth. Ford was the only automaker whose seat systems, both manufactured by Magna, received top honors in two segments: the Escape for mass-market compact SUV and the Edge for mass-market midsize/large SUV. J.D. Power says it used 22 attributes to measure seat quality, three measures of seat belt quality and 12 to measure satisfaction. Awards were presented to the seating suppliers. Related Video: Image Credit: Audi Auto News Design/Style Audi Chevrolet Ford Kia Porsche Toyota Safety JD Power seats
24 Hours of Le Mans live update part one
Sat, Jun 18 2016We tasked surfing journalist Rory Parker to watch this year's live stream of the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans. What follows is an experiment to experience the world's greatest endurance race from the perspective of a motorsports novice with a profanity-laden stream-of-consciousness writing style. Parker lives in Hawaii and spends far more time spearfishing than behind the wheel of a car. Jump ahead to Part Two here, and Part Three here. Big Money and billionaire hobbyists and rockets on wheels. Jets belching French color smoke overhead. Balance of power fuckery. Plenty of water on the ground this morning. Absurdly expensive motorcars lined up in the pissing rain. Fast twitch lunatics behind the wheel. Chomping at the bit. Let's go let's go let's go! Race hasn't even started, Ford #67 maybe dealing with clutch issues. Karma? That beautiful bastard Brad Pitt's out on the track, waving the tricolor flag. It's a standing start in "Noah's Ark" weather and the 2016 24 hours of Le Mans is go! First lap takes place behind the safety car, finished in a record setting 8 minutes 27 seconds. Wrong kind of record maybe, but this is the first time I've set my mind to watching the whole damn race. Feel like I'm part of history. 3:00 AM on Kauai, a little too early for life. Sucking down coffee like a maniac. Don't fall back asleep. Got my hands on four hours of rest, how much more can I need? Better be enough for the next twenty four hours. Gonna get kinda punchy toward the end. Jason Statham on the scene. Four feet of solid muscle, non-existent hairline. Lovely wife peanut gallery sitting next to me calls him the "best race car drive in the world." Not sure if she's serious. Toss up, could go either way. Statham's a funny guy. Heir to the Bruce Willis comedy action crown. Really good in the movie where the fat comedy lady plays a spy. Ford's on the road. Problems with gearbox pressure, apparently. Nearing a half hour in and the safety car is still on the track. Hellish amounts of water on the ground, in the air. Visibility is garbage. Getting better. Twitter wags, "Not with a bang but a whimper." Just building suspense. Mother Nature felt like killing some people today, race officials need to dial back the drivers until it dries a tad. Normal inclination would've seen 'em flying, guaranteed early lap wrecks. Sad news for that bloodthirsty part of my lizard brain I try and keep suppressed. Good news for humanity. #12 in the pit for a bit.