I've had mine for just 3 months now, I added Cragars,3 spoke wheel,and some other stuff. But, i'm driving the hell out of it!!! What do you drive?
Well, in 1961 I drove this '58 with a Les Ritchey built 390. It ran 108 at Pomona, 144 at El Mirage, and after towing our Stude to Bonneville behind it, I ran 148 on the salt with it. It was a real sleeper on the street. Surprised quite a few Chevys with it.
^^reminds me of a funny story. About 35 years ago, when I was in my early 20's, I was hanging around at one of the local casual street-racing spots, Neaves rd. down by the silver bridge, if any locals are listening in. I was with a buddy who had a high 13 second sport satellite, and there were a bunch of other cars of the same sort hanging around, typical mid-13/mid 14 second pretty boy cruiser/small-r racers. Mostly we are just standing around BS-ing, every so often a couple guys pair off, just a local, low-key deal. This '67 ranchero pulls up, mis-matched wheels, body like a sack of hockey pucks back window recently smashed out, and an "older guy" driving, with two of the ugliest looking women I have ever seen. It didnt idle real rough or anything, but it sounded healthy enough, it had a stick, and it sounded like it had some gear in it, so my spidy sense was tingling. Plus the driver looked familar, and I thought I'd seen him somewhere else. Not so my buddy with the mopar. Right away, he makes some wise-ass comment about the "hillbilly in the ranchero". I gave him a nudge, and said "I'd watch myself here" but he ignored me and kept flappin his gums. After a few minutes of him spouting off, and the guy in the ranchero not saying anything, the guy in ranchero pulls out his wallet, pulls 5 twenties out and says "talk is cheap, lets make it a hundred". Around this time my buddy is starting to realize maybe he's been a little hasty, but the way hes been mouthing, its kind of hard to back down in front of all his buddies. So he says "I cant cover a hundred I dont have that much cash". So they end up going for fifty. The guy in Ranchero points at me and says "I've seen this guy at Viking before, he can hold". Viking Way was hot and heavy in those days, and now I KNOW my buddy is in WAY over his head, but I figure at $50 its a cheap lesson, so I say Ok. The "ladies" jump out of the Ranchero, they both clean the tires and go, my buddy gets the move, but by the top of first, the Ranchero has a fender, and I can see this isnt gonna end well. By the time the ranchero hits fourth, I can even see from where I am on the starting line he has about four lengths of daylight, and a couple seconds later the flashlight goes in in the Rancheros lane. He comes back, stops beside me, sticks his hand out the window, I give him his $100, the ladies jump in, and hes gone.
Here's something a little different that I built in High School ( 1969) For my Auto Body Teacher. He'd build Ranchero's out of Chrysler since 1957. The Old Tinbasher
Not mine but I'm pretty proud of it. My stepson's first ground up rebuild. Did it all on his own with very little help from me in 9 months, pretty good for a 23 year old. A beat up X ma-bell phone company service truck now running a built 289 with a T5.
Oh yeah, two 59's, both bad ass. Tuck's Desoto treatment is so sweet. Keep on truckin kids. ~sololobo~
damn, my time ,and my geographical place,I would love to know who the dude was in the ranchero, I know it was not me, could not get a girl (even a ugly one to ride with me)
I bought this one new in 1965, drove it from Portland Or. to Maryland in 66 on old US 30. While TDY at The proving grounds I hit the strip up in Pa. almost evry weekend. Fedman: My dads car was a 59 Rambler American, try to get a date in one of those in the 60s.
I can get the guys name, a buddy of mine knows him well. Was pretty damn funny, should have seen the look on my buddies face when he came back. OOOOPS!
I'll probably talk to Alan over the holidays, I'll try to remember to ask him the guys name and pm you. I found out later the car had a 390GT, toploader and 4.33's. So were you around the Viking Way scene in the late '70s-early '80s?
Here's a Hot Rod article about a ranchero done right in 66. I'm surprised that I haven't seen anyone else do this. The Fairlane GT frontend looks good on the 66 Falcon Ranchero. http://wildaboutcarsonline.com/memb...9990352588165/1966-09_HR_427_Ranchero_1-3.pdf
I had a '64 factory 289 4-speed but sold it when I got sick a couple of years ago. I had bought if as a project from a buddy and the floor pans were rotted out but it still looked good and ran great. Americans all around and it sat right. This thread made me realize I never took any pictures of it while I owned it. Dayum.
This is my current '63 Ranchero project that rolls on 13" Cragar S/S wheels and 5.20 13 Premium Sportaway whitewalls. I have seen 13" four lug Cragars but was surprised to learn that 13" S/S wheels were also available as five spokes.
Dang, Tinbasher, I'm not a big fan of the MoPar styling from back then, but that is a really nice looking conversion. The proportions have to be right to make something like that work. Later, Kinky6
The Jalopy Journal
