Hi! I'm Richard. I have a 61 Falcon 4-door Ranch wagon. It's a 1-owner car. No I didn't buy it new...My grandfather did. I inherited it in '92 when he passed away. Actually he signed it over before he passed as he felt I was the only family member who ever showed any interest in it. I remember when he bought it new to replace the 'blue '54 Ford wagon. Grampa was impressed that even tho it was a "Compact", it was bigger inside than the full size '54 and he could lay down his 6'1" length and sleep in the back of the Falcon. So he and Grandma could camp in it. The "Ranch" aspect to it is the vinyl upholstery which had embossed cattle brands. There is still some of that material under the Mexican blankets on the seats, but it's in pretty sad shape. The original Algiers Bronze Metallic paint was destroyed in a sand storm in the late 60s near Palm Springs/Indio. It got re-painted by an Earl Schieb shop at that time in a "Camel Tan" for (and I have the receipt) $29.95, which was reimbursed by the insurance company. It's original 144cid 6 was worn out in 1971, and I replaced it with a Factory 170" 6. That engine is still in it and still runs, but for some reason is getting a bit tired. After I took possession of it in early 93, I did a bit of work to it and put it on the road. From then until 1998, it was my daily driver and put over 150,000 more miles on the ol' gal. During that time, I converted the original 3 speed manual trans to a C4 auto out of a 68 Mustang 302. I plan to replace the tired 170 with a 302 V8. But a 4.0 liter SOHC V6 like I had in my 98 Explorer would be cool too. At the same time I plan to upgrade the front spindles and brakes to 11" discs from a 76 Granada and the rear axle to the 8.8 out of the same car. The original 7.5" rear axle currently has a broken differential carrier from the massive power of the 2.9 liter six. It has 14" x 5.5 wheels from a late 70s Toyota Celica with 215-60 Remington tires. They have the same 4-lug pattern, but needed 1/4" spacers for clearance. I'd also like to upgrade the vacuum wipers to electric, but haven't yet invested the time to figure how best to do that. Probably a later model Falcon or early Mustang unit would bolt in. Then once the mechanicals are done, the interior and paint will come next. The paint is intended to be 1990s Ford "Calypso/Bright Green" The color is similar to, but more of a candy color than the original 61 Falcon "Garden Turquoise". The interior has a pair of mid 70s Mustang bucket seats set aside for it. I would like to go with a cloth upholstery, and I would like to retain some of the original Ranch influence. An Indian or Mexican weave would be acceptable. The headliner is planned for a brushed flannel. It needs 3-point belts as the lap belts are not enough for my liking. I might update the shifter to a floor mount cable shifter. Parked next to the Falcon in the 1st pic is my '61 F100 I've owned since 1976. It has a 428CJ engine which has nearly 300K miles since I installed it. It and the C6 trans are pretty tired too.
Welcome Richard. Good story behind your wagon and sounds like you have some good plans laid out for her as well.
Richard. I always love to read about a vehicle that stays in the family. Hopefully when you finish using it you will have another family member to pass it down to. Good luck.
Welcome, Richard. Neat intro. Love that color for the Falcon. That would look cool, maybe with a bit of chrome accents. Marshall
Welcome to the forums Richard. Your grandfather would be happy to see that you are still "interested" in his wagon. I wish I'd had the opportunity to inherit something from any of my grandparents, and in particular, a vehicle that I could continue to use the way they had. Enjoyed your intro. This is a fun place to hang out.
Rich...great intro and equally great car !@! finally another Falcon geek that i can speak 'falconese' with...:banana: Ive got a 61 2dr(which started my problems 32 years ago),a 62-4dr,and a 63 Squire...Falcons !!
Hi Richard and welcome. Nice intro and nice wagon! Sounds like you have some good plans for it, look forward to updates!
