1973 Ford

Hey all,

I just bought another wagon this past weekend. I had no idea what I was getting into when I drove up to pick it up, but overall I am pleased with my acquisition.

I found out it has the 400 V-8 engine, and it is either an LTD or a country squire. I have no idea, and I know y'all will.

It is currently sitting at my mechanic's for him to do a thorough going-through. I just didn't have time to do it myself.

It does run, drive, and stop. Oil definitely needs changed, about half the hoses need replaced, all the belts are starting to crack, tires are questionable, etc... I took it out, and it did tear up the country lane, all while sounding beautiful!

What all should I need to know about this car though? I have never had a car this old, and I've never had a Ford.

Pics can be seen at http://stationwagonforums.com/forums/garage_vehicle.php?do=view_vehicle&id=1480

Thanks!

 

You have a good choice of trucks and trailers. My Dodge sport is red but the trailer is very similar. I also like the red wagon. Good luck.

 

Congrats on your new wagon!

 

It is an LTD full size wagon, but not a Country Squire (any Ford 'Squire' will have wood grain sides). Just needs a polish and a couple coats of carnauba wax. My '77 Pinto wagon had the same color, and looked very sharp when polished and waxed.

 

Nice. 73 1/2 LTD Wagon. All the features of a Country Squire minus the woodgrain.
Good Luck.

 

Very nice indeed. Will make a fine ride when you are done.

mike

 

Congratulations on your new wagon. Since it is a '73, wouldn't that make it a Country Sedan? I know Country Sedans were relabeled after '75 as LTD wagons.

 

Congratulations ZZT!! Looks like you found yourself a nice long roof.
Wayne's right; since it's a '73 without the wood, it is a Country Sedan. Ford changed the name of their full size steel sided wagons to LTD in 1975, so that would define yours as a Country Sedan
First thing I would do is what you did. Take her to your trusted mechanic and have him give it the once over. I would absolutely change all the fluids; oil, coolant, tranny fluid etc. I do not recommend getting the transmission "flushed". Just replace the fluid. Sometimes on those older transmissions, the gaskets and such can't withstand the force of a flush, therefore just have the old fluid drained and replaced with new. Certainly get a complete tune up on it; replace the old plugs, most likely the points and maybe even the distributor. I don't know how many miles are on it, but I would think if you did all the basic upgrade maintenance on it, you'll be amazed at how smooth and powerful that 400 might be. In the early 70's, the manufacturers were wrestling with all the federally mandated emission regulations they had to contend with, so don't expect it to give you a whiplash, but still, it should be pretty potent.
After that's all handled and the brakes and such have been checked out, set aside an entire Saturday to wash and wax it. Be sure to get a wax with some cleaner in it which would probably eliminate any oxidation that has settled over the years, but the paint seems to be in okay shape, so it'd be a great thing if you took some before and after pictures that you can post on here for us to all enjoy.
One last bit of advice. I'm a huge whitewalls fan and there weren't many full size wagons of that era that didn't have them. The ones on your wagon may be very old and even if there's a good amount of tread left on them, I'd replace them with a new set primarily because of their age. When rubber tires get old, regardless of how many miles are on them, they tend to dry rot a bit and then safety becomes an issue. If you opt not to replace them, then clean them up with some Comet, a scrub brush and if they're not totally white, take the time to really get them back with some SOS pads. They work great. Reward yourself with an application of some Armorall and you should be good to go!!
Best of luck. I'm looking forward to future pics of your beauty and welcome to the forum.

 

For the model year 1973, that would have been called a 'Galaxie 500 Country Sedan'. It is not an LTD.

Out of the '73 Ford brochure:
http://www.lov2xlr8.no/brochures/ford/73ford/bilder/13.jpg

 

Country Sedan actually.
Very nice from what I can see.
Look forward to the updates.



8-track in it work?

 

I was wondering if this model was added after the start of the model year. The front grille is the LTD one. The Country Sedan and Ranch wagon had a different grille

Also if you notice the Country Sedan does not have the brightwork running along the bottom.
I remember seeing another one of these 73 LTD wagons on E-Bay that was yellow.

 

I was looking through the pictures, on the tailgate, the "Ford" lettering is on the lower right hand corner, just like on the Country Squire. On the Country Sedan and Ranch Wagon, the "ford" lettering would be spaced several inches apart on the center of the tailgate. I would have a "Marti" report run on the wagon. I did one on mine and I learned a lot.

 

Zzzizxz, could you have the year wrong on the wagon?. In model year '74, there was a LTD wagon slotted between the Galaxie 500 Country Sedan and the LTD Country Squire. And the '74's look very much like the '73's.........

http://www.lov2xlr8.no/brochures/ford/74fo/bilder/7.jpg

 

Who owned it? That interior looks great.

 

Hey all,

Sorry for the silence. I just got back from Virginia Beach visiting my Grandpa, who just turned 91, aunts, uncles, and cousins.

I had myself, two brothers, two kids, and all our things packed into my safari wagon, and it drove like a dream.

As for the ford wagon, I haven't verified the year yet. I was told it was a 1973, and I don't know exactly what it is. Country sedan? LTD? Ranch Wagon? No idea. I'm waiting on the title at this point. The owner had to get a new one, since the one she had was in her deceased husband's name. She didn't want there to be any issues with the title for me, so she is getting a new one.

As far as I know, I am the 4th owner, the car came from Colorado, and was most recently in Door County, WI. The last owners garaged it up there to drive as their vacation car. There are no maintenance records, as the gentleman liked to do his own work on it.

I'm definitely going to be getting new tires, since the ones on there don't match, and we have no idea how old they are.

As I find out more info from my mechanic, I'll keep posting updates!