New Member - 1960 Falcon Two Door Wagon

Discussion in 'The Welcome Wagon' started by RetroSpeed, Nov 9, 2016.

  1. RetroSpeed

    RetroSpeed Active Member

    Joined:
    Jul 3, 2016
    Messages:
    67
    Likes Received:
    49
    Trophy Points:
    36
    Hello Everyone,

    My name is Chris and I live in SoCal. After looking for a while, I was finally able to locate and purchase a 1960 Falcon two door wagon in good shape and at a reasonable price. This is what my wagon looked like when I acquired it six weeks ago.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    I have lowered it three inches, painted the wheels black and added 1963 Galaxie hub caps.

    [​IMG]

    I installed 1960 Buick taillights, replaced the mirrors and added stainless steel window shades.
    I have also begun polishing the stainless steel trim

    [​IMG]

    The wagon is a garage mate to my 1963 Ranchero.

    [​IMG]

    I enjoy seeing the variety of station wagons being built by the members of this site and will post pictures as the work on my Falcon continues.
     
  2. AK27

    AK27 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 16, 2012
    Messages:
    2,907
    Likes Received:
    86
    Trophy Points:
    110
    Location:
    Fairview, Illinois
    Welcome RetroSpeed!
     
    101Volts likes this.
  3. RetroSpeed

    RetroSpeed Active Member

    Joined:
    Jul 3, 2016
    Messages:
    67
    Likes Received:
    49
    Trophy Points:
    36
    Thanks AK27,

    This article from a 1962 magazine is what prompted me to add 1960 Buick tail lights to my Falcon wagon. Moreover, I lowered the wagon to have a stance that emulates the 1960 Ranchero featured in the pictorial. I also located a company in SoCal that can recreate the custom grill for my wagon.

    [​IMG]

    My wagon will be built with a similar look to this Chevrolet with a lowered stance, detailed engine, and clean interior. I am retaining the patina and adding as many NOS chrome parts as I can to the exterior.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
  4. fannie

    fannie Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 2, 2010
    Messages:
    11,938
    Likes Received:
    1,215
    Trophy Points:
    683
    Wagon Garage:
    3
    Location:
    Nova Scotia, Canada
    :Welcome: aboard.

    Looks like your making that wagon your own, I like that. :thumbs2:

    And this is a keeper...
    [​IMG]


    They are going to compliment each other nicely.:yup:
     
  5. ModelT1

    ModelT1 Still Lost in the 50's

    Joined:
    May 18, 2011
    Messages:
    22,124
    Likes Received:
    1,435
    Trophy Points:
    808
    Wagon Garage:
    1
    Location:
    Central Illinois
    :welcomewagon:Welcome. Both nice Fords. Nice Ranchero.:1st:
     
  6. RetroSpeed

    RetroSpeed Active Member

    Joined:
    Jul 3, 2016
    Messages:
    67
    Likes Received:
    49
    Trophy Points:
    36
    Thanks everyone for the welcome and comments on my two Fords.

    This is what my Ranchero looked like when I purchased it for $259, the amount the previous owner was offered by a scrap yard. It's a shame to think of how many cars that could have been made roadworthy met that fate and were crushed.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    I am definitely way ahead as far as a starting point when I compare the Ranchero to the Falcon Wagon.
     
  7. OrthmannJ

    OrthmannJ Always looking for old ford crew cabs

    Joined:
    Apr 25, 2009
    Messages:
    16,018
    Likes Received:
    4,410
    Trophy Points:
    833
    Location:
    Yakima Washington
    Welcome aboard!
    I like your wagon, and I really like the custom touches you have added.
    I have a soft spot for these first gen Falcons. My Father-in-law has a 63 Ranchero that he bought when he was 18. A few years ago we decided to fix it up.

    http://www.stationwagonforums.com/forums/threads/got-a-new-project-car.8318/

    upload_2016-11-10_23-55-0.png

    It's a lot of fun having something that is unique in the classic car world. There are lots of nice Camaros and Mustangs, but not many early 60's Falcons. Our Ranchero always gets attention, I'm sure the same is true for your rigs.

    Good luck with your projects and keep us updated.
     
  8. RetroSpeed

    RetroSpeed Active Member

    Joined:
    Jul 3, 2016
    Messages:
    67
    Likes Received:
    49
    Trophy Points:
    36
    Thanks OrthmannJ,

    Congratulations on the outstanding build on your Ranchero and for keeping it in the family.

    Assembled at the San Jose CA plant, the data plate on the door of mine indicates it is also a 260 V8 /T10 four speed Ranchero. Unfortunately most of the original drivetrain was missing when I purchased the truck. This picture is the Ford assembly line marking in the engine bay that reads 2241 ENGINE but I am uncertain if this pertains to the engine or the engine and transmission combination.

    [​IMG]

    Did your Ranchero also have this marking before you painted the engine bay?

    Your 15" wheel and tire combination look great.

    [​IMG]

    I retained 13" wheels on my Ranchero as I located a set of 13x5.5 Cragars and had them mounted on Coker 5.20 13 tires.

    [​IMG]


    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Two of the Cragars are NOS and were still in the unopened boxes when purchased.

    [​IMG]

    Despite the lowered stance of the Ranchero, the narrow 13 inch tires and wheels are easily removed. Conversely, the 14x6 inch wheels on 185 75 14 tires are challenging to remove from the lowered wagon due the limited space in the rear wheel wells. As I get further along on the project I may order a set of Coker 5.20 14 tires to facilitate a tire change.
     
    WagonMD likes this.
  9. OrthmannJ

    OrthmannJ Always looking for old ford crew cabs

    Joined:
    Apr 25, 2009
    Messages:
    16,018
    Likes Received:
    4,410
    Trophy Points:
    833
    Location:
    Yakima Washington
    Thank you.
    The engine bay on our Ranchero had already been painted once prior to my involvement with it, so I never saw any factory markings. I do know that it was originally a 3 on the tree, not a factory 4 speed. I like the cragars on your Ranchero, they look right on it. Anything NOS is pretty neat in my book. It's so cool to have something original, from the time period on a car knowing this is the first time it's been used for it's intended purpose.
    I actually found a set of Bullet Mustang wheels for sale locally that I purchased for the Ranchero, but at 17" they were way too big. I ended up putting them on the Fury instead.

    It's amazing how the right set of wheels and tires can make a rig.

    I have always thought it would be fun to have a two door wagon and the Ranchito side by side to compare them. The fact that the Ranchero's were basically a wagon with the rear section of the roof lopped off has always intrigued me. The front section of the bed has the panel in place covering what is the foot well for the rear passenger seats of the wagon. I am sure there are other wagon specific things on the Ranchero that would become obvious when comparing the two.
     
  10. RetroSpeed

    RetroSpeed Active Member

    Joined:
    Jul 3, 2016
    Messages:
    67
    Likes Received:
    49
    Trophy Points:
    36
    If I were a new car buyer in 1960-63 and had to choose between the Ranchero or the two door wagon, I would chose the wagon. With the rear seat up you can seat up to six passengers comfortably. With the seat folded down you have the same seating and load capacity as the Ranchero.

    [​IMG]


    [​IMG]

    With a roof rack on the wagon, the load capacity increases even more than the Ranchero's.

    [​IMG]

    Although my 1960 Falcon wagon is the Deluxe model with the exterior stainless trim and extra interior upgrades, Ford did not add the optional roof rack when the wagon was assembled on April 2, 1959.
     
  11. 66Fairlanewagon

    66Fairlanewagon Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 13, 2015
    Messages:
    206
    Likes Received:
    36
    Trophy Points:
    46
    Wagon Garage:
    1
    Location:
    Melbourne Australia
    Awesome rides there Retro! Nice mods too, look really good.

    Welcome aboard mate
     
  12. RetroSpeed

    RetroSpeed Active Member

    Joined:
    Jul 3, 2016
    Messages:
    67
    Likes Received:
    49
    Trophy Points:
    36
    Thanks 66Fairlanewagon,

    Your '66 wagon looks great, especially after all the work you completed to polish the trim until it now shines like chrome.
    • Did any of the parts polished have an anodized finish and if so, how did you remove it?
    The grill on the Falcon wagon has a very dull and uneven shine due the wear over the years on the anodized finish.
    My Ranchero has an NOS grill and I may have to acquire one for the wagon to clean up the front end. The company that can fabricate the custom grill in the pictorial from 1962 quoted $750 which is double what an NOS grill would cost for a 1960 Falcon.
     
    Last edited: Nov 22, 2016
  13. 66Fairlanewagon

    66Fairlanewagon Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 13, 2015
    Messages:
    206
    Likes Received:
    36
    Trophy Points:
    46
    Wagon Garage:
    1
    Location:
    Melbourne Australia
    Thanks Retro,

    Yeah, all the aluminium trim under the doors and around the wheel arches had anodise coat on them which had oxidised to a milky white haze.

    It was a pretty simple process of dipping the parts in caustic soda (lye) solution and letting it dissolve off. I'm not sure of any exact ratios for concentration level, just watch it carefully as I think the lye can damage the raw metal. It was a matter of soaking for a bit, then removing to see how it went. Apart from just looking at it, if you polish the metal with a polish like Autosol and it goes black, you know you have raw metal. You can't polish the anodise off.

    Once I had removed the anodise layer, I sanded the scuff and scratch marks out, starting with 400 paper, then 1200, 2000 and finally really fine steel wool before final polish with a bench mounted drill and lots of Autosol.

    It took a long time, but I was in between jobs at the time so I had plenty, but I def think it was worth it.

    I've got a product called 'Purple' from a company called Californa Custom to use as a sealer, as the raw aluminium with haze again over time unless it gets clear coated or re anodised.

    Hope all goes well, let me know if I can help further.

    Cheers
     
    fannie likes this.
  14. RetroSpeed

    RetroSpeed Active Member

    Joined:
    Jul 3, 2016
    Messages:
    67
    Likes Received:
    49
    Trophy Points:
    36
    Thanks 66Fairlainewagon for the information. I will practice removing the anodize finish on a junk piece of trim to dial in the technique before I attempt it on the grill of the Falcon wagon.

    I will look for Autosol as the polishing compound you recommended but I used three grades of WENOL's compounds when I polished the aluminum and stainless parts on the Schwinn Krate tribute bicycle I built for my son back in 2007. I had an original Schwinn Apple Krate as a kid and an American discount store, WalMart, sold a cheap reproduction for $49.

    This vintage advertisement displays what the original Schwinn Krate bicycles looked like with their five speed shifters, 20 inch rear wheels and a 16 inch Atom drum brake front wheel.

    [​IMG]



    Restored original Schwinn Krates were crazy expensive in 2007 so I found some vintage parts for cheap, rebuilt them, polished them until they shined like new and turned the $49 WalMart bicycle from this:

    [​IMG]

    To this:

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Time certainly flies as my son is now in college and much too tall to ride the bike I built for him back in 2007. However, back then I enjoyed watching him race the wind as he rowed the Schwinn shifter through all five gears.
     
    66Fairlanewagon and Grizz like this.
  15. Grizz

    Grizz Are we there yet???

    Joined:
    Mar 4, 2016
    Messages:
    2,410
    Likes Received:
    982
    Trophy Points:
    398
    Wagon Garage:
    1
    Location:
    Nashville, TN
    I like the fords. Who doesn't enjoy a nice pair? Well done and welcome!
     

Share This Page