Clovis, California

Hi,
I would like to enter my Ranchero in your Featured Falcon pages. Here is the info on the vehicle.

It's a 1965 Deluxe Ranchero, 66H bucket seat/console with the factory 4 speed, with factory Ford under dash air conditioning. It also has a dash mounted dealer installed 4 way flasher switch. It has a red lens in the switch that blinks when turned on. There was only 990 66 H Rancheros built in '65. It has a little more than 79,500 original miles.

It was restored a little over a year ago and has had 2,000 miles since the restoration. I purchased this ranchero from Larry Webb of Lemoore, California, who did the complete restoration. He was the third owner and was friends with the second owner who had purchased it when it was about 2 yrs old. The bed was immaculate as the second owner had covered it with a sheet of plywood when he purchased it. It didn't need any work in the bed or tailgate area when restored. It has the original 289 V8. The second owner had the original 289 rebuilt towards the end of his ownership, but it started smoking shortly after. The car was parked for awhile after the second owner passed away.

After Larry got the ranchero from the son and started the restoration he disassembled the engine and found the bottom end excellent, but did rebuild the heads. He added a Crane hydraulic cam that was similar to the 289 high performance solid lifter cam. This original 289 V8 was a factory 4V Premium Fuel engine. 1965 was the first year it was an option for a Falcon, but was only available in a Ranchero or Station wagon. The 4 barrel carburetor needing rebuilding, so Larry chose to replace it with a Demon 4 barrel. He did all of the body work on this ranchero and he took the extra time to make sure all of the body lines were equal and straight.

There was no rust on this original California Ranchero. He had a friend shoot the paint for him which was a color change for this car, to the color of his former ranchero that he had purchased at the same time his friend bought this one. It's still a factory correct color. He also added all new upholstery and interior from Dearborn Classics, which he changed from the original blue to black for the same reason.

The T-10 4 speed is original, as is the stock reverse lock out "T" handle shifter. It still has the stock 8 inch rear with it's 2.80:1 open differential. He added a 4 row radiator, new bumpers, removed and polished all of the stainless steel trim. He had all new dual exhaust with an "H" pipe installed. He got the wheels and tires from a friend who had removed them from a restored Mustang.

He did a beautiful job on the restoration of this Ranchero. It's a lot of fun to drive and is (very fast) and always gets plenty of attention. I had already purchased the twin to this Deluxe '65 ranchero that needs a complete restoration, just 6 months before I found this vehicle. It's the identical color, and 66H w/4 speed, original California car also.

Thank you,
Bob Henry, Clovis, California
Central California Falcons
Bakersfield/Fresno