My question is: Where should I start and focus on first on my 1964 Ranchero. It starts , doesn't smoke but I seem to think it has possibly 120 thousand on it. Transmission needs flex plate and linkage adjustment. Body work I've started. Needs electrical straightened out. Thanks.
I go through the mechanical things first and see what you’re up against. I personally like doing that work before paint just because***** happens when working around new paint. Looks like you have a great project you don’t see many around anymore.
Cool project - understand that having a list of things that need to be done is good. but, don't expect it to get smaller real quick. be methodical and don't skip important steps just to hurry to get on the road. enjoy the journey
It has a 200 inline from a 65 mustang. I plan to upgrade with high performance parts. Carb, headers, 2 barrel, etc.
As a rule of thumb, and because I didn't do it as a stupid kid, make them stop and steer before you make them go. I used to make them go first and dealt with bad brakes and sloppy steering. But what does an eaten up with cars 16 year old kid, without knowledgeable adult supervision know. My son's used to get upset with me when they were young, but eventually saw the wisdom in why I did it that way. Nothing like screaming down the street and have to pump the brakes 10 times to stop.
Going somewhat against the flow here, I'd be wanting to know that the floors, rockers etc are good before proceeding. I'm guessing the car has already been****essed in that regard, but can't say for sure, and if it has and has passed muster then carry on. Stop, steer, go, reliable electrics and plumbing, enjoy. Chris
Yes mechanical first - you mention starting the bodywork. Is it rusty? If yes proper repairs may quickly exceed the value when done. Do you have all the trim? 30+ years ago I bought a crashed V8 65 Ranchero for $100. I yanked the engine/trans and sold the bed trim for $500 the rest went to the scrapper.
I have to agree with Deucemac 100% when it comes to that Ranchero, SAFETY items first as far as brakes and steering. If you are going to up grade brakes or steering do it at that time as most upgrades on that chassis are unbolt the old and bolt on the new. Then get the engine and trans squared away so you can drive it and enjoy it a bit and then work on the body one section at a time. Outside of replacing the floor boards you can pretty well drive the thing on a regular basis while doing body work if you want to. The flex plate shouldn't be a big deal cost wise or work wise, Get a pair of looong bolts that you can screw into where the bottom two bellhousing bolts go if you don't have a need to drop the trans clear out to work on it. Slide the trans back on those bolts well supported by a jack far enough to get to the flex plate/flywheel bolts with a ratchet and socket and replace the flexplate and slide the trans right back in on the long bolts and put the other bolts back in and swap the long bolts for the correct bolts. That saves a lot of arm and elbow straining fighting with the trans on most any rig when you are laying under the car or even on a hoist. What I don't like to see with guys with running 60's cars is seeing them tear them apart too far and have too many things going on at one time unless it is a planned 100% shell out redo. I've seen too many failed projects sit because all the sudden there is so much to do that it overwhelms and nothing gets done. Do it a bit at a time, get it so it can reliably and safely be driven. plan the next step, do that, drive it a bit, plan the next step and repeat. There is a good feeling in driving to cruise night or cars and coffee and having others notice and comment on your progress and ask what the plan is.
Get a good sized chalkboard or dry-erase board to put up in your shop. Use it to keep track of the things that need your attention as you find them. Then regularly go thru the list and prioritize what needs to be done at the top of the list and the things that you'd like to do further down. Keep safety and dependability at the top of your list and work your way down till you can get to the performance and dress-up stuff. You know . . . The fun stuff.
On the engine,,,,check compression and do diagnostics first . It’s a six,,,,it’s never going to be a screaming demon unless you apply large sums of money . It might be in great shape inside,,,and spending money on an unnecessary rebuild won’t help you. Do what is necessary driveline wise,,and do the safety stuff first . After that you will have plenty of time to fix the rest . Tommy
Before you tear into anything, form a plan on what you want the car to be and look like when finished. Starting with safety first is always wise, but if you don't know where you are going, you might find yourself replacing what you just fixed at a later date. I have a vision for my build and thanks to the photoshop thread, I have a very clear vision on how the car will look. I planed the power/drive train. I have left room to update the plan and put some optional parts in later. But, one of the important steps is to plan some targets with rewards. An example, I want my car to drive to Good Guys in July. Will the body be done, no. Will the interior be done, probably not. But the drive train will be good to go with my 1st iteration plan. More power and stronger parts can be phased in if needed. Plan the build so you can enjoy the car during the warm months and tackle major projects during the cold months you won't want to be driving it.
Start with actually getting out and working on it, unlike a bunch of people who sit on forums trying to impress everyone with their big plans for their projects while never actually working on anything.
My pal had one of these , was decent , had lots of suspension upgrades , brakes , etc., 289 c4 , but the wiring was stock …. And very poor additions , sound system , etc. I recommend get a kit , rebel wire is excellent, and gut the stock wiring it’s***** and will cause you nothing but headaches in the future ‼️. Btw I suggested he do this but he never did …. Got so frustrated with electrical issues he unloaded the truck .
It currently runs. If you want to be able to drive it and maybe sell it if life changes, this is good. Try not to change that. Safety. Brakes/Steering is top, along with electrics. At this point, you have a crossroads. Run Better or Look Better. Finances and keeping it running for the most part is still priority. What can you do or get done faster/cheaper?
Safety first. I can appreciate your wanting to do some body work to make it look better, but that is not really the best place to start, from my years of experience. The under carriage needs to be a solid starting point. If the floors and floor supports, or the places the suspension bolts to are rusted out, or very weak, you need to start there. If the basic truck is a rust bucket, and you don't fix that 1st, every part and all the labor you put into it will be wasted. If you don't know how to check that stuff, find someone local that knows and have them look at it and give you an honest opinion. If you have doubts about his opinion, post pictures of what he is telling you here, and as a collective, we will help you. Paying someone to make a rust bucket solid can get expensive quickly. If it needs it bad, and you don't want to learn how to do it yourself, it would probably be better to send truck to someone else. If it passes that test, the next items are brakes and suspension. If you are planning an upgrade from what is there now (which probably needs to be done if more power is planned for later). It is probably smarter to do those upgrades now rather then spend money on what is there, then replace it again in a short time, when you want to add more power. Most brakes and suspension are bolt on things and can be done by a few parts at a time. If its not drivable as is, taking longer to collect the parts is not a big deal. After the brakes and suspension are done and they function properly, get the motor running well and the transmission functioning properly. This part is going to include the trucks wiring. If the insulation has fallen off the wires at some places, or the wiring has been hacked up, replace it all. Bare wires can cause electrical fires, and those will ruin your day. In the long run, you will be farther ahead to replace the entire wire harness if any of it is questionable. As long as you don't have to replace parts a second time for the performance upgrades, I would get the current motor running as good as possible. I don't believe in doing things twice unless there are at least a couple years (driving time) between the 1st time and the 2nd time. Once the truck has brakes and good suspension, and runs and drives well, drive it in the nice weather months, and do body and other things when the weather turns bad for a couple months. Minor upgrades that can be done without taking the car out of action are OK during the prime driving season, but save the big upgrades for when you won't be driving it anyway.
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