I've got a 1962 Ranchero. I have some questions. 1. My floor pans are toast. Both p***enger and drivers side front and rear floor pans are completely shot including a large portion of the tunnel. I'm going to cut out the bad portions and patch in some new pans but I cant find a source for Ranchero floor pans. Can Falcon floor pans be used on a Ranchero? And where can I get these pans Other than Falcon Parts. I'm just interested in knowing of some alternitive sources. 2. Whats up with the secret cargo space in the bed? At first I thought this might be a Ranch Trunk but a person has to remove 15+ bolts, so its not very easily accessed. Does anyone know what this area was used for? 3. I currently have the Thriftsix 144. I've been reading that this motor a quivering pig (I agree). Many suggest drop kicking the 144 and sliding in a 200 w/C4 trans. Which cars came with a 200/C4 combo? Does anyone have any tips on sliding a 200/C4 into a Ranchero? Are their any catches or things I might need to do to insure proper fit. Thanks.
Ranchero's are built off Falcon station wagons. Floorpans are the same. The "secret cargo space" is the foowell/seatbase area for the wagon back seat. I believe a 100% stock roller cam 302/C4 would provide equal fuel economy and more power than any 144 or a 200. Not much work to swap in.
Hmmmm...seems like I used 65-66 mustang floorpans in my 63 1/2 Falcon, same stamping just trimmed a little differant......may save ya some cash over the Falcon pans.
Falcons Northwest (in your home town) should be able to help you with the floors. Go to fordsix.com for advice about your engine/trans swap. A goldmine of info. And yes, the 144 will spit up it's carrots any day now.
And the fordsix store has an aluminum head and intake that will REALLY wake up a 250. And 250's use the common smallblock Ford transmission pattern. T5, AOD, C4, T56, You name it, it'll bolt up.
a well tuned 200 will out perform a 250 with the same mod's. And will fit with ease under the hood. Mavericks and Comets 71-73 came with 200 C4 combos and 4 lug 4x4.5 8 inch rearends. The power killer will be the Automatic ******... I switched to a 5 Speed even though I didnt want another standard, Woke the little wagon up. Best of Luck FrankBoss www.PintoWorks.com
Runing a 260 V8 in my 63 Ranchero, the only downside is the 2 speed auto.. but its a real nice driver, and not to bad on the highway once your up to speed, she's really screaming when you try to push it over 70mph though... would go with the 5 speed for the overdrive option if it wasnt a numbers matching car
Its not a numbers matching car! I've read that the 250 is a difficult fit from others who have done it. I know that the standard trans is the best but I'm tired of shifting and cluthing in traffic, so its going to have to be an auto. Thanks for the info on Falcons NorthWest and ford6ix.com I'll check it out. I figured that the secret spot was just a slick way to cover the floor pan but figured that someone might have figured out a slick way of using the spot. hahahaha Keep em comming, more info is great for all Ranch/Falcon fans.
Do the V-8 swap! Or a turbo on a bigger 6er. T-5 is the way to go. I don't own anything that isn't 5-speed and it's not that bad driving a stick everyday, especially if you have a hydraulic clutch setup.
Here's an update on NW Falcons. The dudes name is Ron. He is retired now and has a very limited suply of used and NOS parts left. I think he is planning on s****ing what he has left by this comming June. So if anyone needs Falcon / Ranchero / Stationwagon stuff from NWF you'd better sramble them eggs fast.
Chevy El Camio's had the cover over the rear floor/seat section in the bed too. They utilized half of that space by installing a plastic cargo compartment accessable from the rear of the driver's seat. The other half is dead air space.
Rotorwench, I know its been over 2 years since you posted, but thanks for the great info. I will use that El Camio idea and use the cavity. Frank Boss. You are right. The 200 can be a real scream. I purchased a great book ***led "The Ford Falcon six cylinder PERFORMANCE HANDBOOK" by David & Dennis Schjeldahl. Great Book. The info in this book gave me all the info I could ever want to build up a kick *** 200. I now have a 200 (69 head flat top & 68 block) I also have a 170 head with adjustable rocker arms which I plan to swap over to the 200 with the hydralic lifters. The 200 has 7 main bearings (one per cyl and more than a V8) which can support 7,000 rpm's when the motor is hoped up. 200's own the hole shot due to the low end torque 6 cylinders produce. Anyway, thanks for the good info.
Hey Dropout, Looks like you have a handle on things. Just one thing, do consider a T-5 5-speed. You will be glad you did. Just ask the ones that have done this to a 6-cyl. More power,Gas milage,great highway cruising. Very little maintance. The best improvement you will make on the 6-cyl. Butch Evans(Falconeer) Thomasville NC
I put 64-65 mustang floor pans in my 62 falcon and saved myself about $300....they really fit good and you would never know it. Oh yeah...it was the full floor pans not the half
Shock & Ratrodder34: Wow, I dont know how I missed that post from Shock. I chose to do the job from scratch. Turned out great. Hopefully other Falcon, Ranchero owners will actually read this post and realize that there is an easier and less costly alternitive. Falconeer: Thanks for the suggestion. Since my last post on this thread, I've decided to go that route. I read alot about the differences between autos and manuals and decided that the manual is simply the smart way to go. Power, Economy, Freeway crusin'. Did you need any adaptor plates or other things to make the T-5 fit / work? Did you need a custom drive line? Did you need a different rear axel? If so what did you find worked best for you? Tanx.
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