65 ford ranch wagon - advice and resources needed

hello all. i am introducing my current project to you guys in the hopes of getting some advice, opinions and resources.

i am a high school automotive instructor, and just picked this car up for my auto class to work on. we are in winder, ga.

car is a 1965 (per title) Ford Fairlane Ranch Wagon. totally stock and original, with a v8 (289 based on internet resources), 3 on the tree, and a pretty decent body and underside.

pics:







body - i am looking for some advice on the car. i know this is not a "traditional" rod, or a "rat rod" in the sense it is a 60's era car, not the 30's-50's era rats or rods... but the kids are split on paint or leaving the patina and running it as a rat. my thoughts and concerns are taking it to shows and having it shunned by all if it is left with the current patina and rust on the body (body is solid with zero dents and minimal rust perforation at the rear wheel arches). so, what are the current opinions on what to do - leave it or paint it?

suspension - looking for a good place to buy all new rubber for the suspension - bushings, ball joints, brake lines, etc... i know NAPA and such can get some of it, but i'm looking for some quality yet economical stuff to redo the suspension. plans are for air bags on all 4 corners as well...

brakes - what is an inexpensive front disc setup with a dual master cylinder? i saw starbird's makes the brackets... but looking again for an economical setup.

interior - i near mint. no rips in the seats, just dirty. dash needs a new cap/pad. where to find a good, cheap one?

engine - probably going to try and get it running. car only has 91k on it. any tips/tricks on making it reliable?

exterior - where to get new weatherstriping. steele rubber, or somewhere else?

thanks a lot guys. just looking for some more opinions and advice on this project.

also - if anyone wants to donate to this project, we are more than willing to run a sponsorship logo, provide tax write-off documentation, etc...

 

the kids wont learn shit about paint, body and rust repair leaving it rusty....plus it'll look like crap....

paint it

 

Ditto

 

Are you sure that is a Fairlane, it looks like a 66 Galaxie, 66 was the first year where the hip hopped up, the 65 was flat. It'll be a great project for the kids, it would be great if all schools did this.

 

title and owner's manual say 65... says fairlane galaxie ranch wagon...

i don't teach paint and body - just mechanicals. so, it would have to be outsourced if it gets painted. and no, the school will not allow me to do/teach it there for liability reasons...

and thanks for the opinions, keep them coming!

 

Paint it.

 

Where you're teaching mechanics & the engine has 91K on it, I'd do an overrhaul on it. Timing chain is probably about to break anyhow. Reliabilty: upgrqade to a late 70s electronic ignition(pre roller cam dizzy), or install a Pertronix.

 

I dont care what the title says, thats a 66, and its NOT a Fairlane, its a Galaxie Ranch Wagon.
As far as parts, Ebay for the dash cap. Dearborn Classics carries the rest. There are other places that may be cheaper, try Rock Auto or NAPA for the front end parts.
Also check out FordMuscle, and click on the Galaxie forum. They can help you with the front brake swap

 

Fairlane's have shock towers, your's does not. It's a Galaxie

 

and that is why i turn to the experts. not arguing, but simply stating what the info i have says.

many votes for paint. guess i'll have to google some pics of some painted cars to show the kids. maybe sway their votes.

 

Those cars look good in almost any color as long as you do not use the faux wood on the sides

 

What a cool family project, the kids interest i great, however if you can break them of thinking "rat rods" are cool, first step complete. Good Luck, Ranchwagons are cool. ~Sololobo~

 

my other concern with this car - most shows are pre-65... so i'm disappointed it may be a 66...

 

Before you go ANY further, check the frame front to back. ESPECIALLY the rear where it kicks up. 65 and 66 sedans, convertibles and hard tops rusted in the frame. Ask me how I know
I dont know if the wagons did too, but Id be willing to bet they did.

Also, If you really wanted it to look like a 65, you could replace the front clip with one from a 65,the body lines all line up. A Ford guy might notice it has the wrong quarters due to the wheel wells and the body line dip back there are different. But if its just a school project, why bother.

 

There are some 65-66 full size Ford wagons at SHOOKS junkyard in Young Harris Ga., just up the mountain from you. Did that car come from Blairsville..?

 

Here are some '65/'66 Ford Wagons plus a '62 Pontiac Wagon to show the 60's era of style.
That is my '69 Ford Country Sedan that I'm working on.

 

i was looking at this car on hwy 53 just out side winder.its a 1966 ford ranch wagon its based on the galixie.it has a full frame under it.i live in pendergrass.so if you need any info on this car just e-mail me.how are the floor boards?

 

no, came from a woods in winder. thanks for the jy suggestion.

 

yup, that's the one...

floor is solid, no holes at all. frame appears to be solid and in good shape, too.

 

Judging by the headlight buckets and grill it's a 66, unless someone swapped them out. As 61 fairlane stated check the frame and do it really good go over the whole thing with a hammer, it may look good but you won't know for sure till you give it some good wacks to see how strong it is. Here are a few places to get parts for these cars.
http://www.dearbornclassics.com/
http://www.dennis-carpenter.com/
http://www.blackcar-llc.com/ford.htm#Ford QPFS

 

It is definitely a '66 Galaxie Ranch Wagon. What you have is a car, purchased after the new '66s came out sometime between August and December 1965, and titled by the State as a 1965 based on when it was originally SOLD, not the actual model year. That happened pretty often, up until the very early '70s in some states.

 

Neat wagon my neighbor has a country squire, the upgraded version of this car mainly the addition of a 390. It is a galxie based vehicle not a fairlane, as "57 custom" said there are no shock towers and fairlanes, falcons and mustangs of the 65 66 67 era would all have these towers

 

heat the springs up and slam that thing.

 

Excuse me?

 

In your search for weatherstrip items, if you don't initially see what you're looking for on one of the major suppliers such as Dearborn, MACs, or Steele, do a Google search for the Ford part number of the piece you're looking for, you might be able to turn up another supplier.

 

57 custom i was agreeing with you, I have a 66 fairlane and am to familer with theses towers as they always get in the way when when putting headers in these cars

 

You should try a '66 Fairlane with a 460!

 

check the frame railes at the rear tq boxes they may look solid but may be soft.my 65 galaxie was and it require a 3 inch repair to fix.common problem.

 

dude thats what i was gona do, ive been gathering parts for my 429 cj for a while now, but decieded against it because i built that 289 3 years ago for my t and didnt want it to rot from sitting around so i returned it to the fairlane and now the 429 is 27 t bound

 

I had a '66 Galaxie wagon with a 289 2V in it in the seventies. Not much power & drank gas like crazy! I put a '70 351 4-V in it. The economy wasn't much better but it would lay a patch of rubber down a mile long! Bolt-in swap too