last week we had a family b day breakfast out at bonnie's in el cajon for all the december birthdays my first time there it's a cool 50's stlye diner..anyway me and my dad get to talkin about car's and my cousin's husband tell's me "hey you don't have a 65 ranchero" i have one sitting on my mom ranch in campo id sell for cheap ? it s a total project needs a "seat" the sun and rats tor it up. oh yeah? yea i had the car since high school my step dad gave it to me i learned how to drive a stick in it had hopes of restoring it but things changed and its been sitting for some years now. he goes on to tell me and my dad about the car but keeps telling us it need major work the seat is gone rats chewed it up and the door panel is off along with the carb. i tell my dad should i make him an offer i think his idea of major project is different than our's his family has owned it since new ? dad tell's me where would you put it you have no space the city's going to fine you but you should check it out it would make a nice lil hot rod with a 289 in it .... so we finish eating and i ask him as were leaving so what do you think you might want for it ? he says "Vic its a project and id like to keep it in the family i'd give it to you if you went and took it off the ranch my mom's going to sell the property soon" "all right sounds like a plan" "you dont wana see it first" na my bro has a trailer ill call you to set up a time to meet out there. this was last sat the 11th i get to work on monday and im thinking about this 65 ranchero .. so i call him hey man can we go get the car sat or sunday next week ? he says you sure sight unseen ? yea man lets do it . sunday morning i hook up the trailer load up my son pack some snacks for my lady (its a couple hour drive and i dig she likes cars to) and were up at 8 am on a sunday.call my dad he's loaded already and mom's is rolling with him. were off I8 to buckman springs in the rain and fog this is guna be fun ! sittin in the back of the horse ranch on flats in the mud dad fires the compressor tires dont hold lets drag it ! get it on the trailer and he says. man the the "goat mover" has alot of memories with me growing up all i ask is that if you sell it i get first right of refusal ... \ sweet ! thanks ! so here it is still on the trailer it's been raining down here havent been able to unload it yet ! "the goat mover" it needs a seat and a carb n some tires and he say's it a "BIG PROJECT" will post some pics as i get "the goat mover" on the road again ........
Nice Ranchero. My brothers first car was a 65 Ranchero. We pulled the tired 200 six to replace it with what we thought was another 200, turned out to be a 144. The 144 ran like a watch but was completely gutless. Good times. .
The Jalopy Journal
