Hey fella's just bought a 63 ranchero tonight. Will have pics tomorrow. real straight clean interior yada yada. the catch. rear leaf spring was broken. Wierd I know but anyhow My question for the falcon guys is. What cars can I use leafs From??? Do the early mustangs have the same springs?? and does anyone have any springs they want to get rid of??? I am pretty pumped on this thing. cant wait to tear into it and make it a nice driver/ light duty hauler. what should I look for as in any problem areas or things to be aware of. Its got an inlner in it with auto. My plans are to lower it of course and turn the tires around and put the skinny whites out. mabe some cool scallops and some neat paint on the roof. I have seen some fine examples here on the HAMB. I also want to redo the exhaust and drive the wheels off of it. Ideas and imput is welcome. Thanks for all your help Eric
Hey Slammit, If you cant get a replacement spring off the shelf, you should be able to get one made up. We have spring makers that can fabricate any spring with any spring rate. Usually pretty cheap prices. Probably need the old one to use as a pattern though. Looking forward to the pics! Adam
I've got 2 63 rancheros and a buncha falcons here, but I surely wouldn't screw around with putting 45 year old springs, mismatched rates from different models, etc. if you're really going to drive the car. Try ESPO springs n things in PA. they're very reasonably priced, good stuff. Good Luck with your new ride !!! Pat/Vermin/Verminator
I'd say that you should be able to have the springs rebuilt in Portland pretty easy if you want to do that. Here is one link off google http://www.spring-man.com/ Otherwise I'd think that springs off another Ranchero or Falcon wagon of the same series would work.
Pat thanks for the tips. I have thought about just ordering new springs for those reasons for sure. But this is really meant to be a very cheap budget minded cruiser that wont see alot of hauling or high power abuse. So although it is still a great option for new springs if I can find some used for the time being I might just put em in and run it.
http://www.autokrafters.com http://www.dearbornclassics.com/ http://www.falconparts.com/ Ebay Teh Google Falcon parts are easy to find. Look forward to pix.
it looks like a little bit of rust behind the seat. and a little in the lower doors. kinda typical stuff. the bed is mint though.
You could post a wanted ad in the classifieds for the spring. If you are going to get used ones, get a set. That way they will match. Dearborn Classics is in Oregon somewhere. I have ordered a lot of parts for my Galaxie from them.
Nice recovery! You know that when you are on the H.A.M.B. someone is going to ask! By the way...I dig the ride!
if you want to slamit, put 65 mustang rear leafs in. lowers it a shitload. the distance from the front spring eye to axle centerline is the same, the distance from axle centerline to rear spring eye is a little longer, so you have to move your rear spring hanger mount. its easy cause it unbolts. to lower it even further i welded the spring hanger mount directly to the frame rail, instead of it hanging down off the frame rail, it will make more sense once you look under it. the back end of my ranchero was slammed with 27" tall slicks. worked out cool, i used the mustang road race springs with mid-eyes.
Yeah. exactly who I wanted a reply from. your 62 is rad. This thing has me so psyked out. I cant wait to just barge it and make it happen. How does it ride when the front is slammed???
it rode & handled really good when it was slammed, with 5.60s in the front and hurst slicks in the back. In the front suspension i did the shelby upper control arm drop, and 67 mustang v8 springs with 3 coils cut. you have to extend your upper shock mount a couple of inches to get your suspension travel back. I also have a 1-1/8" front sway bar. I ran a 15X5 rims with all the offset to the inside, also had to roll the fender lip so the tires wouldn't rub on a full turn lock to lock. where did you find that ranchero?
You said that there was a little rust behind the back of the seat but the bed was mint. I had a 62 Ranchero and if you look in the bed you can see that the front of the bed floor (panel) is screwed down. If you unscrew them you could lift it up, look for rust under there as well. good luck with your Ranchero i loved mine for the time i had it.
hey eric. congrats man, looks like a cool score. post up some more pics when you get a chance. gonna bring it out for voodoo next month or what????
I hear ya. I had the bottom two break on the driver side and the bottom three break on the passenger side. with how big of a hassle it is just get new ones made. it's not worth putting on 46 year old springs on there. btw, mustang springs won't fit. if it was a falcon it would. the only other springs that will fit will be from a wagon. same platfrom as the ranchero. their leaf springs are longer than the falcon sedans. trust me tho, just get new ones made. mac's will want $450+tax. I hade mine made locally for $320. if you're springs were like mine, there should be rubber strips that run along the same length as the springs. over time they hold in moisture and rust in between them. plus tightening the u bolts will act as a pressure point against the rubber and break in the middle of the u bolts. ford's genius idea for anti-squeaking. have fun with the lil truck.
Ok so I hear that mustang springs will fit and that they wont. If I read right it seems that ricky racer says that the mustang springs are a bit longer. is that right. I can make that work. I payed a grand for the car so laying out 400 bucks on springs seems like a ton of money. I am a cheap ass for sure and I like to find the bargains. Ricky tell me more about this shelby control arm thing and moving the spring pocket. I think i get it but need some clarification. Shooter. I should have it there next month. You'll have to come and check it out before then. by the way did you see the crown imperial on cl for sale. totally rad car.
I found it here in Portland. it has texas plates on it though. I guess it can up from there then sold then the story gets fuzzy.
Can't wait to see it - gonna have it ready for Voodoo Donut Run next month, right? Love the door panels. I prefer these early falcons, especially for the way you are going with it. Some like them with the bumpers removed and the sheet metal smoothed - I think they're good either way. Just don't go making it too dang pretty, okay? Would be a great daily ride and parts runner. Check Northwest Falcons. I don't know their status now but maybe you can find out where their parts stock has gone. Also Bob's Fords. I know their website shows all Mustang, but they used to have used parts for any Ford, so maybe they can still help. Haven't dealt with either of these personally, so maybe someone else here can tell you if they're okay. At least they're in your area. Keep the pictures coming, and put your own mug in one so we'll know who you are at the meets.
You want cheap lowering?? After you get done with the rear, do this to the front: Remove the upper arms. Drill new mounting holes one inch lower, making a square with the holes (not a trapezoid). Reassemble and align This is the GT350 trick. Even without any other mods, this will lower the front about one inch, and increase the cornering ability, for FREE (except for the alignment which you already should get done). That cheap enough?? Cosmo
The shelby mod is drilling 2 new holes for upper control arm mount. 1" down, 1/8" back. If used with a massive drop the upper balljoint is placed in a bind at full compression. If you are planning a massive drop the Shelby mod should not be done without modifying the upper control arm to correct the balljoint issue. As for rear leafs, this is the cheapest I've found,,, http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/NEW-...r_Truck_Parts_Accessories?hash=item518d5f20c9
I knew a guy that had a 2 dr. panel like that. I knew it was rare and only had 3,000 miles on it. The only thing wrong with it was someone side swiped it and opened the whole pass. side up like a sardine can...
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