14x06 - Ford Ranchero

[bunniefuu]

The 1964 Ford Falcon
Ranchero is a forgotten classic.

One of the first
coupe utility vehicles,

it's the love child of a
compact Ford chassis

and a pick-up truck.

They took what was the Ford
Falcon and chopped the back off.

Rancheros once reigned supreme in their
markets, but you rarely see them anymore.

The Falcon's a cool car.

And that makes a well-preserved
Ranchero highly valuable.

I'm so happy I own it!

But with rubbish
rattle-can paint, a bodged

suspension and a nasty interior,
turning back the clock won't be easy.

I'm not sure this thing's been
separated for over 50 years.

There's something
that just feels right about

going to see a pick-up
truck in America.

Sort of the American dream, isn't it?

You throw your gear
in the back, have your

dog sat on the seat beside you
and just smile as you hit the road.

Well this truck that I'm on my way to
go and see isn't any old pick-up truck.

Actually, it's a car-derived pick-up
truck called the Ford Ranchero.

They say it's the first crossover vehicle.

They took what was the Ford Falcon, a very
popular car at the time, and chopped the

back off, turned it into a pick-up truck
and created a whole new genre of cars aimed

at farmers and ranchers.

It was a work truck
during the week that on the

weekend you could clean
up and take it out on the town.

Today it's perfect for
somebody who's in the market

for a sports ute, but
also loves classic cars.

So the car that I'm on my way to go
and see belongs to a guy called Paul.

Now Paul, unfortunately, as
a pick-up truck, has painted

all matte black, and I mean
every bit of it is matte black.

It's got what they call
the m*rder*d outlook.

And from what I hear, it's had
some awful things done to it in its past.

I need to look beyond
the paintwork on this car

because it's got some
really good stuff to offer.

It's a really rare car.

This vehicle has got a 289
V8 engine, which is great

in one of these, but
here's the really good news.

This one has got a
factory, four-on-the-floor,

four-speed gearbox, and that means it's
going to have a great driving experience.

But the really good news is the price.

This vehicle is from 1964,
and it's for sale at just $6,000.

That's about £4,500.

It's already going to be cheap.

The market for these cars is
around $10,000, maybe $15,000.

And if we do the jobs right
on this car and make it more

period-looking, I believe I'll
have buyers around the block.

So, fingers crossed, it's
what we're looking for.

Hey, how are you doing?

You must be Paul.

And then you must be Mike.

I certainly am, sir.

Very nice to see you.

Good to meet you.

And this is the one, is it?

You know, when you said to me it was
black, I didn't realize it was this black.

Is this you going through
your Alice Cooper dark phase?

It was somebody else's
Alice Cooper phase, I think.

This paint job is awful.

There's no denying that.

It looks like death driving down the road.

You know, underneath,
this is lovely chrome.

They painted it matte black.

They did.

It's not my choice, but
the basic car is there.

Oh, you're a bit of a
Wheeler-dealer inside you.

You just... Yeah,
that's exactly right.

So, why are you selling it?

Well, I would love to restore it, but
the fact is it's a matter of priorities.

I'm more into motorcycles
right now, so if I free up

the space of this, then
I've got room for four bikes.

Gotcha.

So, you can get rid of one
Ranchero and get four bikes.

That's right.

Yeah, I'll see where you're coming from.

Well, can I have a look under the bonnet?

Absolutely.

Whoa.

Engine's been painted bizarrely yellow.

Okay.

Well, that's a 289, which is fantastic.

No leaks.

Popped any gaskets
or... Not under my watch.

Right now, clearly there's
an overheating problem.

It's got load of brown, rusty stains.

Probably due to this old radiator.

Should we talk about
the elephant in the room?

The interior?

The interior.

Oh, wow.

Okay, quite disappointing inside, isn't it?

Should we talk about this low bed?

You can see that the
basic structure is there.

Underneath?

Oh, look at that.

Yeah, that's pretty good, isn't it?

That's nice.

So, tell me about this suspension then.

What did they do?

Well, as you can see, it's a little lower.

Yeah.

The previous owner wanted
to make it more of a low

rider, and the way he
did it was not quite right.

Like the front coil Springs?

He just heated them up.

Really?

So that the car would settle.

I love it.

Right, let me have a look underneath.

There's some sort of shackle down there,
but it looks like some aftermarket bodge.

Do you know what?

I think this car is screaming out to
be rescued, but before I do anything,

I just want to get it out on the
road and take it for a test drive.

Absolutely.

So, I'll bring it back in one piece.

Okay.

Ah! Oh, yes!

I'm going down the road in a 1964.

Falcon Ranchero V8 289
and a four-speed manual.

Get in!

All the brakes are a
bit all over the place.

That's exciting.

It's always best when
you go on a test drive.

Check the brakes.

Check how big it works.

So, let's look at what
we have actually got here.

It's really nasty on the outside.

I can't believe somebody's gone to this car

with basically a rattle can
and just sprayed it matte black.

I mean, they've ruined what is
a perfectly good car underneath.

Getting rid of all that and
giving it a period correct paint job.

That's going to cost thousands of dollars,
so that's going to be a bit of a problem.

However, what I can tell you
is the body is laser straight.

So, let me talk about the engine then.

So, we got that lovely V8 289 up front

and that is one of the reasons why I had to
come and see this car with this four-speed.

Good clutch.

Smooth pickup and delivery.

A nice gear change.

So, the gearbox is good.

Goes in all the gears nicely as well.

As for the way it performs,
the suspension is hopeless.

It handles awfully.

Unfortunately, the suspension is
going to have to be completely rebuilt.

And then, there's this
really nasty interior.

It's rubbish and also, it stinks in here.

It smells of fuel and sin
and if this interior could talk,

I think I'd have to cover my ears.

It's easy to walk away from a car like
this, but it's not all bad by any means.

Paul wants six thousand dollars.

If I can get the vehicle
for around four thousand

dollars, we can give this
car a really good future.

So, wish me luck.

Well, how'd you like it?

Well, it gets down the road.

Gearbox work, engine's okay.

It's got good pull.

The suspension, you're
right, is shot on this car.

How much is it?

I'm looking to get six grand.

I just think it's too much money.

I think it's worth four grand.

I told myself I wouldn't let it
go for less than five grand.

Five thousand dollars.

Five thousand.

I'll go up a little bit if
you can come down a bit.

Four thousand five hundred dollars.

Otherwise, I think I'll just leave it.

Forty five hundred.

Right here, right now?

Right now.

You got a deal.

Fantastic.

I just bought myself a Ranchero.

Well done.

Good job.

You could buy some motorbikes now.

So there you have it.

Four thousand five
hundred US dollars or three

thousand five hundred
pounds does buy you a 1964.

Falcon Ranchero.

I'm so happy I own it.

What we need to do is to wind
the clock back on this Falcon.

That's where the market is.

We need to make this car look like it
just peeled out the showroom in 1964.

But we really need to
be careful about costs.

If we do spend too much, we could
price ourselves right out the market.

Right, back to the workshop.

Hey man, how are you?

What have you done?

It looks like some sort of
Hollywood Frankenstein monster car.

Well, you're being kind to it.

It's actually worse than that.

It's a lot worse than that.

God, who painted this?

Somebody with a rattle can or a paintbrush.

Or a broom.

Or a broom.

Or broom handle.

Possibly.

Yes, it's horrible.

Don't look inside.

Don't even look inside.

Let me tell you what we got, right?

This is one of the first times a car
manufacturer had taken what was a sedan car

or a saloon car and chopped the
back off of it and turned it into a ute,

a utility vehicle, or in
this case, a Ranchero.

So this is a Falcon.

This is a Ford Falcon, 1964.

Falcon's a cool car.

Very cool car.

This happens to have all the right
ingredients to make it a really cool car.

Cool, let's look under the bonnet.

No, no, no, seriously, it's got a 289 V8.

Cool, encouraging.

Yes, no, you don't need to see it.

Come on mate, other way.

You don't need to see under there.

Just trust me, it's got a great engine.

Seriously, it's just going to annoy you.

See, I told you.

It's got a rebuilt carburetor.

It looks like a b*mb scythe.

I think you're still being kind to it.

All right, so it's a cool engine.

It's the wrong colour.

Someone's painted it yellow.

Yes.

Someone's put an aftermarket
radiator in, probably not big enough.

It's definitely in the wrong
position, wrong capacity,

and it clearly has an overheating issue.

All right, so let's just look past that.

Don't worry about it, all right?

What's good is what
you're looking at, okay?

So we've got the front grille,
the front bumper, the beauty ring.

Oh, this is chrome then.

That should all be chrome.

It should all be bright
and shiny and chromey.

Somebody's painted it over matte black.

Wheels are terrible.

The wheels are horrible.

See, it's got good bones, hasn't it?

That's not bad.

See, you're starting to warm to it.

Told you.

It's a nice solid vehicle.

All right.

Let your husband open it for you.

You need a bit of muscle behind it.

There you go.

Nice tailgate.

It's good.

Look at the carpet.

Yeah.

It's actually really solid.

See, it's not bad at all, is it?

This is a vehicle that is ripe for us
because it's on its way to Megadeth.

What we need to do is to pull it back,

and we need to sort of make it
a bit more Mary Poppins, 1964.

Start grafting sunshine.

You can get it in the workshop.

I'll get it in the workshop then.

Give it a little clean first as well.

Wash it before it comes
into your nice clean workshop.

How big a toll did 50 years of
hard living take on this Ranchero?

This car's really fighting back.

We got our hands on a car that
once ruled the coupe utility market,

a 1964 Ford Falcon Ranchero.

I'm so happy I own it.

We need to turn back the clock and
reveal the Ranchero's original beauty.

Oh, this is chrome.

That should all be chrome.

Without busting our budget,
starting with the original trim.

If you put aside the
long list of problems with

this car, it's actually
not that bad a base.

It's really solid, and I'd
never admit it to Mike,

but I really rather like it.

Before I do any of that major work,

I need to take all these trims
off because some absolute

hooligan has painted these
beautiful bright works black.

If I was the car police, I'd lock them up.

That's unforgivable.

A screwdriver and a little Patience

are all it takes to remove
this car's 15 trim pieces.

This trim doesn't look too bad.

This is the last of the trim.

I'm going to give Mike
a call, get him to pick

it all up, remove all
this dirty black paint.

And in the meantime, I'm going
to go straight into the big job,

suspension and steering.

Five lug nuts and the wheels are off,

giving me easy access
to the front running gear,

which I'm going to completely swap for new.

The coilover Springs
that the previous owner

heated up to lower the
suspension come out first,

followed by the old drum brakes,
which need to be upgraded.

Based on Mike's experience
during the test drive,

it's clear that the entire steering
linkage needs to be replaced.

It's really just a simple series of nuts,
bolts and screws that need to be separated.

Loosening the retainer bolt frees
the strut rod from the control arm.

Five decades of heat, grime and vibration

have caused the
steering knuckle, ball joint

and tie rod ends to fuse together.

So I've got to smash them apart.

This car's really fighting back.

The spindles come next.

It's pretty stubborn.

They always lose in the end.

Now the Springs are out, you
can clearly see the problem.

The new spring is evenly spaced.

You can see that this is built for
purpose and it's going to have memory.

But the old spring, you can clearly
see where it's been heated up.

The top section here has gone
black from the change in temperature.

Plus these two coils here have compressed

so tightly together that
they're actually touching.

This is dangerous.

That's pretty much scrap.

I'm going to stick with a new one.

I'm using a spring compression
tool to help squeeze the

new spring down to a size
where it easily fits in the car.

A modern shock absorber
will smooth the ride

by providing resistance to the spring's
movement as the car crosses bumpy terrain.

I'm also fitting new upper
and lower control arms

to the chassis and attaching
spindles to the arms.

All of these upgrades are easy bolt-ons.

that will dramatically
transform this car's handling,

stability and comfort for
just a few hundred dollars.

This car's a 60s child and back then

most road cars were
fitted with drum brakes.

But cars moved on, things
got better and manufacturers

soon realised that disc
brakes were way more effective.

Now Mike tells me that
the brakes on this car are

rubbish and that's
because it's fitted with these,

the less effective drum brakes.

But I'm going to change that and I'm going
to do it using this piece of metal here.

This off-the-shelf bracket is an
adapter that allows me to install

modern disc brakes on a car
that wasn't built to take them.

All of the brand new brake components

I'm going to install bolt
directly to this adapter.

And what's amazing is
that this whole upgrade,

and this is for everything,

the bracket, the caliper,
the disc, the pads,

even the hoses is just 380 dollars.

I mean that's about 300 quid.

It's a bargain.

And with an expensive
paint job in the future,

every penny counts.

The new disc is a
simple fit on the spindle.

The outer bearing is
secured with a single washer,

nut and cotter pin.

A grease cap seals the assembly.

The new caliper contains a
single piston which provides

linear, predictable braking
and a better pedal feel.

And it will have the Ranchero
stopping better than ever.

The rear of this Ranchero is
fitted with these leaf Springs

and they're joined to the
car using this, a shackle.

But in this case, somebody's replaced it

with this adjustable
shackle that has three holes,

top, middle and bottom.

If you put the spring in the top hole,

it lowers the ride height of the car,

move the spring to the bottom
hole, increases the distance

and raises the ride height of the car.

But in this case it's on the middle hole

and I don't really like it.

It looks agricultural, plus it's
not the ride height I'm after.

Which is the original height
of 54 and a half inches.

Also, the spring itself
has started to come away.

Even the bracket's missing.

All of this has got to go.

Swapping out the leaf
Springs is a simple and

inexpensive way to get
this car back to original.

U-bolts connect the leaf spring
to the axle so they come off first.

Removing the bolts that attach the spring
ends to the chassis is the next step.

I think it's been on here a few years.

These are jobs that anyone can
tackle at home with a good set of tools.

Just two bolts connect the
leaf spring end to the chassis.

Time to take them out.

That was close.

Oh well, at least it's out.

With one bolt free,
the spring's tension is

released and I can move
on to the second bolt.

Multi-tool.

These replacement leaf
Springs that Mike sourced for me

come with new bushings that will improve
the car's ride and they just bolt right in.

Now this is my new shackle.

This is a fixed position.

It's going to hold the car
at the ride height I want.

These parts will safely return
the Ranchero's stock stance.

Good for looks, great for handling.

This leaf spring technology is
literally hundreds of years old.

Da Vinci was using them
in his drawings in the 1400s.

But what's most amazing is that manufacturers
are still using this technology today.

Why?

Because it's brilliant.

It just works.

The suspension and brakes
are now done on this car

and it's going to transform the way
this Ranchero handles and stops.

Now the body shop are
pressing me for the shell.

I want the engine.

Fortunately, the V8 engine
is really simple to remove.

So it doesn't take much time at all.

After disconnecting the
fuel and coolant systems

along with the gearbox,
I can pull the engine

and send the body out for paint.

This Ranchero has some really lovely
trim pieces that are tragically hidden.

So I'm heading to a plating
and polishing shop to see if

they can return some of
them to their original brilliance.

I'm all right, yeah, good.

Good to see you.

Good to see you too.

How's business?

Very busy.

Shop looks buzzing.

Everything is great.

OK, well listen, I need your help.

OK.

I've got this 1964 Ranchero.

OK.

Somebody has taken all the pieces
and they've sprayed them all black.

What can you do with this?

Yeah, we can strip this down to bare
metal and make it look brand new again.

Can you help me out today?

Yes, I can.

Oh, that's why I've come to see you.

You're the man.

So this is a soap tank.

We put the parts in and take off any
polishing compound, any residue left over.

Soap takes everything off.

Then we'll take it over
to the rinse section.

This rinses off all the
soap that could be left over.

And then we'll stick it over to the acid.

And the acid takes off
any extra contaminants

that could be left over to
make it very nice and clean.

By the time it gets to the acid, I mean,
there's no contaminants left on the valve.

Just bare metal.

Gotcha.

Yeah, that's very good.

Right, let's go to the polishing shop.

I'll follow you.

Meanwhile, it's time to work on some

of that stainless steel
trim that wasn't painted

over, but it hasn't
got any shine either.

The best way to return these pieces to their
original Nick is to manually buff them.

You going to give it a go, mate?

Yeah, I'll have a go.

Yeah, I'd love to.

This polishing wheel uses
a three-inch-wide cloth belt

coated with aluminum oxide
to cut through the decades

of corrosion and reveal
the shiny metal underneath.

Now, this is the polishing compound.

You put some of this on here.

Then you take your trim piece,
and you really have to buff it.

You have to get right
into it and start buffing it.

The buffing wheel uses open-face
sisal and fine aluminum oxide compounds

to erase any small scratches and get a smooth
finish without spending a lot of money.

Voila, the trim gets back its shine.

Alex, what do you think so far?

Looking pretty good, mate.

It's looking great, isn't it?

You can see the years
just being wound back.

every time you run it under the machine.

It's really nice.

So I'm going to leave this
with you and your team.

I do appreciate everything
you've done for me today.

I can't wait to see it all back on the car.

Definitely.

Looking nice and shiny.

We'll get it nice and shiny for you.

Thanks, buddy.

Thank you.

Goodbye, Megadeth.

Hello, living color.

That's incredible.

That's not the same car.

That is the same car.

We bought a 1964 Ford Ranchero
that was tortured by a previous owner.

God, who painted this?

Somebody with a rattle can or a broom.

I've taken out the engine for
a quick tune up and the car is

back from the body shop with
a fresh off-the-shelf paint job

and it's in classic Ford colors.

This is going to add loads of resale value.

This Ranchero has taken a
huge step forward in the build

and it's gone from being
that dark, dreary Mad Max

machine to this period-correct
turquoise and cream.

And it's taken hours and days and days
of bodywork to get it looking this good.

And it's at this stage I get to reinstall

the reconditioned and
new parts, including this,

the original engine,

which I worked on while the
car was away at the body shop.

It's now been fully rebuilt and
I'm going to put it back in the truck.

By installing brand new spark plugs,

exhaust manifolds and gaskets,

along with resurfacing the flywheel,

new clutch and pressure plate,

I can be sure this motor
will make more power

than ever and run
strong for years to come.

I'm taking my time
dropping the engine back in.

It's also freshly painted and I
don't want to damage the finish.

To get the engine installed,

I'll be connecting the
fuel and coolant lines

along with the throttle and the gearbox.

I'm installing a brand new carburetor next.

This will have the
ranchero breathing easier

and making more horsepower than ever.

I'm now going to install the
HT leads and it's really important

that you get the sequence
of these leads correct.

You want the correct
lead to leave from the

distributor cap and join
up with the correct piston.

If you don't, the engine is going to misfire
or worse still, it's not going to run.

Now you can get hold of the correct
sequence from the car's manual

or nowadays you can use the Internet
and that's exactly what I've done.

I looked on the computer,
found the sequence

and then I've marked it on
the distributor cap using a

permanent marker pen because
it's a V8 and they number them

one, two, three, four,
five, six, seven, eight.

So all I've got to do is join cap
number one to one and so on.

The new HT leads will provide
more current to the spark plugs.

More current means bigger spark.

Bigger spark means more power.

And Mike tells me that this Ranchero

has a problem with overheating
and also the first time I saw it

the engine bay was covered in
spray so it clearly has a problem.

Now we've come this far, recondition
the engine and the car's looking fantastic.

I'm not going to put
that old tatty radiator in.

So what I've done is I've gone for this

ultra modern aluminium high flow radiator.

This will sort the problem.

But first I need to fit the old fan.

The old fan is still
serviceable so why waste

money on a new part
when the old one still works?

Aluminium is stronger than
the copper brass alloy that

old radiators were made
of and also it's 60% lighter.

This radiator is a two row design.

It allows more airflow around the
core and more air means more cooling.

The design of this Ranchero
is perfect for fitting a

radiator because it's got
this really tall front end

and that means I can fit a really tall
radiator and that will help with cooling.

So I've knocked up this
really basic water level to

demonstrate the importance
of the location of your radiator.

Now imagine for a
second that this bottle here

this represents your engine.

Now the engine is going to get hot

and you're going to rely
on coolant to keep it cool.

This bottle here, this
represents your radiator.

Now the location of the
radiator is really important.

If it drops down you'll notice that the
level within the engine also drops down

because that's the
level of the water table.

This is a bad situation.

The engine is now starved of coolant.

It's going to get really hot and
you're going to have a problem.

If however I raise the
radiator the water table

also rises flooding
the engine with coolant

which is exactly what we need
and there is a perfect scenario.

High radiator, loads of coolant in
the engine no overheating problems.

It's really cool.

Yo!

No way, seriously?

Listen I've been gobsmacked
in this workshop quite

a few times but seriously
that's not the same car.

That is the same car.

That's the same black truck
that you brought to this workshop.

That paintwork is unbelievable and the
two-tone colour effect that's incredible.

Yep in 1964 you paid
extra for a two-tone paint job.

so this Ranchero is now deluxe.

Plus, do you remember the leaky radiator?

It overheated.

New high flow aluminium radiator
this car's never going to overheat again.

Perfect.

Plus it's now going to handle better.

Why?

Because those old Springs.

they're in the bin, new Springs.

Brilliant.

And it's going to stop better.

What brakes does a
Ranchero have back in the day?

Drum brakes.

What's better than drum brakes?

Disc brakes.

You'd be good at a pub quiz.

I've done a disc brake conversion.

Yeah but that could be
expensive on one of these.

Yeah it can be but what
I've done is I've used

parts that already
exist in the marketplace.

I've used a little bracket
that allows me to fit

GM calipers and discs
for less than 400 dollars.

You're kidding me.

So you've done a disc brake
conversion on this for 300 pounds?

That is proper Wheeler dealer in world.

That's incredible.

And when this car has
got its chrome lipstick on it

because all of this stuff is going to
look amazing when it goes on the car.

Like it?

Where'd you get this stuff from then?

It's the original stuff
that was on the car.

This is the black stuff?

That's the original stuff from 1964 yeah.

I took it to a metal polisher.

It's all been polished back.

I did some of the polishing
but they finished it all off.

It's all been polished back.

It looks incredible.

It's like it's new but
it's the original stuff.

That must have taken ages.

Well it did take them quite a while but
it was worth it and it was cheaper to do

than just buying all that knockoff
stuff that's going to last five minutes.

And once it's on the car
it's going to be incredible.

So what else have you got to do?

Well we're now at the
kind of fun stage of the build

because we get to put
all the shiny stuff back on.

Plus in the back I've got
a little surprise for you.

Then I've got a big
job to get the interior in.

So we're really nearly there.

I don't think I can handle any
more surprises with this car

but I'll tell you who's
going to be surprised.

The new owner of this car is going to
be thrilled to be sitting behind the wheel.

So we just need to, or say we,
you need to do is button it up

and get it finished and let's
get it rolling down the road.

I got it.

Back in the day car manufacturers
used to build their cars out of wood.

And yes the chassis were
metal but often the cab was wood,

the body was wood,

the bed was wood, even the
wheels were made of wood.

It was seen as a basic
and inexpensive material

to build cars from plus
it was easy to repair.

But at the time they only wanted
to build utilitarian workhorses.

Wood was ideal.

But as fuel prices Rose manufacturers
needed to look on another material.

They wanted to get something that
was lighter and easier to produce.

So they did away with the heavy wood

and they introduced
lighter pressed steel panels.

And as we know cars are still
manufactured out of steel today.

Now I've got an idea for our pickup which
I think is going to be really popular.

It's going to boost the sale price
which is going to keep Mike happy.

But also it's a nod back to the day
where these vehicles used wood.

And I'm going to do the
bed of our truck out of timber.

This bed liner is a low-cost kit.

that's made of pre-grooved
one-inch pine slats.

The steel trim strips that will
tie the wood planks together

will provide durability
and retro good looks.

I'm creating an angle
on the ends of the

planks so the tailgate
will have room to close.

A mitre saw makes it easy to
get the perfect cut on every board.

This is a straightforward project

that will put a tailor-made bed liner
in this pickup for an off-the-rack price.

The next step is fitting the
boards around the wheel Wells.

I'm making a cardboard template.

This helps me get the correct shape.

Now in theory the same template
should fit exactly on the other side.

Then it's a simple matter
of tracing the template onto

the wood and using a
Jigsaw to get the rounded cut.

This will be the last piece of wood.

I need to take all the wood
out, get it stained so it's treated,

paint these strips here and
then that's it, get it all refitted.

I'm fitting the trim pieces that have
been brilliantly polished by Mike.

Then it's time to crack
on with the interior.

Coordinated cream and turquoise
door cards snap in place with trim clips.

Chrome handles go on next.

Followed by a bench
seat upholstered in vinyl.

Now vinyl earned a
bit of a bad rap in the

past but thanks to
advances in manufacturing

it now has the feel
and grain of real leather.

Now this Ranchero is a deluxe model

and that means it had
two individual bucket seats.

Now back in the day you could
have got the standard model

which would have had this,
a really simple bench seat.

Now I've got a dog, I've got kids

and for me this bench seat
is a way more sociable option.

So I've taken the risk and
I've gone with it and that's it.

The interior's in nice and simple.

I've still got a few things left to
do, get the glass in, finish some trim.

Plus I've come up with a really great
location to show this car off to Mike.

We put our Falcon Ranchero back to work.

How cool is this?

With the 1964 Falcon Ranchero,

Ford cracked the code on how
to unite a sedan and a pickup.

We bought the second gen Ranchero that
sports the rare and highly desirable 289 V8

and a factory four on the floor gearbox.

The car was a relative bargain,

but that's because it had been used
and abused by its previous owner.

And got some exercise upgrading
the suspension and brakes.

Ooh, this car's really fighting back.

Well I helped Polish the
car's m*rder*d out bright work.

You can see the years
just being wound back.

This Ranchero also got
an eye-catching paint job.

That's not the same
car, that is the same car.

New radiator, bedliner, and
a stunning interior revamp.

So what's this Ranchero cost us?

We paid 4,500 for the car.

The suspension and
brakes set us back 1,200.

Painting and tuning the engine cost $900.

The radiator was just $200.

The two-tone paint job
was expensive at 5,000.

And the wood bedliner cost us 1,000.

Interior was 3,650 and the
trim Polish added another 1,650.

For a total of $18,100 or 13,600 pounds.

The whole job took 95 man-hours.

After all that work,
this Ranchero is almost

too good-looking to return
to a hard life on the farm.

Almost.

Oh, look at that.

Oh, and seriously.

I don't know what to say.

You have knocked this
one clean out the ballpark.

It's incredible.

You've done a wooden deck.

That looks really nice.

It took loads and loads of labor.

Lots of hours to get it right.

Bang for buck.

It's fantastic.

And I mean, look how
far this vehicle has come.

Do you remember when I got it?

It was m*rder*d out.

It was matte black.

Everything was painted black.

It was nasty.

It was horrible.

But now look at it.

I mean, the paint work
is unbelievably glorious.

Did you get this fixed?

Look at that.

That's all nice and fixed.

Lovely.

The chrome, it really does pop.

This was the original bright work.

You didn't have to go out and buy anything.

It just took a little bit of elbow grease.

Yep.

Anyone can have a go
themselves at doing that.

As long as you've got a good foundation.

If you keep working the metal, it will come
back and it will start to look like that.

Just looks great, doesn't it?

So this fantastic interior.

Look at it.

When I bought the car,
it had two bucket seats.

They were black, nasty, had a red interior.

Now it's got a new bench
seat up front, which is perfect.

Door cards are done.

You've even put a new headliner in.

The lesser Virgin
Ranchero had a bench seat.

I got hold of a second hand bench seat.

I've done it in vinyl, less
expensive than leather.

So it looks like a million.

In fact, the whole vehicle
looks like a million dollars,

but in reality, it's quite affordable.

You've blown me away, seriously, because
I think anyone would be just over the moon

to own a vehicle like this, including me.

I'm still scratching my head
though while we're here.

I get the fact that it's a
ranch and this is a Ranchero.

I can see that, but why there's straw
in the boot, what are we doing today?

Well, this is the spiritual
home of our vehicle.

And what better way, what better tribute

than actually getting you off
your bum and do some work?

Really?

Yeah.

Come on, get in.

Okay, well, don't get it too dirty because
remember, you've still got to sell it.

Ah, quit moaning.

We're cowboys now, on a ranch.

Straight out there.

Ah, yeah, look at that.

Nice one.

How cool is this?

And I got the easy job.

I don't mind this work.

I still can't believe it's the same truck.

And I'm pleased you stepped up to the Mark.

I never in my wildest dreams thought
it would turn out quite as good as this.

We just needed to wind back the clock.

As soon as you get
underneath that black paint,

this was a really solid start.

The body was laser
straight, thank goodness.

How's it feel?

Right, you ready?

Go on then, open it up.

First time in it.

Open it up.

Oh, wow.

Oh, my goodness.

That's quick.

I mean, seriously, how fast did they
want their ranch hands to go back then?

Go on, do it again.

Do it again.

Throw it, throw it.

This car's got some real
get up and go, isn't it?

Oh, look at that.

It's lovely.

Well, let's try these brakes, shall we?

Way.

Oh, that could be four.

You know, on drum
brakes, hit the brake pedal,

and you just keep sailing on.

You're in a different postcode
by the time you come to stop.

But now this car is like throwing
great big anchors out the window.

This car grabs the road.

You can really feel it.

Finding a route to do a disc brake
conversion for that money was genius.

It's good.

We want to tell everybody.

Upgrade your drum brakes to disc brakes.

On this bumpy road, how's that feel?

Incredible.

I mean, the suspension
before was really dangerous.

But now I can push this
car into any bend with

confidence because
the Springs are perfect.

It rides beautifully.

New shackles on the back,
new leaf Springs on the back,

Springs on the front,
raises the ride height.

Plus, they're safe.

You can now feel this car takes
every dimple and dent in this road.

So you're probably old enough to
cast your mind back to the mid-60s.

How much was this car in 64 new?

This does feel like it's just come
out of the showroom back then.

And if it had, it would
have been around $2,000.

I wish we could buy one for $2,000.

That'd be quite nice, wouldn't it?

All right, so $2,000 back in
the day, what's it worth now?

Today, over 10 times that.

Yeah, I reckon we could
get $20,000, $22,000 for this.

Quite easy.

The Froncheiro now
looks like a proper high-end

classic car, ready to sit
amongst the best of its era.

This is one of those cars that
when you walk away from it,

you turn and look back.

You always turn and look back.

Just how good it looks.

The only thing I don't like, this
day is going to come to an end.

Are you getting sentimental?

Very sentimental.

Oh, you old romantic.

Look where I presented the car.

I put it in this amazing car
showroom under a spotlight.

It looked like a museum piece.

I actually thought when I
advertised this at $22,000,

we'd just knock it out of the park.

But I didn't get any people
that transpired into sales.

So I've reduced the price to
a more reasonable $20,000.

That's about 15,000 pounds.

And straight away, the phone rings,

and it's this guy behind me.

He's called Alan, and he seems hot to trot.

He likes what he's looking
at, and why wouldn't he?

Let's just hope it all
translates into a sale.

Right then, Alan, what do you think of it?

You've done a fantastic job, Mike.

Oh, well, thank you very much.

A lot of effort has gone
into this little Ranchero.

It's got that rebuilt 289 V8.

It's got that rare four-speed
mangled gearbox, power steering.

Do you like the rear deck?

It's beautiful.

Stained wood.

Love it.

Yeah, it really suits the vehicle.

And you like the color combination.

Absolutely.

Period correct, which is
exactly what I was looking for.

Great.

So why do you want one?

Well, Mike, where I grew up in
Australia, my mates had V8 utes.

Now's my chance to have my own.

Oh, good for you.

And if you was to buy a vehicle like
this, what would you be doing with it?

I'd take it to a couple
of car shows to start

with, and then take
my wife to the drive-in.

Nice.

A couple of straw barrels in the boot.

Pull up to the drive-in movie.

That'd be fantastic.

Sounds like you want this car.

I do, Mike.

Good.

All right.

Well, I wanted $20,000,
which I thought was really

reasonable, and I
want to get to that price.

What do you say?

You've done a great job, Mike.

I think it's worth it.

Yes?

Yep.

Top man, you just bought
yourself a cracking Ford Ranchero.

Well done.

Thanks, Mike.

And actually, I probably would
have paid you a little bit more for it.

Oh, don't say that.

Seriously.

Yes.

Why didn't you phone me a week ago?

Now's my chance.

Well, good luck to you.

I'm excited.

Thanks.

Damn.

This Ranchero has
got to be one of the most

satisfying cars we've ever
done on Wheeler Dealers.

I'll be honest with you, when I first
see it in that m*rder*d out black look,

I almost walked away.

But I'm really pleased I didn't,
because Ant has transformed this car.

He's really pulled it out the bag.

And although we only
made a very small profit,

the satisfaction of
creating a car that looks

like it deserves to be back
in a car showroom in 1964.

His new owner, Alan, is
really going to enjoy this car.

And we can't say fairer than that.

If you want to see
more iconic cars like this

Ranchero being turned
around by me and Ant,

then why not join us again
soon on Wheeler Dealers?

Salut.