65 Ford Ranchero Deluxe factory 289 four speed rust free Cali desert hot rod!

1965 Ford Ranchero Deluxe

Please read the description in it's entirety. I have reluctantly decided to offer this awesome 65 Ford Ranchero Deluxe factory 4-speed and factory 289 classic for sale. I purchased this car about 2 years ago on eBay for $4500 from a seller on the California Nevada border area as a project car. The car was complete and unmolested but apart and had been sitting in a field for a long time. Several things attracted me to the car including it's original patina, color ( I love red, red cars!), factory 289, 4-speed, and most importantly the fact that it was RUST FREE!. Over the years I have learned (sometimes the hard way) that there is no substitute for starting with a rust and collision free platform. When it got here I was not disappointed in the least as there is not one pin hole of rust in this car! The car was not running, but complete but had not been on the road or registered in years.
My plan was to create a car ( or truck!) that Ford didn't but maybe should have built....a 289 Hi Po Ranchero with a little Shelby mixed in. There is nothing other than paint, bumpers and headliner that has not been done on this car! I mean everything. Engine, drivetrain, suspension, brakes, heater box and heater core, rear end....everything! This is an original C code or 289 2bbl car with the factory installed Borg Warner T-10 4 speed transmission which likely makes it pretty rare since most were 6 bangers with most V8's getting the automatic. It came from the factory with an 8 inch rear end with 3.00 gears, manual steering and an AM radio with the deluxe trim package. Probably considered peppy for the day but I wanted a little more power but keeping it as close to "period" hot rodding as possible.
So in keeping with this plan I thought why not just use the formula that Shelby used to create the Shelby Mustang....sort of..... The original 289 was already .040 over and I had a standard bore 289 from a 68 Mustang that I used instead. The engine was built by a well known local race engine shop in Houston that I have used for several projects. The target was 325-350 flywheel HP using mostly stock internals (just like Shelby did) This was achieved by using the factory crank and rods (polished, resized, and ARP bolts used), Keith Black Hyper Pistons (small dome for target compression) and custom ground hydraulic flat tappet camshaft from Cam Research. Heads are 69 Windsor heads that were ported and polished. Induction is Holley 650 DP on top of a high rise dual plane intake. Ignition is MSD with a billet distributor. The engine was run and broken in on the dyno and made 338HP at around 5800 RPM. I have over 5K in receipts from the machine shop which doesn't include induction, headers, accessorie, starter etc. Total expense for engine ready to drop in with headers is over 7K alone. This is a bad ass little 289 that screams like a Hi Po should! Car barely weighs 2800 pounds and with 3:50 gears it with surprise a lot of modern cars.
And the rest of the story...... New control arms (with Shelby drop), lowering springs, 1 inch front sway bar, adjustable strut rods, aftermarket crossmember (Falcons and Rancheros did not come with them from the factory) new front disc brake conversion ( using Ford Parts), new "big" drum brakes on rear ( 11 x 2 3/8 F150) correctly matched to Willwood large bore master cylinder with adjustable proportion valve, adjustable QA1 shocks, new leaf springs and hardware, new 9 inch ( I still have the original 8 inch if you want it) rear end with freshly set up track lock LSD with 3.50 gears. Rear end is big bearing style with 31 spline axles. Original T10 was completely rebuilt and shifts crisply with all new and nearly impossible to find Hurst shifter and linkage. I have almost 2K in the transmission/shifter alone! Steering is all new with a close ratio 16:1 manual gear box from a 70 Boss 302. Wheels are vintage ( and correct for the era) 15 by 7 Torque Thrust Ds with new rubber.
Interior has been redone with the exception of the headliner. I decided to stay with factory look on the cluster with the exception of the aftermarket gauges for oil pressure and water temp. Everything works on the car as it should and is inspected and licensed
In summary I know that you will be purchasing this car for way less than it would cost you to build it. Other than paint, headliner and re-chroming the bumpers, this car is a new 65 Ranchero from front to rear. Engine, transmission, suspensions, brakes exhaust, heater, radio, battery, cooling etc. I have receipts totaling around $18K excluding the purchase price of the car. This little beauty is a $5K paint job away from being a 25-30K car. It's fast, a ball to drive and gets attention wherever I take it. It is dead nuts reliable and can be driven anywhere. I have all the documentation of the build including dyno sheets, receipts etc. Nothing to hide. I am sure I have forgotten something. I welcome any questions. This is not a fire sale and the car has a reserve. If you understand what you are bidding on you will know that it is fair and far less than what I have invested in the car. The car is located in the Houston area. Shipping is your responsibility but I will do what I can to help in loading the car for transport. Payment is cash or wire transfer. A deposit of $500 will be collected immediately following the end of the auction with the balance due in 7 days. good luck and ask questions!
On Mar-06-19 at 05:27:04 PST, seller added the following information:LINK TO YOUTUBE OF CAR RUNNING:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v69MrBz5LEI