Call me crazy - Ranchero's (again)

**doghows** · April 8th, 2011, 08:20 AM

That confirms it. You are as nuts as I am. Nice job on the clean up, guess there are surprises in all these old cars?? Hopefully you have found them all now and you can focus on fixing and putting back together.
Are you going to strip the whole car before paint or just do a good surface prep?? Can't wait to see it black..

**Luva65wagon** · April 8th, 2011, 08:37 AM

We could probably be committed in a two-for-one special.

I have not left a corner uncovered. Some of the other things I see I'm not going to the extreme I did here. They are more patchable than needing full replacement. This really needed the repair. The other side is about as bad as the donor was, so that's what it will get... maybe. I have to get down and look. We didn't cut that side off the other car.

As I pondered the color I am now leaning towards Satin White with red Shelby stripes. White won't show imperfections as much as black will.

I'm just going to scuff-up what is good.

Putting a vinyl roof on it instead of trying to figure out why it has so much bondo on it up there. What I won't know won't kill me.

**doghows** · April 8th, 2011, 09:06 AM

I have the other side of the car in the shop. I was going to steal a small piece to patch a spot on the delivery that I missed. Do you need the corner part or the whole rocker?? I just need a small piece of the rocker itself so I don't have to make a curved patch. I can add it to the pile??
Looks good though should make a great driver. I am hoping to get the body work done on mine and off to paint by the end of may??
I will let you know for sure if I can make it over next weekend..

**Luva65wagon** · April 8th, 2011, 11:47 AM

Might be worth hacking out just in case. I may not use it (although it is what I will be looking at later tonight), but it would be better to have than not to have.

The rockers are good. It's only these noses that rusted. Big flat ledge. I may build a ramp above them so stuff can slide off. I surprised the areas below the lower control arms don't rust out too. These are traps - not just ledges.

If you don't make it over, they may just shut down the whole government.

**doghows** · April 8th, 2011, 12:00 PM

Already got the part cut out and on the floor. I will clip off the piece I need and bring the front with your pile (hopefully)...

**Luva65wagon** · April 13th, 2011, 10:17 PM

It's been a few days since I updated, but have been working on the floor. The half on the drivers side is a really nice fit and I'm just getting to that, but the Rock Auto parts were close, but required a lot of finessing to get them to fit decent. But they are slowly but surely molding to the contours they need to mold to.

Pretty much had to reproduce the rear section of floor from the roof of the wagon Steve had - plus a few parts off the other Ranchero. That's just needing to be ground down and doing some final welding. It was just hard to get between those floor braces and the bed section. Gashed my back a couple times as it was. I'll say I can't wait until all this welding is done!!! My aching back.

Gene has been by quite a bit (thanks Gene!) and I used him as a mock-up for the new big block Gene motor I'm planning for. 1 Genepower with a turbo in one hand. Bill Williams came by on Saturday to have a look - and pulled apart the spare strut rod parts so I could get them cleaned up. And I took his car around the block to advise on "if that feels right." And "no, it doesn't."

Here's a new batch of pics.

**Luva65wagon** · April 13th, 2011, 10:19 PM

Need I say more?

**redfalken** · April 13th, 2011, 10:26 PM

Man that new engine looks compact but feisty!!

That's gonna be a solid rig when you're done Roger. Nice work! Can't wait to see the end result. Or some version of the end result!

**doghows** · April 14th, 2011, 08:08 AM

Coming along nicely Roger, can't wait to see it in person Saturday morning. Maybe I should show up at your place about 1 hour early?? I almost wish I kept the car now? But I never would have had the time or the desire to do another one that far for a while.

**SmithKid** · April 14th, 2011, 04:56 PM

That turbo-powered big block you have stuffed in there looks awful tired to me. Prob'ly doesn't even grunt too hard, and I KNOW it doesn't rev very well. However, if you got rid of that torch and put a fishing rod in it's sweaty palm, it'd work a LOT better.

**pbrown** · April 14th, 2011, 05:24 PM

I think that with enough beer and burgers that it would run pretty good.

**Luva65wagon** · April 14th, 2011, 10:01 PM

Originally Posted by doghows

I almost wish I kept the car now? But I never would have had the time or the desire to do another one that far for a while.

Oh- I don't think you really mean that. One this bad in a lifetime is enough for any one person. Now if I was getting $80 an hour doing it -- that might be a different story. And I'd have still rather done the gray one... I think.

**Luva65wagon** · April 17th, 2011, 09:01 PM

I spent Friday evening putting in the drivers-side floor. I sure like the quality of the pan on that side. Saving the last rear-quarter passenger side pan for tomorrow. That's going to be the worst piece because it doesn't look anything like the other side. It generally fits, but will need a lot of fiddling.

Today I working on the Jag gas filler. Unlike Jeff, I didn't get the little bucket these use, so I had to fabricate my own. Other than doing some bodywork and adding the drain - it's all done. Here's the latest.