Hello from New Zealand. My name is Ian and my good lady Val and I own a '67 Fairlane 500 Ranchero.

There are only three or four '67 Rancheros down here in New Zealand. Ours was imported 14 years ago. It runs a 2 barrel 289 V8 and auto. The engine is all stock apart from Hooker headers. It has had a front disc brake conversion done to it using Aussie Falcon brakes.

It seems that the norm for this model is to leave it stock height. (or even higher) In contrast to that ours is more a Restomod and has been lowered 4 inches front and rear with all the suspension bushes replaced with Urethane. It also runs 18 x 8 inch Foose wheels. Looks good and still gives 3 inches of clearance at the headers.

When we got it the interior was pretty well rubbish. The seats were out of some later model Ford and had been very badly fitted. There was no carpet, and everything had been painted white. The only saving grace was the new dash pad and door panels that had been fitted. It had a real small steering wheel fitted and was not nice to drive. The vehicle itself is very straight so why the original interior had ever been removed is unknown. The exhaust was also broken by the diff which made for a very noisy ride. But we could see it had possibilities and the price was right. Actually, by the time we finished negotiating the price was more than right.

A visit to a friends workshop saw it up on a hoist and the exhaust was fixed and a crossover pipe fitted at the same time. With it sounding much better the interior was next on the list. A new Grant woodgrain wheel was imported and the guage panel removed and painted silver.

Then a pair of six way, heated, leather bucket seats were found for a good price on a local internet site. We would have liked to have fitted original seats but there was no way short of importing a complete interior that this was going to happen. Anyway, this was supposed to be a budget build. The dash was painted gloss black and a brushed Alloy trim was made and fitted along the front.

New underlay and carpets were fitted and then the seats went in with all the wiring and electrical relays hidden under a modified Falcon ute console. A new stereo system with DVD player was also fitted.

All work has been done by me. Next on the list is a set of GT bonnet bulges. I looked for a set of these on the internet but the prices I saw were way too dear for me so I decided to make my own. I got some approximate measurements off the internet and started making my own pattern. I had only ever seen these in pictures and had never seen a real set at this time. I took the pattern to a local Ford day and compared them to a set on a recently imported '67 GT. Just a little bit of shaping on the front curves and they were perfect. the guy that owns the GT could not believe that I had made the pattern without ever seeing a set of scoops. A plug to cast these in fibreglass is presently being made from the pattern. The rear trim on these has been made from some alloy sheet I found in the neighbours shed. There is also a front spoiler/air dam that has been made and is waiting to be fitted.

The paint was pretty grubby when we got it with many years of people not cleaning and/or polishing it appearing to have taken their toll but another friend owns a car detailing business and he spent a weekend here with different polishes, cleaners and buffing machines. We were all amazed how well it came up. Buy that man a beer and cancel the new paint job.

When funds allow, we will look at adding some more horsepower which from past experience with the little 289 is pretty easy to do.

All in all it is now quite a pleasant vehicle to drive and has completed several long distance trips returning good gas mileage.

Sorry about the long intro.






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Experience is a wonderful thing. It enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again

Last edited by Kiwi Ranchero on Sun Oct 04, 2009 2:50 pm; edited 2 times in total

Gorgeous car............

What I find interesting is since Ford did sell the Ute in NZ is why someone would bother importing a USA spec LHD Ranchero.

This model was not sold new as a ute in New Zealand. The car (4 door) was available new ex Austrailia. The ute was not available in Aussie.
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Experience is a wonderful thing. It enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again

That is a great looking truck! Are the turn signal indicators, located on the tops of the fenders, something that the the Aussie Fairlanes had?

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Originally posted by jmgford:
That is a great looking truck! Are the turn signal indicators, located on the tops of the fenders, something that the the Aussie Fairlanes had?

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The turn signal indicators on the guard tops are an accessory type that had been fitted prior to our purchasing the vehicle. Very handy when driving but I will probably remove them when I fit the bonnet scoops as I really would like to fit an indicator light into the rear of the scoops as per original.
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Experience is a wonderful thing. It enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again

awesome car...gotta love that stacked head light...

A better view of the indicators..........


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Experience is a wonderful thing. It enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again

They look like Mopar turn signals

Could be. I saw a set in a auto parts shop one day. Just an accessory type but we all know how these things get copied all the time. Have to keep an eye on the Mopars to see what they use. Thanks
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Experience is a wonderful thing. It enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again

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Originally posted by 64fairlame:
They look like Mopar turn signals

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The first scoop was pulled from the plug a couple of days ago. This is just a trial to see how they will fit. Time permitting we will cast a couple more up during the week.





I am undecided as to how I am going to finish the rear of the scoop off. I could shape some orange perspex to make a couple of lens but the suggestion has been made that I cut the back out of them and open the bonnet up underneath them to allow hot air to escape.
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Experience is a wonderful thing. It enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again

That opening is rather small for a heat extractor, but it does add a level of performance to the car.

I'm very impressed by the quality of the scoops. Your friend does great work!
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Kyle Lehrmann

You are quite right about the heat extraction. The engine doesn't run hot at all so I will look at making an orange lens for the rear.

Whichever way I go I will post some pics of the finished scoops.
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Experience is a wonderful thing. It enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again

Last edited by Kiwi Ranchero on Thu Oct 22, 2009 3:58 am; edited 1 time in total

I ended up making a couple of lights for the rear of the scoops. I used an orange front indicator lens off a wrecked car. Cut it up on a bandsaw and with a heat gun bent it to shape. I then glued the lens into place and built a housing out of a piece of plastic to hold the light fitting.

The mountings for the the scoops have also been made and I am just awaiting getting the scoops painted.

I have decided rewire the small front indicator lights as shown in an earlier post and use them as a high beam indicator. Saves having to remove them and have the fenders repaired and repainted.



_________________
Experience is a wonderful thing. It enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again

Last edited by Kiwi Ranchero on Thu Oct 22, 2009 1:39 pm; edited 1 time in total