Options for turning the 61 Ranchero into a Falcon sedan

[Fat Brian]

I'm looking for a suitable roof to turn the 61 Ranchero into a sedan or even a faux sport coupe. I've seen the 61 Falcon promos and they look like they flew a little too close to the sun. I don't want to spend big bucks on a resin kit because for my purpose I only really need the body and bumpers, the chassis and interior would be scratch built race car stuff. I found a custom top from the AMT 57 Thunderbird that might work but ideally there would be something closer to stock. I have a 64 Falcon but I'm not cutting that up for this, is there a stock looking top that's from a fairly cheap kit? 

[Snake45]

Watch eBay for Falcon glue bombs. You might find one that has just what you need for a very affordable price. It happens. 

[Plowboy]

Better off to be patient and find a good '61. It will take a lot of work to turn a Ranchero into a sedan. It's not as simple as putting a roof on it. You need the trunk, tail panel and you would have to shorten the Ranchero behind the rear wheels. I think there's also a difference in wheelbase. You'll have to have a sedan to turn the Ranchero into a sedan. I've seen many straight '61s on ebay. They're out there.

[Fat Brian]

Thanks guys, I see that about half an inch or so needs to come out behind the rear wheels of the Ranchero. I have a Thunderbolt kit that could donate it's top if it comes to that. Like I said, accuracy isn't super important. I'm thinking about building a track/drift car and the Falcon seemed like an interesting choice.

[ChrisBcritter]

Look for a '63 Falcon promo or Craftsman with the windshield broken off, and you can combine it with the roof, glass, chassis and running gear from the Moebius '65 Comet. If you're quick you can grab this one:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1963-Fird-Falcon-Convertible/274291240339?hash=item3fdd082d93:g:0PcAAOSwbTNeWsD5

Or this one:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1963-ford-falcon-convertible/274291244856?hash=item3fdd083f38:g:blcAAOSw7oheWsKf

Edited March 7, 2020 by ChrisBcritter

[Fat Brian]

2 hours ago, ChrisBcritter said:

Look for a '63 Falcon promo or Craftsman with the windshield broken off, and you can combine it with the roof, glass, chassis and running gear from the Moebius '65 Comet. If you're quick you can grab this one:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1963-Fird-Falcon-Convertible/274291240339?hash=item3fdd082d93:g:0PcAAOSwbTNeWsD5

Or this one:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1963-ford-falcon-convertible/274291244856?hash=item3fdd083f38:g:blcAAOSw7oheWsKf

Thanks, I'll try to snag one of those.

[afx]

https://www.banditresins.com/1961_falcon.html

[afx]

http://www.motorcityresincasters.com/63falcon.htm

[Mike999]

11 hours ago, Fat Brian said:

I'm looking for a suitable roof to turn the 61 Ranchero into a sedan or even a faux sport coupe...

I have a '62 Falcon body with a good roof.  This thing is ROUGH.  The rear wheel wells have been crudely hacked out and it has other problems. But the roof/trunk is all there. PM me with your address if you want it. We may do a trade. If not, just keep me in mind when I need something in the future.

I checked the Falcon parts stash in the basement.  Comparing the '61 Ranchero and sedan chassis, the wheelbase matches exactly. But the Ranchero chassis is definitely longer, by about a half-inch.

You'll also need to add a gas tank. The Ranchero was built off a Falcon station wagon and had the tank in a different place than the sedan. That feature is in the AMT kits. Or just never turn your Falcon over...

[Tom Geiger]

5 hours ago, Mike999 said:

I have a '62 Falcon body with a good roof.  This thing is ROUGH.  The rear wheel wells have been crudely hacked out and it has other problems. But the roof/trunk is all there

This is the best option in the thread. Note that the Falcon and the Ranchero were different tools and I’ve found differences in them.  The wheel wells from Ranchero would probably work on Falcon

[Fat Brian]

1 hour ago, Tom Geiger said:

This is the best option in the thread. Note that the Falcon and the Ranchero were different tools and I’ve found differences in them.  The wheel wells from Ranchero would probably work on Falcon

I'm getting it from him, I was going to radius the wheel wells anyway so them not being perfect doesn't matter. Even if it's really chopped up I've got an old Ranchero body I can use for patch panels or a top and rear end transplant. 

[Mike999]

1 hour ago, Tom Geiger said:

This is the best option in the thread. Note that the Falcon and the Ranchero were different tools and I’ve found differences in them.  The wheel wells from Ranchero would probably work on Falcon

Yep, the wheel wells look identical.  The biggest differences I can see are the extra length of the Ranchero chassis and no visible fuel tank.

The Falcon fuel filler cap was in the middle of the rear panel. Since the Ranchero (and wagon) had a tailgate, the tank got rotated up, making it invisible on the model. And the filler cap moved to the rear driver's side.

Weird Trivia:  the internet has lots of posts from real Ranchero owners, griping about that fuel tank and its filler tube.  One pointed out that in photos of old Rancheros and Falcon wagons, grungy fuel spillage is almost always visible around the gas cap.  That's because of the angle of the fuel filler tube. Some of those owners said they had learned the hard way not to fill the tank all the way up.

[64Comet404]

1 hour ago, Mike999 said:

Weird Trivia:  the internet has lots of posts from real Ranchero owners, griping about that fuel tank and its filler tube.  One pointed out that in photos of old Rancheros and Falcon wagons, grungy fuel spillage is almost always visible around the gas cap.  That's because of the angle of the fuel filler tube. Some of those owners said they had learned the hard way not to fill the tank all the way up.

My Comet wagon had the same issue, and it did not matter how carefully you filled up the tank. As soon as you were close to full, the tax would spit back over the quarter panel.