1976 Ford Custom 500

Very clean. Low miles.

1976 Ford Custom 500 Station Wagon 400ci Automatic A/C Power Steering & Brakes
Call Dan at (863)226-8590

https://www.ebay.com/itm/3346969378...uid=o9-poCnLTli&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

 

This would be a good car for Mercman Bill. I guess by this time, you prolly had to have a fleet account to get a Custom 500. This is a rare car in that it actually survived....

 

Wow clean. Are those wheel covers original to the car? I don’t think I’ve ever seen them on a full size ford before.

 

They are color keyed wheel covers which were available on full size Fords of that era. So to your point they are period correct, but as Moparandfomoco man points out these Custom wagons were predominantly fleet cars. But were available for retail sales. These were absolute bare bones cars. Dog dish would have been standard, and the full standard LTD wheel cover would have been a usual upgrade. Doubt that this car was ordered with those. The body side molding is also either dealer installed, or aftermarket. A good portion of these came without. We had a neighbor growing up that had one, and it was a total stripper. Not even A/C. As a matter of fact these were a reprise for ‘75?-‘76 in the states, and the Custom model was continued in Canada, even through the ‘79 Panther redo, and perhaps as late as ‘82-‘83. Maybe our Canadian members can shed more light on those. Also as an aside to bolster the body side molding argument the outside mirrors do not look “Ford stock” either. I would imagine this car has had a repaint. Factory color no doubt, but pin stripes were most likely added as well. Upon closer inspection of the “wheels” they are painted cream to match the car. This indicates to me this may have had factory dog dish. The full size wheel covers would have come with black wheels. It is truly a stunning example of a car that would have been a total disposable. Neat to see one of these.

 

You should get it Bill - you probably never had a Custom 500 before. This could be your chance!

I've only ever seen one of these in the metal and that was like 35 or so years ago - but it was the same color as this one.

Even the door panels are pretty plain - and no LTD hood ornament. Oh, the horror!

 

What is on the drivers side sun visor ? That light cardboard info sheet cannot be original can it ?

 

I can't speak for '76, but in '75 the Custom 500 line was available to the general public for only a couple of months. Many sources erroneously indicate they were fleet only. I managed to get hold of a salesman's bulletin regarding this. In '75 they were primarily offered as a loss leader with the hopes that the prospective Custom 500 shopper could be upsold to an LTD. 1975 was a recession year, after all, and there was much concern over inflation. Everything old...
I was surprised to see it had even that one piece of wood trim on the dash. I note that the instrument mask is black. These were sold in very small numbers. By '76 just owning a full sized car was a luxury, so they were well on their way to be re-defined as the near luxury segment.

 

I have the same memory that they were brought out about the time rebates were common place. I think I had even seen an add for them as a money saving alternative to the LTD, like a spring campaign. I too was a bit surprised by the dash wood tone. Seems our neighbors custom had the blackout like the rest of the dash, like the ‘73-‘74 Customs.

 

Well I do have the ‘71 Country Sedan. Kinda like it. Lol I was even surprised that this had the rocker molding.

 

No sale. Reserve not met

Ended:
Jan 16, 2023 , 4:26PM

Current bid:
US $11,900.00

 

Don’t know what they have in it. I may have taken that money. I get it that it’s a unicorn, but not replete with goodies. Think this is a very limited audience.

 

The seller, primoclassicsint, appears to be a dealer. They currently have 61 cars on eBay. They probably don't have a great deal in it. And, like most dealers, they're trying to get as much as they can out of it while the wagon market is hot.

They've already relisted it. We'll see how the second round goes.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/3347058477...uid=o9-poCnLTli&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

 

Well at $7,600 with 3 days left. Gonna be interesting to see if it eclipses the $11,9 bid. My guess is probably no.

 

Ended:
Jan 23, 2023 , 4:48PM

Current bid:
US $10,100.00
[ 14 bids ]
NO SALE. RESERVE NOT MET

They should have let it go for $11,900 in the first auction.

 

It’s funny. Seems like the first bite of the apple is best. People loose interest, plus they now know their 10 k bid ain’t bringing it home. He should have taken the first round. Can’t imagine what his reserve is, but if it’s north of $14,000 he’s got his head in the clouds.