I have a 1961 Ford Ranch Wagon with a 352 and 2 speed auto. I got the car out of a field a couple of years ago and got it running with minimal effort. The car belonged to the father of a friend. After the father passed away, the car was parked and I obtained several years later. The motor was rebuilt in the 90's in Lampasas, TX. I think I do still have the receipt for the rebuild. The car runs and drives but needs a lot of little things completed. I drove the car to the Lone Star Roundup in Austin (3hr round trip) last year with no issues. Only rust Im aware of is on both rear doors along window tracks. Headlights work but brake and turn signals do not Needs headliner Interior needs redone All curved glass is complete with no cracks. One of the rear passenger door windows is cracked Has all chrome trim except for driver front fender (is available) Currently running out of a 10 gallon tank; original fuel tank was rusted. I do have another clean tank but have not installed. Rear window is electric only but does work. Can anyone tell me what the wagon is worth in this market? I am an air cooled fan and trying ot make a decision. Its a super cool car that gets alot of attention anytime I take it out but not really my style. I am trying to decided if I want to sell/trade the wagon for another VW or go all-in on the wagon. Thanks for any advise or info!
I think that's solid advice. Sometimes a little change like this can open up a person's horizons. And sometimes a little change like this can make a person really sure that they liked what they were doing before. Just takes time.
I agree with all the responses. Drive it for a while, fix what you can as you find the parts. You may find a new appreciation for longroofs or you may not? Think about if you get rid of it how difficult will it be to replace if you find that you miss the wagon. OH by the way welcome to the forums!.....Longroofs Rule!
One thing: if you're an air-cooled fan, it would likely be better to sell it outright, use the money for parts on other projects, or buy a donor...just not another project.... If I had to guess, since it does operate, I'd put it in the $2500-4000 range.
I agree with drive it for a year then decide. Unless you have already driven it for a year and are still undecided. If that's the case, then I'd probably keep it because you are still undecided. Hope that makes sense. That's some serious rust repair on the rear doors where the windows tracks are. I don't think I've ever seen that before, interesting to know how that happened. Debris inside holding moisture?
First, welcome aboard and thank you for pulling that piece of history out of a field and giving it a safe place to wait for it's next home. Second, be ready for a lot of different opinions but these guys know there stuff. Know for my If you have had the car for a while and have driven it and you feel it just isn't your thing, I think you should part ways with it. But please please please be choosey who you sell it to. You have a great wagon there and there is someone who will appreciate it for exactly what it is. Sure it has a few issues but from here it looks like all the important parts are there. Someone is going to be very excited about this great wagon. As to trade or sell I suppose that is for you to decide. Maybe list it on the this site Station Wagons & Parts for Sale | Station Wagon Forums and see what happens. aboard.
Since it's running fairly well, I'd put the market value at around $4,000. My one suggestion would be to get a replacement tank for it and hook it up. Add whatever it costs to the $4,000 asking price. Having that DONE will attract a lot more buyers.
Can the brake and turn signals be easily fixed? To me that would be a game changer, if it’s ready to safely and legally drive. Since it runs and drives good.
Brakes are easy, even 4-wheel drum, because parts are still available. The turn signals need someone versed in working with older electricals. Working on Leadslead's '66 was certainly an eye-opener.
I find it amusing that you hi-tech, electronic geniuses would have trouble with the most basic of systems, whereas it's just the opposite for me.
I’m patching ours together as I find the problem. All my harnesses are available. I started with rebuilding my complete brake system (stock) before we had the engine rebuilt. All one step at a time but I did know that we we’re keeping the car in the fam.
It wasn't the technical, it was the design, like the electricals were lazily-designed. Example: I pulled the electric bench seat from that '66 Montclair sedan at the classic yard, and the power wire was simply run from the starter solenoid, to a power tap connected with a factory ring terminal, on some solenoid, and then a second wire run through a firewall grommet to under the carpet on the trans hump and out next to the left seat rail bracket, instead of building the wire into the factory harness. Again, lazy design, with exposed power terminals, subject to shorting, corrosion, even fire.
