Some of you may remember me, I owned the now infamous slate gray ltd ii squire that's changed hands on here a few times, and no it would seem the wagon bug has got me again. this one is older and needs more work but I love it. It's a 65 Country Squire, 289, 3 speed on the column, no ac, no ps, kind of basic, but lots of character. Only disappointing thing is the lack of third row seats. I plan to remedy that if I ever come across a set. I'm planning to keep most of the patina, maybe clear over it, possibly a drop in the front and some creative touches on the interior. What do y'all think?
Nice James! Welcome back. Is that the one that was up in north Georgia, Jasper or Blue Ridge I think? Purdy sure I saw that one on Craigslist. Are you gonna add some woodgrain, or maybe paint inside the woodgrain moulding? Looks like a great start.
Welcome back! Great wagon. If you are going to keep the patina I would leave the appearance alone. Dropping the front makes it look like the front end is broken when the car is not obviously 'done'. Also, from long experience with Fords on this frame, I find they handle better when you keep the front and rear evenly matched. What I would do, though, is to up grade to power steering and power front disc brakes. Neither is terribly difficult nor expensive to accomplish. Find a donor 77 - 79 Midsized Ford or Mercury and all the parts you need are pretty much right there, and what is not is very inexpensive to get.
You probably did see it on cl, it was on there for quite some time, located in Carrollton. There is a 66 in jasper that you might have seen that would be a great catch, but was out of my price range... It was my first choice; 390 auto, baby blue, new exhaust... I'm debating the woodgrain, I've given thoughts to painting it on, but I don't know, I don't think it ever had it to begin with and I kind of like the way it just has the frame.
There are detail items I am going to clean up, like for instance painting the trim and headlight bezels, I've got another grill on the way, and if I can find some, I would like to replace the bumpers with some less rusty ones.. Mine look like they came out of lake Lanier. Does anyone know how much different a sedan rear bumper is from the wagons? I think it would be much easier to find.. Also thinking about steel wheels with moon hubcaps. Also, can anyone give me some creative designs for a headliner? This one is completely ripped out. He previous owner gave me the suggestion of using Indian blankets, and I've seen where plaid fabrics might look cool. I'm taking some liberties with this car I normally wouldn't take since it is sort of rough in a cool way, so I'd love to hear suggestions on any aspect of it.
James good to see your back with a new to you ride and there's nothing wrong with basic level like we can still use a window or tailgate winder hey . MikeT got the handle on your ride height KEEP it level my old Mercs dropped a tad and handles a dream even with out PS which at my time in life would be great .Opps I still have a 65 in the shed with power hook and as much as my youngest daughter would like me to get it together for her I really don't see it happening in my timeline .
Hey James !! congrats on the new ride...it actually looks pretty decent thats funny that you asked about the headliner I saw one not long ago that I thought was the coolest darn idea ever ! this guy took a crap load of his old 'car show Tshirts' ....had them all sewn together like a Quilt...and made a headliner and door panels out of them.. hey...its hoarding with a purpose
I've seen someone use indian blankets in place of the seat upholstery. I think it would be a neat idea for your wagon's headliner. If I can find the pics, I'll post 'em on here.
nice wagon wish i had one like that, i have a 1970 Ford LTD 390,, good luck to you and your " NEW " Ford Wagon.
For the bumpers, try going at them with some SOS pads (the ones with the blue soap inside) and don't be afraid to but a little effort into scrubbing. The chrome is harder than the soft steel wool used on those pads and shouldn't hurt the chrome unless it's already flaking. The difference can be quite amazing. It won't make them new, but might make them more acceptable if you plan on keeping the patina.
