In May of 2005, we found this Ranchero on eBay with no bids on it. The pictures weren't great, but here are a few that were included in the ad.

   

We took a chance and bought it for $2500. After a day-long drive to Murchison, Texas, towing a 20 foot trailer, we were happily surprised to find that the car was in excellent condition. The 390 engine had been rebuilt ten years ago, but only had less than 1000 miles on it in that time period. It also had lots of extra parts with it.

Now in our spare time, we're working on turning the Ranchero into a hot rod, powder coating or ceramic coating everything we can in the process. We will post pictures of our progress on this page.

Pictures taken June 30, 2005
Powder colors are "illusion copper plus," "alien silver," and "black chrome," all from Prismatic Powders.

Pictures taken July 22-25, 2005
The tops of the valve covers were sanded and buffed to the bare aluminum prior to applying the clear coat.

Pictures do not do the "Illusion Copper Plus" color justice. Despite what it looks like on here, it is far from being just your average red. It is an unusual, very sparkly metallic red-orange color that has to be seen in person to truly appreciate. Likewise, "Alien Silver" has more metallic sparkles in it than any other silver we have seen, but it's hard to capture that in a photograph.

Pictures taken April 2006
A lot has been done to the car since the last update. It's now got chrome sidepipes, powder-coated Crager wheels, leather electric seats out of a late-model Ford Explorer, "peep" mirrors, and a new paint job. Here are a few pics of what the car looks like these days.