1969 Ranchero GT 428 Ram Air

I'm new and had no idea if it was OK or not to post this question. But here we go. Looking at a 1969 428 Ram Air GT automatic with the Marti Report. All original including body panels and in excellent condition. Have never owned a Ranchero so I was wondering about the value? Any thoughts?

 

I am just an enthusiast, and in no way an expert. And this kind of subject is really, very, uh, subjective.

But I am willing to chime in with my thoughts, and get the ball rolling.

First, Rancheros values are not the same as El Caminos for some reason. They just aren't as desirable, and therefore worth the same kind of money. As a Ranchero fan, I watch them locally on craigslist, and still see cars offered that were there almost a year ago. (I'm pretty sure there is one up right now, that I saw a couple years ago when I was looking for mine.) Dig around and you can find some discussion about rancheros vs other old muscle cars elsewhere on this site.

Next, there are lots of unknowns even when a seller says "excellent condition."
For instance, if the car was in excellent condition 15 years ago when it was parked in the barn, engine and transmission seals may have dried out, the gas tank and carb may be gummed up, and a dozen other potential problems could be present due to inactivity. I'd assume all of the above. I'd want to deduct the price of those potential repairs from the actual buying price. If you don't, you might end up making your mechanic's house payment for the next six months.

Or, maybe the seller assures you that his baby is in excellent condition, truly believing it, but it just isn't. If you trust him on that, you are in trouble. (Don't ask me how I know this.)

The 428 Ranchero is going to be, though, at the high end of the scale for that vintage.

My opinion is that, if the car is truly excellent - restored - show worthy - you could probably justify $20K - $25K. If it is nice but looks like it needs a few things I'm inclined to think closer to $12K - $15K

 

Brad
I have invested over $15K just in the engine of my Ranchero.
"Worth" is exactly what it is to the owner.

 

Thank you for your opinion. I do appreciate it.

 

I agree. I was trying to be practical. I should probably have pointed out that the market value can have little to do with the more personal, less definable value to the owner. Or buyer.
If I had $15k to put into my engine, I would do it too, knowing full well that I would never get it back. (If I ever DID decide to sell it. Don't think I ever will though.) For me, there is a vision of what the car's potential is, and I will strive to get it as far along that path as I am able. Mind you, in my case, it is going to be a very long journey.

 

Yeah
Older cars really have no actual value beyond the value of their utility, which is low.

 

428's with GT package, i bet the report says its pretty rare or low production number. depending on its originality with the 428 and drivetrain, it might help boost the value. most of those rancheros got scrapped for the 428 and 9" rearend. a lot of them have been cloned as well. engine cast date codes and tags would be the only real indicator due to its age.
428's look like 390's so you would have to verify dates. probably even verify the actual stroke of the crank.
as mentioned, if it is in fact original, it comes down to its overall condition. Elkys are everywhere and repo parts plentiful, Ranchero is a different story.
post up pics and we'll help you out.

 

Oh, hey, a late termer! You usually see cars produced on-time or early, but in the late Sixties, Ford was busier than a squirrel on speed.

 

the "deluxe" marti report will provide you production numbers associated with your VIN. like how many with your options were produced. etc.

i like it. 428, C6, 350 rear with traction lock, power front disc brakes, and a tach. cools. i like FE's.

 

Friend of mine is building a truck 390 FE in our overhaul class. Interesting to see just how different it is than my Windsor.

 

Another 1969... and its a 428CJ with Ram Air... with a C6, 1 of 101 that were built in 1969. Welcome to the board... If that is a matching numbers drive train the value is significantly higher then your everyday Ranchero... depending on condition of course. I have tried to do some research on these cars... I now of three intact cars, yours, mine, and there is another on this board... I sent inquiries to all 50 DMV's looking for 69 GT's with the R engine code... of the 2,385 Ranchero's built in 1969, I was able to identify 33 still registered. No FE GT's, or R codes. Because of some restrictions I was not to get good info from every state. But usually back in the day, the FE's were removed from these cars and replaced with the much more mundane 351. I recently read a book about the life and times of Carroll Shelby... from the factory, the 428CJ's were rated at 335, for insurance purposes. They actually produce right at 500HP. If you are going to restore your car to factory... Hagerty values do not take into consideration the rarity of the car. But as some have stated, rarity does not necessarily equate to value. I have the Deluxe Marti Report for mine. Some good info on there and worth the money.

https://www.hagerty.com/apps/valuationtools/1969-Ford-Ranchero-GT?id=141470

 

OOPS... I know of 4... This is a twin to mine... as only three were this color.

 

So, did you buy it?

 

ha! yeah what happened?
good info from PonyEx

 

i thought it would be a low number, but not that low. wow

 

AH? NO! It is in the Brothers collection. Interestingly enough... according to my Marti report, 3 of the 101 were painted the Brittany Blue. Of those, 2 had Bench seats. This one and mine... which means the third one was a bucket seat car... Now that one would be the one to find!

But check out this Ranchero...




very special Ranchero...

 

OOPS! just read the thread again... yeah, so did you buy it?

 

I read an article once about "F" code '57 Cheros. Darned shame they weren't more prevalent.

 

Actually Davis...

1969 Numbers, according to Marti...

Out of the 386,368 Fairlane-Torino's...
2,385 were Ranchero GT's, of them
183 came with 428-V4 CJ Ram Air Engines,
101 came with C6 Auto's

the numbers get even crazier from there... for example, the 69 in the video above and mine are the only two that are Brittany Blue with Bench seats.