I badly want a shell for my 73. I am in So Cal. Any 72-79 would fit. I don't think they ever made fiberglass "covers" for these cars, but I'd even take that.
Here's one in southern Oregon;$25. Road trip?? https://eugene.craigslist.org/pts/d/springfield-1970s-ford-ranchero-canopy/7544884237.html
Thanks for the tip. I had been "search all of craigslist " searching and didn't see it. The price is certainly right. What is your opinion as to which model years it fits? It looks too short for a 72 and newer. On the other hand, the 71 has a different shaped B pillar (less rounded at the trailing edge) and it does look more like the 72 and newer type. I don't have a truck that can drive there and they say they will not ship. Any ideas? Does anyone know anyone in Eugene Oregon?
Sorry, I don't know anything about the 70's Rancheros, but the item seems to be what you're requesting.
Is there a shipper that will pick up an unboxed thing like this and ship it safely 1000 miles? I found a site that does this but excepts California.
I have a quote if 1910 dollars for shipping... just 10 dollars more than the price of a Running Ranchero with a bad transmission available in LA. With a camper. The guy in Oregon was pretty nice.
Id either be trying to buy just the camper shell of the local one, or be buying the the whole car, keeping the camper and reselling the rest of it. At least you know that it fits and how it will look before you commit, you might even get get your money back if your lucky.
I am talking with the guy. I am trying to get an idea of if the shell fits the 72 and newer beds or the 69 to 71. They, both of those generations, have a curved angle between the back of the bed and the cab. Earlier models have a sharper angle. I'm talking about the back of what we'd call a "B" pillar in a sedan. He says he is too busy to measure it. I'm trying to nudge him into doing it for me anyway. Any opinions what year it fits just by eyeballing it? I have a guy that will transport for less than 400 dollars, but it has to be next week. Just for the record, what is the width between the knife edge tops of the beds on the 69 to 71 beds? I can use my own car to measure 73 and newer beds.
I have an agreement with the guy that has that shell. I found a shipper that said he'd bring it to to So Cal from Oregon for $380, but then he "ghosted me" (stopped responding to messages). The other quotes were around 600 dollars.
What do you think the odds are that an El Camino camper shell from the big body 70's models will fit a Ranchero from their big body 70's models. I thought it was zero, but a wise old hot rodding man from a car show told me "They actually sold the same camper shell for both cars. The only difference was the installation kit."
https://www.lkqpickyourpart.com/inventory/sun-valley-1263/?search=ranchero I bought a fiberglass shell from there for my S10 a couple years ago, I paid about $100 + tax If you buy something there they automatically ADD a warranty in the total price. (without telling you) YOU NEED TO TELL THEM NO WARRANTY or they will add about $30 bucks to the total on a $100 purchase
Rob, That is a good lead on the camper shell. I am going to pursue this. Is there anyone in So Cal that can give me a hand getting it and taking it to my house? I'm afraid LKQ has doubled their prices in the last year and a half. According to employees, they don't care if they sell any parts at all since 'scrap', especially catalytic converters, are where they want to make their money.
Sorry I can't help. I have 3 vehicles torn apart that I need to finish before Christmas. Be sure to get the row and space numbers for the Ranchero. That place is huge, it would take hours to find it without the row number.
Are you still looking for one? I have one on my 72 that came with a 73 I no longer own. I’m in Salinas California. Not a great photo but all that I have handy at the moment. It has a bad spray paint job but all the glass is there. It makes me use the poor truck as a storage shed so maybe I should sell it
Shok, thanks for thinking of me. I finally got one out of Craigslist. It took me six months! It cost me more to have the previous owner deliver it to my house than I paid for it. The prior owner had a 78 or so Ranchero that came with the camper shell but he didn't want it. The shell. He loves the Ranchero (I told him about this site.) The reason was that basically, it didn't look cool. That's what I hear about shells on everything: Rancheros, old pickup trucks. But I would not have one without a shell. The one I got was not perfect. A cab high one would have been slicker looking (although less spacious), but it is the more common one with about a 6 inch pop up. Slightly taller than yours. Also, the inside had a coating which is falling down in flakes. The rear lift door had been perhaps water damaged. It was in parts and detached. It looks like it was then partially rebuilt using a plywood sheet and the fiberglass and aluminum of the original. No rear door glass was included. There used to be a glass shop where the owner made me a piece of glass for the boat I never used (with a 351w marine) and taught me how to cut glass in the process. But he passed away and his descendants quintupled the prices. So now I might have to cut my own or use plexi from Home Depot. The rear window on mine is noticeably smaller than that on any other one I have seen so it would restrict visibility. I will post pictures when I get them of it on my build thread. Along with some wheel changes in the making. The next problem is the engine. As I said, I can barely turn it in either direction with a socket on the crank bolt. And plugs in or out makes no difference. I haven't heard back from the neighbor with the 351 Cleveland that was "running when removed" decades ago. If you could find me a 302....
Glad you found one, I have mixed feelings on a shell on a Ranchero, my main complaint is a blind spot and the opening being too short, so maybe the taller version is the way to go. My ranchero was even used in a couple of movies and one of the girls starring in it looked like it was a bit of a pain for her to get in and out. No extra 302s lying around it if I come across something I’ll update you.
