Your Age-Your First Ford-What You Learned To Drive On-Your Rangers Year!

[Oddrob]

I'm 51, first Ford was an 82 F100, Learned to drive on an 83 Toyota Tercel (I pretended it was a 4x4 and tortured it)
Just picked up a 20' Ranger XLT

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[Mokume]

Mokume

Come to think of it, I think you're right. Pretty sure it was a 351M.

I typed too fast, without thinking much. Was quite a while back. We were about 6 of us who hung around and 4 of us had Rancheros. 77s and 79s. 302s and 351s. We nicknamed these things Ponchos.

Good times, back then.

At the Lincoln-Mercury dealership I worked at in the '70-'80's, the owner would have sales dept. buy brand new '76 & '77 Rancheros, 5 at a time in which we would yank the engines and transmissions (either 302's or 351M's with either C4 or FMX transmissions) and replace them with mildly re-worked 460's mated to a C6. A whole new exhaust system was fabricated by a well known local exhaust shop, the converters were tossed (you could get away with that back then).

Everything else in the drivetrain was left stock, from the mechanic shop they went to our bodyshop where Cougar front clips were grafted on to replace the Ranchero's.

The cars were then painted black, wheels and tires were replaced with Centerlines and BF Goodrich Radial T/A's.

They sold for some hugely obscene price, 25K or so, maybe more, but certain buyers were clamoring for them. They were very handsome vehicles, especially with dark window tint.

Of course the Ford factory warranty was voided, this happened the minute the engine was hoisted out...the buyers didn't care.

 

[Synfulz]

My age is 60 years. My first Ford was when I was 18 years old in the USAF stationed at Luke AFB, AZ. It was a 1968 Ford Mustang with a 428CJ. Go big or go home right, lol. My dad of course thought I would kill myself with that car. Well I am 60 years old.
In my dad's defense that was a good possibility lol. I was clocked in that car doing 165 by a Maricopa county sheriff out what used to be the desert near Luke AFB. Not much open desert out there anymore. That was 1980.

 

[Cabose-1]

Mokume

Come to think of it, I think you're right. Pretty sure it was a 351M.

I typed too fast, without thinking much. Was quite a while back. We were about 6 of us who hung around and 4 of us had Rancheros. 77s and 79s. 302s and 351s. We nicknamed these things Ponchos.

Good times, back then.

Dont know, pretty sure the cars, ranchero may have been considered a car? Probably would have had the 351w. We had a 73 galaxy with the windsor. Later had a f250 that had the 351m. My understanding of the 351m it was a smaller version of the 400. Then was the small 351c which was a racehorse
The w having different heads and stroke, and bore size compared to the m. The m different stroke than the 400.

???? W, M, C

I know this was like 30 40 years ago. Haha are we old. Still pump the gas before turning on the ranger? Haha

Or did the galaxy have the C?

 

[Mokume]

Dont know, pretty sure the cars, ranchero may have been considered a car? Probably would have had the 351w. We had a 73 galaxy with the windsor. Later had a f250 that had the 351m. My understanding of the 351m it was a smaller version of the 400. Then was the small 351c which was a racehorse
The w having different heads and stroke, and bore size compared to the m. The m different stroke than the 400.

???? W, M, C

I know this was like 30 40 years ago. Haha are we old. Still pump the gas before turning on the ranger? Haha

Or did the galaxy have the C?

All Ford 351 engines, be it a Windsor, Cleveland or M had the same bore and stroke dimensions, i.e. 4.00 x 3.50.

About the only components a 351W and 351C/M shared were carburetors, distributors, starters, oil, air and fuel filters, miscellaneous fasteners, and Ford blue engine paint.

Almost everything else was unique to the particular engine family, even the fuel pumps are different.

This was the bane of many parts counterman and un-informed car owners alike.

 

[mustang marty]

Age 73 , first Ford 66 Mustang 2+2 289 ( still own it ) , bought it in 1976 . Learned how to drive in Dad"s 56 Bel Air Chevy stick on the column V8 . We used to be Chevy guys until the quality died . Used to buy and sell many cars as a side job but stashed the Stang thankful that I did not part with it .

 

[Eoj]

55. Learned to drive in a truck just like this, a 1965 f100 352 3 speed on the tree and note the fender badge, a ranger. Drove a ford 9N tractor when I was 10. First car was a 72 LTD

 

[DrizzyDrake]

Age: Just turned 26,
First ford: My '20 ranger! First American vehicle too.
First vehicle: 96 Nissan Maxima

Additional fun fact: I also have a 98 RX7

 

[lou5560]

im not saying im old but......

I always wanted one !?

 

[Mokume]

Age 73 , first Ford 66 Mustang 2+2 289 ( still own it ) , bought it in 1976 . Learned how to drive in Dad"s 56 Bel Air Chevy stick on the column V8 . We used to be Chevy guys until the quality died . Used to buy and sell many cars as a side job but stashed the Stang thankful that I did not part with it .

Beautiful survivor!

I begged my Dad to buy a '65 2+2 instead of the notchback he special ordered instead (I was 10 @ the time), it was a dark ivy green metallic with black vinyl trim, 289 4V with a 4 speed stick. Like the fastback, he wasn't going for the 271 horsepower variant either. It's Falcon underpinnings were very obvious, instead of arrows on the gauge cluster for turn signals your '66 has, it had a single green light labeled "turn signal" which flashed. It didn't even have outside rearview mirrors, at least he splurged and opted for the "Rallye Pak" and full center console though.

I remember my Mother complaining about the blast of air when she rode in the right front seat, the hinge attachments for the metal vent door broke away from the ductwork plastic.

He resolved that problem by simply stuffing crumpled up newspaper in the duct...lol

 

[Wence5]

I'm 62
My first Ford was my second vehicle, a 1976 F250 4x4, 4 speed and 1 ton front end. Bought it when I was 21.
I come from a GM family. My dad and my two brothers were all on team bow tie. I was the black sheep of the family going over to the blue oval camp, but my dad liked my truck so much he purchased a 76 F250 then a new 1993 F150 4x4, which I still drive after he passed.

 

[deleriumtremor]

I am 71, my first full Ford is my new 2022 Ranger XLT FX4. I owned a number of different cars that went by the name Crossle, Van Diemen and Swift, and what they all had in common was a Ford motor, but I don’t think that probably counts in the spirit of the survey.

I learned to drive in a ‘58 MGA Coupe that I rebuilt and crashed twice. Slow learner.

 

[Rob09]

I'm 41.

My first Ford was a XE Falcon S-Pack. 4.1lt manual. Silver. Like below, but better wheels. Loved that POS.

I learned to drive on numerous cars, on farms and the way home from the beach. Can't do that today.

My Ranger is an Aus-Spec, 2021 XLT.

 

[TORQUERULES]

53 years old. Learned to drive on a John Deere tractor and a 1977 F-150 XLT/Ranger Step Bed 4x4. I learned to drive stick in my uncle's 1984 Ranger. The first Ford I actually could call my own, and not my parents', was a 1986 Ranger short bed that was a nice metallic evergreen color (can't remember the name). Had a little 2.0 4cyl and 5-speed. I drove it a couple of years, got my 1987 Mustang in the interim (which led to a many year project and 3 Magazine features), and eventually it became a V8 swap Ranger with the 5.0 out of the Mustang when I went upscale on the powerplant in it.

 

[mustang marty]

Beautiful survivor!

I begged my Dad to buy a '65 2+2 instead of the notchback he special ordered instead (I was 10 @ the time), it was a dark ivy green metallic with black vinyl trim, 289 4V with a 4 speed stick. Like the fastback, he wasn't going for the 271 horsepower variant either. It's Falcon underpinnings were very obvious, instead of arrows on the gauge cluster for turn signals your '66 has, it had a single green light labeled "turn signal" which flashed. It didn't even have outside rearview mirrors, at least he splurged and opted for the "Rallye Pak" and full center console though.

I remember my Mother complaining about the blast of air when she rode in the right front seat, the hinge attachments for the metal vent door broke away from the ductwork plastic.

He resolved that problem by simply stuffing crumpled up newspaper in the duct...lol

like your Dad most people bought the notchback . Hated the 66 console so I swapped for a 69 console only real cahange I made . My uncle had same green metallic 65 notchback living in New Jersey where cars have a tough life.

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