Gearheads are many things, but the one thing we definitely are is hopeless optimists. That optimism sometimes leads to questionable quests to buy questionable cars. Case in point – the 1957 Meteor Ranchero you see pictured on this page.<\/p>\n
I travelled more than 4 hours with an empty trailer, spent close to $200 bucks in gas, and travelled another 4 hours home towing an empty trailer, to go see this car. Needless to say I was somewhat disappointed in its condition. Even in the short time I\u2019ve participated in this hobby, I\u2019ve learned a car is often not what the seller says it is.<\/p>\n
A few months ago, a kind reader, Duncan, phoned to tell me about this \u201ccar that looks like your \u201857 Ford\u201d he\u2019d spied behind his neighbour\u2019s house. He didn\u2019t know what kind of condition it was in, but he\u2019d check it out and get back to me. A few weeks later he phoned to tell me he\u2019d discovered a 1957 Meteor Ranchero, but that he couldn\u2019t really tell what kind of shape it was in due to its resting place of high grass and other junk bits. Being a bit of a\u201957 Ford fan I already knew that Meteor Ranchero\u2019s were rare. (I\u2019ve since found out only 286 Meteor Ranchero\u2019s left Ford\u2019s Oakville, ON plant.) My interest was piqued and when he mentioned it was for sale, I knew I couldn\u2019t resist going to see it. The night before I left, my very understanding wife only made one stipulation: \u201cDon\u2019t bring home any junk.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now, to a gearhead, \u201cjunk\u201d has a pretty wide interpretation, but I had a pretty fair idea of what she considered junk, and it included everything with wheels I own that is not my 2005 Dakota pickup.<\/p>\n
My co-pilot was my buddy Dan and when I picked him up at 5:30 a.m. on a Saturday morning, we were both pretty excited about the road trip. Three and a half hours into the drive I couldn\u2019t keep my eyes open and either could Dan, so we pulled over and had a brief nap on the side of the road. (Many years ago, when I first got my licence and started to do a lot of driving my dad told me no matter how much you wanted to reach your destination, it wasn\u2019t worth dying for – if you\u2019re tired, pull over and have a nap. Sound advice).<\/p>\n
We arrived at our destination (sorry about the ambiguity – I may still want to deal on this thing – at least I\u2019d like to get the grille) and after a brief chat and tour of Duncan\u2019s varied collection of vehicles – including a tube-chassis, 1961 Anglia project that\u2019s got a ways to go but one day may look pretty wild – we headed over to check out the Ranchero.<\/p>\n
Without even getting close, I could tell it was barely a parts car. Closer examination confirmed the dreaded tin worm had done a number on the car – even the roof was succumbing to the elements – and there really wasn\u2019t a panel on the car that wouldn\u2019t need to be replaced. The carbless, 312 ci engine was seized, all the glass was cracked or delaminating, the grille – including the very cool Meteor V-shaped centre piece – was pitted and corroded to the point of a very expensive refurbishment. The doors and quarters were junk, and judging by the car\u2019s placement in the surrounding vegetation, there was likely little left of the car\u2019s underside – including the almost impossible to replace gas tank that was special to wagons, Rancheros and Sedan Deliverys. I should have walked away, but the dreaded gearhead optimism prompted an offer of $400, which was declined. (The owner thought I was trying to snow him. The thing will probably sit for another 15 years – but that\u2019s another column). A few minutes later, after some idle chit chat, I asked him what he expected to get for the car. His answer was that 15 years earlier he\u2019d paid $1,500 for the car and that he thought he\u2019d get $1,000. Yikes. I offered him $600 and he almost went for it. \u201cHow about $700?\u201d My gearhead mind said \u201cdeal\u201d but the words of my wife \u201cdon\u2019t bring home any junk\u201d brought me back to my senses.<\/p>\n
Yep, gearheads are eternal optimists – good thing are wives aren\u2019t.<\/p>\n
Gearheads are many things, but the one thing we definitely are is hopeless optimists. That optimism sometimes leads to questionable<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n