1963 Ford Falcon Hardtop.

[MacDee]

Freddie is For Sale.



It is not restored, but it underwent a “three-week makeover” several years ago, in which I removed all the trim, neutralized and smoothed rust spots (it wasn’t rusted through anywhere…), sanded and primed it, then got a Maaco acrylic enamel paint job. The bumpers were re-chromed at the same time, and it has new reproduction seat covers so the interior looks really nice also.
It has a modified 200 six and a freshly-rebuilt C4 automatic trans with V8 clutch pack, Transgo shift kit, and a Hughes Performance torque converter. The engine has a rare Classic Inlines aluminum head and intake manifold, a 390 cfm Holley carb, Clay Smith 264-degree cam, and ceramic-coated headers.
It is not perfect, but is good enough to enjoy right away, and is completely roadworthy and reliable.
I’d let her go in a heartbeat for $12K, but all offers will be considered.
Contact Gary at 425-788-4136 if you are interested.

Some additional pictures available at:
http://s35.photobucket.com/user/grma...deshow/Freddie

[Bill Pierce]

Wow really nice car. You do know that you will have great regrets at a later date?

[Jeff W]

Gary, I feel like I have been with you and Freddie every step of the way. I wish I had the space to continue your good work. Freddie will make someone a unique and amazing car.

[ew1usnr]

Gary, Freddie will make someone a unique and amazing car.

In my opinion, Freddie is a collection of mechanical parts. He is not a demon that wants to destroy you. Park the car for six months, think about it, and then correct the remaining problems. He will be a nice little Falcon, with a jazzy motor.

[MacDee]

I see the Forum has been pretty quite, so I'll try to stir things up with an update on my attempts to sell Freddie.

My attempts to sell Freddie have been tentative, to say the least, but I have made some attempts. She has been listed here on the Rainier Falcons site, of course, but also in the Boeing employee’s classified ads, and in the Seattle Times NWAutos classified ads, both on-line and in print editions. There have been no “nibbles” from any of those listings.


I also have been parking the car at the end of our driveway on weekends with “For Sale” signs in her while we’ve been out working in the yard. She has attracted quite a bit of attention from this! Many people have stopped to look, but there are a couple of exchanges worthy of stories:


On one occasion, three girls stopped to look. One of them seemed really excited! As I approached, two of them seemed very young and one seemed a bit older. The older one approached, and introduced herself and her two daughters. The one that was exited was her oldest daughter who was just about to graduate from high school, and was going to need a car to commute to college. She, the daughter, really, really, REALLY liked Freddie! I showed them the car, explained its mechanical situation (freshly rebuilt modified engine and transmission, etc.). The mother explained what the car would be used for, if they bought it, and asked if I thought it could be reliable transportation for her daughter. I said, “Well, yeah, but it’s kind of a beast to drive.” She asked what I meant by that, and I offered to take them for a ride. We all piled in and I fired her up. “The first issue is that she’s pretty cold-blooded when you first start her up…” as I feathered the throttle for a few seconds until she would idle on her own. “Oh, that’s okay Mom, I can do that!” the daughter interjected. I explained that I had expected that the buyer of this car would probably need to be someone with some mechanical savvy because of its “unique character.” I told her about the Rainier Falcons and the technical expertise among its members. “I can learn from them!” proclaimed the daughter from the back seat. As we drove around the block, the mother told me her late father had been a mechanic, but that she had not inherited his mechanical aptitude. She had inherited his tools, however. “I’m sure the Rainier Falcons would like to get to know you,” I said. She may not have had “mechanical aptitude” but she seemed to know the right questions to ask. (“Are there any rust issues?” I pulled back the driver’s foot well carpet and showed her the ground beneath the car.) By the end of our conversation, the mother and I had pretty much agreed this wouldn’t be a good car for her daughter. “We’ll talk to her dad” the mom said as they departed. The daughter was still pleading passionately with her mother as they drove away.


On another occasion, an older guy (about my age) drove up and was looking at it. He had been at a garage sale down the street and saw it. He was on his cell phone talking to someone, and a few minutes later, his wife showed up. They really liked the car. I showed them the car, explained its modifications and its [challenging] history. He had done restoration work on an old Mustang in the past, so he seemed ideal to perhaps take Freddie to “the next level”. We discussed price, briefly, and he then proposed a trade. He has an antique tractor that he wanted to trade, plus some money, of course…. “I’m not really interested in taking on another project…” was all I could say. I think my wife is still hoping they’ll come through with a money-only offer, but I’m not holding my breath.


We'll probably re-list her on NWAutos, and I'll be taking her to some shows with For Sale signs in the windows. In short, I've still got her, and she's still for sale!

[Luva65wagon]

Gary - the one place I didn't see listed was the FCA newsletter. Have you considered there too?

[MacDee]

Freddie is STILL For Sale, but not much longer...

I had been advertising it at $12k, but I have offered it to anyone on this Forum for $7500. That still stands, but it's gotta go by the end of this month. If no one wants it before then, I'm donating the car to charity.

It is not restored, but it underwent a “three-week makeover” several years ago, in which I removed all the trim, neutralized and smoothed rust spots (it wasn’t rusted through anywhere…), sanded and primed it, then got a Maaco acrylic enamel paint job. The bumpers were re-chromed at the same time, and it has new reproduction seat covers so the interior looks really nice also.
It has a modified 200 six and a freshly-rebuilt C4 automatic trans with V8 clutch pack, Transgo shift kit, and a Hughes Performance torque converter. The engine has a rare Classic Inlines aluminum head and intake manifold, a 390 cfm Holley carb, Clay Smith 264-degree cam, and ceramic-coated headers.
It is not perfect, but is good enough to enjoy right away, and is completely roadworthy and reliable.
TO FORUM MEMBERS ONLY: $7500.
Contact Gary at 425-788-4136 if you are interested.

Some additional pictures available at:
http://s35.photobucket.com/user/grma...deshow/Freddie

[Gitanesteel]

Bummer that it might have to be donated. There's no way I could convince my wife that another Falcon is in order - no matter how much I might like it. Good luck.

[BadBird]

Gary, this is sad and I am sorry you are having so much trouble. I hope you have taken a bunch of time looking at the donation issues. I had a friend who was going to do that and after finding he was only going to get a tax write off of about $700 on a $4500 car, he changed his mind.
My advice would be to try to sell the car at the $7500 or higher price. Although I don't have to put up with your frustration it would be the only way to get any where near that amount of money.
And yes Roger, you are correct about me going to the show room to take pictures of my car. Don't want to sell my car, at least for a few more years. Larry

[Luva65wagon]

Makes me want to add another car to my collection... just to keep it in the family - so to speak. But until I sell my wagon it would be hard to do. I've always wanted a round-body hardtop more than any of the Falcons, but reentered the Falcon world (post high-school) with the wagon in '97 and never felt the feel of that desire again until I got the Ranchero. There is something about looking over the hood of a round-body Falcon...

I would tend to agree with Larry about trying to sell it to anyone, not just the club, at a lower cost before making a donation of it. I/we don't know the urgency behind this path, of course, but seems going down to $9999 is better than a donation.

[dhbfaster]

Gary,
What will they do with it if you donate it? Not much in tax savings.
The ffog on Facebook rcomended by a Steve below has to have the most falcon people on it. Did you ever try it? Someone else could post something up for you. I have to think someone would love it and you would get more,than the tax savings. Besides...makes me sad to see it go to anyone except a falcon lover!