Farm and Ranch Special?

[390Nut]

Just curious, about these and other uncommon option packs, like the Contractors Special.

Anyone ever seen one of these? Saw the pics in the tech areas that Keith has put up, of special option packages. I've seen the name-plate scriptwork on ebay, a long time ago, but I have never seen a complete truck on the road or in a field or anything.

Anyone here got one, or seen one that still runs? Gotta be a rare optioned truck, I would think.

[FORDification]

The Farm & Ranch Special wasn't really that different from a standard truck, as far as options go. The only things that you could have gotton on one that wasn't readily available from the factory for other models were the wood sideboards and insignias. The factory simply assembled some of the normal options together into a convenient package and offered them at a slight price savings. Here's a blurb from the '69 factory brochure:



There was a '69 F&R Special listed on E-bay a while back, and through contact with the seller it appeared to be genuine, though the original sideboards were long gone. However, it was the cowl decals which appeared to verify it as a true F&R Special. The seller sent me pictures of those decals which is the pic posted on the Body Trim and Insignias page for the '69. (The '70 versions used an actual pot-metal emblem.)

The Contractor Special was almost the same thing as the F&R Special, except that the sideboards were substituted with metal tool boxes. Here's the '69 brochure's inclusion:



However, as you can see there were two versions of the Contractor Special, the second also included the Onan underhood power generator. Now THOSE are a rare animal! I've seen a few trucks come through E-bay with the Onan, but wasn't able to verify that they were actual Contractor Special trucks, since you could also special-order it as an option on a standard truck. (You can read more about the Power-Pak generator on the Onan Generators page.)

I haven't seen any actual production figures for special trucks like these, but I'd have to think that an all-original F&R Special or Contractor Special would be worth a bit more to a collector, just because of it's uniqueness....though I doubt most people are even aware of their existence.

[fordman]

i think we would all enjoy having that onan genarator under the hood. i have seen people make an air compressor out of an a/c pump. i thought about doing that myself. i have an extra in the garage for just such and experiment. although the mounting brackets were from a car and went to the salvage with the car.

[4x4x4crewcab]

I have a very nice set of the 70 style metal "Farm and Ranch" insignias and I am seriously considering dressing up my crewcab as one. I have most of the specs. on the boards(to make),I have the correct style mirrors,I have the emblems, just need a decent step bumper.
Another interesting note about these trucks were the different box board colors :
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Harbor Blue boards were used on trucks having main body colors of Harbor Blue,Sky View Blue or Diamond Blue
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Candyapple Red boards on Candyapple red trucks
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Boxwood Green boards on trucks having main body colors of Boxwood Green, New Lime or Yucatan Gold
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Wimbledon White boards on trucks having all other body colors (except
Pure White)

[fordman]

now that you mention that there is a guy across town with side boards on his truck painted up kind of wierd (with flowers on them). i just thought the guy was wierd when i first saw the truck like that. if i can get a pic i show you guys.

[4x4x4crewcab]

(with flowers on them). i just thought the guy was wierd

I don't remember any package from Ford with flowers Be careful over there getting the picture maybe he is:lol:
Would like to see it though.

[Joe Kriston]

I could see why the Farm and Ranch Special was an idea that went south...I worked for a feed store ma-a-a-any years ago and we had a '70 or so Int'l p/u that we used to make short deliveries of feed or hay...We had a way of stacking the hay where when it reached bed-rail height,we had two rows of hay-bales that jutted out past the bed rails a couple of inches..By doing this,we could stack the hay about four or five tiers higher than the box,which always was a kick when the boss would turn a corner too fast leaving bales o' hay strewn all over the road....Those boards on the side would have just been in the way...

BTW,what does the phrase "swing-lock mirrors" mean?...Mine look like the F &RS and they don't seem to move anywhere....

[fordman]

i was thinking that it meant breakaway mirrors but the picture looks more like regular stock type mirrors to me.

[mk]

I've scooped a pair of the 70 f/r nameplates a few years ago and tried to remove the 69 decals from a truck at the wreckers a few months ago but they're like those serial number stickers on the door frames with that clear layer on top

mike

[Joe Kriston]

Years ago I had a Ch!@##$y Custom Camper that had these mirrors with sort of dimples and divots...w/o loosening the mounting nuts,you could rotate the mirrors inside the brackets for every day use,and sort of swing them outward for when you had a wide camper or were pulling a trailer...I don't see where the ones on the F & RS do that...In fact the one's with the three mounting brackets on the CS didn't seem to do that either...