Registered vehicle
1979 Ford Ranchero “Old Jean”
About the 1977–1979 Ford Ranchero
from the generation archive
The 1977 Ford Ranchero moved onto the LTD II, the renamed and restyled intermediate that replaced the Gran Torino, making this the final Ranchero generation. The LTD II kept body-on-frame construction on a 118-inch wheelbase, similar in size to the outgoing Gran Torino Ranchero. This generation was V8 only, with no inline-six offered. For 1977 and 1978 Ford listed three V8s, all with two-barrel carburetors: the 302 as the base engine with the 351M and the 400 optional. For 1979, the final year, the lineup narrowed to two engines, the 302 and the 351M, paired with a single three-speed automatic transmission, and the 400 was dropped. All horsepower figures are SAE net, the standard used since 1972. The three established trim levels carried over: the appearance-oriented Ranchero GT with graphics and white-letter tires, the woodgrain Ranchero Squire, and the base Ranchero 500. Ford ended Ranchero production after the 1979 model year, when the LTD II platform itself was discontinued, closing out the nameplate after a 1957-1979 run and 508,355 total units.
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