The story of an elusive 1958 Ford Ranchero

Writing a feature car story for Classic American is usually a straight forward process, with the pictures shot, a phone call to the owner secures the specification and history of the car or truck in question, and then it’s all hands to the keyboard to get the story ready for publication. Now and again though, a feature comes along that’s just a little more complex. Read on and you’ll find out why this cool ’58 Ranchero is one such example…

Words & Photos: Keith Harman

Truth is, we’d been chasing this Ranchero for around two years before we finally got it in front of our camera, even though we knew it lived only an hour away in deepest Wiltshire. The reason for the delay was that Andy Loizou, the owner at the time, had been in the process of running his garage business in North London, and buying another garage in the village of Downton, near Salisbury, plus moving house too. It just never seemed to be the right time. And for this reason, Andy hadn’t driven it to hardly any shows in the UK. As such, nobody has really seen this car since it was imported some years ago. We hadn’t either until Andy brought it along to The Vultures Car Club ‘Giant Killers’ run in June of this year, where it was displayed with a bunch of other tasteful traditional customs.

Andy has always been a big fan of custom rides and was also instrumental in helping organise the original Hot Rod Hayride events as a member of the Executioners Car Club. He’s previously owned a number of desirable examples of period custom cars such as a ’46 Ford, a chopped ’49 Mercury, a ’55 Mercury, and he still owns a survivor, sectioned, ’50 ‘Shoebox’ Ford. He’s actually only owned the Ranchero for a couple of years and credit for its cool kustom look is mostly down to the previous owners. Andy bought it sight unseen after it was discovered in storage down in Margate, Kent, still owned by the original importer, a fella called Les Rayment. Andy was able to put us in touch with Les, who told us quite a story about its actual purchase back in June 2013.

Les and his wife Linda had flown out to the USA to attend a couple of shows and also to buy a car if they could find something cool and within budget. With no luck at the Ink ’n’ Iron Show held in Long Beach, California, it was on to Las Vegas as Les wanted to get tattooed by a friend of his there. In Les’s own words: “I told my buddy I was looking to buy if he knew of anything, and after a couple of calls, he came up with the ’58 Ranchero that a buddy of his was selling.” Les was interested, and asked where it was. “Burbank,” was the answer. “Where’s that?’ asked Les. “About four hours’ drive, or a short flight away,” his buddy replied.

Les continues: “We had no transport out there, so I booked a single ticket flight for just me, to save money, while Linda stayed back at the hotel. So, I flew to Burbank with no luggage and just a large wad of cash in my shorts pocket to meet a total stranger in the airport car park.”

The stranger turned out to be well-known Californian hot rodder and artist Keith Weesner. After a quick inspection, Les handed over the cash and asked Keith to start counting – as his return flight to Vegas left in just 45 minutes. At that time, the car was in a faded black finish. The deal done, Les decided to get it painted before bringing it home. Another contact out there recommended by another friend of his, who was a member of the Shifters Car Club, could carry out the work.

That friend was Anthony Castaneda, and Les, now back home in the UK, got in touch with him via email to discuss a price for the work and what he needed done to the car. Tragically, that very night, Anthony was killed in a car accident – a sad and major blow to everyone who knew him on the West Coast car scene. Les eventually found another painter in Orange County to carry out the work, though the Ranchero would stay in Los Angeles another year before it was finished and could be shipped home.

Looking at the car today, you’d never guess it was painted over ten years ago; the House of Kolor Brandy Wine with Silver Metalflake™ still looking fresh, as if it was only recently completed. The paint really stands out as the signature to the car’s custom status, since most of the sheet metal is as it left the factory. It has, however, had the extensive side trims removed and filled for a cleaner line, plus the front wheel arches have had a slight flare added at some time in its previous life, with the factory swage line behind the arch also being removed and filled.

Andy added the aftermarket custom tube grille from So-Cal Speed Shop fairly recently, and it does add a finishing touch − as do 6.70/15 Auburn whitewall radial tyres, an expensive option, but which provide radial construction with a classic period look. Under the hood, the factory Y-block is long gone, having been replaced with a Ford 302cu in small block, coupled to a C6 transmission. The motor remains stock save for a Holley 600cfm carburettor and a Pertronix distributor and ignition (recently fitted by Andy).

Keith Weesner recalls that the engine and gearbox installation was carried out in 2011 in Los Angeles, before he sold it to Les. While in his ownership, Keith also had a set of dropped spindles fitted, along with power disc-brakes from an American Ford Granada for better stopping power. The rear uses traditional leaf spring lowering blocks, and Andy added the Unisteer power rack-steering conversion while the car was in his ownership. The cool white interior trim was carried out by a shop in Burbank, using a pair of Sixties Thunderbird bucket seats supplied by Keith. Keith also added the neat centre console which was previously in his own Mercury Comet. A tall Lokar shifter and a Limeworks Crestliner steering wheel sets it all off and both add a classy custom touch.

As we mentioned before, we had been chasing Andy for a photo shoot for quite a while, and in a weird twist of fate, we arrived just minutes after Andy had shaken hands on a deal with the Ranchero’s new owner, Mick Micetich, from London. Mick, it turns out, spends quite a bit of time in the USA through his family connections and as a result is also friends with Keith Weesner who owned the ’58 back when they first met in LA. What’s more, Mick plans to repatriate the Ranchero to the West Coast to drive when he’s out there so, sadly for us, it will probably be on a ship heading west by the time you read this.

In the process of gathering the history of the car, we did hear that KW still misses his old daily driver, and only sold it to make way for a modern family car as a little one was on the way. With the many improvements made to the car since the sale to Les, we wonder if he’ll try and buy it back from Mick at some time in the future? Stranger things have happened, especially in LA.