1961 Ford Falcon Futura--first year of the Futura option package

Ford Falcon 1961 Description

This is a pretty nice pretty dependable 1961 Falcon Futura the first year of the Futura package. It has the larger 170 ci six generating an impressive (in 1961) 101 horsepower a three speed manual transmission no power brakes or steering and of course no air conditioning. I bought it a few years ago out of Colorado as a rust free car...and can sell it as a MOSTLY rust-free car. I found rust in the trunk floor the right rear fender and a little in the driver's side front floorboard--all of it a consequence of the seals collapsing in the trunk lid and doors and water pooling inside and none of it structurally threatening. All the rust was cleaned and treated (painted with POR15) and the holes in the floorboards were repaired with fiberglass--not as good as new metal of course but solid enough for the foreseeable future. The bumpers show their age but they are still reasonably shiny and perfectly good for a driver (which is what I was building). The car has a new muffler and tailpipe new shocks all around new wheel cylinders (and possibly new brake shoes--I've forgotten) rebuilt generator rebuilt carburetor rebuilt heater with a new core. If it was mechanically questionable I had it rebuilt by our local old car mechanic who is excellent at his craft. The interior is all new--headliner door panels seats padded dash and carpet. It also has a new windshield (but it cracked just sitting in the driveway so it will need to be replaced) and new rubber around both the windshield and rear window--and of course new rubber seals on the doors and trunk lid. I didn't do anything to the engine or the differential--both appeared to be internally solid. The tires are very good (they were on it when I bought it) and are the correct narrow whitewalls for a Futura. The hubcaps are the correct (one year only) ones for a '61 Futura. All the instruments work although the fuel gauge does not seem to be accurate and the high beam light stays on with high and low beams (I think that may be because I have the wires on the wrong posts on the switch...). Everything on the car is stock with two exceptions: the radio is a transistor version out of a 1963 (the original tube radio comes with the car so you could have it rebuilt and install it if desired) and I replaced the points with electronic ignition (runs a lot better but easy to reverse if you want to put the points back...and except for one extraneous wire you can't tell the electronic unit is in there). The front end is tight and the car steers pretty precisely. The car comes with a little box of extra parts (including the original radio) and whatever literature I've accumulated about it.The car was only recently put back together so everything that could need adjustment mechanically needs adjustment: the headlights are not adjusted the emergency brake should be adjusted the carburetor should be adjusted (it tends to stall when coming to a stop. It doesn't show in the pictures but the driver's side door glass is cracked (that just happened last week when the door was apart). The body has a series of little bumps and ripples that you'd expect in a 50+ year old car--they don't really show in the pictures but they'd have to be resolved to make it a show car--for a driver it's perfectly OK but there are imperfections in the right rear fender and both of the front fenders. The paint is fresh (and close to the original) but nothing to brag about. While I had the car in storage something damaged the paint on the dashboard so it should be repainted. On the positive side the car tracks well and stops straight. The milage of course is certainly not accurate although 136000 is a distinct possibility.All in all if you are looking for a really nice driver you should consider this car. There are 101 little projects by which you could gradually upgrade it to show status while keeping the car driveable so if you like to tinker but don't want to do major disassembly this is a good candidate. My intention was to drive it pretty much as it is...but a '39 Ford convertible sedan showed up locally (in terrible shape needing total restoration) and I didn't have room for another old car--so the Falcon has to move on to make way for another entertaining project...This is a nice little car that is a lot of fun for not a lot of money. If you remember 1961 you'll remember that Snoopy and Charlie Brown were certain you should buy a Falcon--and the Futura was advertised by Ford (somewhat optimistically) as "Thunderbird's little brother." If you live within a couple hundred miles of South Jersey I wouldn't be afraid to drive this Falcon home. Transportation is of course the responsibility of the buyer and the car being half a century old comes with no warranty or guarantee. Naturally the car will not be released until payment is made in full.If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask--email through eBay or call me (David) at 856-534-1013. The car is located in Mickleton New Jersey about 20 miles south of Philadelphia/Camden and easily accessible from I95 I295 Rt. 55 and the New Jersey Turnpike.Thanks for viewing my ad.