1971 Ranchero Squire 429 J-Code Cobra Jet

1971 Ford Ranchero Description

1971 429 Cobra Jet Ranchero J-Code

Up for sale is a numbers-matching, 1971 Ranchero 429 J-Code Cobra Jet Squire. The 70 and 71 Ranchero Cobra Jets are the ones to have as they look the best of all of them, are rarest, and have a big block shoe-horned into a small car.

The Marti Report says this is 1 of 20. Pretty rare, I’d say.

The other nice thing is that whatever direction you take with the car, in general, the rare 429 Cobra Jet’s seem to keep going up in value. A fun, good investment.

Barret Jackson has had only a handful of 70 or 71 429 CJs cross the blocks in the past 10ish years. They’re pretty rare…not that many of them around.

Below is some background on the car…but there are a lot of nice and/or collectible aspects to the car:

FEATURES

• 1971 Ranchero Squire

• 429 Cobra Jet

• J Code – Shaker Ram Air Scoop

• Marti Report showing 1 of 20.

• Hideaway Headlamps

• Ribbon tach - functioning

• 9 inch rear end

• Rim-Blow steering wheel – If you’re not familiar, it’s a thin plastic ring in the steering wheel, all the way around, that activates the horn. It’s rare and it works !

• C6 Automatic

• Rebuilt carburetor – Originally, when I had the carb rebuilt by Holley, it ran like a fuel injected car !! They did a phenomenal job! But then it sat, and now has a rebuilt locally. If I were to keep it, I’d send the carb back to Holley again…it was THAT good !

• 3-point seat belts.

• Optima Red Battery (new)

• Tires with a lot of tread.

• New alternator, new voltage regulator.

• New master cylinder, brake booster, and front calipers.

• New air filter – point of interest…there are 2 different height air filters for the 429 Rancheros. It uses the one specific to the 429SCJ: it’s shorter. The other one is too tall. Some parts stores only offer the taller one.

• Distributor advance plate bushing.

• Replaced distributor points with an electronic unit.

• All the parts that came off the car will ship with the car, in the event you want to rebuild or reuse them.

I bought it a few years ago, and drove it as a weekend and Home Depot car for a few years...fun stuff. But, too many cars and too little time put it in storage for a few years. If I had a two-car garage, I’d keep it, but there’s just no space.

The storage unit was out in the desert...nice and dry. During that time, I took it out at least a couple times a year, drove it around, and filled it with fresh gas.

A great plan up until about a year and a half ago when the carb gummed up enough not to run…that’s when I decided it’s time to go to the home of someone that can appreciate what a cool, fun car it is, and drive it around. I’ve gotten it back on the road. Now it’s time for someone to really give it the miles and attention it deserves.

From history, my understanding is that the Drag Pak cars had a Holley, while everything else had a Rochester. This car, from my understanding, has the original carb…a 780 cfm Holley. It’s actually the second 429 CJ Ranchero I’ve owned…the first one, 1970 C-Code, had its original carb as well….a 780 cfm Holley. I think history needs to be corrected to show that C-Code and J-Code non Drag Pak cars sometimes came with the Holley. I’m sure they’re out there, but I have yet to see a 429 Cobra Jet that has a Rochester.

From having worked in automotive production plants, even today, car assembly isn’t always 100% disciplined. Back in the early 70’s, even less so.

While I’ve been going over the car to make it a nice Driver again, it’s not a 100 points Pebble Beach car. It’s an As-Is sale. I drove it thinking I’d address things that popped up, but not really much popped up other than the things mentioned above. I’ve had a good time driving it. I think you will, too. Good luck bidding.

PAYMENT TERMS

$500 deposit within 48 hours of end of auction. Full payment within 5 business days from end of auction. If payment is not made, I reserve the right to cancel the sale…deposit not refundable. The car is in Southern California. Buyer to arrange shipping from Long Beach, CA. Car will only ship after all payments have cleared. It's also for sale locally...I reserve the right to end the auction early if I have a local interested Buyer.