(first posted 5/16/2014) Here’s a rather rare find, a 1961 Falcon Sedan Delivery found near the harbor in Eureka, CA, basking in the evening light. Oddly, the last time we were there a year ago, I also found and shot a ’61 Falcon (sedan). They’re obviously popular here.
1961 was the first year for the Falcon Sedan Delivery, and according to one source, it was the high-water mark for sales, although that really isn’t an apt expression in this case. According to falconclub.com, only 1,988 of these were sold in the US that year, and sales went downhill from there. 1965 was the last year for the SD, with only 539 made. It would appear that the Sedan Delivery was well on its way to becoming an obsolete body style, despite the Vega’s ill-fated attempt at a come-back.
This one is the first one I’ve run across in a long time, and it’s sporting some very well-developed patina, likely as a consequence of being exposed to well over half a century of salt air coming off Humboldt Bay.
I make that assumption based on the “Harper Ford” license plate protector; Harper is Eureka’s long-time Ford dealer. So this is a home-town car. I wonder what its original job was? Needless to say, one only sees serious rust in California near the ocean.
Sadly, there was evidence of any sign on its side that might have given a clue as to its original owner or purpose. Maybe I’m just not good at reading Rorschach blotters.
The interior isn’t exactly all original anymore. That upholstery came from a deluxe Falcon.
The steering wheel is of course Pep-Boy-ish after-market, but the shifter “knob” is rather original; that’s a new one for me. I’m not sure how comfortable it is for its actual intended purpose, and the little Falcon six does rather need to be rowed vigorously to affect any measurable forward progress faster than a sailboat. I’m guessing it’s got (or had) the base 85 (gross) hp 144 CID inline six; the 101 hp 170 inch six became optional in 1961, but somehow it doesn’t seem likely that a sedan delivery buyer would pony up for one.
I’m a wee bit perplexed by the cargo area. According to one source, there was no rear seat; just a plywood cargo floor. But this rather looks like a folded-down seat. And there’s the brackets for the seat to be locked into its upright position for take-off or landing. Hmmm… Sadly, Google can’t deliver any images of the back of a Falcon Sedan Delivery when I need one. Anybody know if this is original?
For our ever-growing number of readers from down under, I will note that there was a Sedan Delivery version of the Australian Falcon too. This image is from 1962; it might be the first year for it (or not). But as is pretty readily apparent, it’s actually quite different from the American version. The doors are from the four door (there were no two-door Australian Falcon sedans), and the whole rear body is different, the biggest change being less rear overhang, as well as different design details. It is of course also based on the Australian station wagon, and we covered the differences of the Ozzie Falcon wagon to the American version here.
Obviously, the American Falcon Sedan delivery is based on the two-door wagon, which makes it look considerably less cobbled-up and more…professional (sorry). No doubt we’ll hear about its deficient suspension though, that wasn’t capable of delivering six heifers in the back across thousands of miles of outback without complaints (from the ball joints as well as the cows).
Yet it seems to have been quite adequate for this long-lived Sedan delivery, even if it only carried…what did it carry? I’m heading off to bed with an un-answered question, and that’s not such a hot idea. But we know what it’s delivering now: plenty of hipness.
Related: Ford Falcon (AUS) XP wagon 1961 Falcon CC: How To Build A Winning Compact
I might suggest that it was a conversion from a two-door wagon, but seeing the rust-through on those exterior window-level panels, with the now-exposed frame, the exterior looks too original to have been retrofitted. I know the Chevy Cobalt panel truck went through several iterations, some with back seats and some not, but this is indeed a mystery.
Cobalt? Do you mean HHR?
Right-my bad! Cobalt chassis, Advance Design Suburban styling=HHR.
Unless the cheap way to manufacture the sedan delivery variant was to take the existing 2 door wagon greenhouse and find a way to attach a flat panel to the glass-less window frames. I’m not sure I have ever seen one of these in person, so this is pure guess.
I once saw a very rusty ’64 or ’65 Falcon sedan delivery in a junkyard. Had no idea they were so rare.
Jim, It’s pretty obvious that the Sedan Delivery was just a Tudor wagon with a steel panel over the rear sides. Or am I missing something?
That’s what I always thought.
Nice to see one still driving ’round .
-Nate
Very nice indeed. I’ve always liked the early Falcons, strange that they started out so uncool but I am now not hip enough to own one.
I can’t figure out what the shifter knob is. Maybe if I was hipper I’d know??
Looking forward to further trip updates…
Miller Beer tap handle, I think.
Looks like a Miller tap handle. Tap handles are a pretty common rat rod/hipster substitution for a shifter knob, though for proper hipster cred it needs to be Pabst Blue Ribbon or a local brew.
PBR me ASAP 😀 !!!
PBR, our beer of choice when I was in high school. IIRC it retailed for 75 or 80 cents for a six pack, and that might have been more than it was worth.
Even though it’s nearly 10x that today, that’s still considered cheap for a 6-pack. Of course, I’d rather pay another buck or two for Sierra Nevada.
Ah. I think I’d rather have Neustadt 10W-30 for automotive applications:
http://www.neustadtsprings.com/neustadtsprings/OUR_BEERS.html
We had Iron City. And Genesee Cream Ale.
Never was a beer drinker so not one to “opine”. “Genessee” was some awful stuff though.. (inho)
And here’s a brewery that makes an Oil Change Oatmeal Stout:
https://www.flatbranch.com/beer/
I did considerable reading about these couple years ago but fried my hard drive and lost all my notes and pictures. Thought this was a counterfeit because of the way the back door opened. They generally opened from the side towards the curb. This is like a station wagon but when I googled 61 Ford Falcon Sedan Delivery, so did they all. It would have to have been a popular counterfeit if they all opened that way.
The sedan delivery was very popular when I was a boy. No only did it deliver but there were a lot of tradesmen who operated out of them in my neck of the woods. A small trailer would make them a lot bigger and that’s something I absolutely copied when I worked in the trades. Vans became common and cheap and replaced them. Japanese trucks with contractor shells (side doors) were another nail in their coffin for us small fry. Just a sign of the times and their time was over for most about 1960. The HHR did have one and perhaps the PT cruiser.
One place I thought the sedan delivery screwed up was they should have been sourced from a four door wagon or make a one with a second door on the passenger side. Deliveries or trades, the back door is very handy in a wagon. My four door 77 Impala was great because of them. My 57 2 door handyman is not handy at all due to their absence.
Paul, this is a great find and this old chimney sweep would have loved to operate out of one.
Lee, I’ve seen several brochure pictures of the Falcon Sedan Delivery with the tailgate down. It did not have a side-hinged rear door.
I agree. I looked today. If you look at what went on before, that was one of the differences. My cube rear door is like that and I much prefer it to other styles I have had (tailgate or swing up). I think this might be the first time I remember noticing the falcon in SD livery.
I saw a PT Cruiser sedan delivery about 10 years ago, in Holland of all places, with a convex molded plastic or fiberglass panel in place of the rear window (liftgate, not side window) to increase the usable load volume. BTW, my gut observation is that the HHR’s are more popular now than the Vega Sedan Deliveries were 40 years ago. Though not by much.
Now there’s a car that wears its patina well. The amount of rust-through on the panels makes me worry about what it looks like underneath, though I suppose it’s entriely possible that any rot has been dealt with down below, and left alone for “artistic reasons” up top as it’s not yet endangering the structure.
What a cool look though. And I really like the lead photo too.
Cars in coastal climates rust from the top down and from the inside out unless they are driven on the beach then they get under carriage rust.
No wonder I’ve only seen one sedan delivery.It was a guy who used it for his garage on England’s Norfolk area.He also had a beautifully restored white early 60s Imperial that turned up at shows around 10/11 years ago.
I’ve seen a few Falcon pick ups but nowhere near the numbers of Fairlane based Rancheros.My brother bought the engine and gearbox from one being broken for his 63 Falcon
Can’t speak for the Falcon, but since the H Body (Vega) shared the same pan stampings, I found it a simple matter to cut the parcel shelf out of my notchback and install a fold-down seat out of a Kammback (I also fabricated some panels to dress out the now-exposed side areas).
Could be possible a Falcon SD owner might have done something similar.
The Shelby American Museum in Boulder has a Falcon sedan delivery – I think it is a ’63. Anyway it is claimed to have been Pete Brock’s car and has a 289 instead of a six or a 260. Of course it is white with blue stripes. Seemed like a fairly original car.
I own this falcon Calif. 61 custom must see. Send phone no to me will send info for sale.. 8184394257 cell call
Could be someone installed a wagon interior. I do see bolts that appear to be holding in the rear seat latch assembly. The carriers the latch is attached to appear to be either spot welded or riveted to the wheel housing. That could explain why the front seat is also not original. Just a guess.
That is one fine looking automobile, put a hot little 289 in it with a 5 speed and drive it as is. I’d even settle for a six if need be, with headers and a couple of extra carbs!
The cool thing about a Sedan Delivery is that Neil Young provides a ready made theme song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCvSLKn6B7k
While patina is nice I’d like to this fully restored with retro speed shop livery and Cragar mags.
Your comment about seeing all these cars truly rings a bell. I take many of them for granted out here without realizing that in many other parts of the country one will never see them. That realization, especially after this Wednesday, has now caused me to carry my small camera around with me. I don’t need, or use a cell phone, so can’t use a camera there.
What made this come to the forefront was a car I saw outside ACE hardware. Foreign, convertible, yellow and I had no idea what it was. However the badge on the grille caught my eye and I said I need to Google that badge. When I got home I did and found out what the car was: Triumph Stag and I didn’t have my camera! When was the last time anyone saw one of those? I have never seen one as shown below. I have no idea what year it was.
I would often dream away Physics and Latin classes imagining myself driving a purple Stag to work at Boot’s perfume counter when at school.I still like them despite the reputation
A local lady has a Stag as her daily drive I see 3 regularly but only hers lives nearby.
Hey, if you have any good Stag pictures, I know that Aaron at ateupwithmotor.com was looking for some.
Going from the registration plate it’s an early Stag from 71/72,they were made between 70 and 77.I’m no expert but they look like they stayed pretty much the same for their life.
Gem, there were some changes to the engine management systems, as I have read. Unfortunately, the cars that came over here seem not to have benefitted from these upgrades, as their dealers tended to bail out early. My brother had I believe a ’71, which he bought off a gravel lot in the southern side of Nashville in ’74. That was a very wicked car, in that when it was good it was very good, but totally treacherous otherwise … as my girlfriend and I discovered on our trip to the NC Outer banks and back. Chronic overheating, window regulators and the A/C dropping out at random, and a top that took two people to close with great difficulty were the comfort problems, while the dual-point distributor had its own set of temper tantrums.
John continued to drive the car, mostly in and out of the dealer’s shop, until the afternoon we had spent twenty minutes closing the top because of predicted rain before heading home. As we waited at the light before getting on the freeway, a guy in another Triumph, a Spitfire, caught a drop or two of some rain, reached behind himself to grab his top, pulled it up and snapped it in place, all before the light changed. John sold the Stag the next day, at a major loss.
This one lives around the corner. Its a driver, too. I saw it at my mechanics for a service.
Cool find.
Just thought you all might enjoy this picture of a ’62 Falcon wagon I shot at a great local car show, Caffeine and Octane. Note the license plate. Can you guess where I live?
Nice Panelvan to use its local title. I’m sure the wagon floor pressings were used for the OZ version and on later OZ vans rear seats could be fitted, real rare over here Ive not seen a PV that old since I discovered a rusty wreck in the outback. Two door coup’es were built in OZ but yeah no two door sedans.
I have a ’62 Ranchero, and it’s similar in the sense that it’s based on the two-door wagon. In the case of the Ranchero, the rear-seat footwell has a bolted-down steel plate over it in the cargo area. A smuggler’s compartment, if you will — 20 bolts hold the darn thing in place. I’ve heard of people putting piano hinges on the hatch, but I digress…
I’ve seen a couple of Sedan Delivery’s locally, and I don’t recall a rear seat. I’m wondering if this was a conversion that was done so long ago that it’s got the same patina as the rest of that poor car. I wouldn’t be surprised if there are plywood boards covering the rusted-out floorpans.
Interesting comparo with the oz version. One thing I will say in our favour is the upper side panel is pressed with FORD lettering, whereas every US version I’ve seen from this period is basically flat unadorned panels.
I had a 1963 retired from an alarm company. It had a plywood box built in the rear footwell whose piano hinged lid was at load floor level. I always assumed it was built in for hidden tool storage by the former owner. It did not have the fender top bracketry to lock the rear seat back in the upright position.
I’ll always remember the blue smoke that rolled up into the headlamp beams from under the front when one made an after dark stop.
e of the Hillman Imp I posted last week, particularly looking into the load bay and as a concept of a “compact” (definitions very of course) estate car being converted to a van.
Great find in a great area
I have no idea whether such rules existed in the US but here (Austria) – as I’m sure Mr. Niedermeyer would confirm – there are special tax deductions for car-based vans, which generally result in things like this Skoda; the rear doors open and close but your’e not supposed to have seats at the back. It would be very easy to retrofit the seats though:)
Supposedly the Dutch PT was created to correspond with similar tax rules. One could research the effect of tax rules on car styling for hours. Ever seen a 4-seat El Camino?
Similar legislation here, there was indeed a PT Cruiser van. Lower purchase price and less road tax, provided that you use it for your profession, so it’s a real commercial vehicle.
All kinds of wagons and SUVs are turned into a van. No back seats, a flat cargo floor and (often) blinded rear windows.
A few examples of cars used as a basis for a van-conversion: Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Chrysler Voyager, Land Rovers and pretty much all Japanese off-roaders/SUVs.
Here’s the interior of a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Van.
Source: http://www.g-center.nl/g-center-grijs-kenteken-grijskenteken-wrangler-unlimited-ombouw-specialist
Chrysler built a Dodge version of its passenger based vans for commercial use, they were called Caravan Cargo Van….or simply Caravan CV. I have seen a few on dealer lots, and now there is 1 for sale on a used car lot near my house. It seems that nearly all were white vans with other colors PERHAPS available for special order. Black, for instance, for funeral home uses.
The one near me, and I believe all others, have only the 2 front seats with accessory brackets, shelving, racks, available as add-ons.
Regarding the?61?sedan delivery the metal tag on the drivers door will
Have a 78A code designation for a sedan delivery.I know because I own one
I’d wager that —
If this were called a “Shooting Brake” body style, it might bump up to the category of a Vovlo P-1800 wagon….. and increased value…..
Wonder if this was built at Fords world famous Lorain Assembly Plant that was located in Lorain,Ohio?..This plant built Falcons then grew to build intermediate size Fords and Mercurys in the mid ’60s…..Some super rare performance models were built at Lorain Assembly.
Now look here (6 years on).
Heifers don’t have any jointed balls to complain about, and anyway, the only way six of them could be fitted into a Aussie Falcon panel van would be in refrigerated boxes for delivery.
As for the US job looking more professional, there’s a classic case of confirmation bias (is it?). For an Ozzie, the US van looks too long in doors and bum (and wheel size). I genuinely prefer the higher, flat-topped look of the Aus Ford. It’s somehow crisper. (The Oz one in the photos is an XL from ’62, by which the front-end woes were largely fixed, if not the tarnished name).
The US sales figures are amazing. I wouldn’t mind betting that the Australian panel van sales were quite a bit higher, for a population of just 10 million!
Since this post first appeared Ive seen one early Falcon panelvan but it is actually a converted wagon not an original, some utes are around and a few US Falcon Rancheros have been imported but no vans that Ive seen yet.
Yes, other than auctions or shows, I haven’t seen a XK-XP panel van for many, many years. I would guess that the Holden equivalents vastly outsold them back in the day.
Commercial buyers are hard customers (and users). Any hint of trouble from those early days would have meant less such conservative buyers for Ford for some time after, and the grinding usage of what was actually sold probably accounts for the existence bugger-all Ford van survivors.
From the pictures, I would guess that this Falcon originally had a white exterior with a brown/tan interior….making it look like the white SD in the brochure.
As far as the ” MYSTERY ” of the rear seat: I once owned a Vega Panel Express. Where the rear seat would have been was a sort of box with what would be the back of the back seat as a lid for the box. I am reasonably sure that Ford had a similar arrangement here. However, Ford went Chevy one better by having that latch system for holding the seat back/box lid in place which I don’t recall the Vega having. What I do remember is that the enclosed compartment was fairly large and that the lid was quite heavy making it cumbersome to get large/heavy objects back out of that space.
Good old Triumph Stag! An expensive flop in the U.S. Power windows were available, too! As for those early Falcons, PHEW! I drove a 1964 company car. No power, no comfort, center mounted turn signal indicator in lieu of a left and a right. Cheap, cheap, cheap. When the Falcon would die, the company let me use a 1964 Rambler 330. Beautiful! Comfortable, good visibility and height to the seat.
Both of those Falcons you saw in Eureka are owned by the same
guy – Broady.
Got a 61 delivery for sale 289 not matching from a 67 galaxy but the rest original..