1959 Ford Ranch Wagon — Pro-Street Custom Build with Small-Block V8 and Ford Cruise-O-Matic Why This Car Is Special The 1959 Ford Ranch Wagon occupies an interesting place in American automotive history. It was the entry-level model in Ford's full-size station wagon lineup that year, sitting below the Country Sedan and Country Squire but riding on the same 118-inch wheelbase platform shared across the entire 1959 Ford full-size range. What made the 1959 Ford particularly significant was its complete redesign — Ford debuted a lower, wider body that year with a bold horizontal grille and distinctive quad headlights stacked in pairs, a look that was a direct response to the fins-and-chrome excess of Chrysler and GM.

The result was a cleaner, more modern silhouette that held up better over time than many of its contemporaries. Station wagons were serious business for Ford in 1959. The Ranch Wagon was the two-door version of the lineup, which made it lighter and sportier than the four-door models.

The panoramic rear window — a feature that wrapped around the upper corners of the cargo area — was a genuine selling point at the time, giving the Ranch Wagon a sense of openness that competing wagons could not match. That rear glass treatment remains one of the most visually distinctive features of this body style. This particular 1959 Ford Ranch Wagon has been built as a pro-street custom.

It is not a stock preservation piece — it is a driver built for the road, with modern drivetrain upgrades and suspension work done to make it more capable and comfortable than any factory Ranch Wagon ever was. The red exterior is sharp against the tan vinyl interior, and the attention to detail throughout the build is evident from the undercoated undercarriage to the color-matched door handles. This is a car that has been thought through, not just pieced together.

Features List - Small-block V8 engine swap - Ford Cruise-O-Matic automatic transmission - Coilover front suspension - Rear sway bar - Upgraded shocks - Lowered stance - Power steering - Dual exhaust with side-exit tips - American Racing wheels - Air conditioning - Grant Classic wood rim steering wheel - Front and rear tan vinyl bench seats - Red seat belts - Custom door panels with color-matched red handles - Custom carpet - AM radio with factory-style dash integration - Clock - Tinted glass - Panoramic rear window - Custom pinstriping - Chrome front and rear bumpers - Fender-mounted chrome side mirrors - Custom valve covers - Open element air cleaner - Column shift selector - Undercoated undercarriage Mechanical Under the hood, this 1959 Ford Ranch Wagon has received a small-block V8 engine swap backed by a Ford Cruise-O-Matic automatic transmission. The Cruise-O-Matic was Ford's top automatic offering during this era — a three-speed unit introduced in 1958 that allowed the driver to select between a full-automatic mode and a manually controlled two-speed range, which Ford marketed as giving drivers more control on grades and in traffic. The fact that this build retains a Ford Cruise-O-Matic rather than substituting a later overdrive unit is a thoughtful choice that keeps the powertrain consistent with the car's Ford identity.

The transmission pan is finished in red and clearly stamped with the Cruise-O-Matic name, visible in the undercarriage photos. The engine bay shows custom valve covers in a polished finish and an open element air cleaner that feeds the carburetor directly. The air conditioning compressor is mounted on the driver's side of the engine, and the system has been plumbed cleanly through the firewall.

The engine bay itself is painted red to match the exterior. Underneath, the suspension has been completely reworked for street performance. The front end uses a coilover setup in place of the factory ball-joint suspension, which improves both handling and ride height adjustability.

The rear carries an upgraded sway bar — visible in the undercarriage