Here in NW Illinois, we are getting our January weather late – as I left for work this morning (March 20), it was fourteen degrees out. On the official first day of spring. Curses! It seems like a long, long time until I can check out some car shows and cruise-ins in hospitable weather, so I decided to share this ’63 Country Sedan from last September.
As most CCers know, station wagons tend to live hard lives and are not usually saved for posterity. Of those few lucky longroofs, the flossier fake-wood-sided models like Town & Countrys, Colony Parks and Country Squires are more likely to make the cut. So I was impressed upon sighting this mid-line Country Sedan at the Hooters car show–where the ’65 Colony Park and matching Airstream were just a few rows over.
While it does sport late-model Ranger alloys and modern rubber, it was remarkably original otherwise. I also dug the black paint and red interior–very attractive colors for a wagon. Weren’t most of these light blue, white or tan?
The Country Sedan was one step below the full-boat Country Squire, and was available in $2938 six-passenger and $3042 nine-passenger versions. Those MSRPs are for the V8 model; with a six the sticker dropped to $2829 and $2933, respectively.
Production was not broken down by engine, but a grand total of 64,954 six-passenger and 22,250 nine-passenger Country Sedans were produced that year. Who knows how many have survived to 2013? One thing is certain: This is the only one I’ve seen so far!
I have always liked these early 1960s Ford wagons. I wonder if there was some customization done inside, as the dash panels had some brightwork on them, which this car does not seem to have. Unless the owner started with a strippo Ranch Wagon and added the Country Sedan bits outside. I can’t say I much care for the tires and wheels, but it is a very nice wagon.
I am particularly struck by the slope of the back of the car – very stylish, though certainly not as utilitarian as the 1965 and up wagons.
The 1963 Ford line was a very good looking car, one of my favorites as a kid. In 1964-65, my father drove a 63 Bel Air wagon that was a company car. I always wished it had been a Ford wagon. As a long-time Ford guy, I suspect that he had wished that too. When he got a new one in December of 65 (when it was now his turn to pick it out) it was a 66 Country Squire-with the wood.
Country sedans had Galaxie 500-level brightwork on the exterior with the low-rent interior. In 1965, they actually added a so-called “Decor Group” that added Country-Squire trim, complete with backup lights and clock. Here’s the ’63.
The ’64.
yup the Explorer wheels are a poor choice for it. it is a good looking car otherwise!
Love seeing old American wagons without wood. The other day, I saw a 88+ country squire without wood. It was in really good shape, and I loved the look without wood. I can’t even remember the last time I saw a 80s ford wagon without wood. It was also something how out of place it looked in a modern parking lot.
My ’87 Caprice Classic was wood(decal)-free, which I though kept it looking fresher longer. Although it did still wind up rusting. (Midwest road salt will do that.)
When I was young we had a ’64 Buick LeSabre wagon without the “wood” that I would wash and wax on occasion…that was a loooong afternoon.
The 63 Fords were all great lookers,a high spot in style
When I was a very small boy, my grandmother had a non-running 60s Ford wagon, white, no di-noc, in the driveway. I hadn’t thought about it in a very long time but holy frijoles, I remember the trim strip between the tail lights. Hers had to be a ’63!
Re: subject car dashboard picture – does this car have the optional ‘Swing A-way” steering column? I’m looking at the bend in the shift lever necessary to clear the dash when the wheel is pushed (swung over) 10 inches to the right. I’m thinking regular columns had a ‘straight’ shift lever for the automatic transmission. Can anyone else confirm?
Mr. Bill
Hamlet, NC
Mr. Bill, if I recall correctly the Swing-a-Way wheel was only offered in the T-Bird. The kink in the shifter on the subject car may be there to clear the transmission indicator. IIRC, Ford kept their transmission quadrant on the steering column until the mid 70s on some models-my ’71 Torino had one like the feature car’s.
Swing-Away was offered in 1963-65 full-sized Fords, but this one doesn’t have it. All the auto levers were like that. You can spot 1963-64 Swing-away cars by looking at the notch in the dash for the steering column. They elongated that opening to the right by several inches, so it more of a slot than semi-circular. The 1965 had a somewhat different setup, owing to all new dash (all new car for that matter). I have seen very few in real life but 2 unusual ones come to mind.
For years and years, there was a pinky-red 1964 Galaxie 500 4 door sedan(!)
in my town that had every option, including the above mentioned item plus AC. I used to see it parked sometimes and just shook my head. Who ordered that!? If only it was a 2-door hardtop.
The second was a 1964 Meteor Breezeway 4 door sedan, with a 223 six, auto, power steering and little else but it had the Swingaway. Another head shaker.
You can’t really see it, but you can imagine why the opening had to be elongated.
This need for a slot was solved with the introduction of the Tilt-Away column around (no later than) the 1969 MY.
Except that the 1967-69 Tilt-Away was never offered on Galaxies. Only Cougars, Mustangs and T-Birds. I always thought it strange that the MK-III never offered it, despite being a sister to the ‘Bird.
In fact, big Fords had no adjustable column of any type in 1966-67, finally offering a tilt-only column in 1968.
Interesting! I never knew the Swing-Away SW was offered in anything but the T-Bird.
Thanks guys – I was looking at the bottom of the dash and thinking about the set-up needed tor the column to swing over but was really going by the shift lever and the bend in it. I was thinking the lever was straighter on the fixed columns.
I think Ford figured they needed this as an option on the regular Fords to counter the tilt wheel option initially offered by GM in 63 for their full-size models.
Interesting enough, all of the swing-aways that I have actually seen have been on console shift models with the exception of one ’65 LTD.
Mr. Bill
Hamlet, NC
Your memory may be playing tricks on you. Ford never bothered tooling up for a Swing-Away with anything other than a column shift. That’s what all T-Birds were, and that’s what you got in Galaxie, too, even if it was an XL. The plate covering the shift slot on so-equipped XL’s is made of unobtanium.
Looking back at a few pictures that I have taken – you are right – there is the column shift lever. Predominantly these have been in XL’s – both 63 and 64 models and I guess the buckets and consoles threw me off.
The one 65 was an LTD two door – no mistaking the column shift in that one.
Mr. Bill
I saw one of these, a very nice red Country Sedan, not far from home a few years ago. It had obviously been kept up nicely or restored and probably had new paint. I don’t know how common red was for Country Sedans, but it did look good.