1967 Ford Country Squire

When the Ford Country Squire name is mentioned, one often thinks of station wagons and woodgrain bodyside trim. Through eight generations, from 1950 through 1991, the Country Squire served as Ford's top-level, full-size station wagon, transporting youth to-and-from school and activities, getting parents to work, and making sure groceries were safely carried from the grocery store to the refrigerator.

The Country Squire was based upon the Ford Custom Deluxe and the Ford Crestline for its first two generations (1950 to 1954). From 1955 to 1964 (its next three generations of production), it was a distinct model range, initially wearing the same trim as the Ford Fairlane, later using the trim from the Ford Galaxie. It was a counterpart of the Ford LTD and the Ford LTD Crown Victoria for its final two generations.

The 1965 to 1968 (Sixth Generation) Ford Country Squire
The Country Squire began life in 1950 atop a 114-inch wheelbase and having a length of 208 inches. Its generous proportions were necessary for achieving its goal of mass transportation of people and luggage. It would shrink slightly over the ensuing years before growing to 209.8 inches in 1960 and a wheelbase size of 119 inches. With the introduction of the so-called 'Sixth Generation' in 1965, the Country Squire grew larger - albeit ever so slightly - at 210 inchs. It was given an all-new chassis, new styling, and had similar amenities and trim to the Galaxie 500. For buyers who wanted a less extravagant means of transportation, Ford offered the non-woodgrain Country Sedan which was outfitted similar to the standard Galaxie.

Buyers agreed with the changes and showed and rewarded the Country Squire with its best sales year to date, with 54,810 examples sold. Comparatively, 46,690 examples had been sold in 1964 and 39,168 in 1963 - both of these had been previous sales records, as sales typically hovered around 20,000 units annually.

Chassis Improvements
The Sixth Generation Ford Country Squire continued to use a 119-inch wheelbase size (the same as the previous generation), along with a perimeter frame configuration, but the frame rails were now fully-boxed, which improved its strength and rigidity. The front continued to be suspended via double-wishbones and a ball-jointed A-arm configuration, but its track width was widened to improve handling. The previous leaf spring setup at the rear was replaced by a three-link coil-sprung solid rear axle.

The length measured 210 inches, a width of 77.4 inches, and a height of 56.7 inches. The curb weight of nearly 4,300 pounds was slightly heavier than the previous generations weight of 4,135.

Engine Options
The previous 223 cubic-inch 'Mileage Maker' six-cylinder engine was replaced by a 240 cubic-inch 'Bix Six' inline-6 as the standard powerplant. It had overhead valves, a cast-iron block, seven main bearings, a Holley one-barrel carburetor, and delivered 150 horsepower at 4,000 RPM.

The three eight-cylinder engines from the previous generation continued to be listed on the options list, with the 289 CID V8 offering 200 horsepower, the 352 CID rated at 250 horsepower, and the 390 CID V8 at 300 hp. Two additional configurations of the 390 CID were introduced for 1966, with the two-barrel version producing 275 horsepower and the four-barrel version with 315 hp. Also new for 1966 was the 428 cubic-inch V8 with 345 horsepower.

Transmissions
Transmission options included a three-speed column-shift manual and a four-speed overdrive manual. The Ford-O-Matic 3-speed automatic was no longer offered, and the Cruise-O-Matic was replaced by several three-speed automatic units with the SelectShift name - the C4 was used on the inline-6 and small V8s, and the C6 was used with the larger V8s. A floor-shifted 4-speed manual was offered for the Country Squire with the 390 and 428 V8s only - and this was a 1967-only option.

Styling
Ford described its full-size 1965 Ford models as the 'Newest since 1949.' Luxury and comfort were integral parts of the equation, coupled with Ford's 'Total Performance' agenda. Styling continued to progress away from the flamboyant and flashy styling that had defined the 1950s, embracing a cleaner appearance with square lines and devoid of curves. At the front was a grille with thin horizontal bars flanked by dual, vertically positioned headlamps. The prominent side beltline was separated from the lower body lines by a single, horizontal feature line.

The Country Squire shared its doors with four-door Ford sedans, and its roofline was the same used by the Mercury Colony Park. The Ford and Mercury wagons were distinguished by different bodywork below the window lines, along with interior accouterments and accessories.

Interior
The third-row rear seat configuration was replaced for two (optional) flat-folding rear seats facing rearwards, towards the center of the cargo area.

Magic Doorgate
An engineer named Donald N. Frey designed a two-way tailgate for the 1966 model year that allowed the rear door to fold down or hinge open to the side. The tailgate used a traditional stationary hinge on the passenger side and a combination of hinges on the driver side. Unless the rear window was retracted, the rear door would not fold down or open to the side.

Production and Pricing
1965
The 1965 Ford Country Squire was priced at $3,040 with standard six-cylinder power and six-passenger seating, and the ten-passenger version at $3,110. With the standard V8, the 6-passenger Country Squire listed at $3,150 and the 10-passenger version at $3,215. The 10-passenger version was more popular with 30,502 examples sold, compared to 24,308 of the 6-passenger version. Combined production was 54,810 units.

1966
The 1966 Ford Country Squire 6-passenger, six-cylinder wagon was priced at $3,180 and the 10-passenger version at $3,265. With eight-cylinder power, the 6-passenger wagon listed at $3,290 and the higher occupancy version at $3,370. A total of 47,953 were built with 10-passenger seating and 27,645 with 6-passenger seating. Combined production reached 75,598 units.

1967
Total production for 1967 dipped slightly to 69,624 units, with 44,024 of the 10-passenger wagon and 25,600 of the six-passenger version. The six-cylinder, 6-passenger wagon was priced at $3,235, and the 10-passenger version at $3,360. The eight-cylinder version boosted the price by approximately $100.

1968
1968 was the most popular year for the sixth-generation Country Squire, with total output reaching 91,770 units. A total of 57,776 examples were the 10-passenger version and 33,994 of the 6-passenger version. The eight-cylinder, 6-passenger wagon listed at $4,015 and the 10-passenger wagon at $4,060.

The 1967 Ford Country Squire
The 1967 full-size Ford models were restyled, with updates to the grille and rounder fenders and tops. The stacked quad headlight theme continued, and the bodyside feature lines remained untouched. Energy-Absorbing steering wheels were a new feature, along with dual brake master cylinders.

The 'base' full-size station wagon was the Ranch Wagon and was priced at $2,840 with six-cylinder power. The Country Sedan was the intermediate trim level and the Country Squire was the top-of-the-line full-size wagon. The six-cylinder, 6-passenger Country Sedan was priced at $2,935 and the 9-passenger version at $3,060. The 6-passenger (six-cylinder) Country Squire listed at $3,235 and the 9-passenger version at $3,360 (width standard eight-cylinder power, the base price increased by approximately $100).

The Ranch Wagon was similarly trimmed to the Custom 500, the Country Sedan mirrored the Galaxy 500, and the Country Squire was trimmed like the LTD models. Thus, standard amenities on the Country Squire included a 289 cubic-inch V8 engine with 200 horsepower and a Cruise-O-Matic automatic transmission. There was a front console, automatic courtesy lights and warning lights in the door panels, pull-down armrests (in the front and rear), color-keyed steering wheel, and deep-foam cushioning in the seating surfaces.

The 289 cubic-inch V8 engine had overhead valves, a cast-iron block, a 4.0-inch bore, a 2.87-inch stroke, and 9.2:1 compression. There were seven main bearings and a Holley two-barrel carburetor.

Optional engines included a 390 CID V8 with 275 horsepower (two-barrel) or 315 horsepower (4-barrel carburetor). The 428 CID V8 produced 345 horsepower. Updates to the engine lineup for 1967 included the removal of the 352 CID FE V8, replaced by the 2-barrel version of the 390 CID V8.

by Daniel Vaughan | Apr 2024