Eschewing Technology: 1966 Ford Falcon

Preamble:  a few years ago I bought a basket case Royal Enfield Bullet motorcycle. One of their ad slogans was "Untainted by technology".  Having progressed over the years from 1970s sports cars to a E36 M3, '06 Mustang and other 'modern' vehicles, I found working on something so simple totally refreshing. In fact, it revitalized my love of working on vehicles, something that had been unknowingly waning. I realized the newer crop of technology-laden (and arguably superior) vehicles held little appeal to this DIY guy. I got rid of the M3, (wisely) left the Mustang alone and started looking for something to take me back to my roots.

Things I had never owned:  1960s car. V8 that wasn't in a truck. A car in my favorite color (blue).

I like the weird and under-appreciated. My gravitational pull could easily have found me picking up an AMC/Rambler. However, being of a thinning-gray-hair age I knew the smart thing to do would be pick something with good parts and information availability. And I always gravitated toward Fords. No particular reason; I just liked them best. Mustangs were the 'easy button' solution as you can order an entire car from a catalog. But, re-read my first sentence. So, a third gen Falcon then, because I like boxy cars. And they are cheap; half the price of a comparable Mustang or earlier Falcon. After a marginally frustrating year + of searching I found my blank palette.

I apologize in advance regarding the photos for those who find this thread later.  My pics are hosted on FB and they tend to nuke the links after awhile for some reason. But here is a video detailing the car, and yes, I ramble on too much. 1966 Falcon project assessment

Cool car. The world needs more Falcon love.

GRM hosts pix now. No need to link from outside host. Use the mountain icon above.

In my head I had been planning such a 'build' for years. This car was my inspiration:

I was thinking of a period 'rally' look. The vintage wheels, stripe and blacked out trim parts sort of made me think Cortina GT. Lowered a bit, with more modern brakes and suspension but without straying too far from original (keep the leaf springs, for example). The Australians had essentially the same car, but only ever got the 4 door version.

It later evolved into the GT-HO.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't want a shaker scoop. I figured if the Aussies could make these cars handle decently, I should be able to as well.

So you're thinking, easy-peasy, it's just a Mustang. Uhm, no. The 66-70 Falcon parted company with the early Falcon/Mustang. It actually shares 90% of it's chassis with the same vintage Fairlane. A wider track and engine bay are two big advantages. Some parts interchange with 67-ish Mustangs but the plethora of aftermarket front end conversions, for example, won't fit. And don't even talk to me about shipping from Australia, exchange rates, etc.  So my Master Plan is still bubbling as I begin this journey.

Back to the car itself. I live in the northeast, so rust is a major concern. I've bought trucks from the south in the past to avoid the dreaded tinworm but I found the 'project car' search to be a bit more problematic. Most of what I found weren't the drive-it-home type of car, and I'd sold my car trailer with the M3. My belief was that finding something that could actually be driven would cut down on my willingness to drag home some awful engineless shell. Because my past was littered with those things, like many of you.

The blue '66 I wound up with is pretty remarkable in most ways for a car that spent the bulk of it's life in Maryland. There is no rust in the floors. The frame rails in the rear are solid. A lot of the factory red oxide primer is still visible underneath. But, it isn't perfect. It has some weird rust caused by holes that developed in the front wheel wells along with the usual quarter panel bubbles. I realized that finding one much better was probably impossible unless I drove days away to the southwest.

The upside is that these areas aren't particularly complex, and are in locations where my mediocre MIG welding skills will not be visible.  The outside of the car is PERFECT for me. The most expensive part of restoring a car is the paint and bodywork. I have no intention of painting it. I've had restored cars in the past and they are a giant PITA for someone like me who likes to drive more than polish. I think I'll try using Derek Bieri's "shine juice" to spruce it up.

MuSTANK, nothing at all wrong with a Mustang other than you'll see another one at every show you attend. I was shopping 65-66 coupes along with the Falcon search because I do have a deep affection for those, and the Easy Button aspect was really appealing. Unfortunately, the buy-in was at least twice as much unless they were complete turds (and a lot of them are). Are you keeping the six, or going down the swap rabbit hole with me?

In reply to ddavidv :

Though I prefer the square tails of 68-70, I too am drawn in by third gen Falcons.

Have you seen this recent development wrt front suspension? Link

ddavidv said:

And don't even talk to me about shipping from Australia, exchange rates, etc.

You can talk to me about shipping from Australia.   Thats how I got my Aussie 250-2V I6 for my Mustang.

V8s are the easy button when it comes to making power.

I prefer Rancheros of similar vintage.... Except I'm at completely disassembled and in body shop primer and I'm sure some missing parts. 

The Speed Kinetics thing uses Fox body steering rack and struts which must be sourced separately. I'm of an opinion that a Fox suspension isn't much of an upgrade.  Jumping ahead in the story a bit, I made a deal for these for about half of what they cost. Currently in transit.

My current two main goals are to lower the car and get rid of the Death Springs.  My super deal wound up costing what a pair of lowered springs and new shocks would have been. I'm curious but skeptical on how these Viking brand coil overs will work.

ddavidv said:

I'm curious but skeptical on how these Viking brand coil overs will work.

They work decent for what they are. Lots of late model Mustang guys use them because they are the only option for under a grand.

So yes, the car is a six. These Falcons were overshadowed by the Mustang, obviously. Most buyers were thrifty transportation folks, so didn't spring for the 289 very often. Though you could get a top loader 4 speed behind a V8, most were saddled with 3 speed column shift manuals or a C4. The 200 cubic inch six banger puts out 110hp (old method). The good news is the car only weighs about 2500 lbs.

Issues with buying a six car vs a V8 car are the suspension (4 lug hubs) and rear axle (7.75 ring gear made of glass). Mine is a C4, so if I go T-5 conversion I'll need all the pedals and linkage for a manual. And, the bolt on frame mounts for the small block V8 are different than the six.

Yes, anything up to a 460 would fit, but I like the compact, light SBF.  Installing something larger negates the joy of that low curb weight. 289/302 is what we're after. Toyed a 351W but more expense for little gain, and not as plentiful. While my original mental blueprint as a T-5 transmission I'm presently waffling on keeping an automatic. There are reasons, which we'll get to later.

So yeah, aluminum intake and heads (eventually) with a Edelbrock carb because I don't like Holleys and their fuel spilling side bowls. The main question currently is, flat tappet or roller block? The latter doesn't have provisions for the original clutch linkage.

As for the rear axle, Mustang/Fairlane 8" bolts right in. Sure, I could get an 8.8 but it would have to be narrowed, have brackets cut off and perches added, etc.  And the much-loved Explorer rear doesn't have a centered diff, before you suggest it. I don't really want to screw around with all that fab work and expense. And a 9 inch is really heavy and probably unnecesary.

Then there is the issue of brakes. Predictably, the car has 4 wheel drums and a single outlet master cylinder with no power assist. I hate drum brakes. HATE. Yes, you can make them work well if they are set up right, blah blah blah. You will never diminish my hatred for working on these things with their 32 springs, cables and levers. Though...I'll probably keep them on the rear, because the rears don't do much and there is the parking brake to deal with.

Scarebird makes a very affordable conversion to single pot discs.  https://scarebird.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=65&product_id=126

It uses Chevy Celebrity calipers and Previa rotors. Cost with all the parts is around $500. If I want twin pot, period Mustang calipers and 5 lugs I'll spend twice that, not including master cylinder/booster.  Yes, there is Wilwood, Baer, etc but cost prohibitive, not serviceable at any local parts store and does a guy really need rip your face off brakes?

Well, that depends. My original vision was a much stronger, more expensive pro-touring type build that could do a few track days. However, my advance thinning/gray hair age has made me question what I would really use the car for. I'm now leaning more toward a Power Tour/occasional autocross type car.  I see comfort becoming an actual criteria. I'm actually thinking of keeping the bench seat and the column shift autotragic. An a/c kit doesn't sound like a bad way to spend money. Just how far do we go? My thinking now is I try the obvious essentials (springs, lower, sway bar, discs, powah) and let it evolve over time as demands/desires dictate. I'll spend less in the short term and get to use it more, and sooner.

Which brings us to the present, and the actual work I've done on the car.  I've been lax in taking photos but have been making videos for my YT channel instead. Linky-loo here. Because it's a cool new toy I've just been trying to make it sea worthy. After owning/working on it a few weeks I've come to the conclusion this car needs everything. This poor thing is totally worn out almost everywhere. It had a few things done to it before I got it:  new fuel tank, pump, ignition parts, radiator, some brake hydraulics, battery and tires. The carb was also 'rebuilt' but...well, we'll get to that. The clear problem was the exhaust manifold was cracked.

This was the first stage in "annoyed I have to spend money on stuff I'll just be replacing/not using later" parts replacement. Predictably, I snapped off three of the bolts, which meant pulling the head. The manifold was JUNK.

$115 later I had a brand new one. I also spent $23 on new, proper hardware vs trusting all the old junk. Pulling the head was easy, and it allowed me to deal with the obliterated valve seals (seen in the videos). Now that I could hear the engine and not die of exhaust fumes I could tell the car was running like crap. I took the carb apart and found a rebuild kit had been installed but the bowl was still full of crud. I gave it a pass through my ultrasonic and freed up the totally seized accelerator pump. At present, it seems to work as it should, though I'm still struggling to find the source of a vacuum leak somewhere.

The gas smelled like varnish despite the new tank and other parts. The new tank conveniently had a drain plug, so...

I wound up with something like 8 gallons of 'mower fuel'. Lovely.

MuSTANK said:

In reply to ddavidv :

How about the V8 spindles to go along with that coil-over kit? Any luck in sourcing them? Are you gonna do the Shelby drop as well? That's on the list for my Mustang for sure.

Not sure with the Falcons, but for the Mustangs in '67 they shared the same spindle for drum and disc, you just need to buy the bracket to hold the calipers and then the discs and calipers.

Nice looking Falcon you have there, friend!  I'm working my way through getting my 67 Falcon wagon into fighting shape as well, and can definitely say that it's to your benefit that so many Mustang parts bolt right on.  There are a few platform-specific bits here and there, but you'll discover that most things bolt up with no modification.

Funnily that same white Aussie coupe was quite an inspiration for me as well... and in general the Aussies make it clear that Falcons can run as hard as any classic mustang can, so if that's your intention you picked a great platform to start from, without paying "Mustang Dollars" for it.

I'm in for this build, have fun!

Mr_Asa said:

Not sure with the Falcons, but for the Mustangs in '67 they shared the same spindle for drum and disc, you just need to buy the bracket to hold the calipers and then the discs and calipers.

For V8 cars, yes they are the same spindle for both Mustangs and Falcons.  Since my wagon came with a 289 from the factory, I was able to take off the drums and bolt on Kelsey Hayes (OEM) style replacements.  Super easy!

For 6 cylinder cars though (4 bolt hub) I'm pretty sure it's a no-go, and the only solution is to find a spindle from V8 car or switch to a Granada spindle based conversion kit.

I love the old Ford builds going on here these days!
 

I'm working on a '69 Cougar convertible with similar performance goals.   I went further down the performance path-suspension, brakes, steering-with Street or Track.   They make some solid stuff with track rated provenance.   Great guy to work with too!

You had me with the GT-HO.

jerrysarcastic (Forum Supporter) said:

Mr_Asa said:

Not sure with the Falcons, but for the Mustangs in '67 they shared the same spindle for drum and disc, you just need to buy the bracket to hold the calipers and then the discs and calipers.

For V8 cars, yes they are the same spindle for both Mustangs and Falcons.  Since my wagon came with a 289 from the factory, I was able to take off the drums and bolt on Kelsey Hayes (OEM) style replacements.  Super easy!

For 6 cylinder cars though (4 bolt hub) I'm pretty sure it's a no-go, and the only solution is to find a spindle from V8 car or switch to a Granada spindle based conversion kit.

For '67 they are the same.  You don't need to find anything different.

For '68 and '69 you can use '67 disc parts

https://www.cjponyparts.com/tech-spindles/a/151/

Very cool project!

I share a lot of the priorities you mention* and I'm super excited to follow along.

Now...off to view and subscribe to your video channel.

* Including but not limited to:

Desire to wrench on something unencumbered by modern technology

Extreme hatred for (working on) drum brakes

A/C is more important than the ability to stand it on its nose.

Wanting a 351W but not wanting to pay for all the parts to put a 351W where a 289/5.0 could go.

I also often enjoy the offbeat cousin-cars for what they are (like my foxbody collection being mostly Fairmont ;))

Mr_Asa said:

For '67 they are the same.  You don't need to find anything different.

For '68 and '69 you can use '67 disc parts

https://www.cjponyparts.com/tech-spindles/a/151/

Awesome, your Ford knowledge is strong; I'm happy to get schooled here! :)

If you are going to embrace the primative technologies, then EMBRACE them.

Original design SU Carb adaptation to the Ford six by Ak Miklker in the early sixties

And a modern interpretation (I saw this car in fall 2020 in Wenatchee WA. The owner indicates the car drives well

And there is dedicated Ford Six website and aprimary supplier (not clifford) that developed an improve aluminum version of the Aussie 2V head.

Nothin; like good six to clear your head

One thing about these cars is, even in the Falcon community, they are red-headed step children. I began a FB group for them several years ago called "Forgotten Falcons" that is now 2600 members strong. One of the things I did was add a few parts interchange lists to our 'files' section.  The spindle is the same as Mustang/Cougar 67-69 and disc or drum doesn't matter. Control arms also are shared but the lowers are '67 Mustang only. ALL of the front end parts are the same as Fairlane though. In fact, the cars are so identical the entire front body clip (fenders, hood, etc) from a Fairlane can bolt right on.

I'll look into the Ebay kit. Since the car has brand new 14" tires it would be nice to be able to use them for the time being, though I'll have to get some 5 lug steelies.

We haven't talked about the interior yet. The 'theme' of the car will probably be similar to David Freiburger's 'Disgustang'. I want the outside to look 'old' but the cockpit needs to be nicer. This is guided by a) the PO's repainting of a lot of the interior steel (about the only thing he did well) and 2) the hopeless condition of the carpet and front seat.

Base models got the rust-your-floor-out rubber mat and full vinyl seats. This is a Futura, so has loop pile carpet and cloth insert seats. Unfortunately, the cloth inserts are disintegrating. As in, every time I get out of the car fragments of it are following me. As I mentioned, I was originally going to go semi-modern buckets (Sports Coupe buckets are heavy, expensive and offer zero bolster). But, the bench is really growing on me, and the diminished emphasis on corner carving supports keeping it. The fabric is available, though not cheap. There doesn't seem to be a recovering kit that I could DIY it, which is a bummer. This is looking like a major expense.

The headliner is passable, for now. It has some tears and splits but the bulk of it is intact. These cars pretty much require the front and back glass be out to install a new one. The windshield has the original Carlite logo on it, so doubt it has ever been changed. The dash pad is cracked, like every single one in existence. It's not terrible though. Just Dashes charges about a grand to re-do it. The rear deck is junk and has some Wal-Mart 6x9s stuck in it. Those are cheap to replace though. Carpet kits are under $300 just at a casual glance. The plastic chrome dash trim is all gone, leaving an ugly vanilla colored raw plastic. I'd really like these to be chrome again but that's not cheap to do. I've successfully painted similar parts with 'chrome' paint in the past, and it looks passable.

The door cards are shockingly nice and I won't do anything but give them a cleaning. Even the arm rests are in good shape. The doors have a few issues though. This window won't stay up fully, and the door locking mechanisms seem to have minds of their own. I almost got locked out of the car the first week I had it, despite the key in my hand. And, both hinges are missing the springs that work the detents, which is apparently common. I found the remnants of one spring in the glovebox.

In regards to the six, I'm generally a fan of straight six engines. It's not a consideration here, as the entire purpose of this project car was to get me the V8 'hot rod' I never had in my youth. Additionally, the small six is nothing more than a workhorse. The log manifold is a major hurdle, and the cost of hop-up parts makes no sense compared to a SBF.  Lastly, this thing is tired and should have a complete rebuild.

ddavidv said:

I began a FB group for them several years ago called "Forgotten Falcons"

Hat tip to you, good sir! I found your group last week after the white Falcon pic in the pre-67 cars thread threw me back down the third gen rabbit hole.

Fantastic resource, thank you.