Projects 61 Falcon - Father Son Project

I ran my original 144 for a few years, with no mods. Eventually the carburetor had to go, when the plastic accelerator pump arm broke (drove for 6-months without it). I put a Weber 32/36 and and HEI on it and ran it for several more years. I still have that engine on the shelf in the shop.

X2 on the vented cap!

 

I just noticed that the sticker on the valve cover has a part number that starts with D1DE. That would make it a 1971 valve cover, and the oil fill cap is not correct, as it is not vented.

 

I believe that Stant 10071 will take care of the cap issue. Should be about $6-7.

 

A nice (and cheap) up grade is to run relays to the hi/lo beam headlights & to the horn. These old Falcon/(M-word) cars Ford made run almost all the electrical stuff through the turn signal switch or headlight switch.
IF you make the mistake of using more modern halogen headlights there's a good(or bad) chance the circuit breaker built into the headlight switch will overheat and lift when it gets hot!
Which means when you're tooling down the road late at night .....the lights will go out! Once the circuit breaker cools it will close and the lights will work again......for a while! Then dark again.
(Ask me how I know this)
Relays will solve this...and make the lights brighter....and take some of the electrical load off the light switch. A triple win
6sally6

 

Same. That happened to me, and now I have relays.

 

I did have one on my 63. Mfg difference?

 

Did have one what?

 

WOW! Thanks for all the replies and comments!

I just ordered the Stant 10071 breather cap, the relays on the headlights is a good idea. We may go that route.

gimpyshotrods - I'm not sure if we will have to rebuild the suspension or not. We have never gotten teh car off the dollies since we bought it. But as soon as the brakes are done, we can drive it and see how it is. Those strut rods you have sound great! Modifying the stops is no big deal.

Thanks!

 

Gimpyshot rods.
We were talking Monte Carlo bars, and you said they did not fit. I replied that I had one, Monte Carlo bar on my 63. I said Different manufacture.

 

Does anybody make a one piece export bar for the Falcon?
I have one on my (M-word) along with the Monte Carlo bar and 1" front sway bar.
This mod took ALL the sway and wallowing out of the front suspension!!
With the Shelby drop (a free mod BTW) and the corrected alignment numbers it will handle like a sports car
(seriously!)

+2.0* - 3.5* caster
0 camber NO + camber
1/16" - 1/8" toe-in
No more than .25* between pass/side & driver/side.
6sally6

 

Yes, it HAS to be Falcon-specific, or you get to cut and weld.

 

If you mean the diagonal bars that run from the shock towers to the firewall, no.

On the early Falcons, at least, they are a components that are welded in at the factory. If you see a Falcon with them missing, someone cut them out, and the chassis is likely bent and cracked.

 

Also, it should be noted:

What is sometimes referred to as a gravel guard, that covers the outside of the coil spring, and provides a location for the upper control arm bump stop was intended to be part of the body structure.

Leaving them out can lead to shock tower cracking, often down below by the upper control arm, where it is not directly attributed to them being missing.

Ford did not put thick metal parts in for no discernable reason.

 

Aw Haaa! They are NOT removable . I see!
Yep the shock towers are indeed a large part of the structural integrity of the Ford's "better idea" front end.
They CAN be notched to gain clearance when swapping engines BUT.....the notch needs to be replaced with a C-shaped piece to tie it all back together again.
Coil overs...that replace the front spring/shock combo take up a LOT less room in the tower allowing an even BIGGER chunk to be removed.
Added adjustability of car height and ride is a bonus to the swap.
Still need to re-reinforce the notched area for strength and stiffness.
It's just money
6sally6

 

We got a bit done yesterday. We buttoned up the underhood wiring, and installed an electronic ignition. We also got the door locks installed. We ended up using brake line clips to hold in the lock cylinders, which was a nice way to show my son how to modify a part to make it work in a new way.

I gathered up the chrome, and here is what we have...



It was nice to find the turn signal stalk!


What parts am I missing from these door handles? Seems like there should be a spring and some sort of a retainer. I may have to get creative if these parts aren't available...



We may have to move the car outside for a few weeks in order to make some room in the shop, so the next steps are to get a good cover for it, and try to get the door handles and trunk lock and gas filer installed. The less places for a critter to get in, the better!

 

There isn't a spring needed for the door handles. The interal door latch mechanism basically keeps it spring loaded. New handles are available but the button part needs to be drilled out because later models had a different shaft length. It looks like your buttons are not the same length. Are they both off your car, or maybe one isn't seated all the way in.

 

I’m not sure if they are for sure off the car or not, but they are slightly different. One has 2 tabs that keep it from rotating in the handle. Is there a retainer of some sort that keeps the push bottom part from going in too far?

 

I had to look at my old handles.. on those there is a retainer and spring for the button. You do have an old and new version button. I can post a picture of the old style assembled.
I put new handles on mine. The old chrome didn't cut it next to the new paint.

 

You might be able to substitute some............"M-word" door handles for the Falcon.
NPD and other "M-word" vendors sometimes carry Falcon parts too.
6sally6

 

Here is a picture of one of my old handles. I have another but not sure if I have the spring and retainer. It would take some digging but if you want them I can send them. I don't need them and only kept to help out someone who might need them.

1961_Door Handle by Georelle posted Dec 18, 2021 at 1:48 PM

 

That picture helps a ton. Let me see if I can make some retainers. If I can’t I may hit you up for the used ones you have!

Thanks!

 

We haven't been able to work on the Falcon lately as my son and I both have Covid. We are past the quarantine stage, but are still going to stay away from everyone for another 10 days at least. The lasts thing I want it to pass it to someone else.

In the mean time I had a chance to 3D print some spring retainers for the door buttons. I got a spring from an old self inking stanp, and cut it in half. It works perfect for the springs!

 

That sucks. I hope you both feel better soon.

 

Thanks! We actually feel ok. Just staying home to not spread it.

 

great looking job

 

Great bonding object! Here is a small inspiration..

 

Small Update, nothing major...

We got the outside and inside door handles and window cranks installed. The 3D printed parts worked perfectly. We also got the fuel filler tube and gas cap on. Now we can put gas in it like a normal car instead of a funnel in the trunk... LOL. We also got the trunk lock and latch working correctly, so the trunk will stay closed.

 

We had a nice time working on the car last night. We got a decent amount done...

The instrument cluster was completely disassembled. We got it back together, and got it in the car temporarily. We need to get new bulbs for it, and land a couple wires, but we forgot the schematic at home.



We also got the headlight switch and the taillights wired. We ended up with a MOPAR style switch, but it worked out really nice... My son is stoked to have all the lights working. We do need to get a new dimmer switch though, so Im not sure if these are the brights or not that are on in the pic.



The next step is to get the column put back together, and button up the wiring. Then its onto the power brake conversion!

I have a couple questions.

GAUGES:
1. I know the oil pressure sender is for the idiot light. I was thinking of "T"ing off at the same port for an actual oil pressure gauge, not just a light. IS there a better place on these motors to put an oil pressure sender?

2. Does anyone have a recommendation for a set of accessory gauges that will look decent with this car? I usually see the small under dash gauges, but maybe there is something that will work/look better in this application.

I want to add an oil pressure and a voltage gauge for sure. Possibly a tach. I assume that the gas and water temp gauges work, but I will make sure of that before I install any accessory gauges.

Thanks Again for all the help and advice!!



Where's Waldo? LOL

 

Will I need to use a instrument panel voltage regulator still? Or will the internally regulated alternator and new harness make it so I don’t need too?