Features Doing Falcons Right

I asked because when people start to have a hard time turning these it usually means they have a tiny little modern wheel on them. I was gonna suggest putting a stocker back on for a day or two, but that aint gonna work!
I laughed at my girlfriend when she "ordered" our wagon from me, 'cause she was mad that I wasn't even gonna try to put power steering on it. "Must have, can't turn without!!!" First time she drove it she was so excited that I "figure our power steering", 'cause it turns easier than her Honda. Big difference is it goes where it's pointed too.... God I hate that Honda!

 

Lol, it actually turns easier than my junker OT car, but that's because the N!$$@n has busted power steering. Spending all my car time and money on the Comet so I can ditch the other car. Maybe buy a truck.


I only really notice the heavy steering when parking. I'd like increased steering speed for the sake of driving too fast through tight turns, u-turns, that kind of stuff. The big goal is for the car to drive more like a modern sports sedan without getting too stupid with modern parts.


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Mine was a custom set up and isn't what anyone else would buy.

The power version starts at about $2300.00, plus $700 for the trick pump kit.

The manual kit is about $1500.00

 

One thing I loved about my GT6 was that at full lock the inside wheel was at almost a 90* angle to the car. Made parallel parking a breeze. I suppose that's all but impossible on a Falcon chassis?


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I keep threatening to buy this kit:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/350441305165?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

The dude selling 'em sent me the instructions- I think he said it uses Eldorado calipers...

 

I looked at similar kits. I wound up just going with 10"x3" drums from a late model Ranger. I'm not racing so I figured drums would do. The biggest hassle in the swap was elongating the holes in the backing plate to make them fit. I figured the slight loss in strength was made up for with them being clamped in behind the bearing retainer as opposed to being stand alone stock.

I peeked at some of the factory rear disk set ups. Seems it'd be easier to swap one of those than adapt something else.

Honestly I think after what I did in hindsight I would just narrow a factory 8.8 instead. Get the discs and a limited slip at the same time.


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I hear ya'.

I'm not anxious to do a disc swap on the rear- I'm already running 75-77 Granada discs on the front and 2.5 x 10 drums on the rear.

I just recently found and installed the correct Granada preportioning valve after running round with an adjustable valve.

I was never happy with the front/rear brake bias with the adjustable but I like it just fine now...


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I have the CSRP kit with the adjustable valve. I haven't tweaked it yet as I haven't felt the need to.

I need to take advantage of all this rain we're having and go skid around a big parking lot.


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I'd say No for one reason - Those Eldo caliper are shear misery to set up properly and keep properly adjusted. The have a one way ratchet that works through the parking brake, which in itself doesn't sound too bad, until your doing initial set up and go 1 hair trigger click past what's right and find yourself taking the whole damn thing apart to reset. Mine on my Plymouth will be in the scrap heap VERY soon.

 

Ahh- sounds a lot like the SAAB 900 front calipers I used to deal with on a daily basis- thanks for the heads up!


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Honestly, a Shelby drop, some good quality shocks (min. KYBs, Better Bisteins) a mild lowering, reasonable sized quality radials, some disc brakes on the front and a general refreshing of what's there and you'd be very surprised at how well these handle.

Where you and I differ is a more modern handling. I drive nothing but vintage cars, 24/7. I've never owned anything newer than my '71 Maverick that I just sold for being just a bit to new for my tastes. When Judy dragged that P.O.S. '12 Honda home last fall, I damn near told her to find new accommodations. I call it "the impurity", and hate every second that I chauffer her around in it. If that's considered reasonable handling for new car people, this world needs an adjustment!

 

Shelby drop, check
KYB shocks, check
New springs all around, check
205/60 15 tires, check

Right now as far as hard handling goes the tires are my problem. They don't quite fit inside the rear wells. I've rolled the edge of the fender but they still scrub occasionally. Has me scared to really slam it into a turn for fear of having a blow out.


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Oh yeah! And the Granada discs up front, big drums in the back! Along with all fresh rubber bits and such.

Since the changes I'm yet to push it through a corner hard enough I get the tires to screaming except on wet asphalt.


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I'm running 235/50-17 on a 7" rim on the front and 255/50-17 (soon to be a 275) on a 9" rim on the rear on my 63 convert . It sticks pretty well in the turns now

 

Louver Guy, Do you have part numbers for F/R Bilstiens?

I can't seem to find the application numbers for a 63 Futura Sedan anyplace....

 

I don't yet, truthfully, I'm still on KYBs on this car. I did use front shocks for a Mustang II application on the front, and machined a shaft with flats so it would mount to the stock spring saddles. This accomplished a couple things, the Mustang II shocks are shorter by a good inch or so, and they have a bump stop built in at the top of the shock's travel. I have Bilstien's on everything else I own though and they are as close to a magic bullet for suspension and handling as I have found.

 

Just for the sake of aesthetics I don't want to go any bigger than a 15" wheel... they seemed HUGE to me after having the 13s for so long.

How do those rear fit? Narrowed axle? Radiused fenders? Like I said, with the 205 tires I have some scrubbing, I do have enough room to have more backspacing though, these are just the rims I found. Proper offset I figure I could go maybe an inch wider with no problems, I think these are 6.5" wide rims now? Stock Crown Vic from the '80s or early '90s.

 

I have grafted front fender openings to the rear fender in order to get the 9" rim in there.


Font suspension is Boxed Stock lower control arms with a Spherical bearing pivot. Global West tubular Upper A Arms with a dropped mounting. Adjustable Tension rids with a spherical bearing at the front, and Koni adjustable shocks. Rear is a triangulated 4 bar with coil overs

 

Don, I don't remember seeing those wheels on the car back when you posted a shot of your way cool R apron, or am I just more burnt out than usual?

 

Yep they were on it when I posted the R Apron shot

 

Great work hotroddon! It looks like it has always been that way.
I got to work on my wagon today, & I got some bumper work done. It does not yet look like it always is has been that way . I still have a ton of work to do, but the bumper will tuck nicely into the fender eventually... with a big enough hammer

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Is that a Comet bumper? - nice job

 

On my 60 Wagon I'm having to run an adjustable valve on my brake system because of the 4 wheel disc got to put some heat in the rear tires somehow valve is on the left hand side of the drivers seat. Tires I'm running P215/70R15 on the front Tread 6" Diameter 26.9 Wheels 15x7::245/60R15 on the rear Tread 8" Diameter 26.6 Wheels 15x8:::: When I started this project I thought Great a Falcon this shouldn't be to hard

 

Veach, you got any pics?

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Thanks, and yes it is
Is there a way besides acid dipping to remove the Chrome? If not, does anyone know of a good place to get the chrome removed in the Orange County area?

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Any chrome shop can do it for you, and it doesn't have to be the finest quality shop either. It's basically the same process as plating the bumper, but with the electrodes reversed so it pulls the chrome nickel and copper off the bumper and on to the electrode.

 

Not of the valve at this time but I can take some Sunday I do of the rest of it and I have to say the rear turned out real nice started out with a Currie 9" and a R&C 4 link but we redesigned it moved the torque boxes to the inside of the frame then tied it all together with the subframe connectors.Just click the Wagon to see

 

Hey, I'll throw this up here not fully expecting a complete answer. Last fall when I did the under hood stuff on the wagon, I called up falconparts.com and bought a small piggyback voltage regulator that bolts on to the back of a typical Ford motorcraft alternator and converts it to "one wire" type operation. This week it apparently had a bad hair day and stopped regulating, leaving me stranded at the local MacDonald's looking for a jump start on a 114 degree day.... fun fun FUN!!! My question is, does anybody know what the actual industrial application is for this little thing? I know it is probably from a fork lift or tractor or something. I'd love to be able to source this locally if it ever happens again instead of waiting on the mail.

 

How about this?

http://store.alternatorparts.com/7078-12volt-bcircuit-conversion-regulator.aspx

 

Aren't the one wire alternators internally regulated, so you only have to run the wire to the battery? That is how it works on my chevy truck.

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