Projects 1960 Ford Falcon

I am seeing palm trees and California plates.

What part of the state are you in?

 

I am in Sacramento. I see you’re in SF

 

It was my first guess, as it is not sunny enough for the greater LA Area.

There are several metric tons of hot rodders in the Sac area.

I would get a compression check on this engine before doing anything to it.

You'll want to make sure that it is in good shape.

 

Congrats on your year.. … … what you have will always be a dog. A 144 and automatics just were. Since the intakes were cast into the head add anything thru an adapter is minimal at best.
Suggestions on making what you have as good as you can are real. A 170” would be step up but finding a running 200” from a Mustang with an automatic is great info and where you should aim your $$$. If you can get the complete rear with it is all the better as it will be stronger too.
Brakes on these econoboxes were also the minimum. I’m sure later Mustang/Falcons would be better.
Good luck and have fun.

 

Yes, and no. Two-barrel adapters customarily have a cone inside that tapers to the original opening.

I stuff the plenum tightly with rags, and open the hole up as big as it will go, and then vacuum out the chips.

My 200 has a 2-barrel non-carburetor on it, mounted directly over one big hole.

That makes 202-horsepower at the wheels.

 

"what you have will always be a dog. A 144 and automatics just were" Dyno proof of a dog.

 

How many horsepower is enough to have an enjoyable evening cruise?

 

Right on top, Gimpy. Good advice, hope the new Falcon guy takes it!
My sons (2 of them) have Pintos, and are deep into them. I had a Pinto, it was gifted to me.
I gifted it to one of the detailers at the BMW dealer where I was employed. Had it a whole 2 weeks. Just didn't fit me.

 

That little Falcon looks good. If you need a HP upgrade, listen to @gimpyshotrods. I'd get the current engine running as well as possible first. Then if you think you need a little more power, look for a 200 to work over, while you are driving it. It will be way cooler when you open the hood, than putting a 5.0 in there (not to mention the work to do it). I had a friend in high school that had a metallic blue 6 cyl Falcon w/ 13" 4 bolt mags. That thing was cool! Then, he put a V8 in it, 5 lug rear end, and it lost something. Not every car has to do 11 second 1/4s.

 

I still want a Pinto Crusing Wagon.

 

What were the results?

 

My parents bought a '60 four door Falcon when they first came out. I have no idea what six-cylinder engine it had but I do remember that it was a three-speed manual trans. I was only 9 years old in 1960 so by the time I was old enough to drive it was long gone. They drove this thing all over Missouri and always kept up with traffic.

 

The early Falcons had four main bearings. When the Mustang came out in 1965, the engine was upgraded to seven mains, so it’s a stronger base to work off of.
My aunt bought a new Falcon with a 144 and stick shift in 1961, when she gout her teaching degree. It wasn’t fast, but would easily do the speed limit.

My dad bought a 71 Maverick with the 3200 and C4, and I remember it being a decent performer, although my grandpa’s same year Comet with the 250 was downright snappy for an economy car.

Afriend dropped a 289 and T10 four speed / 8” into a hand me down 60 four door. It was quite a sleeper in 1968. Another friend dropped a sec in a 60 at about the same time.

I would work with what you have, and be on the lookout for a later seven main 200/C4 and preferably 8”, or even the (7.5?) from a Mustang or Maverick Clean them up and install at your leisure.

In the interim, enjoy and learn with what you have.

Note that the later, improved ball joints should bolt right in Even the early Mustang / 65 Falcon v8 suspension drops in with the use at an aftermarket center link.

 

I ran my 144 with an S10 T5 (3.76 ratio set), and a 3.55 geared 8.8 for a long time.

I drove it all over California, and over The Sierra Nevada Mountains, into Nevada.

It did fine.

Was it a pavement-rippling rocket-sled, no. Was it 1000% fun, yes!

 

The center-link for the V8 steering swap:

https://www.falconparts.com/ford-fa...65-V-8-MANUAL-STEERING-CENTER-LINK-17p769.htm

 

44 HP and 76 PFT.

 

@HennessyJones Congratulations on a milestone in your recovery!! A '60 Falcon is a nice reward to yourself, and glad your lady is on board with it.
I would begin your Falcon journey with a complete inspection and evaluation of what you've got.... compression check, check brakes and hoses, cooling system check, etc. Repair what needs it, then do a tune up. Get it running and driving well, then evaluate what you want it to be.
Gimpy is a wealth of knowledge on these things, and he's very giving of that knowledge, so pick his brain whenever you can.
After you've decided what you want the car to be, put together a plan of what it will take to get there. I would concentrate on brakes, steering and suspension before making engine modifications or swaps... go fast is good, but stop fast and handle safely are better!
Upgrading this car can lead to a lot of time, effort and $$$, so set realistic goals and time frames, and maybe plan each step of the updates to coincide with sobriety anniversaries so the project Falcon and the project 'you' can see steady, sustained quality time together.
Good luck!!

 

Congratulations on one year.... Good job... Also smartest thing I have done with my life....
I had 38 years on the 8th of this month....
Pay attention to what Gimpy has to say... He is very knowledgeable on these little cars....

LynnW

 

Can a 250 be stuffed into a 63 Ranchero???? Thanx...

LynnW

 

Find a Mustang 200 cubic inch six cylinder engine and rebuild it. It will be a bolt in and perform very good, compared to that 144 six. Also try to snag the clutch, bell housing and transmission, as they will also be an up grade. Then get a rear end out of a later model Falcon to round out a very simple swap, that looks stock and runs great!
I put one of these engines in a 60 Econoline , with a 57 3 speed overdrive and a 4.11 nine inch and it drove like a dream!






Bones

 

Not without extreme surgery.

 

As mentioned, they are pretty lightweight for any kind of mods. See the build in my signature for what I did to beef it up. Of course I'm running a big block so maybe you don't need to go that far.

 

Hello,

Out of respect for privacy, I have always blotted out the license plate of any photos I take publicly. It is the right thing to do for the owner. Sometimes, no one wants their hot rod or custom to be on the zillion posts on the internet. Despite being on only one or two,there are disrespectful people who troll photos for any advantage to steal someone’s car. License plate information is restricted, but thieves are well practiced in all things theft.

The DMV is ok with publicly displaying VIN numbers which give thieves more access. They don’t have to suffer from the sadness, rage, indignity, and what the ??? situations, as we all do in those times of theft due to public VIN number displays. (Registration tags in windows, temporary license plates, etc.) Yes, it is out there publicly, but no one will pinpoint where the thieves get the information. So, if the information is limited, then access it also limited. “One thing leads to another…”

Jnaki

We all live in public from cars to vacation registrations, reservations, and showing our driver’s license to people for ID certification. So, limiting the use of public information is necessary if you can do it and it is common courtesy to do so, if you are going to use a “public” photo on a website. Who knows who is lurking in the wings with ideas to get their hands on a cool hot rod.

Back in the old days, we had nothing to fear about public displays of hot rods or license plates. But, with the advancement in car thefts, every advantage we offer is a coin for them. We had one car theft in 62 years of driving and a small footprint has helped that statistic.

When we read of a theft of a race car or a hot rod, we are all aghast, outraged and puzzled. So, we try out best to make as small an imprint publicly and for those that are out there, we do the same for photos taken in public. YRMV

 

Or a 260 or 302. Its been a while but it seems to me like the SBF fits a little snug with the original shock towers. Not that I consider snug to be a bad thing.

About anything V8 will fit, some things just need a bigger hammer. Mechanics will not really be much help with most of it, fabrication skills are what is required. With the exception of Falcon V8 stuff which will be a bolt in.

 

If you go with the 200, you could do this for a little extra cool factor!





Bones

 

Pretty sure i saw this on Craiglist not too long ago. ( Im near Sacramento too.
Congrats on the sobriety and good luck with the build! Have fun and enjoy the journey

I'm sure our paths will cross at a local show.

 

Years ago my son's OT turbo rice burner was stolen after a car show in San Antonio. Turned up in Houston 2 weeks later. Body kit, wheels, engine, turbo- everything stripped. They busted the guys that did it. They were hitting car shows and malls. Getting pics of the license plates and had girl friends at the DMV. Supplied them with the address of the owners. Boosting them at night. Too many low lifes out there with no regard for other's property and I see no reason to advertise it's most probable location at night.

 

i was surprised that the 250 wouldn't fit. i ran one in a van and it surprised some fast cars!
at present, there are one or two companies that build 200s that put out pretty decent power; i wouldn't go any smaller due to weak bottom ends on the 144 and 170.

 

Tell me that's not sitting somewhere on your ranch?

 

One day at a time with your projects as well as your life.