Hey all, First of all, I would like to say this is a great place to be. I joined awhile back, made a lame intro and have been reading since. Anyway, I am somewhat new to the traditional scene and have been searching and searching for my first project. I am pretty set on getting my feet wet with a early Falcon. Now, my questions are, what should I be looking out for in these cars? I, of course, am watching out for any rust as being a newbie I don't want to start off with tons of rust repair. Are there any other major things to look out for in the early Falcons? Thanks in advance! -Will PS. I did a few searches and found quite a bit of great info but not much pertaining to my exact questions. Did I not look hard enough?
yes.....look out for rust....and resale value yes,......you didnt look hard enough remember...its gonna cost the same blood, sweat and bucks to build the car you realy want, thats ALREADY GOT A V8....eg TBird....Lincoln.....60's truck etc!!!!! so dont spend 10 grand building a 4 grand Falcon and if you gotta paint it 3 times in 1 year......GREAT!!!!!!!!
Mark, I appreciate your advice. I went through every thread that had "Falcon" in the ***le as well as a good amount that didn't but believe me, that hasn't stopped me from looking further. At this point, I am not looking to "build" a 10k Falcon in so many words; I am just looking to get started. I want something I can work on, enjoy and drive in the meantime. I figured a Falcon was a good start. Again, thank you for your advice. I definitely hear what you're saying and I am looking to do things the right way.
who needs a v8? six poppers are cool. throw on an offy 3x1 intake and split exhaust and you got a great sounding and good looking mill that gets decent mileage, and a lot more attention than most v8's. i have a bit of a pet peeve with falcons as "rat rod starter cars". too many 4 door sedans with flat black paint, stock 13" wheels painted red with wide whites...yawn. here's what i'd do(have done): look for the cleanest bone stock example of one of the more desirable body styles you can find. rancheros or a 2 door sedan would be cool, i have a 61 2 door wagon. don't get a rust bucket, but rust is normal on these cars, even in dry climates. rust in the floors and around the rear wheel openings is pretty much normal in all but the most immaculate of survivors. you want to crawl under the dash to make sure the cowl isn't rusted out, they collect leaves and water through the cowl vent. i'd swap out the driveline and suspension. a 200 or 250 for power, backed by a c4 or preferably a t-5 ****** and a 8" rear. rebuild the front suspension using mustang parts, disc brakes and 5 lug conversion...you have a cheap, easy to build driver that will still teach you the basics of hot rodding. check out tffn.net and fordsix.com for just about everything you'll ever want to know about these cars and small six engines.
Ray, I have no problems at all with the 6cyl. I have actually been heading more towards the 6's with my searches. Nothing wrong with an 8 but at the same time, whats wrong with a 6? I have seen some of interest in the "rat rod" style and can already see the changes I would make. I have never been one to follow the "crowd". My dad drag raced in Orange County in the 60's and I know that function>form. I definitely don't want a 4 door. My searches always include the early Rancheros, as well; I love 'em. Thanks for the more detailed tips on the rust situation. I found one that I thought I could work with that had a C4 but I know I would enjoy a manual a bit more. Both of those website are open in my browser right now and I am reading like crazy. The idea of sticking with the 6banger is not bad at all in my mind. Thanks again!
By all means, if you LOVE Falcons, then GO FOR IT!!!! and DEFINATELY keep the six.....use a 250!!!! and pay attention to diff ratios....a 3.5 made ALL the difference in the world. as for the "frat brod" (read....flat black rat rod)...dunnit about 6 years ago. My main point is that paint, tasty wheels, interior, brakes, engine rebuilding (even just for reliability) will cost the same for WHATEVER you build, so build what you LOVE!!!!!! 6s are great til you want MORE POWER and nobody SETS OUT to build a 10 grand Falc, but I've heard it DOES turn out that way sometimes. I bought AND built mine for 2500 and it had 4 paint jobs, 2 engines and 3 autos
....and yes.......that driveway IS where I painted it...my dad was still mowing silver flake outta the lawn a year later
If you buy a 6 cyclinder, you will want a V-8 sooner or later, so start with the V-8. I converted a 1960 Falcon 2 door to V-8 way back when. I used 1963 1/2 Falcon and Comet parts to do the suspension conversion, but I think the new Mustang parts should interchange. Make sure the front spring/shock towers are in good shape. Good Luck
Rust is the biggest issue on Falcons, especially the cowl area. It's fixable, but it's a pretty big job to pull that part of the car apart to get to it. It's worth the effort to look for a rust-free southwestern car. Early round bodies seem to have a little less tunnel clearance and the earliest cars had some slight suspension differences (ball joints and such). Later parts can be swapped in. Most early Mustang parts will fit the suspension. The vacuum/fuel pump is often missing or in need of repair. It's needed to make the vacuum wipers operate properly on those early cars. The V8 swap is easy enough although the little six responds well to some basic work. See fordsix.com for info on the six. A peppy little 125-150 horse engine is easy to do and will still get great mileage. Bottom line - Falcons are great. They were so good that they formed the basis for most of Ford's small car lineup for decades. Look at the architecture for a 1960 Falcon and you can easily compare it to Fairlanes, Mustangs, Cougars, Granadas, Mavericks, and all the Lincoln/Merc derivatives up until the 1980's.
I'm looking to do a falcon myself. I agree with keeping the six, but I would seriously consider going g***er with it. On the early falcons they,re perfect.
after running a tri-power six with dual straight pipes, i'd never stick a v8 in unless i was going g***er! a nicely done six will draw a crowd vs a sbf the way a flatty powered rod will vs a sbc powered car. part of the economy of the six cylinder cars is the fact that everybody wants a v8 falcon, so the later years go for more money with the v8's, and the earliest ones didn't have v8's available. so you can pick up almost any roundbody for a song until you start talking sprint and hardtop.
Good choice on the Falcon. The suspension is basically the same as the early Mustangs so a lot of parts will interchange. Starting with a V8 is good idea since it will have 5 hole wheels, bigger gas line, better rear end, etc but you can still put a V8 in a 6 cylinder car using factory parts. Problem areas for rust are pretty much the same for all Fords of that vintage - floors, front & rear frame rails, rockers, etc. Good thing about Falcons is the weight - about 2300 lbs for a 2 door 6 cylinder. Parts supplies are good from aftermarket suppliers. Tom - restorit
falcons like to rust on the front windshield header into the a pillar to the cowl. they also like to rust right above the rear wheel wells and for some reason in the 2 and 4 door sedans c-pillar. i've owned a few falcons and rancheros and they all had rot in the same exact spots, some worse than others. the 6 cylinders are tons of fun, and when rebuilt or running right a 170 c.i. 6 banger can really scream, but if you find one with a bad motor just go up to a 200 c.i. motor from a mustang, same block so everything bolts right in. i have a factory V8 ranchero and that thing is a pain in the *** to keep the headers tightened their is NO room for anything its a tight squeeze under the hood, not as easy to work on as the 6 bangers i've owned. also try TFFN.net for everything and anything FALCON!!
Not 1st Car But I Had A 63 Falcon Wagon. Sittn In A Guys Back Yard I Asked Him How Much He Said Get It Outta My Yard The Transmission Makes Noise And Dont Work... 30 Dolla Flexplate And Bammo! Rolled It For 2 Yrs... Slammed It And Drove It.. 170 6er.. Lil Motor Ran Like A Kitten...it Was Kinda Rusted So I Wasnt Gonna Waste Money On It. Besides... I Had My 64 Chevy Panel Trk To Tear Up!..
There is a cat on here that had a rust free 61 falcon for 2 grand. You might wana check it out ,it needed carb work, but it did run it would be an easy project.
dont forget falconparts.com and cliffordperformance.net clifford has split headers and a 2bbl set up that i am running on my falcon right now. the 2bbl made a huge difference. next step is gonna be a 200 or 250 though. 170 just isnt enough power. also make sure the little rubber fuel line (about 4 inches long) going from the gas tank to the metal fuel line isnt rotted. dont know if the round bodys have that or not. EDIT: just read that post above me. looks like ill be going for a 200 haha
speed parts for the small six cylinders are rad if you can find them! i've come across edelbrock finned valve covers, 3 deuce intakes, split header and a few other neat items. and when i did they were cheap cause not many people hot rod them. i've also come across 4 lug spider caps also. of course i found all this after i no longer had a 6 banger. but...if i build another falcon or ranchero it will be a 6 banger with all the goodies! i think you can even put a t-5 behind the 200 with an adapter, if i was bulding a 6 banger for daily use thats the route i'd go.
don't listen to this guy! 250s are an inch or two longer than the smaller small sixes, but not "way too long". i HAVE a 250 in my wagon, it takes a little bit of work to fit, but not much. initially i ran an electric fan in front of the rad cause it was tight between the water pump and rad, later i reworked the radiator support to move the rad an inch forward to run a mechanical fan. the 250 has a different water pump, that is why they are longer. i'll give shoprat the benefit of the doubt and say he is probably confusing the 250 with the 300 BIG six motors.
Wow, thank you all very much for the helpful info. I see the way most people act around here and how helpful everyone is, but really, it's still surprising that there are still people out there who give a damn. Anyway, I am still searching and have received a couple of links to possibles; all helpful links have been bookmarked for future use. I am keeping my eyes open and you guys will be the first to know when I pick something up. Thanks again! -Will
yep........very difficult to fit a 250.......took me at least 10 minutes to cut out the top of the radiator support and drill holes to bolt it back in after I dropped the engine and trans in.......and then when I jigsawed out the flanges that push the radiator back towards the engine an inch and a half I could run a v8 radiator and a front mounted thermo fan outta some 80s Beemer at the wrecking yard. and yes my fellow engineers.....I probably M***IVELY weekened the whole front end so it can barely deal with my 700 hp monster!!!!! I guess the old blokes that told me to do it that way coz thats how they been doin it for 30 years were just yankin my chain?????
Kurt, I am in Orange County; Anaheim to be exact. I search craigslist pretty much daily and now I have a few more links thanks to you guys! -Will
I have a 1960 Falcon 2 door wagon... I love 4 doors but I'm stick with the 2 door...I just swapped a 5 speed and a Ausie 2V head and intake... I love it...this engine is so smooth, the 5 speed is kick ****... I am more than glad I stayed with the inline six over swapping to a V8 . the head I got off Craigs list $100.00 the intake came from Ebay for 90.00 ... I'm using a duraspark II ignition and a blaster coil. a mild cam and 2.5 inch pipe with a stock manifold muffled by a cheap gl*** pack....Chicks love the tone. I've built carb adapters, this is easy. these motors are awesome for Cruising....I give it hell on the hiway Now if I can get some help getting the dam thing in primer... Frank
I know you said you did not want a four door but I just fell in love with this when I saw it. Had to bid on it to buy it and wait to see if I got it, I did. Since you searched the Falcon topics you have probaly seen it but I will show it again, at least it is a new picture!
Kurt, I have been watching "desertratrodders" for sale threads; he seems to get some nice projects. I'm glad you think Anaheim is lovely. Garvin, I am looking for a 2-door for myself but man, I really dig your Falcon. It's real simple and clean; looks great! Frank, it sounds like your wagon is damn cool. From all I have heard, the 6 sounds like a great little motor. It sounds like exactly what I am looking for at the moment. -Will
Thank you, need to do some little stuff and make it mine. Dont want to do to much though and possibly ruin the good look it has. Looking to do some push through bullet centers if I can find some small enough and some bullet lugs. Would like to get some pinstriping done but need to reshoot the primer or something, some rust is coming through...
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