I'll be riding 70 miles to check out a '62 Falcon wagon in a little while, and while the guy says it runs, he hasn't driven it in the 4 years that he's owned it. I'm broke and impatient, so could I get a quick rundown of what I need to do to drive it back home somewhat safely? It has a 170 and a 3 speed, I'm just wondering what at least 4 years of sitting does to rubber and how stupid I'm gonna feel if I end up sitting in a pile of Ford parts on the side of the road.
4 years and the brakes may be gone,gas can turn into carp,tires could be dry rotted,points,plugs,,I wouldn't take the chance until I checked out the car thoroughly. HRP
A pile of melted parts, Bro. If nothing else, fresh fuel hose. Its still hot in the desert area. Ambient heat + engine heat = disaster. I drove a 52 Packard 600 miles with rotating gas cans on the p***enger floor at 45 mph in 1985. The tires made it, the parking brake barely made it but the fuel hose crumbled in my hand at the first touch. If only I knew then....
A "AAA" card with your name on it. Then: if it runs ok, fresh fuel & a few cans of carb spray to have with you. If it stops ok, look at the tires. Where you are ANY dryrot is too much. 2 spares on the right rims, a floor jack, crossbar wrench and jackstands. WD40 or JB80. Check the charging system... I mean with a diagnostic device... carry a fresh battery. Quickie check of ball joints & suspension togetherness. A bedroll and some mosquito spray. A good credit card. 6 spare oils & 3 trans fluids if auto, 3 or 4 spare antifreeze containers with water/af mix, rainex, and then it's just a matter of balls. I've driven junkers 700 miles with all of the above. Be a safe one, but be a test pilot. Good luck soldier.
Good luck. Keep some good buddy's (with a trailer) phone number handy. I would guess at the least the tank will have to be dropped and cleaned. Luckily it is a three speed, so if the clutch is free you may not need brakes often. I would take 40 pounds of tools, fuel line, a battery, probably a water pump and fuel pump. Condensor, points, rotor and cap won't cost too much. If it truly hasn't been started in 4 years, you just never know. Me I would plan on spending a day on it before I hit the road. Keep us posted. It sounds like a blast.
Check it out first, then post on here for some help. Maybe a friend with a trailer and 12 pack of beer for later???
They guy canceled as I was walking out the door, but he gave me the address so I could check it out on my own. I'm gonna head down there (Gardena) and see if it's worth the trouble, then Sunday I'll be more prepared to deal with it all. I may be trading a bike for it so I can't really bring tools except for my trusty bible, a $20 tool set that's never too far away. As for a friend with a trailer, If I had one of those I wouldn't be in this predicament. Point to point it's about 95 miles of desert, mountains, and L.A. freeways, so this should be interesting to say the least.
Keep us posted. Picked up my 49 with shredded tires and brought it home on a flatbed. Not run for 3+ years. Had help from Martin B. It was a much shorter trip than yours but still fun. Good Luck!!
so, guess you are doing trade because no cash to look for something else. hope that you guys have shared lots of pics and info on both sides of the trades. since on your bike maybe search online for a Pep Boys, or some other auto parts place, close to where wagon is. gas station too - at least try to put fresh gas in it and check oil, air up tires, etc. hope that you are not getting it just because it has pin stripes.
I just got back from the 'inspection'. Looks a lot better than I was expecting. The tires are pretty new and not cracked at all, looks like the gas tank was redone at some point, motor looked rough but had some recent work done to it. All the fluids I could check seemed okay. There was no one there to help me out so I tested the steering a little bit and it seemed nice and tight, no clunks or anything. This might be a winner. The floor boards were started, but only tacked in and there's some surface rust on the new panels, rear floor looks like it needs some attention soon but its alright for now.
Falcons are super-easy to work on, and by '62, the oddball stuff in the suspension was gone (dinky ball joints). The rest you can get out of the Mustang bins, save for the leaf springs. A whole bunch of us here have Falcons, and have a ton of tips and tricks, like how to make the 6 make useful power, if you are not headed the V8 route, and a whole lot more. Good luck, if you get it. Trailer, or take it slow going home.
It's good that it's better than you expected, but I think there are too many unknowns about its condition to take it on that drive. What's the hurry? Can you make the trade and pick it up within a month? A rented car trailer and a rented or borrowed tow vehicle seems like the way to go. Or if AAA will tow it after buying a plan- a neighbor of mine had her car towed over 100 miles. I'm thinking about that single reservoir master cylinder and the possibility of losing brake fluid out of a slave cylinder and ... Also, is it registered and insured?
Old tags, it will be insured as sion as I sign the paperwork. If anyone on here has a trailer and is free Monday, how much would you need to get it from Gardena to Rosamond?
The deal fell through. I was thinking of trading my bike for the car plus at least enough to pay the dmv fees, he was thinking of straight across. Unless I can sell the bike soon, I'll just have to keep looking.
****pity, ****. Sorry man. What DMV fees? You know that older cars are exempt from non-op fees, right?
Tags expired in 2008. I know all the tricks, but this one just won't cut the mustard when compared to my bike. If it was road worthy, I'd be all over it, but the amount of work required to make it what I need it to be on top of the back fees makes it hard to swallow. If anyone has a daily pre-64 and is looking for a solid bike, let me know.
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