Ive heard that about the 60/61 birds. I do know that those years are undersized compared to the later ones, which lends credence to the matter. Also that the replacements for lowers are quite hard to find. -rick
The steering linkage on 6 cyl. Cars is lighter duty compared to V8 cars, the control arms I believe are the same for both, ( confirm the ball joints are the same, I’m not sure) obviously the spring rates differ between the two.
I've read that Ford beefed up the unibody for 1963, the first year the Falcon was offered with a V8. Horsepower & torque might be a greater concern than weight.
1960-1961.5 have the thinnest metal, and the fewest layers in the unibody. All V8 cars have thicker metal, and more layers than 6-cylinder cars. 1960-1961.5 also have an undersized upper ball joint, with a smaller tapered hole in the spindle. After 1961.5 the front suspension parts are the same as the 1965-1966 Mustang. No center link, 6-cylinder or V8 for a Falcon is the same as a Mustang. The Falcon tub is narrower. 6-cylinder tie rods are small than V8 tie rods. The tapered hole in the steering arm is smaller on the 6-cylinder spindle. The brakes are smaller on 6-cylinder cars, and the hubs are 4-lug.
Mustang and 1960-1961 lower control arms are not the same. The bolt spacing for the radius arm is different. It is better to modify the radius arm by slotting the holes. The early lower control arms are obsolete.
I'm thinking that a friend of mine who put 5 lug pieces on a 60/61 Falcon used all 64/65 parts from A frames out when he did it. All I did on it was help him swap the upper control arms and then later aligned it for him at the Firestone store that I worked at. I'm thinking he went to the parts house or Ford dealers parts counter and bought upper and lower control arms and some other pieces after the simple spindle swap that someone else told him he could do didn't work. He didn't V8 swap it he just wanted to run Crager SS wheels on it. My Experience on any 60 up rear wheel drive Ford is you never assume any thing on brake or chassis parts you figure out the exact year and model it is and the original engine that it came with before ordering parts especially the Smaller cars = Falcons, Fairmonts and Mustangs. Looking at this parts list the main break is between 61 and 62 and then you have six cylinder/V8 to deal with.
It's common for all manufacturers to use different components, depending on the powertrain, gross vehicle weight, etc. Don't expect to get the results you're looking for by doing it on the cheap, and know what you're getting into before you start.
First-generation small ball joint: Three bolts. Second-generation (and Mustang-equivalent) ball joint: Four bolts.
Correct. The 1960/62 did not have torque boxes and had a lighter suspension/spindle. Have to know the exact year and what you are planning to do with it. But then again, leave it as it is and put a strong V8 in it. It will be a tire squealing wheel standing windshield launching crowd pleasing SOB.
https://www.falconparts.com/ford-fa...1-LOWER-BALL-JOINTS-UNTIL-10-15-61-18p387.htm Dang, $130 per LBJ. Originality comes at a price.
You can buy complete upper control arms for a 1965-1966 Mustang, and a tapered reamer. The hole in the spindle is a little smaller, but has the same taper. A little drill time with the reamer gets you away from obsolete parts.
You can get complete lower control arms for the same, and slot the holes on the radius arms. That too gets you out of obsolete parts permanently. The Mustang stuff has the advantages of economy-of-scale, making it all way cheaper.
A 3-bolt upper ball joint is $150. A complete later upper control arm is $87. An original lower ball joint is $130. A complete later lower control arm is $59. The original ball joint are weaker, too. This should not be a difficult decision. Also, if you change your mind about going 5-lug, you can then simply bolt on those spindles and brakes. There are even tapered shims to attach the 6-cylinder tie rods ends to the spindle. Cheap, too. While you are in there, get and install a 1" anti-sway bar, and do a Shelby-drop control arm relocation. The handling improvement from those are stark.
A 200 is a bolt-in, up to about a 1966 block. Those still had both bellhousing patterns on the back of the block. Mustang guys dump these for cheap. Grab and freshen a 1980-end head from the yard, along with the Duraspark distributor and module. Grab the exhaust manifold, too. A Fairmont is a good donor. Take 0.090" (not a typo) off of the head. Swap-in the adjustable rocker arms from the 144. Block the EGR port. That's a solid 50hp, with junkyard parts.
Believe it or not, a 144 is about the same weight as a Ford Winsor V8, 260-302. My point with pointing you towards moving away from obsolete parts is that you can accomplish the minor modifications to the non-wear parts in a decent afternoon, or weekend. It would not only initially cost you less to do that, including the 29/64" drill bit, tapered reamer, Harbor Freight die grinder, and a burr, but it would leave you permanently set up to use much less expensive, and easily accessible fully new wear items going forward. Your current 3-bolt upper ball joints are a liability. Ford did away with them in less than two years from their introduction, because they tended to fail. I would not worry about the steering.
For the early Mustangs Ford went to the expense of using a Fairlane suspension and not the Falcon suspension when a V8 engine was ordered. That should answer the question. Charlie Stephens
400lbs per this wonderful list someone put together. My 60 Falcon already had a 67 Chevy Van front axle and my small block dodge has aluminum heads and intake, so the biggest problem i have is oil pan clearance... Common Engine Dimensions for the Engine Swapper (teambuick.com)
All my Friends and I had that had early mustangs and Falcons with 6 cylinders did not have a bar connecting the left and right frame rail together under the engine. All the ones with V8s did. Ricky.
The suspension is exactly the same between the Falcon and the Mustang after 1962. The spindles and steering are the only differences between 6-cylinder and V8. Fairlane suspension is not interchangeable.
Maybe try asking here: https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...d-vintage-moog-trw-parts-catalog-help.877347/
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