Has anyone ever tried to upgrade the front end of a 1961 Ford falcon with front end parts off of a 1964 mercury comet that was a V-8? Trying to get V8 front suspension on my six-cylinder falcon. I’ve heard plenty of people say that the best way to go is to use all 1965 Mustang parts but the 1965 Mustang front spindles are crazy expensive. I have the full front suspension from the Comet already-I was hoping to be able to use the spindles, backing plate and drums and just buy a four piece kit with new upper and lower control arms. Thanks in advance for any help!
Not sure how wide a ‘61 Flacon front end is but you should compare the drum to drum dimensions of each of them. A Mustang is about 1 1/2” wider than the Comet, the difference is in the center link. A ‘65 Comet has better geometry, and is a common swap into ‘64 Comets, as seen below.
Depends on which steering linkage you have. When Ford added the V8 to the Falcon/Comet in '63, they used a much heavier-duty steering set-up. But this only lasted until about May '64, when Ford switched to the Mustang-design steering for the remainder of the year. The problem with the early steering is it has more bump steer, and linkage parts are much more expensive and hard to get. The way to tell them apart is the early linkage has the tie rods attached at the ends of the center link, while the Mustang design has them inboard of the ends by several inches. It also used much cheaper Mustang steering parts with the exception of the center link, which is narrower than the Mustang and unique to the Falcon/Comet. If the Comet steering box is present, grab that too. It has a much faster steering ratio. You'll want the V8 strut rods also.
I don't know the specifics, but my little brother upgraded his '61 Falcon front suspension using Opentracker parts that fit later Falcons & Mustangs. I know that he had to enlarge some holes and what not to make the newer parts fit.
Sorry I didn’t get back to this sooner… Just got crazy busy with other annoying things that interfere with me messing with the car! upon checking the door plate and running it through a decoder. It appears that my 61 falcon was actually made on 5 July 1960.
I converted a 60 Ranchero to V8 stuff years ago.. like "kabinroller" said you need a 65 Comet or Falcon center link. You can use most all V8 Falcon or Mustang stuff after that. I did mine with drum brakes and a dual system master cylinder and made it a daily driver for many years. Think I am going to convert it to front discs now.
I checked the center link that I got with the parts off the 64 Comet I bought and the center Link is the old style where i’s connected on the very ends and not like an inch and a half in. So it sounds like I’ll need a 65 Comet or falcon center link. I wonder if the 65 Mustang Center Link is the same? probably easier to find. Also, I wonder if I got the 65 Mustang center link if I can use the Comet parts like the spindles, the backing plate, the drums and upper and lower control arms with that Mustang Center, Link?
You need to make a decision. First, there is ZERO parts interchange between the '63-64.5 early Falcon/Comet V8 steering linkage and the late '64.5-65 V8 linkage. And while the late linkage uses mostly Mustang parts (tie rods, idler arm and steering arm), the center link is a Falcon/Comet part ONLY. The Mustang center link is too wide and CAN NOT be used on a Falcon/Comet. If the early V8 linkage you have is in good condition and doesn't need any replacement parts, go ahead and use it. Yes, it has more bump steer but that shouldn't be a deal-breaker. But if it needs repair, be aware that parts cost 2-3 times as much as the Mustang-style parts, making a wholesale conversion to the later linkage nearly as cheap even if you have to buy everything. There are still two possible flys in the ointment. One, IIRC the tie rod hole in the spindle is different between the two types but I 'think' either tie rod end will fit. The other is Ford changed the splines on the steering box for the steering arm a few times, you may need to use a V8 box. Maybe @gimpyshotrods will weigh in on this, he knows more about the first-gen Falcons than I do. Lastly, Gimpy asking when your car was built matters. The '60 to mid-year '61s had issues with structural cracking, Ford went a bit too thin on metal gauge. An 'improved' shell came out mid-year '61 to correct this. When Ford added the V8 in '63, they upgraded the shell yet again but only for the V8 cars. These got much thicker metal in the rockers, framerails and crossmembers, as well as beefed-up shock towers and added torque boxes. Lots of guys have done this swap, but you should monitor this, particularly the shock towers where the upper control arms attach. Ford has had issues with cracking around those bolts on various model with this suspension design.
Thanks for the reply! That’s a whole lot of good to know information right there! Sounds like some bad news for me in my case…looks like my particular car was made in July of 1960 and from what you said it sounds like that can be a big issue structurally. I’ll have to look into into strengthening it anyway I can and check for cracks. After all the advice I’ve heard I’m probably going to veir away from using any of the Comet front end. Not to big of a hit, only paid $200.00 for all of it including the rearend. Still planning on using the 8” Comet rear but will probably go with the 65 Mustang parts for the front.
Even if you use early Mustang steering components and spindles your will need this: https://www.falconparts.com/ford-falcon-auto-parts/pc/1965-V-8-MANUAL-STEERING-CENTER-LINK-p769.htm You also must confirm the sector shaft size in your steering box, not all pitman arm shapes will have the correct spline you need. All this sounds complicated but in reality it is just choosing the correct parts that are compatible.
Thanks for the lead on the right Centerlink, I’ve got to admit it does all sound more complicated than I thought going into it! would be a lot easier if I was into building it back as a 144 six cylinder! I’m planning on this being like a ten year project so I got some time to figure out a shopping list.
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