Features Doing Falcons Right

A '63 Falcon, as we previously discussed in this very thread. I make no claim of my own knowledge here, just my findings. I don't need an engineering degree because I rely on other's engineering degrees.

You're the one making unsupported claims here, what about your credentials?

 

So, Gimpy and I are making unsupported claims? Great! I guess driving my car as my only transpo for over 9000 miles in just over 7 months is COMPLETELY unsubstantiated. Nope, that didn't happen, and I crashed and died. I guess the other four I did for customers that are happily driving their cars around and stopping correctly is unsubstantiated as well. Or the similar conversion I did on my personal Maverick, or, for that matter the set I MADE for my personal (using similarly sized components) '62 Falcon back in '82 when I got it and started driving does nothing for substantiation, either.

So you worry about MY credibility.... Where do we start. I bought my first street rod, a '35 Ford coupe at 12 in '78. With the help of my neighborhood mentors I drove it around my still very rural home of north Scottsdale at 14. I traded that for a '39 Ford coupe at 15, and went through another string of building/buying cars from then on. In '82 I landed my first job in the street rod industry at MAR FAB, and under the guidance of Don Marks, honed my fab, welding, mechanical and machining skills. I tuned and drove sports racing cars with Flint Foreign auto's racing team throughout the late eighties, and with a partner founded and worked Top Cat VW repair here in town. Back in hot rods in the early nineties I helped my friend ELpolacko start and run Industrial Chassis here in town, where one of the many things I have had my hands in was prototyping a couple of different brake kits that were later picked up by Baer Brakes here in town. For the last twenty five years I have run my own shop Hot Rod Central Louver Co., first part time to a busy corporate career, and about ten years ago went full time with it and expanded to frame and chassis builds, metal repair, hot rod plumbing, wiring, and set up and repair of cars that the more "paint shop" oriented local shops can't seem to make work right.

I have NEVER owned a late model car, and ALWAYS rely on vintage cars I have built and drive for daily transpo. My first Falcon came to me on April, 22nd 1982 and it is still with me awaiting it's next build after serving faithfully for well over 200,000 miles.

With a little over 35 years in this industry as a fabricator and builder, I think I might just have a handle on this braking thing, and how it all works.

To sum it up, Some cars DO need an adjustable "prop" valve. I was taught many years ago before such things were commercially available, (anybody else old enough to remember scouring wrecking yards for the Kelsey-Hays unit on late sixties T-Birds?) to plumb and test a system first, and use an adjustable as a last resort.

Conversely, if you can absolutely match a donor car's weight, distribution, and braking characteristics to what you are building, go ahead and use a combination valve... But, most of the time a non-adjustable won't get you where you need to be.

As I said earlier before you accused me of putting myself, my customers and the world in general in harm's way, if YOU feel you need to put an adjustable proportioning valve into YOUR car's system go ahead and do it. I won't stop you. I have not experienced the need to do that with THIS COMBINATION of brake parts on these cars.

Pretty freakin' simple... And, as far as I'm concerned, the last I'll say of this.

 

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Masters Degree in Mechanical Engineering, 6th in class.

 

As I said before, this is not about your personal experience, or mine for that matter. This is about making blanket statements to people that disc brake swaps into Ford Falcons don't require proportioning valves. My opinion is that is incorrect based upon the weight of information I collected and I found absolutely no information supporting your position, except for you and Gimpy's description of your personal experience.

Minds much more knowledgeable and experienced than mine have decided to spec proportioning valves into Falcon swaps. I decided to trust their experience, with all respect to your 7 month/9000 mile driving experience. As you can see, even Scarebird says they recommend a prop valve---- and you came here and told the world that they didn't recommend one.

The bottom line as I see it is this, unless you have one of those brake force testing machines, you really don't know whether your braking forces were properly proportioned. Your experience is what's called anecdotal, meaning it is interesting but doesn't really prove anything.

I never accused you of anything. I simply described what might happen if the poo-poo hit the fan and you happened to be standing in its path. This is from somebody who definitely knows about that sort of thing.

 

Very Impressive.

So kindly explain to me in your professional opinion why Ford motor company and every vendor of aftermarket brake swaps that utilize proportioning valves are wrong and you are right?

 

Why don't you guys start a new thread on proportioning valves etc.

This ain't the place for it!

 

Agreed 100%! As I said ion my last deal, I'm done with this shit!

 

Yup. I'm over it.

 

Battery relocation project on my 63 2dr sedan:

Cardboard template and 1/8" mounting plate:



Test fit:



Building it dirty:



Some 1/4-20x3/4" studs n' white paint:



From left to right, top to bottom, Cole-Hersee starter Solenoid 24046, 125 HMEG fuse for accessory/ignition circuit, 125A HMEG fuse for B+ alternator circuit, Cole-Hersee 100% duty solenoid 24213 for alternator shut down, 300A master disconnect, Group 24 battery.



Into the trunk:



Running cable:







Ground point on engine block via 12.5' negative battery cable:



Home Depot chrome drawer pull:

 

Very Nice!

 

Thanks Chip- I tend to get carried away with anything electrical....

A buddy of mine tells me "if it can be done with an in-line fuse, you'll do it with a Bosch double throw relay, a circuit breaker and an in-line fuse....."

 

Very clean work! Did you have to add a high torque starter? Or does the stock started work with it in the truck?

 

I have been accused of the same!

 

Freakin' overachiever! LOL Very nice work Al.

Just curious, what size main cables did you use?

 

Very nice work!!

 

I'm using a dead stock starter with the starter solenoid in the trunk.

I'm an overachiever? You haven't posted any pictures of your 63 Hardtop's suspension system lately....LOL!

I used 1 gauge cable for the battery, 8 gauge for the ignition/accessory and alternator circuits and 10 gauge to carry the start signal to the trunk solenoid.



I was too lazy to run a new wire from the start terminal on the ignition switch to the solenoid in the trunk so I just used the existing starter solenoid on the fender apron in the engine bay to send the start signal (via 10 gauge wire) to the trunk....

 

Haha that's what known in the business as a cluster F*%k! love your work! to think how much time and effort I spent de looming my engine bay.

 

I had a cut out solenoid from an aircraft in my boot too, that worked on a timer from the alarm and cut power if the ignition was off for more than 10 secs it really screwed anyone trying to start my car. yours looks more reliable though.

 

I have my Konig Rewind's on order. They are an old-school Minilite look-a-like, for that 60's road-racer look. Can't wait!

 

That's gonna look bitchin'!

 

back on the road after a gas tank swap and a carb jet tune. I followed exactly the specs posted a couple pages back. His was a 144 and at sea level. Mine is a 170 and in Iowa (around 1000') and I must say my as dyno says it's pretty good I can actually for it without it falling flat. I'll have to wait until work in the morning to see if my sustained throttle dying issue is gone or not. But so far so good.



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I'm very interested in your feed back on this as I plan to do Gimpy's exact set up with my 170, and am in Indiana around 700' sea level.



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So far it is great... throttle response is great and I can actually open the secondary without it bogging down and wanting to stall. Heading to work shortly so I'll let you know about the other issue. I posted about it on the last page or so if you want to read about the issue I was having there.

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No issues driving in. I adjusted the float while I had the carb apart not too much change but so far it has worked. Just keep driving it now and work all the bugs out

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Glad to hear it's working out!

 

I'd like to keep the stock brake set up on my 61. With the exception of the master cylinder. Which double bowl cylinder can I replace it with. Granada ?
Mustang?


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Oh damn, here we go again! Use a Maverick non power drum/drum unit and all should be well if you run your stock drum brakes.

 

We need a FAQ page.

 

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Maybe the new format has people confused about the search feature. Or could it be that somebody's having fun poking the bear?