Features Falcons done right?

Anyone done a mini tub on an early Falcon? Any go to kit or is it something typically fabbed up?

 

I considered it on my '61 but it didn't look worth the trouble. You can only move the inner wheel well in 1" before you hit the subrail. Radiusing is much easier.

 

I honestly keep going back to radiusing the wheel wells, but I just love the stock lines! Is there any go to for some premade ones?

 

Yes, they come from front fenders.

 

I built mini outer tubs. The wheelhouses taper away from the quarter panel as they rise. Depending on how much you lower your Falcon, the tires can strike the wheelhouse.

Mine are now just inside the outer skin.

Shown in the previous picture is a 196/60-15 on a 15 x 7, with 4-1/2" backspacing, on an 8.8" axle that is 1/2" wider than stock, overall.

Brakes have since been upgraded to the biggest ones that will fit in those wheels.

 

A few things that made a big difference in handling on mine:

Shelby drop. This relocates the upper control arms, and creates a negative camber curve when cornering.
One-inch anti sway bar up front.
Progressive front coils on roller spring perches.
CPP lower subframe/tubular control arms (not any old tubular arms) but this:

That eliminates the radius rods, which go into bind pretty quickly, if you have a lowered car, and I suppose, on a raised one, too.

There is space behind the coil spring that can be trimmed and plated to make a little more room for a tall Windsor.

Ford basically did that with the Mustang, when the wedged a Boss 429 in there. Yes, the Mustang engine compartment is wider, but the Boss is freakin' huge.

Falcons are much the same.

 

West Coast cousin of @loveoftiki

 

Nice!....^^^^

 

The red one checks all the boxes, for me anyways.

 

I was recently talking with my grandpa who did the same thing with a mustange, and if I remember right a shelby drop should allot for more to be cut as it moves the upper a arm bolts out of the way a small bit.
I haven't been on here in a while due to the app shutting down, but I'm glad I saw this! do you happen to have the part numbers on that kit? Whenever I call people about suspension parts they get uppity when I ask why it say's it'll fit 61-63 and not 60. I thought the geometry was the same, and whenever I bring it up to the other falcon guys near me in the clubs and at cars and coffee, they say they thought it was the same too...

 

The kit does not exactly fit a '60. I welded my plate crossmember on. There was not enough of a lip to bolt it on.

The geometry is exactly the same. There are some differences in the sheet metal, and rail construction from 1960 to mid 1961. It just means that several things are not a simple bolt-on, but require a little cutting and welding.

Part number: 6165TCA-KB
https://www.classicperform.com/Store2/Suspension/6466TCA-UKB.htm

 

AWESOME!! So then would the global west arms bolt up then sense the geometry is the same? This looks like it has allot of bang for the buck as well, but does it help allot of I do not plan on lowering it any?

 

I see a slight resemblance

 

The Global West stuff has the same geometry, and arguably the same bind issues the stock stuff does, on a lowered car.

It helps in any case, but not as much on a stock-height car. For that, just fresh control arms are the best. Those are from the 65-66 Mustang parts bins, but required slotting of the holes on stock radius arms to attach them on. '60-'61.1.

 

Looking into it a bit it seems that I can get a wedge on the ball joint to allow them to not bind up at a 1.5" drop. This would also allow me to cut out more for a 351 swap as well as give me better geometry than a 1' drop. Have you seen any issues with a wedge kit? They seem to give similar/the same geometry to the global west stuff but has the added benefit to me of moving the mounting bolts lower allowing me to cut into the engine bay lower.

 

No issues with a ball joint wedge set.

I run them on my car. They have been on there for 7-years. I have lowered on my control arms 1-1/2-inches.

 

1 of 7 Canadian 1965 Ford Falcon Hi-Pos