In reply to edwardh80 :
One of the cars I learned to drive in was a 100% original 64 falcon base 2dr post 170ci L6 3 on the tree. My grandmother bought it new - didn't sell it till 84 or so. I didn't get the chance to make an offer on it; would not have left it stock at the time, but would be cool to tool around in now!
edwardh80 said:Dude, your Falcon rocks. I lust after 60-61 sedans and wagons. Makes me want to move back to the US (been away for the past 4-5 months only) so I can purchase a 3-speed column shift and tootle around town with the family. Maybe one day.
Nice I hope you get one soon! They are great cars.
03Panther said:In reply to edwardh80 :
One of the cars I learned to drive in was a 100% original 64 falcon base 2dr post 170ci L6 3 on the tree. My grandmother bought it new - didn't sell it till 84 or so. I didn't get the chance to make an offer on it; would not have left it stock at the time, but would be cool to tool around in now!
Right on! That's really cool. I feel like I talk to so many people that have the same story. Lots of people grew up with these cars and love to talk about them at shows, at the gas station, etc. Love it!
In reply to mickpiston :
I've got a K75S that needs (at least I do
) a LOT more faring. But a windjammer is even uglier on a Brick, than even other bikes! Nice score on the R90.
In reply to 03Panther :
Nice! I love those. I've had a K75 and a K100. Both were great bikes. Both would look ridiculous on a flying brick hahaha. That being said, forget about it and buy my Windjammer and give it a shot!
Well it's been another 5 months, time for an update. I've put many more miles on the Falcon this spring, mostly car meets and cruising with my son Crosby, who is almost 3. He loves 'the blue car' and going to shows/meets to see other other old cars. It is reliable as ever, never lets me down. However, the worn original steering box was getting to be a major problem. It was never replaced when the car was built, and probably has 120k+ miles on it. The dead zone in the center of the steering was growing at an alarming rate, and no amount of adjustment was making any difference, it was time to come out.
I had purchased a set of QuickJacks over the winter, and finally put them to good use. My garage floor is pretty uneven, so I always use jackstands as well just in case. The QJ are pretty amazing though, very happy with them.
Getting the steering box out was a total pain in the ass. It had definitely never even been removed, as the factory undercoating was still on the bolt heads in the fenderwell, never been disturbed. The bolts came out easily, no rust and the box was loose. Inside you have to remove the steering wheel, column, plate that seals up the firewall. The steering shaft is part of the box, so it is a difficult fit (see pic below). You are supposed to drop the box out the bottom, but this wasn't an option even with the header removed. The v8 motor mount and engine bracing underneath prevented that from being an option.
The solution ended up being to remove the valve cover, and I was able to lift it out through the front top! Gotta get creative sometimes.
Here is the crazy steering box:
I have the box sent down to a good rebuilder in Denver, will have it back by the end of the week. Should be a 2-3 hour job to reinstall it, and the car is back on the road.
I took this time to look into the oil leak, and confirmed what I suspected. It has a rear main seal leak, dripping down from the bellhousing shield. Not worth fixing at this time, and it has a 7-8qt oil pan, so I'm not too concerned for now, though it is getting worse and will have to be fixed at some point.
On a related note, I've considered selling this car this year. I really love it, but damn do I want a second gen Camaro/Firebird again. About 3 years ago I had an 81 Camaro Z28 with T-tops that a friend and I brought back from the dead. It was a real decrepit POS, but with a head gasket and de-smog job ran OK. Cleaned the E36 M3 out of the interior, new tires, rebuilt suspension, poly subframe mounts, it was a hell of a lot of fun. I'm really considering moving back to one of those, but I'd need to sell the Falcon first. We'll see what happens, but the thought is stuck in my head and won't go away...
My old beater 81 Z!
Absolutely love the Falcon, the Z28 is pretty sharp as well!
Mickpiston-let us know if you decide to sell the Falcon. I've got a friend looking for one now.
In reply to Shavarsh :
Thanks!
In reply to wawazat :
I'd be happy to talk to them if they are a serious buyer. If I list it this summer, I will likely start at $20k. I've seen very poorly done and condition v8 swap Falcons sell for that recently on the Facebook Falcon Owners Group. Gotta have some good cash available if I'm gonna find a nice Camaro! Send me a message if you want to talk to (I assume you can direct message through here?). Thanks!
I've sent him a link to the thread and he likes what he sees a lot.
In reply to wawazat :
Cool! Let me know if he wants to talk. Thanks.
Well I have finally decided to sell the Falcon. It's been an amazing car and tons of fun. I'm just ready for a new project. This car is rock solid reliable, turnkey and will drive anywhere. I just want to build something new over the winter. Nothing has changed since last update, other than rebuilt steering box is installed and car drives nice and tight again as it should.
For the hell of it, I submitted it to Bring a Trailer last week, and they accepted it with a $15k reserve! Thought that was awesome. Unfortunately they are so backed up they can't even get a draft of the listing done for a month. I think I will not go through them at this time due to the delay, but it says I'm probably on track with value of this car.
I listed it for $20k 2 weeks ago and have had lots of calls and interest, but nobody officially pulling the trigger. If any GRM dudes are interested, let me know!
My email is egrist@gmail.com
Here is my local ad:
https://fortcollins.craigslist.org/cto/d/loveland-1961-ford-falcon-hot-rod-50l/7537910052.html
Some videos I made as well:
Walkaround:
https://youtu.be/xS_aS9YkAW8
Driving:
https://youtu.be/XX9L0JVlSMc
And a couple of my sale pictures that turned out nice:
And this is what this car looks like underneath, not sure I ever posted that.
Thanks for the ride here, this thread was alot of fun. I'll start another one on my next project for sure!
Awesome, good luck with the sale!
In reply to Shavarsh :
Thanks!
Good luck, it's been a fun project to watch from the sidelines, and someone is sure to enjoy cruising around in it!
In reply to jerrysarcastic (dork in training) :
Thanks alot! It sold last weekend. On to the next!
Edit
You'll need to log in to post.
