1960 Falcon Two Door Wagon

Discussion in 'Station Wagon Projects' started by RetroSpeed, May 9, 2017.

  1. RetroSpeed

    RetroSpeed Active Member

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    Thank you everyone for the warm welcome and support as I build my 1960 Falcon two door wagon. I posted an introduction on "The Welcome Wagon" which grew to three pages and someone recommended I move the project updates on my Falcon wagon to the Cosmetic and Restoration section of this website.

    The introduction posted on The Welcome Wagon can be found here: http://www.stationwagonforums.com/forums/threads/new-member-1960-falcon-two-door-wagon.43378/

    This is the first wagon I have ever owned and the only wagon I have driven more than 10 miles as test drives on other Falcon wagons I located over the years were generally for only a few miles. These are pictures I sent to my wife just before I purchased the Falcon wagon at the Pomona Swap Meet in September 2016.

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    The 1960 wagon is a garage mate to my 19631/2 Ranchero with a factory 260 V8 and T-10 four speed transmission.

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    The Ranchero is fairly rare as online estimates on Falcon specific websites note less than 600 V8/4 Speed Rancheros were manufactured by Ford in 1963 prior to the introduction of the 1964 models. Some estimates have the number at less than 150 Rancheros built with this engine and transmission in 1963.
     
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  2. RetroSpeed

    RetroSpeed Active Member

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    After I purchased the wagon I knew I wanted to lower the stance and ordered some leaf and coil springs from Mac's Antique Auto Parts specifically engineered for a three inch drop on a 1960 Falcon wagon.

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    This picture compares the OEM coil spring to the lowered one from Mac's.

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    I have never been a fan of red wheels and the color choice did not make sense as the wagon's exterior color is Corinthian white and the interior color is blue. Moreover, although the previous owner upgraded the wagon to disc brakes and a dual master cylinder, he retained the 4x4.5 bolt circle for the 14' wheels front and rear. This limits the availability of chrome wheels for the wagon.

    I am on the hunt for a set of 14" 4 lug Truespoke wheels like the ones on this 1961 Falcon sedan and 1962 Falcon wagon. Very few sets were made so it may take a while to find them.

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    In the interim, I painted the red wheels on the Falcon wagon black and added some hubcaps from a 1963 Galaxie.
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    This is the ride height of my wagon after the new coil springs with the 3" drop were installed.
     
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  3. RetroSpeed

    RetroSpeed Active Member

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    One of the first modifications made to my Ranchero was the addition of 1960 Buick taillights.

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    I found another pair so now both the Ranchero and wagon have these great taillights.
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    I also acquired some NOS stainless steel window shades for the wagon.

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    In this picture the Buick taillights and NOS window shades have been installed.
    The leaf springs with the three inch drop have also been installed to match the three inch drop of the front end.

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    Last edited: May 9, 2017
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  4. RetroSpeed

    RetroSpeed Active Member

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    I am amazed at the NOS parts found for the Falcon wagon despite being 57 years old. My wife gave me an NOS grill for Christmas and I acquired NOS F-O-R-D letters, the fender trim and grill lenses still in the original Ford packaging.

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    A recently chromed front bumper and reproduction Falcon emblems completed the facelift on the front of the wagon.

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  5. RetroSpeed

    RetroSpeed Active Member

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    I love the look of a detailed engine, especially when chrome and polished aluminum are used. Multi carburetion is a plus.

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    Inspired by a March 1960 Hot Rod Magazine article, I built this tri-powered inline six back in 1996. Three NOS glass bowled Holley 1904s were mounted on an Edelbrock tri-power adaptor and a matching finned Edelbrock valve cover was added. Vintage Cal Custom air cleaners and Mooneyes liquid filled gauges completed the design aesthetic.

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    The 200 cubic inch inline six in the Falcon wagon was recently rebuilt and runs great but looked pedestrian as everything was painted a flat finish with absolutely no shine under the hood. Although the tri-powered six turned heads when the hood was opened, it required frequent tuning. Thus, for the sake of reliability, I am keeping the single carb on the wagon's engine.

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    To add some shine under the hood, I purchased some finned aluminum parts and began detailing the engine compartment.

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    With the exception of the Edelbrock valve cover, the finned aluminum parts are generic and required modification to fit the Falcon's engine. Once the modifications are completed, I intend to polish the finned aluminum parts, will get the brackets chromed and will paint the engine.

    This is the progress to date on the Falcon wagon's engine compartment. The 2017 finned Edelbrock air cleaner cover is an exact match to the vintage Edelbrock valve cover manufactured in 1960. The radiator cap is a vintage Cal Custom part.

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  6. Silvertwinkiehobo

    Silvertwinkiehobo "Everything that breaks starts with 'F.'"

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    Ya know, you could do EFI....:yup:

    It has always been my opinion that Ford really messed up with the straight-sixes, especially the 200 and 250 CID versions. If they had used the Holley 2-stage 2-barrel that you found on the 2.3L four, it could've awakened a bit of performance while still keeping a good amount of the emissions of the smaller engines. I also detested the fact of casting integral 'log' intakes to the cylinder heads, making them so fundamentally underpowered. My first car was a '78 Fairmont 200/3-on-the-floor, and it was a good, dependable car, but there were times i really needed power, and the 1-barrel just didn't have it to give.
     
  7. RetroSpeed

    RetroSpeed Active Member

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    Thanks Sivertwinkiehobo for the feedback.

    https://fordsix.com/is a website dedicated to maintaining and upgrading the venerable Ford inline six. It is amazing what is being built by this website's members from engines generally cast aside when car owners move from inline six to V8 power.

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    The simple addition of a rebuilt carburetor, Pertronix ignition, upgraded coil, plug wires and a dual exhaust header woke up the 200 inline six in the Falcon wagon. The previous owner installed an 8 inch rear end with gears that compliment the C4 automatic as the wagon easily scoots along at 75 mph on the freeway and pulls strong from light to light on the street.

    The Falcon is not a daily driver or creature comforts like power steering and air conditioning would be added. It is literally a "Grocery Getter" as my wife and I use it primarily on the weekends to run local errands. We discovered that the cargo space in the Falcon, even without folding down the rear seat, is much larger than the cargo space in my wife's 2016 Ford C-Max Hybrid.

    These pictures from the Ford archives record how much can be loaded into the tiny 1960 Falcon wagon.

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  8. RetroSpeed

    RetroSpeed Active Member

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    My wife and I returned to the Falcon after lunch on Sunday to discover a careless driver had hit the front of the wagon, damaged the driver's side fender and creased the recently chromed bumper. Not surprisingly, no one witnessed the collision and no note claiming responsibility was left.

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    There were many sympathetic restaurant patrons, some of whom offered to search the neighborhood for cars with evidence of recent damage. An older gentleman suggested that when we find the culprit responsible, "We tie him to the bumper and drag him.”

    Always one to look for the positive, at least no one was injured and as the wagon remains under construction, the fender repair will not require blending fresh paint to the damaged area. Moreover, the NOS grill and fender trim survived unscathed. It is still difficult to look at the damaged bumper as it was a 2016 Christmas gift from my wife and the triple plated chrome was perfect when I installed it just a few months ago.

    A friend on the HAMB had his 1962 Falcon wagon totaled when it was hit by a drunk driver while parked in front of his house so I know the damage to mine could have been much worse.

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    Has anyone else on SWF had their wagon hit by a careless driver?
     
    Last edited: May 17, 2017
  9. OrthmannJ

    OrthmannJ Always looking for old ford crew cabs

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    Man, that is rotten. I'm sorry to hear about it.
    There was someone else on here a year or so ago that had their wagon hit in a similar way to the one you posted from the HAMB. If I remember correctly it was also parked in front of their house and may have also included a drunken driver.
    I do admire your positive outlook though. It certainly could have been worse. No one was hurt and the wagon can still be driven.
     
  10. RetroSpeed

    RetroSpeed Active Member

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    Thanks OrthmannJ,

    As you own a 1963 Ranchero, you know how sturdy the bumpers are on early Falcons. The car that collided with the wagon did so at a good speed because the bumper got creased and pushed sideways into the fender. Some hammer and dolly work will fix the fender but the bumper repair will not be as easy. I'll straighten it as best as I can and keep it on the wagon while I complete the bodywork. After I get the fit and finish dialed in on the exterior panels, Ill replace the bumper with a new one. It is an unfortunate extra expense but the price paid when we drive our vintage wagons instead of keeping them stored in a garage.
     
  11. OrthmannJ

    OrthmannJ Always looking for old ford crew cabs

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    You're welcome

    It is indeed. But I think it's worth it. (at least to me it is) I'd much rather drive my vehicles than let them sit.

    I had a similar situation with the rear bumper on the Ranchero. It was a brand new bumper, and it got pushed back against the body. I straightened it the best I could. It's still noticeable at the right angle, but it isn't terrible. I did have a heck of a time finding good quality replacements when I went looking for bumpers in the first place. They are pretty scarce.
     
  12. RetroSpeed

    RetroSpeed Active Member

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    The previous owner installed a new headliner in the wagon but reused the rusted coat hooks and did not repaint the Falcon rearview mirror or sun visor brackets. I considered stripping all the old paint from these parts but reached back into the Mustang parts bin instead. I ordered a chrome rear view mirror, chrome visor brackets and white sun visors for a 1965 Mustang that look great installed in the Falcon.

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    The carpet is new but was only partially installed as the previous owner placed it under the seats but never trimmed it to fit. The great discovery was the Dynamat insulation under the carpet. Surfer pedals and new kick panels finished the work on the interior

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  13. OrthmannJ

    OrthmannJ Always looking for old ford crew cabs

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    Nice. Very clean looking. I like the custom touch of the surfer pedals.
     
  14. RetroSpeed

    RetroSpeed Active Member

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    As the Falcon's original plastic knobs were either broken or missing, I replaced them with chrome knobs from a 1965 Mustang. Even the upgraded radio installed has the Mustang's knobs. Thanks to a new wiring harness, everything on the dash works, including the original gauges, heater, lighter and interior light that goes on when the doors are opened. The windshield wipers are now electric versus vacuum activated which were original to a 1960 Falcon wagon.

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    All the new Mustang chrome parts look great against the faded paint on the Falcon dash which reflects 57 years of the wagon being someone's reliable transportation. Thus, I am at a design impasse as I respect the patina and can't bring myself to sand it smooth and repaint it to look brand new.

    Thoughts?
     
  15. Poison_Ivy

    Poison_Ivy Dogzilla Fan

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    I'd hate to port and polish one of those. At least, you never had vacuum leaks.
     

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