New Member - 1960 Falcon Two Door Wagon

Discussion in 'The Welcome Wagon' started by RetroSpeed, Nov 9, 2016.

  1. 66Fairlanewagon

    66Fairlanewagon Well-Known Member

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    Nice work again there Retro! You've certainly got some skills there mate! Glad I could provide some help, so far I've been taking help and advice, it's nice to be able to return some.

    Good idea to try a junk piece, and yes if you've had success with other polishes, go for it. It's a fair bit of work, but the results are worth it. And certainly so if you don't have access to replacement parts as I don't down in Oz.

    Cheers
     
  2. n2fordmuscle

    n2fordmuscle Well-Known Member

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    Great looking pair of Falcons! Love your custom touches, and I look forward to seeing your progress.
     
  3. Krash Kadillak

    Krash Kadillak Well-Known Member

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    Great write-up and info, Retro.....
    The customizing touches you've done to the wagon are just the sort of thing kids (and adults) would have been doing back in the early 60's. Just had a thought.... You might want to do a bit of research on your 1960 Falcon. It could be one of the first ones made. '60 was the first year for the Falcon, and if I'm remembering correctly (I was 9 when the Falcon came out), the wagons were released a couple of months (maybe more) after the initial introduction.

    Here's a link to an 'early' Falcon brochure - no wagons in it.
    http://www.lov2xlr8.no/brochures/ford/fa1/fa1.html

    Here's a link to a revised brochure, with wagons
    http://www.lov2xlr8.no/brochures/ford/fa2/fa2.html


    Welcome to the forum!

    Marshall
     
  4. RetroSpeed

    RetroSpeed Active Member

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    Thanks everyone for the welcome and feedback.

    I have been driving the wheels off the wagon and working some bugs out to make it safe and reliable. The previous owner apparently had Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde mechanical skills as some work completed is 1st rate while other repairs leave me wondering what he was thinking as quick fix, poorly executed work will only lead to future failure. Thankfully Falcons are relatively simple and I have learned a lot from the two 1963 Rancheros I have owned

    This is a picture from 1996 of my first 1963 Ranchero I built with an air bag suspension modified from a mini truck application. Fairly crude by today's technological standards, my Ranchero was one of the first Falcons posted online with an air bag suspension.

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    Today Falcons with air bag suspensions are found all over the world.

    This sedan delivery is from Japan:

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    This Falcon Frontenac is from Canada:

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    And these incredible Falcons are from Australia:

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    20 years later I am building my current Ranchero to look like the one I owned in 1996 but with better mechanical parts that were not available then. The Falcon wagon will be more traditional and as Marshall, Krash Kaddillac, pointed out it will reflect custom cues from the early 1960's.

    Thanks again everyone for the warm welcome and feedback on my two Fords.

    Chris
     
  5. RetroSpeed

    RetroSpeed Active Member

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    Thanks Marshall for the terrific links to the Falcon brochures. I am now on the hunt for the electric rear window mechanism as I thought this was not available until 1961. Per the information decoded from the VIN and data plate, my 1960 wagon was assembled on Thursday, April 2, 1959.

    Model Year = 1960
    Model Series = Falcon 2 Door Station Wagon
    Engine = 144 Cu. In. 6 cylinder (90 hp)
    Body Type = Falcon 2 Door Station Wagon - Deluxe
    Exterior Color = White (Corinthian White)
    Upholstery Color = Light Green Vinyl and Green Block Pattern Fabric
    Date Assembled = Thursday 02April 1959
    Transmission = 2 Speed Fordomatic Transmission
    Axle = 3.89:1
    DSO = DSO Code Unknown
    Assembly Plant = San Jose​

    Total Production: 27,552
    Total 1960 Falcons: 466,240

    My 1963 Ranchero with the factory 260 V8 and T-10 four speed has less production numbers than the 1960 Falcon two door wagon. Online estimates are less than 600 were manufactured by Ford and some estimates have the actual number at less than 150. Whether 600 or 150, I am amazed someone would consider crushing such a rare Ford.

    Thanks again for the links to the 1960 Falcon brochures.

    Chris
     
  6. OrthmannJ

    OrthmannJ Always looking for old ford crew cabs

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    I knew they were rare, but I didn't know they were that rare. Makes more sense now why many folks ask if our 63 is a factory 4 speed car.

    I like the sedan deliveries as well. My Father-in-law was looking for one for a while. He thought it would be a fun car to share garage space with the Ranchero. Turns out the sedan delivery is rarest of them all.
     
  7. RetroSpeed

    RetroSpeed Active Member

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    Falcon sedan deliveries are definitely head turners on the street given their low production numbers. While searching for my two door wagon, it is unfortunate the number of sedan deliveries I found for sale with 1970's modifications like pop up sunroofs, side windows in the panels or rear wheel flares that would all prove challenging to repair. These modifications were likely done during the custom van craze of the 1970s.

    Here are some photos of sedan deliveries that survived the 1970s unscathed.

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    I must find a way to get one of the visors found on Australian Falcons to California as they look great!

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  8. 1tireman

    1tireman Well-Known Member

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    Welcome Retro!
     
  9. RetroSpeed

    RetroSpeed Active Member

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    Happy Holidays SWF,

    My wife gave me a new bumper and an NOS 1960 Falcon grill still in the original Ford box for Christmas!

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    A friend of ours brought them over and said they must have fallen out of Santa's sleigh as we had exchanged gifts earlier Christmas morning so it was completely unexpected. To complete the Falcon wagon parts trifecta, I found a vendor in Australia that will ship a Falcon XP sun visor to California.

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    Unfortunately it will take three weeks for the visor to arrive but I really like the way they look on Falcon wagons. After seeing this picture, air bags are definitely being considered for my 1960 wagon.

    [​IMG]
     
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  10. 66Fairlanewagon

    66Fairlanewagon Well-Known Member

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    Happy days!!:bananaman::bananaman: Those visors seem to be an Aussie only thing, but they do look good on the Falcons.
     
  11. RetroSpeed

    RetroSpeed Active Member

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    I have been a big fan of the sun visors since I first saw them on the Falcons from Australia.

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    I also like the look of skirts/spats on the rear wheel wells with wide white wall tires. The skirts elongate the body line visually and accentuate a lowered stance. However, if I add the wide white walls I would change the current Galaxie hubcaps to something simpler in design that gave my Falcon a late '50s early '60s custom appearance.
     
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  12. RetroSpeed

    RetroSpeed Active Member

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    Although we have had some much needed rain in SoCal lately, the sun peaked out just enough to move the wagon out of the garage to work on. I have had some NOS trim to add and although it is for a 1961 Falcon, I prefer the design over the parts manufactured for the 196o models.

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    Although not NOS, the chrome on these reproduction Falcon emblems is nicer and the finished edges are crisper than the NOS Ranchero emblems acquired for my truck. They were a lot cheaper too at $20 per emblem versus $125 paid for the Ranchero's.

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    As I mentioned in my introduction, the engine bay will be incredibly detailed and will use finned aluminum parts polished as brightly as possible. Towards that goal, these are the parts acquired thus far for the engine of the wagon.

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    The rare Edebrock valve cover is from the tri-powered inline six with three NOS glass bowled Holley carburetors I had in my 1st Ranchero back in 1996. I still have all the vintage Edelbrock speed parts for the inline six but I prefer the reliability of the single carburetor on the wagon.

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    This article from the March 1960 Hot Rod Magazine details the Edelbrock and Holley parts I located and used for the engine built back in 1996.

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    With the exception of the vintage Cal Custom air cleaners I used on my engine, this picture from the 1960 Hot Rod Magazine article looks just like the engine I built 36 years later.

    [​IMG]
     
  13. RetroSpeed

    RetroSpeed Active Member

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    After I installed the fender trim, I started to test fit and adjust the finned motor parts onto the engine. With the exception of the Edelbrock valve cover, the finned parts are universal and not specific to the 1960 Falcon. Thus, some mounting points will need to be adjusted or brackets fabricated for the installation. Once I have the fit and finish dialed in, I will begin polishing the parts, will get fabricated brackets chromed and will paint the engine. A chromed starter, alternator and master cylinder will finish the work under the hood.

    Here are pictures of today's progress.

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  14. RetroSpeed

    RetroSpeed Active Member

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    This is a picture of the 1965 Mustang inline 6 engine in my wagon with the installed vintage Edelbrock valve cover and new air cleaner. The fins and Edelbrock script on the new air cleaner are a perfect match to the valve cover which is over 50 years old. The finned radiator cap is a vintage Cal Custom piece.

    [​IMG]
     
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  15. OrthmannJ

    OrthmannJ Always looking for old ford crew cabs

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    All of the vintage speed parts are looking real good man. I like the way it's turning out.

    The magazine article from the time period is a real cool piece as well.
     

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