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1963 Falcon Phase 2
I have been lurking here for a while I thought I might as well post my build. I have a 1963-1/2 Falcon Futura. It is my first car I have had since 1995. It came with a 170 and at three speed on the column. In '09 I started collecting parts and swapped in a 1989 5.0, T5, and 8.8. I built a bunch of cool parts and a custom big brake kit for the front. I covered all the details on a falcon forum (tffn.net). I got the car running in time to run all three Pleasanton autoX events in 2012, and have been working on the upgrades to someday be competitive. Phase 1 basically took the car as far as I could with stock type components. 225/50-16 General UHP tires and 16x7 wheels in stock wheel wells.
Phase 2: 255/40-17 Dunlop Star Specs on 17x9's (2003 SVT 14 spoke cobra), fully adjustable upper and lower control arms, custom drop spindles, Torque Arm, Mini-tubs, upgraded fuel tank. Future plans call for a Roll cage, fire system, splined sway bars and a paint job (not necessarily in that order). Here are some highlights from Phase 1: Fitting RX7 brakes http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...psb2fd66cb.jpg http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps05c03e77.jpg http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps36241823.jpg http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps84cb2b68.jpg Catching a big fish with my Dad http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps025adc57.jpg http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps26bae100.jpg Big Radiator http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...psefd96d2a.jpg http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps8f8b3f1a.jpg http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...psfc18e9c0.jpg http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...psef86c055.jpg Panhard Bar http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...psf5cf2723.jpg http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps01afa754.jpg http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...pse579544e.jpg Exhaust http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...pse6b94728.jpg http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...psf9b92d94.jpg Enjoy - Craig |
glad to see you posting over here!
But its not a falcon, HAHA! |
That's my kind of stuff you are doing right there. Very cool.
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Nice project.
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:wow: great work and doing things yourself is always so rewarding.:thumbsup:
Falcon explosion on Lat-g. I'm liking it:cool: Throw some more highlights up. :cheers: |
Thanks guys. I'll post some more pics up tonight. The falcon will be heading back into the garage tonight to start the upgrades.
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I love these bodies! Amazingly - it's probably the only car out there that If I told my wife I bought -- she'd be happy!
Nice work! Love the DIY building -- and you seem to be very capable! Good for you. :thumbsup: |
Between copying Bryce and you I should be able to dial my wagon in.:unibrow:
Love your car.:thumbsup: http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/l...nca/falcon.jpg |
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Always love seeing builds where people aren't afraid to pick up the tools and build it themselves. Great job so far. Looking forward to seeing where this goes!
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Not worrying about re-doing work is one thing I have learned. Sometimes revision is the only way to find the solution. Serpentine belt setup Evolution: Rev 1: Junk bracket from Ebay http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps05e646c0.jpg This blocked the timing pointer, and had junk hardware. Rev 2: Custom Bracket http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps336e9d13.jpg http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...pse107f5bc.jpg Test fitting mockup http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps33dbcd94.jpg Getto Break http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps6f031226.jpg Custom offset pulley, turned from 2 and welded. http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps826f5d35.jpg .004" runout, at least as good as OEM http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...psc3261450.jpg Dialed, 3 pulley setup. Rev 3: Power steering added http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps18139b8a.jpg Epic Fail, not enough crack pulley wrap = belt slippage and awful noise. Rev 4: Added idler for 180 deg+ wrap = all good now http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...psd399be89.jpg http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps8c347d93.jpg Stock 5.0 tensioner used for stock http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps242e75f1.jpg Final setup works great Don't forget to vent the KRC power steering reservoir if you are going to use a stock box. Otherwise the pressure will build and you will push a seal out of something. -Craig |
Ok Phase 2 officially begins.
I got one spindle cut down and tacked up to test for fit. Tomorrow I will modify the second one and finish blowing apart the front suspension. With stock spindles and 1.25" spacer the wheel will physically bolt up to the car, but they sick out past the fenders and the rim hits the control arm well before lock. http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...psf532df6c.jpg I bought a spare set of '68 spindles back in August for this swap. I already had a 3D model from the first go around, so I modified it until it would tuck inside the wheel. http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...psa30725f1.jpg http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...psd1d31c80.jpg http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...psae7e0015.jpg Upper ball joint clearance http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps23430abf.jpg Tie Rod clearance http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps831b4160.jpg 17x9's with 255/40-17's on a Falcon. http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...pse96d3bef.jpg I mocked up the rear a couple weeks ago. It rubs the leaf and has minimal tub clearance. http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps54057498.jpg |
whats your plan to correct the geometry after cutting down the spindle?
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The lower arm mount will get a vertical slots with some shoulders milled into it. I will make some offset plates, similar to the 67+ mustang eccentric eliminators, but turned vertical. Starting value will be down .75" Overall, the arms will be about .75" longer to get the tires right to the edge of the fender. http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps636adb8c.jpg |
right on! I figures you had a plan.
Post up some suspension graphs when you get done. Since I lowered my car a little bit more I have to remeasure all my pick up points and re adjsut everything if necessary. |
I assume that you're working with a forged spindle. Looks like you could chamfer those two cut pieces a bit more to make sure you get good penetration on the weld.
That spacer you've got for the tie rod looks a little sketchy. Have you considered bracing that back toward the center of the spindle? |
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Making painfully slow progress.
Upper Control arm mounts: http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps66306d33.jpg |
I actually got the car done in time for the Pleasanton Goodguys in March. I was still assembling on Saturday so I only got 3 runs in on Sunday. The car has so much more grip and better manners, I have some more tweeks to do but at least its back on the road.
http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps41af7a1c.jpg The I did more mockup and took more measurements than I would like to think about to get it all to fit. Rear fit better with no spacers, but the rim was making contact with the leaf, and my old 225's rubbed on both inner and outer fender wells. These wheels have about an inch more front space and back space than the old wheels. This puts them .400" more front space after removing the wheel spacer in the rear. I spent several hours under the car with a square, plumb bob and string pulled taught to get all of the chassis suspension pick up points to use as a baseline. http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps386caa20.jpg I had picked up some extra spindles at a swap meet last August that were earmarked for this project. They were another set of 1968 mustang drum spindles so my big brake package would bolt up. A bunch of time on SolidWorks and I got the geometry back where I wanted and the ball joints to tuck inside the wheel to allow for 6.19” of backspace. The mockup can be seen in the earlier posts. Then I started cutting and making parts: Tires stuffed up in the fender: http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...psccc005d4.jpg Adjustable upper and lower arms: http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps6c79ddc9.jpg http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps6b58ec2d.jpg http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...pscae45c74.jpg http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...psfa5d796a.jpg http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...psa98eb604.jpg I built some trick strut rods too, but they don't have enough clearance at the rod ends, so I had to put the stock ones back in. The mods to make them fit are in the works. http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps15f1cfc4.jpg Hubcentric ring for the Rotor and wheels. http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps6d99b2a7.jpg Spindles cut, fixtured, chamferd and ready to weld: http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps76e995d4.jpg http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps1a37668b.jpg My buddy Bill welded them up for me. It took about an hour each. http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...psab575965.jpg http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...psd4a026ee.jpg I ground the welds smooth and painted them black for a stock look. I'll post more about the mini-tub next time. -Craig |
The Falcon looks great. I wish I had your time and ingenuity, this is a great owner build. :thumbsup:
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Subscribed.
Really cool stuff. I was considering posting an update thread on my Ford here but that would be like me trying out for a pro football team. Just not gonna happen. You home builders are way out of my league. |
Wow!!!!! What an awesome build thread.!!!I really Dig this DIY Stuff.:welder:
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Home builds are the best cuz great ideas can come from using what you got . Love ur car also cuz its different
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Thanks for the complements. I am lucky enough to have access to all of the big boy toys at work so I can build my own parts. My boss also lets me raid the drops bin so I can get most of my stock for free. I am too cheap to buy parts from the DSE or TCP so I just build them myself. I also like to make my own parts because I get to decide what the engineering compromises are. Metal working is one of the most challenging and rewarding activities that I do. The more I learn in the shop, the better and cheaper my designs get. I feel like it helps my driving also. You have to be really smooth when you are cutting on the lathe, never force it and feel the tool feedback in your hand, just like the autocross.
I consider all of my part prototypes at this point. I am not thrilled with my lower arms so a rev 3 will likely be in the works. This is my zero dollar mini-tub (not really true, i bought a body saw and used at least $50 in wire, gas, blades and cutoff wheels): It all starts with some careful mesurments. I figured I should start with the rearend, that way I couldn't chicken out and not cut up the car. I used my layout and mockups to learn that if I moved the springs in .5" per side I would still be able to use my leaves and not have to modify my Panhard bar or exhaust. On the axle, I simply welded up the center pin hole on my perches and welded some 1/4 thick strips to the side, ground smooth, then drilled holes for the u-bolts. It saved me from having to do any major cutting on my rearend. http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...pse6d14a62.jpg You can see how one u-bolt passes through the perch, and the other touches it on the inside. I reworked my shock mount to match by welding up the outer set of holes, re-drilling, and sloting the center pin hole, then I cut off the excess material and painted black. http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...psd2f05c10.jpg I also moved the driver's side brake line mount because it was nearly rubbing the rim. I cut the front mount to match the new width (with an additional .134" per side for spring toe) and welded in some 3/16 plate I sheared up at work. I just love having a big shear at my disposal. http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps42a27eeb.jpg http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...psb5dbb2d0.jpg It was all welded in and ground smooth. Now for the big cuts. I made a cardboard template and marked the line, I was originally going to use a second set of wheel tubs so that I didn't need to add a strip, but they were a little too rusty. After looking at the DSE booth, I think the mustang tubs might be the same, it would save a bunch of extra welding, but cost about $300, so I probably wouldn't, even if I could. http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps32331a89.jpg I also bulged the other houses: http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...psa54f776d.jpg clearanced, gained 7/8" http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps88e03b83.jpg Ever so slighly bulged http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps1f4faea8.jpg http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps7bc65760.jpg 2" wide 48" long 16 ga. I welded it in with about 1/8" per side overlap. I took it as far as I could without cutting the frame, gained about 1.75 inside and .875 outside. http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps305e9c05.jpg Don't worry, I seam sealed it inside and out. I took it as far as I could without cutting the frame, gained about 1.75 inside and .875 outside. http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...psde317a06.jpg http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps36761e67.jpg http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...psfb71a3a1.jpg I also enlarged the rear of the tunnel where I was having some drive shaft clearanc issues http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps8afd248e.jpg http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps694ed62d.jpg Enjoy. |
Got the car out to the SCCA autocross this last Sunday after a hard thrash session to get the front suspension better sorted. I had a lot of fun, but double running and spending all day in the sun took its toll on me. I played around with my GoPro and I think it will really help as a learning tool. Especially after watching some fast runs on the same track on Youtube. I am not linking the elements very well and I need to get comfortable braking hard. The star spec tires have so much more traction than the Generals I can really get on the brakes and gas hard without swapping ends. I need to learn how to use the traction. Next run will be on 5/12
Here are some of the videos I took. The sound is not too good with the solid back cover. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROEVv9U8o-Q https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1f5L_vAcWv4 In the grid http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...psd91bc208.jpg http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps7259971f.jpg I had some clearance issues even after cutting down the shock tower supports: http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps7df38cb8.jpg Turned some "low misalignment spacers" out of 316SST and clearanced the my strut rod brackets. I ordered some 7075 and will build another set now that I got the design right. I am a little uncomfortable with a the safety factor (1.6) on the current design with 6061. 7075 is almost twice as strong and I needed to order some for some bike parts I was making so I got some more 2.25" rounds. http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...psa3938838.jpg I have not had bump stops for the last month. So I spent some quality time on the lathe making some bungs to weld into 1.25x.120 wall tube and made some round top caps. http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps6a9489d6.jpg http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps4234953f.jpg And added the Boss style shock tower gussets: http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...pse8b6cd81.jpg and some load spreaders: http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps8446a02d.jpg and welded it all in: http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps34ab6915.jpg "Finshed" Suspension: http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps6a3e8950.jpg http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps198d574a.jpg http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...psee474fdb.jpg |
I just noticed the belly bar/frame cross member you have. Have any more pictures of it and how its connected. I've been looking at beefing mine up a little. I just have the stack belly bar.
http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...psee474fdb.jpg Felt like I was on a boat watching that helmet cam vid LOL. I like the comments your rider made at the end. "Fun as hell" Those guys dont get to ride in older cars much and seem to really get a kick out of riding with us. |
Chris,
I had to go way back in the archive, but here is the skid plate build: I got the basic design from the 1964 Monte Carlo Rally Falcon http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...psfd555545.jpg And after watching the GT Racer episode of the La Carrera Panamericana where the Mustang rips the sump off the oil pan on a topes I had to have one. It always starts with some templates http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps264f45ef.jpg Frame Brackets http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...psc7005414.jpg http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...psb7e79a4b.jpg Insert for core support http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps23d8e819.jpg http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps9633f8ee.jpg http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps0285b567.jpg http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps85fe21be.jpg Completed Frame work http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps59429d27.jpg http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps8e9efc35.jpg Final cut on the skin, 1/8" 6061-T6 http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps89f11647.jpg http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...psb611d118.jpg The finished skid plate is a great place to jack the car. And yes, it gets used! http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps9ac9b85b.jpg http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...psaed7f89b.jpg |
That skid plate is fantastic. Very very cool!
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Just as expected. More Awesomeness! :cheering:
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I dig that skid plate. I might have to incorporate something like that into my chevelle. :popcorn2:
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Thanks everyone for reading my thread and the positive feedback. The skid plate is one of the coolest features that almost nobody ever notices.
We are in the process of buying the house were renting, so no new parts for awhile (unless I can build them for free). Wish me luck as I really don't want to have to move my shop 2 more times if the sale falls though. I have all the stock for an upgraded fuel system with Jag filler cap and a torque arm to keep my leafs inline. -Craig |
Rev limiter installed, alignment set to 9.5 deg caster, -2.25 camber, 1/16 toe out. Oil changed and registration in hand. Can't wait for Good Guys Pleasanton this weekend. See you all bright and early on Saturday ready to run.
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love this build! look forward to seeing it saturday!
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Nice work Craig, you made some great improvements.
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Thanks guys. I hope I have better luck this weekend with the gopro. At the last goodguys I got a couple of really good videos of diving in the pits, but no racing. I was out of sinc with my remote and stopped recording right when I got to the line. I also need to change the back cover to get some better sound.
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I got a nice shady spot in the pits and some good GoPro videos.
Everything fell together in the afternoon. The car was working well, and I was doing my best driving to date. This is hands down the tightest coarse I have ever driven, and it has a drainage dip in the middle (that you cross 3 times and then brake through after the finish). It scared off a lot of competitors early on so I ended up getting about 10 runs. I will post some videos tomorrow or Monday, but I don't want to share my lines just yet as I am currently sitting in first place in Street Machine and .020 seconds ahead of Mike Maier overall! Maier only drove in the afternoon so he will only get faster tomorrow. There are also some other great drivers and fast cars in SM so it is still anyone's race. I am super excited as this is the first time I am even in the top ten yet alone sitting with the fastest overall time. -Craig |
The course layout was horrible, and having it where they did forced everyone into the little shaded area. Pleasanton GG needs to get their sh!t together. seen your car in the pits but you were no where near, looking good. congrats on 1st place, so far.
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Personally -- I think this is THE MOST INTERESTING build on Lat G.... I absolutely love that you are using this build to improve not only the car - but also your chosen profession.
I'm going to have to make a plan to get to GG's Pleasanton just to meet you and see your car. I used to go all the time -- then gave it up for doing other shows etc... but I have to get back down there. :thumbsup: :thumbsup: |
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