'63 Falcon project

[milner351]

Fantastic!

[STINEY]

1 second reduction? That's a great improvement for minimal effort. And daylight to boot, nice job.

[Deaf Bob]

So this is why I didn't see you at "Cruisin the Gut" in Mac...

[1946Austin]

So this is why I didn't see you at "Cruisin the Gut" in Mac...

Yes, I'd never miss the Gut in Mac for anything else! Not sure why they moved the Gut to this weekend; it's always been later in the year in the past.

Thanks guys! I'm not really competing for wins, but it is fun to win. More about comparing how I did the year before. I wanted to take the Austin to see how it compared with the new engine, but didn't want to thrash on the brand new engine. Plus I didn't have a trailer, and no way to flat tow the Austin up. The Falcon flat towed with my tow bar so nicely! I was surprised how well it followed, and how I almost forgot it was there until you start to brake to slow down. I'll have to see what it might take to set the Austin up to do the same.

[1946Austin]

Sounds like a great weekend! So what was the best time/speed? PICTURES?

Best ET was 8.08, and best top speed was 91 mph for the 1/8th mile.

Here's a picture Dan Sullivent took of me and Ray Gordon's '51 Chevy 406 powered gasser. Ray runs high 7's and low 8's, so I really tried to cut a good light on him! Got him out of the hole, but he got me by .009 sec. at the big end. Great race though!

[DanStokes]

LOVE the pic! The black and white places it in the early '60s and it's completely believable. I don't notice anything in the background that breaks the mood, if you know what I mean.

Dan

[Russell]

Love the picture! You and John are making me want to sell my mustangs and work on my Falcon. It just needs one of every thing.

[1946Austin]

Thanks! Dan's picture in B&W does give the illusion of a 60's drag race. It may be my new screen saver! His timing was perfect on the shot, as I can just see the sidewalls starting to flex on the slicks!

[1946Austin]

Hey look what I got! Got this link emailed to me by a friend this today! It's a video he took at Billetproof drags this year. Happened to catch me and my buddy Jeff's '56 Chevy when we went heads up! It's the 2nd race in the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0nqWJ7wKTc

Be sure to watch the last run! Robbie Davis and Jake Steele in their Willys PU and coupe. Robbie snapped an axle on launch with his coupe on this run!

[1946Austin]

The local Pick N Pull is having their holiday weekend sale, so everything is half price! Decided I better run out and grab a spare 8.8" Ford rear axle at $100. Pulled a 3.73 limited slip from a '94 Explorer, which is the last year for drum brakes. I also grabbed a short side axle shaft from another 8.8" open differential, so if I want to use this in a narrower project, I can simply cut 3" off the long side tube, and weld it together, (along with the short shaft) to make a 56.5" OA rear axle. They had the shafts for $20 today, so works out to be pretty cheap for a tough rear axle.

[DanStokes]

Good plan! I don't have as much energy for PnP as I used to but I hire the yard guys (there are always guys hanging around and some seem to be sort of permanently set up) if I need big stuff. Next buy will be a windshield and a flat hood for the S-10 - maybe I should get that this weekend.

Dan

[1946Austin]

Good plan! I don't have as much energy for PnP as I used to but I hire the yard guys (there are always guys hanging around and some seem to be sort of permanently set up) if I need big stuff. Next buy will be a windshield and a flat hood for the S-10 - maybe I should get that this weekend.

Dan

Can't hire the yard guys at our Pick N Pull, but you can usually find someone there getting parts that can give a hand. Unfortunately I couldn't find anyone when I needed help, and at 64 I'm not lifting complete rear axles like I did when I was young. I had to drop the leaf springs, so I could drag it out. Then I stood it up on one drum and rolled my cart up to it, and laid it over into the cart. Had a neighbor help me unload it when I got home, and I was really whipped! Had to hit the Ibuprofen right after a shower!

[1946Austin]

Two years since I did an update to this thread! Still playing with the Falcon, and having fun between issues! I've never claimed to be a carburetor guru, and I was at the point of considering swapping out cams on the BBC engine! Been fighting issues with the engine surging when holding the throttle steady at any speed. It was worse at lower speeds, and seemed to act like it was lugging. I really thought the cam was the culprit, as it would respond great to more throttle, so I thought of changing it.
Fortunately I got some input from a friend who knows carbs, and especially Holley carbs like my twin 1850 600 cfm carbs. I described my issue, and the first thing he asked was, "What size jets are you running?" I told him the stock jets, and thought they were #64's? He told me to swap them out with at least a #78 or #80.
So I pulled the bowls and removed the jets. Since I have tons of small jets, (and a recent theft in my driveway resulted in most of my Holley parts getting stolen) I decided to get out the numbered drill bits and drill the #62 (smaller!) jets out to #80. Reassembled the carbs, and took it for a test drive. Holy smokes! What a difference! All the surging and bucking is gone at any speed, and acceleration is smooth and almost docile when casually giving it easy throttle! It still pulls hard and lifts the front wheels on a hard launch, but it's so much more streetable than before!

This winter will see some suspension changes up front! I stumbled across a drilled and chromed 1938 Chevy straight axle for a whopping $60. It's missing spindles, brakes, etc., but by coincidence the old Chevys are easily adapted to the 60's Econoline spindles and brakes! Since I have a complete set here as spares for the current axle, I'll build it up before installation. The old Chevy axle has narrower spring width, so the springs will sit under the frame, and all the boxed mounts will be cut off. It's also about 2.5" narrower, so will tuck the front tires in a little, but closer to where I like them. It will be a fairly large rework, but getting a chromed axle, and having a cleaner mounting setup, will make the work worthwhile.



Maybe after the suspension change I may finally get around to finishing the bodywork, and get carpet on the floors!

[SuperBuickGuy]

funny you mention that - there's an axle at my dad's house that's probably what you're looking for (presuming he hasn't scrapped it), it's mine but I've no use for it. Tell him that it's the bent one (it's got a weird bend in it) but all of that stuff is there - drums, spindles, etc. Yours for the taking if you want it.

[Deaf Bob]

Was looking for your email to get an update..
Glad stuff is working out for you!