Out for a spin.

[Jeff W]

My 1963 Falcon Fordor Wagon was a beige color and it had little cows heads molded into the upholstery.

Like this?

[ew1usnr]

Like this?

Yea! That's it. I liked the little cow heads. That was a really unique touch.

I stopped to get some gas on my way to work this past Friday morning. While there, a guy in a pickup said “Nice Falcon”. He smiled and told me that his grandmother had a Falcon convertible. When he was five years old she would let him sit in her lap when she drove her car. That was a nice story and it is nice that he remembers having good times with his grandmother. Then another guy stopped as he was pulling in and said that he liked my Falcon and that he has a 1963 Pontiac Grand Prix. I didn't know what they looked like so I googled an image later. It is a nice looking car, but too large for my taste. I like the lady in the background who is wearing the 1963-style elbow-length white gloves.
1963 Pontiac Grand Prix.jpg

I drove my Falcon to work again this morning and was surprised to see a buddy's 1970 Mustang in the parking lot.
F James' 1970 Mustang 006.jpg

LS James' 1970 Mustang 002.jpg
The car had not been running for some time and I like to think that my Falcon and my other friend's 1967 Fairlane provided some of the inspiration for him to get the Mustang going.

R James' 1970 Mustang 003.jpg
He said that I will need to re-take the pictures when he has the car painted. I told him that having the car painted in primer makes him look like a bad a**. He liked that.

[ew1usnr]

This morning I went an Insty Tune & Lube “Cruise In” that they have the second Saturday of each month. I met a guy who has a 1964 Pontiac Grand Prix. That was interesting after having talked to a guy last week about a 1963 Grand Prix.
1964 Grand Prix.JPG

I left there to visit a Mustang show at a local Ford Dealer. There were a lot of cars there.
Mustangs.JPG

This 1970 Mercury Cyclone was nice:
1970 Cyclone.JPG

While I was at the Mustang show this guy and his wife showed up with their 1964 Falcon. I chatted with the Falcon guy and he said that there was an all Chevrolet show going on about eight miles down the road.
Falcon FQ.JPG

I drove to the "BCCC OPEN BENEFIT CAR SHOW 8:00 AM - 2:00 PM Hosted by the Tampa Bay Classic Chevy Club" and the first cars that I saw were a 1966(?) Falcon and a Galaxie. They had all kinds of cars there.
1966 Falcon.JPG

It was a fun day.

[ew1usnr]

The temperature this morning was 59 degrees and there was a heavy overcast with a slight rain. I took I-275 south to I-4 and drove east at 65 mph to visit Dinosaur World in Plant City. It is a tourist attraction that is alongside I-4 about 20 miles east of Tampa.
See: http://dinosaurworld.com/florida/

The park had not opened yet when I got there and I took this picture at the front gate.
Dinosaur World Entance.JPG


Shortly there after, a girl showed up and unlocked the gate. I didn't actually go into the park. I just wanted to take pictures at the front gate and in the parking lot.
Triceratops.JPG

Brontosauri.JPG

There is also a winery near there that is famous for their blueberry wine. See: http://keelandcurleywinery.com/ Going home I took I-4 west and then I-75 north. The Falcon ran great.
Winery.JPG

[ew1usnr]

I had today off for Veteran's day and and the Florida state parks also had free admission today. So we added another 100 miles to the odometer and visited Weeki Wachee Springs. It used to be a famous privately owned tourist attraction, but it was a casualty to Disney World. The State bought it in 2001 to protect the natural and historical resource and now they operate it as a State Park. See: http://www.floridastateparks.org/weekiwachee/

01-DCP_6031.JPG

It is a natural spring that has a viewing area with glass windows that let you see an underwater mermaid show. There are not many places where you can see a similar show.
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On the way back home we stopped by Salt Spring State park. It was my first time there. They have a nature trail that leads back to several springs.

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Happy Veterans Day!
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[ew1usnr]

I just looked a the weather forecast for Rainier, WA and was surprised to see that your temperatures are very similar to what we are having in Tampa right now. Tomorrow we will have a high of 65 and a low of 48.

I have been using my Falcon as a daily driver and have been driving to work everyday, but try to avoid driving it in the rain. This past Monday fooled me, though. The forecast was for a 20% chance of rain, but it started drizzling as I drove in to work, it drizzled off and on all day, and it turned into a light rain that evening. It was cloudy, raining, and the the temperature had dropped to 50 degrees by the time I got off work. It was an uninspiring day.

But, ... it gave me an opportunity to try all my car's comfort and convenience features. I flipped on the wipers and my new wiper arms and wiper blades kept the windshield clear. The heater that I had flushed with a garden hose warmed the interior up nice and toasty. The windshield began to fog up and I pulled out the defroster knob and turned the fan on with the new fan switch. The mist evaporated and the windshield cleared. Bob Marley was playing through my AM radio from the FM converter and cigarette-lighter MP3 player and out my new dashboard speaker:

"One ting about music,
when it hits you,
You feel no pain"

And I was appreciating that while it was a miserable day outside, all the Falcon's features were properly functioning to keep me warm and comfortable, with a clean windshield, and listening to music. Very nice.

Cold driving is old fashioned.jpg

Bob Marley would have said: "Everyting is irie, mon."
(Irie: to be at total peace with your current state of being. The way you feel when you have no worries.)

The Suncoast Falcons got together this past Saturday for a Christmas dinner and to elect officers (see attached pictures). I accepted a nomination for "Junior Director" and it was approved by a show of hands. I am a club officer now!

Meeting f.jpg

Garage.jpg

David Wagner's Sprint F.jpg

In gargae wf.jpg

The little red car is a 1966 Sunbeam Tiger that belongs to a club member. It has its original Challenger 260 engine complete with a generator and period correct 13-inch wheels. Look at the low-profile air cleaner.
Tiger RS.jpg

[dhbfaster]

Nice...congrats on your new position.
They recently had an episode on Overhaulin about a Sunbeam tiger project...it really looks like a neat car. Simple, very light, a little British style, but a Ford V8. Gotta love it! I've been thinking maybe it's my next project after the 57 T-Bird, and 60-Ford truck like my Dad had, and, and, and...

[ew1usnr]

There is an area in Tampa with a concentration of Middle Eastern grocery stores and restaurants. I was driving though there on my way home from work and a young guy about fourteen years old in the back seat of an SUV on my left said "Nice car!" as I stopped at traffic light. I said "Thanks" and noticed that they were a Muslim family as I coasted a car length past to stop. A couple of women in the car wore head scarves. I stopped and thought about it and then backed up and motioned to the kid to roll his window down. Then I briefly explained before the light changed that it was a 1963 Ford Falcon and it had been the compact car of its time. The girl in the front passenger's seat looked about eighteen and must have been the kid's older sister. I said good bye when the light changed and she gave me the most wonderful big, beautiful, beaming smile as I drove away. It had made her happy that someone had taken the time to chat with her younger brother. That was nice.

[ew1usnr]

Happy 2016.

I keep track of how many miles I drive the Falcon each year and noted the following:

Miles in 2015: 4,305
Miles in 2014: 4,280
Miles in 2013: 3,999
Miles in 2012: 291 (I bought the car mid-year and had a lot of things to fix).

Yaaay! A new distance record. I will try to break the 5000 mile mark in 2016.

[ew1usnr]

We drove The Wonder Falcon 110 miles north to Silver Springs in Ocala this past weekend for the 22nd All Ford and Mustang Roundup.

"“The show is Totally Free to 1993-earlier vehicles. Set your sights on the most fun-filled gathering of Ford enthusiasts on the east coast. Come join us at Florida's Nature Park - Silver Springs, home of the world-famous Glass-Bottom Boats. Spend a relaxing weekend in a natural garden setting to visit with fellow hobbyists and friends. This is a just for fun event! Day of Show Registration/Check-in: 7am-10am sharp."

See: http://www.npdlink.com/store/pages/ss_ford.html

There were twenty-three Falcons there. That was the most that I have seen in one spot probably since looking at a grocery store parking lot in 1974. They had us parked in front of the Mavericks. Someone had brought their four-door Maverick. I hadn't seen one of those in decades.
Falcon Club 1.jpg

Falcon Club with Francine.jpg

I fell in love with the 1958 Lincoln Continental. The beach seats are so wide that they will accommodate four adults sitting abreast for both the front and back.
IMG_0257.jpg

The front bumper has bullets! Wow! It would punch holes in the side of a Hyundai.
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It has fins on top and the bottom. The bumper wraps around to include the trunk lid. The trunk is gigantic.
IMG_0251.jpg

[dhbfaster]

Whoa....thanks for sharing Dennis!
That is one beautiful Lincoln. That is Love at first sight. I love the old Lincoln's and old T-Birds. There's a guy close to a sandwich shop dive I go to sometimes...it'a s typical Washington older house with huge trees and lots of stuff in the yard with green stuff growing all over it...and this one has at least four classic Lincoln's in the yard. A few years newer than that green one, but not much. I just hate to see them outside and neglected like that. The guy obviously loves them- but clearly doesn't restore them for some reason (I assume he values eating as a priority.) If I'd won the lottery I'd stop by and buy them all. Maybe some day when I have nothing to do I'll stop by just pay him a visit.

I think it's really cool to see you've driven your Falcon a little more each year too.

Slooowww progress on mine, but I dropped the exhaust pipe off at the ceramic coater yesterday, got the dipstick tube installed, and got oil in the motor. At least I checked a few boxes...headed out to see if I can take care of another baby step before bed time.