This weekend since we are getting some light rain in California I was wondering something I never questioned before.

my 64 Falcon Convertible runs great (170 with Ford O matic). While she runs great and has great compression, what should be a safe top speed to drive her on the highway. I am no speed demon and have no intentions on blowing up my 170cid sewing machine-like engine but I wonder, when this Falcon was brand new, how fast could you really drive her, 55?, 65?, 70?. I’ve never given it much thought as she cruises the streets just fine but when the occasional car show is in another city, these same old questions pop up in my head. Should I be taking the streets? Can I take the freeway (slow lane only)? How far should I push her?

Maybe the 1 barrel carb is undersized but seems like driving on the highway with the pedal almost floored I am only able to get her up to 60-65 mph. At that speed I think I am doing about 2700-3000 rpm. So the questions are:

is my Autolite carburetor undersized?
is my stock rear end over geared (somehow)?