Out for a spin.

[ew1usnr]

It's been raining day after day. The weather forecast for today was 70%, but it was supposed to start raining after 4 pm. So,.... I took a chance and drove The Wonder Falcon over to Tarpon Springs to have lunch in a Greek restaurant. The car is running nice nice nice nice nice! One benefit that I did not anticipate from all the new front suspension / steering parts that I added was that the car would steer so much easier. The steering feels really light now and it seems to take much less effort to turn the wheel. It must be all the freshly greased bushings and ball joints.

Anyway, we drove over to Tarpon and I parked in the middle of a line of Volkswagons, Hyundais, and Nissans. God Bless America! A group of people walked by and a woman said "Is that a 1963 Falcon?". I thought that it was so cool that not only did she recognize the car, but she was even recognized the year.

4226

Notice the dark clouds in the right side of the picture. It wasn't supposed to rain until 4 pm but it started raining at 2. We drove home (Tampa) in the rain and I found that I need to angle the wiper arms up a bit because the wiper blades were hitting the lower windshield trim with a “thwack” on each downward stroke. While stopped at a red light I chatted with a guy who said that he liked the Falcon and that he "appreciated antiques". Driving this old Falcon is so much fun because people see it and a light bulb goes off in their heads and they say "I remember those cars!"

[ew1usnr]

I was driving The Wonder Falcon home from work this afternoon and was stopped in traffic while heading west. A school bus headed east was stopped on my left.

A heard someone say "Nice car!" I looked up and saw a little guy with glasses who was about ten years old waving at me.

I waved back and said "Thanks!" Then I thought "Dang! That's a smart kid, and he has good taste." I really was impressed. :)

[ew1usnr]

The Falcon club in Florida is called the Sun Coast Falcons. Here is a group shot of that brave band of hearty adventurers that I took at our meeting this past September. Look at the little dog's ears:

4257

A big event for the club is to attend the annual car show called the Lake Mirror Classic in Lakeland. Lakeland is about 35 miles east of Tampa. That event took place this past Saturday. See: http://www.lakemirrorclassic.com/ I bought my car two years ago but with all the ups and downs of repairs, this was the first time that I had been able to join the club and attend the show. We mustered six Falcons, four 64/65 hardtops, a 1963 hardtop (mine), and a 1963 convertible.

4265

4260

We parked our Falcons together in a larger grouping of old Fords. I was parked on the end of the Falcon row and next to a 1964 Fairlane and a 1960 Galaxie Starliner. That gave a nice visual comparison between the full sized Ford, the mid-size, and the compact. I talked to the owners of those two cars and they were both really nice guys. The Fairlane guy has owned his car since 1964. The Galaxie owner talked about how his uncle had a car a car like that when he was a kid and how later on his uncle had let him borrow the Starliner when he had a date. There were also a lot of old Thunderbirds parked on the opposite side of the street from the Falcons.

4264

Here is a photo of a non-Falcon car that I liked. This is an all-original 1969 Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser with 45,000 miles. I remember that I used to laugh at those cars when I was in high school. The green paint and wood grain siding scream early 1970's. It's funny how that old station wagon looks better to me now than all the stupid SUV's that you see everywhere. I was disappointed by not seeing any Valiants and Corvairs.

4261

On the drive over to Lakeland from Tampa we drove east on Hwy 60 and were routed on a long detour. Coming back, we headed west on I-4. I have had my Falcon on the interstate before to make test drives, but that was the first actual trip that I made on the Interstate with it with my wife sitting next to me. I stayed in the right lane and the Falcon just cruised along with traffic with no fuss and no problems. It drives like a real car now! A couple of other drivers smiled and waved at us.

I also drove my Falcon to work all five days this past week. All I originally wanted for this car was for it to be reliable daily driver. It turned out to be that and much more. Every time I drive this car it amazes me with how easily it starts, how smoothly and quietly it idles at red lights, how nicely it handles, how smoothly it rides, how it accelerates without hesitation, and how it LEAPS forward when I tromp on it. Yeah! It is a very nice little car and an absolute pleasure to drive. :)

[SmithKid]

So..... where is Dennis in the 1st foto? Taking pic?

[ew1usnr]

So..... where is Dennis in the 1st foto? Taking pic?

Hey, Gene.

Yea, I am being anonymous behind the view finder. Here are a few more shots that I took at our September club meet. The blue car is a 1960 Fordor sedan. The outside door handles have been removed and the driver opens the door with a key fob. It is a nice looking little car. The owner should have taken it to the car show:

4266

Here was a demonstration of how to use a tool to install a trunk torsion bar (notice the beer in hand). Prior to this demonstration it had never occurred to me that the torsion bars are adjustable. There are different notches to where you can adjust them stiffer or slacker.

4267

Here is a guy giving a demonstration of how to disassemble an Autolite 2100 carburetor, I think (maybe a 4100?). Those carburetors are so simple, and yet what they do is so incredible.

4268

Here is something that I read on the internet: "The 2100's, like the four-barrel 4100's, use annular discharge boosters that atomize the fuel. This results in performance and fuel efficiency more akin to a throttle body injection system than a carburetor. Ford patented this in 1957. Atomizing the fuel allows it to burn more evenly, creating more power with less fuel, and therefore, more efficiency. The engineering involved in the “Annular Fuel Discharge” design is tremendous. This technique of metering/distributing/mixing fuel into the air stream atomizes fuel closer to the vapor state than any other carburetor ever manufactured, and it is vapor that burns, not liquid. Because of the Annular Fuel Discharge principle - fuel economy is superior, throttle response increased, and overall performance is enhanced. The carburetor will run virtually forever until dirt enters it."

[SmithKid]

Neat fotos, Dennis. Looks like your group has "tech days" too. That's my favorite activity of our club here! The Rainier Falcons were very instrumental in getting my car on the road, and I have enjoyed helping others as much as I can. At least 2 of the members cars here, mine included, have had the door handles shaved and use fobs now.

[ew1usnr]

Check this out.

I typed in "Lake Mirror Classic 2014" and found this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hA0Gzz7jAw4

About 3/4 of the way through the film at time 6:20 you can see the Sun Coast Falcons as we lined up to leave the show. My car is in the lead. Cool!

You can move the cursor at the bottom of the video to the right to fast-forward to get to time 6:20.

[Jeff W]

Dennis, I love your trip stories. With my young family duties, rough city traffic, and other obligations, I don't get my bird out very often. It's nice to see you doing it and with such passion and enjoyment.

You are the poster boy for the vintage car hobby... and my Hero.[BOW]

[ew1usnr]

With my young family duties, rough city traffic, and other obligations, I don't get my bird out very often. [BOW]

Hello, Jeff.

Every time I look at the photo of your car it reminds me of the Falcon wagon that I drove while I was in high school (1978-1979). Darn, I had fun with that car! I pulled out my old photo albums and took the following photo of a photo of that car. I was taking a photography class and had to develop a black and white photo as a class project. I developed this photo and pinned it to the classroom wall. My friends added embellishments:

4272

Here is a color photo that I took with a Kodak 126 Instamatic. Notice the Ford racing stripe and the CB radio antenna mounted on the roof. My CB handle was "Ramblin' Wreck". I was rolling double nickles on that super slab, good buddy!

4273

Here is my only known photo of the my 1963 Futura Sport Sedan that I had from 1984 to 1986. I was living in an apartment, going to a community college, and working nights as a security guard. I would have loved to have been able to keep it, but I didn't have the time or money or facilities to repair and maintain it. I sold it and bought a 1981 Plymouth Horizon (which I actually thought and still think was a nice car!).You can see my brother's gold 1984 Dodge Charger 2.2 in the background. He bought it new and it was a nice car. I've read on the internet where young guys are restoring those cars now and someone is selling reproduction graphic decals for them

4274

[Jeff W]

Looks like you put on a few pounds since then:ROTFLMAO:

What color was it?

I like the FORD stripes on the rocker.

[ew1usnr]

Looks like you put on a few pounds since then.
What color was it? I like the FORD stripes on the rocker.

Hello, Jeff.

My 1963 Falcon Fordor Wagon was a beige color and it had little cows heads molded into the upholstery. I bought the racing stripe decal from JC Whitney. My car had a 170 Special engine and a Fordomatic transmission. Gosh, that car was nice. I used to fold the back seat down and pretend that I was driving a two-seater. It was fun to drive with all with the windows and the tailgate window down. Open air all around!

When I graduated high school I was 5' 8" and weighed 115 lbs. I joined the Navy and they told me that I was at the minimum weight for my height. The Navy fed me well and I gained 30 pounds by the time that I finished my hitch!

I sold my blue Futura sport sedan in 1986. I waited 26 years and in 2012 I saw my black Futura hardtop for sale and my mind snapped.

[Luva65wagon]

I saw my black Futura hardtop for sale and my mind snapped.

LOL - I know how that is!

[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.
4279

I drove my Falcon to work again this morning and was surprised to see a buddy's 1970 Mustang in the parking lot.
4276

4277
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.

4278
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.
4294

I left there to visit a Mustang show at a local Ford Dealer. There were a lot of cars there.
4295

This 1970 Mercury Cyclone was nice:
4296

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.
4297

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.
4298

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.
4299


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.
4300

4301

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.
4302

[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/

4318

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.
4319

4320

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.

4322

Happy Veterans Day!
4324

[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. :)

4408

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!

4393

4395

4394

4396

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.
4397

[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...

[Jeff W]

Yes... Congratulations! What does a Junior Director do? Maybe we need one in the Rainier Group.;:)

[ew1usnr]

Congratulations! What does a Junior Director do?

Hello, Jeff.

When I was nominated I asked "What does a Junior Director do?".
They said "not much".
The club e-mailed me the by-laws and this is what they said:

"The Junior Director shall chair the membership committee and be responsible for the election process of officers and chair the nominating committee."

"A nominating committee chaired by the Junior Director, consisting of three (3) members in good standing will meet in the month of September. The committee will propose a slate of officer candidates with at least one member for each office and preferably more. This slate of candidates will be given to the Secretary by September 30."

That does not sound too complicated.

This is a non-Falcon photo that I was impressed with. Check out the dash board of a 1954 Mercury. My gosh! Look at all the knobs and gauges. That was really something.

4405

[Luva65wagon]

"The Junior Director shall chair the membership committee and be responsible for the election process of officers and chair the nominating committee."

Oh! We definitely need one of these! :BEER:

[ew1usnr]

Happy 2015, everyone!

I've been keeping track of my miles.
I bought the car in July 2012. There was a lot of stuff to fix and I only put 291 miles on it that first year.
In 2013 I did better and added 3,999 miles.
In 2014 I broke my previous record and added 4,280 miles.
For 2015 I resolve to break 5,000! [yay]

I have about 8,500 miles on a rebuilt engine and transmission that should both be good for another 120,000. I am 53 now, so at 5,000 miles per year that will take me until I am 77 years old! I gotta get moving!

The Wonder Falcon is performing like a little sports car and it puts a big smile on my face every time I take it out. I filled it up with $2.09 gasoline this evening while coming home from work and three people asked me what year it was and told me that they liked it. That car is more fun than should be legal.

Thanks, all, Dennis.

4459

[dhbfaster]

WoW! That's a lot of miles for a classic! I think I can say we've all enjoyed riding along with you.:shift:
Good luck on your goal for 2015!
My goal....at least one mile!!:D

[doghows]

You go Dennis!! Since I've had the delivery on the road (about a year) I've racked up just shy of 5000 miles on mine. I drive it every chance I get with my longest trip about 400 miles round trip.
I think you could bust that record if you plan a trip out here for the mini regional next spring/summer. Now that would be some miles!!:3g::D

[doghows]

Oh yes Happy New Year everyone.

:BIRTHDAY:;:):rocker:

[ew1usnr]

The morning temperature was 52° and clear with no rain and I drove my Falcon to work. I noticed a few minor glitches.
The car stalled after I had pulled out of my driveway.
The windshield became badly fogged and using the defroster made it worse.
The driver’s door had become difficult to unlatch from the inside and I needed to pull up sharply on the handle to open the door.
Hmmm.

1. After lunch I went out and started the engine and sped the fast idle up from 600 to 800 rpm in Park to minimize the cold stall potential.
2. After getting home I worked the door handle up and down and noticed that the latch wobbled. I found that the crosshead screw below the latch on the trailing edge of the driver’s door was loose. The picture shows the loose screw above the left top edge of the specification plate. I tightened the screw and the door opened properly. Yay!

4486

3. I cleaned the inside of the windshield with "Invisible Glass" glass cleaner. Hopefully, that will take care of the foggy glass.

We are getting hit by some kind of polar vortex this evening. Tomorrow morning is forecast to be 39 degrees, clear, with no chance of rain. Perfect! I'll get to try out my corrected door, see how the engine responds to a cold temperature, and I'll get to run my heater and see if the windshield still fogs up.

As a side note: While driving home this afternoon, traffic was stopping for a red light and a guy was trying to pull out into the street from the right. I was on the inside lane, but I slowed down and waved at him to enter in front of me. He waved back for me to go first. Wanting to get out of his way, I punched the gas and ...... my tires squealed! [thumb] On dry pavement, and without even meaning to, I spun my tires! Yea! I have about 8,000 miles on the rebuilt Challenger 260 engine, and as it loosens up it just keeps performing better and better.

[Luva65wagon]

The windshield became badly fogged and using the defroster made it worse.

Your heater core may be beginning to fail and blowing steam onto the windshield. If it keeps happening, you may wanna take a peek at that.

[SmithKid]

Another tell for a leaking heater core is if the carpet is damp under the heater box.

[Luva65wagon]

The first tell, long before it leaks on the floor, will be steamed windshields that don't defog. Plus if you have antifreeze (in Florida people may think they don't need it - I don't know...) it has a sweet smell in the cabin and leaves a film on the glass.

Stay warm down there. Seeing posts on the truck forum about very cold temps down south.

[ew1usnr]

When I drove into work this morning, the windshield was initially clear. When I pulled out the heater knob it began to mist up, When I turned on the defroster it fogged up very quickly. I will have to install a new heater core.

I had previously scheduled tomorrow off from work because my wife and I are driving the Falcon up to Ocala for the ......

"21st Ford and Mustang Roundup, January 10 – 11. 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! Judging is people's choice."
See the 2015 Show Flyer at: http://www.npdlink.com/store/pages/ss_ford.html
The Maverick and Comet club will be there! : http://maverickcometclub.org/event/florida-mini-meet-21st-annual-ford-mustang-roundup-silver-springs-state-park-silver-springs-florida/

Ocala is about 100 miles north of here and I don't like the idea of driving 200 miles while breathing antifreeze mist from the leaky heater core, or the possibility that the leak could become worse. I will drain the radiator tomorrow morning and bypass the heater by using a piece of the heater hose to join the water inlet and outlet on the engine. How difficult is it to cut a heater hose? Do you think that I can do it with a serrated kitchen knife?

The weather forecast says that it will be around 60 degrees tomorrow as we drive to Ocala. Yea, I know that is not cold, but my wife interprets things differently. I have not told her yet that the heater will not be working. She will need to dress warm. :o

4487

[redfalken]

Heater hoses are pretty easy to cut. I just use a sharp utility knife or razor blade. Also, you should be able to find a hose splice at most auto stores to help make the connection. They have various sizes so measure the inner diameter or bring a sample. And pick up a couple of fresh hose clamps!


http://pdxrv.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/47095.jpg

[ew1usnr]

I cut the heater hose and bypassed the heater. The temperature dropped to around 50 on the drive up to Ocala and my wife and I were both wearing our jackets.

The 21st Ford and Mustang Roundup was really something.
4509

There were boat loads of cars there.
4510

I heard that seventeen Falcons had attended.
4511

They had the 50 millionth and 100 millionth Fords: A 59 Ford and a 79 Fairmont Futura.
4512

I really liked this 1950 Ford. It is such a nice looking little car. The owner said that he had kept it completely stock, including its original flathead V-8 and 6 volt electrical system. He said that everything worked just fine. I love the round shape and proportions of those cars and the style of the chrome grill. The styling of the early Falcons was (in my opinion) more reminiscent of this car than of the Fords of the second half of the 1950's.
4513

I liked this guy's 1925 Model-T. I asked if he had trailered it the show. He said "No", he had driven it. He fired it up Saturday morning and drove it 35 miles from Dunellon to Silver Springs. That would have been a blast. I wish that I could have ridden with him.
4514

My wife and I took a glass bottom boat ride on the Silver River. This little Florida Alligator wanted me to pass his best wishes to all the good folks in Washington State.
4515

[redfalken]

Looks like pretty nice weather to me! And I really like those '50 Fords too. Especially the jade green color in laquer. Don't know what the real name of that color is but my wife collects jadite glassware and she always points them out.

That frame around the photo for the car show looks like a good idea for our Mini-Regional Show! We'll have to have Joanna add that to her design tasks and figure out how we can get people to wait in line for photo ops next year!

[ew1usnr]

We'll have to have Joanna add that to her design tasks and figure out how we can get people to wait in line for photo ops next year!

Hello, Kenny.

All the in-bound cars were directed down one street and a person took pictures as each car passed. They arranged the photographs in order from the time at which they were taken. A person could later quickly find the picture of their car, as long as they knew the approximate time that they arrived. They had a booth set up where you could get your picture made into a plaque, a magnetic refrigerator ornament, a key chain fob, or prints of different sizes.

Later, Dennis.

[Jeff W]

I love the two guys behind the Model A smiling at, what I guess is your wife taking the picture. Friends of yours or just comedians?

[ew1usnr]

I have driven my Falcon over 10,000 miles! I am doing the happy banna dance: :banana:

The odometer read 16687.9 when I bought the car on 7/07/2012 and it passed 26688 while I drove to work this morning. This car is so fun to drive that it has made my daily commute to and from work something to look forward to.

Special 10,000 mile commemorative photos of my car when I got to work this morning. It is parked next to (from left to right) a Toyota Camry, Nissan Maxima, Toyota Prius, and a Mazda:
4815

4816

Closeup of my new magnetic bumper sticker:
4817

The first 10,000 miles were a challenge. The car was just worn out when I got it and I had to repair almost everything. Maybe the next 10,000 miles will be easier and all I will have to do is change the oil and rotate the tires!

[ew1usnr]

Hello, Jeff. Every time I look at the photo of your car it reminds me of the Falcon wagon that I drove while I was in high school (1977-1979).

I found another photo of my first car. The hood is open a little because it was hooked to a battery charger. I like the tan color that the car was painted. It looks like it could have been in Rommel's Afrika Korps. I must have been sixteen when that photo was taken. That was a gloriously magnificent car. It was so roomy that I could have carried the Grand Canyon in the back. I did carry a large part of my high school water polo team to practice in it.
4823

If I ever get another Falcon it will probably be a '63 four-door wagon.

My older brother had that car before me and he had rolled it while driving too fast around a curve. My brother was not hurt, but the roof was crushed in over the windshield. My father put a jack inside the car over the transmission hump and jacked the roof back up and hammered it back into shape. Then he had a junked abandoned Falcon towed home and put its windshield into the station wagon.

I look at the photo now and I am amazed at what a good job my father did. The roof looks smooth and straight. I took things like that for granted back then, but now I am astounded by his capabilities and accomplishments.

[ew1usnr]

I usually do not drive my Falcon on days where the chance of rain is greater than 30%, but we've had at least a 50% chance of rain every day for the last month. This coming week and a half looks to be more of the same with rain every day.

5025

So, this past week I said to heck with it and drove the Falcon anyway. It rained at about 1:30 and the streets were still wet when I drove home from work. The skinny P175/80/R13 tires on wet pavement made clear that the Falcon does not have automatic traction control or an anti-lock braking system.

The car fishtailed back and forth maybe three times while I made an accelerating right turn from a red light. Yee haw!! A guy in a new Mustang evidently thought that I was peeling out while drag racing him and went zooming past me. I was really just trying to get the car back under control.

Then I made a gentle "power slide" while making a left turn through a green light. I had slowed down so it was not much of a slide, but it was enough for me to feel.

When I was further down the road, the rear wheels spun while I was starting out while from a red light while moving straight. I had to press and the ease off the gas pedal a couple of times and then very gently pressed it down before the car finally took off. The guy in the van behind me was probably wondering what I was doing.

You have to be really careful while driving this car on wet roads. Making a quick stop without sliding would be difficult. I will pay the extra money and get a set of the bigger P185/80/R13 tires whenever my present set wears out.

And for some general gripes about other drivers:

On a different day I was on my way to work and driving the Falcon and in the center lane. I need to move to the left and saw that there was plenty of room and the car behind me was a ways back. I turned on my left turn signal a courtesy and began to move over while watch the car behind me in my mirror. The instant my turn signal came on that turkey (driving a Mitsubishi) suddenly accelerated to close the gap and cut me off. I had already started moving over so I went ahead and completed the merge anyway rather than yank back into the center. He irritated me. :bicker:

On another morning, I was driving the Falcon to work and a guy in a Mustang crossed in front of me from a center turn lane to go into a McDonalds. The guy saw me on top of him ... and he stopped! I was going maybe 40 mph and had to stand on brakes hard and came to a screeching, smoking stop. The guy in the Mustang gave me a startled expression and when my car came to a complete stop, THEN he moved and finished crossing the street to the McDonalds. If you pull in front of someone, don't just STOP and sit there! :WHATTHE:

And on another day, I was driving my Honda CRV home from work. The weather was nice with a 77 degree temperature and I had all my windows down. I was waiting at a red light under an overpass and a twerp in an Acura coup wearing a backwards ball cap was blasting some obnoxious "music" so loud that I couldn't hear my radio. Then the light turned green and this yahoo floored it and darted around the car in front of him. He had straight pipes (no mufflers) and the reverberating sound under that overpass was as loud as a bomb exploding. And my windows were down. He knew what he was doing. He sped forward and we stopped at the next light that was just one block further down. RRRRRRR!!! :bicker: I was not thinking nice thoughts.

But, the idiots are offset by a lot of nice people. I liked the woman who was driving a Mercedes and honked and waved and gave me a big smile while I was driving my Falcon. She was driving a Mercedes and got excited about seeing a Falcon. What a nice person.

[Jeff W]

Good morning Dennis,

We have the same idiot drivers in Seattle;)

You may want to leisurely start your search for 14" stock rims and matching wire wheel covers. The 13" tire selection is poor, and I would imagine, will be even worse as time goes on. Easier to find 14" rims (or any spares) when you don't NEED them rather than try and locate the week you are down due to tire failure.

[dhbfaster]

Dennis, what size are your tires now?

[ew1usnr]

Dennis, what size are your tires now?

Hello, Don.

I have Milestar brand tires, size P175/80/R13 .

5026

“Milestar MS75 Passenger tire is offering a comfortable ride with excellent handling and incredible low road noise. The wide circumferential grooves are to avoiding hydroplaning offering you a stable all year round ride. The Milestar MS75 tire employs a contemporary tread pattern with quality styling queues like the pattern name imprinted into the tread face. Entry level price with quality performance and styling.”

See: http://www.tiresall.com/Milestar-MS75-Tire-P175-80R13-86S-WW-A-S/1392/

[dhbfaster]

Wow, what a find. I looked all over for that size and couldn't find them any more.
Jeff's advice is no doubt sound, and I may give in one day, but I'm trying to keep mine mostly Origional including these tiny wheels. I do think I might give in before paying $800 for 4 Coker tires however. My tires are 185 70r13....and they are a nice tire and in great shape but small. 23.2" in diameter. (According to http://tire-size-conversion.com/tire-size-comparison/ )
My spare was trash, so I bought a spare that is a 165 80r13 and had it put on after the wheels were painted. It's 23.4" diameter. 0.2" bigger, and I can tell the difference in the look. The coker bf Goodrich bias ply are 23.78". I think I'd rather go the quarter inch bigger...and do 175 80r13.
Dennis, I think you found the perfect last set of tires for our cars! I think I might buy a set after I get rolling again...maybe next spring.

[ew1usnr]

Hello, Don.

Having 14-inch wheel would give a lot wider choice of tires, but doing that would mean buying five wheels. The price of five wheels would cancel any cost saving on the tires. Going to a bigger wheel would also alter the accuracy of the speedometer and require a gear change.

The general fashion trend for automobiles has been towards bigger and bigger wheels, but I will be in the minority and say that I like my 13-inch wheels. They weigh less, take up less room in the trunk, give the car a lower profile, and they are what the car came with. They may be an unusual size now, but they used to be extremely common. My 1981 Plymouth Horizon had 13-inch wheels. And I gotta have white walls!

The V-8 Falcons have 6.5-inch wide rims and the six cylinders used 6-inch wide wheels (I think). Whenever I replace my present Milestar tires, I will try the Maxxis MA-1:

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The wheels used on the Sprint hardtop model are 6.5” x 13”.
The Maxxis MA-1 185/80R13 whitewall tire will fit 5” - 6.5" wide rims. “The Maxxis MA-1 is the perfect touring tire for almost any passenger car. With an attractive design and solid construction featuring double steel belts, solid center rib, advanced tread design to resist hydroplaning, and a stylish narrow (3/4”) white sidewall with serrated black sidewall.”
SKU: 700403, Tread Width: 5.40, Section Width: 7.40, Overall Diameter: 24.70, Load Index: 90, Speed Rating: S, Max Load Capacity: 1323@35PSI, Rim Width: 5.00 - 6.50.
See: http://www.cokertire.com/maxxis-185-80r13.html
Amazon has them for $104.89 each with free shipping.

[MacDee]

When I installed my front disc brakes, I had to convert to 14" wheels. The 185/70-14 tires I got are EXACTLY the same diameter as my original 6.00 X 13's.
I didn't want to lose the look of the wire wheel covers, so I found a 14" set on e-bay. Turns out they were from a '63 Galaxie. I just swapped in the center "knock-offs" from my 13" wheel covers. Voila! Fourteen-inch Falcon wire wheel covers!

Before/After pics:

[ew1usnr]

When I installed my front disc brakes, I had to convert to 14" wheels. The 185/70-14 tires I got are EXACTLY the same diameter as my original 6.00 X 13's.
I didn't want to lose the look of the wire wheel covers, so I found a 14" set on e-bay. Turns out they were from a '63 Galaxie. I just swapped in the center "knock-offs" from my 13" wheel covers. Voila! Fourteen-inch Falcon wire wheel covers!

Hello, Gary.

That was a good idea. You have an exceptionally nice looking car.

The weather forecast this morning said 20% chance of rain. I flew The Wonder Falcon to work and ... it rained at 3:00 and ... it rained again at 4:45 as I was driving back home. :rain:

But any day that I get to drive my Falcon is a good one! :banana:

I just maintained plenty of room between me and the car ahead so that I would not have to stop suddenly and possibly slide.

The car starts instantly, with a satisfying deep "VaROOM!" It tracks so perfectly that I can take my hands off the wheel and it continues traveling straight. While moving, it steers so lightly that it can be guided with one fingertip. When stopped at red lights the engine idles so smoothly and quietly that it almost seems not to be running. Every time I drive it, I think "Gosh, this is nice!".

[ew1usnr]

The Wonder Falcon will be 52 years old tomorrow! (The same as Kenny!)

The car was built by members of Lorain Local United Auto Workers 425 on Monday, July 22, 1963 at the Lorain, OH, assembly plant and delivered to Jacksonville, FL. “Surf City” by Jan & Dean was the Billboard Hot 100 number one single music hit that week.

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See: http://danielebrady.blogspot.com/2014/12/uaw-local-425-union-hall-dedication.html

Mine was one of the last round body Falcons. Production of the 1963 models stopped a week and a half later at the end of July and the dies were shipped to Argentina.

[Vikingblu]

Hello, Don.

Having 14-inch wheel would give a lot wider choice of tires, but doing that would mean buying five wheels. The price of five wheels would cancel any cost saving on the tires. Going to a bigger wheel would also alter the accuracy of the speedometer and require a gear change.

The general fashion trend for automobiles has been towards bigger and bigger wheels, but I will be in the minority and say that I like my 13-inch wheels. They weigh less, take up less room in the trunk, give the car a lower profile, and they are what the car came with. They may be an unusual size now, but they used to be extremely common. My 1981 Plymouth Horizon had 13-inch wheels. And I gotta have white walls!

The V-8 Falcons have 6.5-inch wide rims and the six cylinders used 6-inch wide wheels (I think). Whenever I replace my present Milestar tires, I will try the Maxxis MA-1:

5027

The wheels used on the Sprint hardtop model are 6.5” x 13”.
The Maxxis MA-1 185/80R13 whitewall tire will fit 5” - 6.5" wide rims. “The Maxxis MA-1 is the perfect touring tire for almost any passenger car. With an attractive design and solid construction featuring double steel belts, solid center rib, advanced tread design to resist hydroplaning, and a stylish narrow (3/4”) white sidewall with serrated black sidewall.”
SKU: 700403, Tread Width: 5.40, Section Width: 7.40, Overall Diameter: 24.70, Load Index: 90, Speed Rating: S, Max Load Capacity: 1323@35PSI, Rim Width: 5.00 - 6.50.
See: http://www.cokertire.com/maxxis-185-80r13.html
Amazon has them for $104.89 each with free shipping.

Thanks for doing the "legwork" on this Dennis.
1 tire separated near on I5 at Tukwila/southcenter, 35 mph to Griots :(

[Luva65wagon]

Dave,

I'm sure others are asking this too... what tire separated? The same one Dennis was espousing? Was it new?

Saw your car at the mini. Looked like a nice, solid car.

[Vikingblu]

Thanks for the compliment Roger.
All four tires were very old, 25 years or more.
I thought it was the right front. So "we" swapped the spare to the right front. Drove around the block,,,nope. So "we" took the removed right front and swapped the left rear. Much better. Made it back to about Marysville, car started shaking again.
Pic is my big brother posing. After the late arrival and fixing the Futura, there wasnt a ton of social time. My apologies.
After dismounting all four tires, two looked like this

[Luva65wagon]

Here's what I have to say about that...

:WHATTHE:

It should have looked like a Keystone cops car going down the road, or something.

[Vikingblu]

Here's what I have to say about that...

:WHATTHE:

It should have looked like a Keystone cops car going down the road, or something.

Clown car definitely! Left front and right rear. Felt like a Seafair Pirate!

[ew1usnr]

We have had some tremendously bad weather during the past week.

"Tampa Bay is under a FLOOD WARNING until 6:30 p.m. Stay inside. Do not drive through standing water"
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5103
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But.... there is only a 20% chance of rain tomorrow so I will get to drive The Wonder Falcon to work tomorrow morning!

I'm doing the happy bannana dance. :banana:

[Luva65wagon]

We're all under the impression that at some point all of Florida will be under water. Is that not true?

:D

[dhbfaster]

Looks like a boat might be more appropriate!

[ew1usnr]

The weather finally cleared (for a couple of days) and I drove the perfectly running, instantly responsive, whisper quiet, silky smooth Wonder Falcon to work yesterday. :)

I took a slight detour on the way home to look at something. The Falcon makes it fun to go driving just for the heck of it.
5127

This main road passes right in front of this place, but it is behind a fence. You have to to turn off onto another road before you reach it in order to get to it. It makes it a bit confusing to find the place, even though it is plainly visible from the highway.
5128

A friend at work told me that it had used to be a bait and tackle shop, but it had not been open for a long time. No one was there when I visited, but it looks like maybe someone want to make a souvenir shop out of it (?). They have put a lot of work into the place. Look at the painted hand prints on the driveway surface.
5129

[Luva65wagon]

I wonder how many boat owners in the town have said over the years, "Dang-it! Someone stole my floats again.... :mad:

Good to see it drying out enough for you. Erica skirted you it appears. I hope to finally take my Ranchero "Out for a spin" too this weekend after all the work it's seen. Weather is supposed to be somewhat cooperative for the long Labor Day weekend. Not 100%, but you take what you get.

[ew1usnr]

A guy at work gave me a wild coffee plant from his back yard.
See: http://naples.floridaweekly.com/news/2009-02-12/outdoors/033.html

My wife and I went to Loews after I got home from work in order to get a bag of potting soil in which to plant the coffee plant. While at Lowes my wife added three large crotons into the cart.

5141

I said "You do remember that we drove the Falcon?" She said "They will fit!"

The crotons were too tall for the trunk so I tilted the passenger side front seat forward and two of the plants went on the floor behind it and one on the floor in front. My wife sat in the back seat on the left.

That was the first time since I have had the car that someone rode in the back seat and used the rear seat belts that I had added. :rocker:

[Jeff W]

Interesting:

Wild coffee berries were once used as a coffee substitute even though they do not contain caffeine. The plant produces the chemical compound dimethyltryptamine, which is hallucinogenic.

Kenny and I work for a little coffee company based in Seattle - sounds like this would add something unique to the Latte.

[ew1usnr]

Kenny and I work for a little coffee company based in Seattle - sounds like this would add something unique to the Latte.

Hello, Jeff and Kenny.

I read a bit more and found the following:

METHOD OF PREPARATION: Flesh of the seed is edible raw, seeds can be roasted and ground for a black drink that may give you a headache.

A woman said that her dog ate a lot of the berries and: "... for a moment she was unsteady, then suddenly took off to run wildly for a few minutes, very out of character. She finally drank deeply (water) and started coming out of it."

[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.
5427

5428

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.
5429

The front bumper has bullets! Wow! It would punch holes in the side of a Hyundai.
5430

It has fins on top and the bottom. The bumper wraps around to include the trunk lid. The trunk is gigantic.
5431

[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.

[ew1usnr]

I love the old Lincoln's and old T-Birds. ... got the dipstick tube installed.

Check to see that the dip stick tube comes up through the hole in the generator bracket. I had someone at the car show that my dip stick tube is incorrectly placed in front of the generator bracket. Oh, well.

Take a look at this Mighty 1941 Lincoln Zephyr that a guy drove to the show:

5432

5433

Behold the awesome magnificence of a Zephyr flathead V-12. When the show ended, I watched the owner start this car and drive away. It was very quiet! A flathead has no push rods or rocker arms to make valve train clatter.

5434

Someone drove their four-door Maverick. You don't see these cars very frequently anymore:

5435

And a 1925 Model-T Touring car that was driven to the event. Those seats look very comfortable. I thought that this Model T was beautiful.

5436

[ew1usnr]

Cool weather arrived in Tampa about two weeks ago. It was 42° at 7:00 this morning and and 55° and clear while I drove home from work at 5:00.

The new heater that I installed last year works great and really pumps out the heat.

5446

The car warms up without having to use the fan and then I can maintain a pleasant temperature and "drive in living room comfort" with the control knob only pulled 1/4 of the way out. (Two comments on the attached ad: The driver looks like President Obama, and the little girl should not be riding in her mother's lap in the front seat, especially when it is raining.)

5447

My automatic choke starts the car with a 900 rpm idle that slows to 450 when the engine warms up.

I last filled my tires when it was around 85° and had to add 5 psi to all four tires when I checked them when the temperature was 60°.

It's going to be 39° tomorrow morning!!! :WHATTHE:

[SmithKid]

Is your car a RH drive car also? ;)

[BadBird]

That's probably the worst insult that driver ever received. Larry

[Luva65wagon]

Is your car a RH drive car also? ;)

I was tripping on that Readers Digest image too! Right-hand drive. But also the little girl riding on the lap of the mom. Makes me think of that crashed Ranchero image again. How we ever survived prior to the 60's still amazes me.



That's probably the worst insult that driver ever received. Larry

Who insulted who and why? I'm confused. I'm reading this statement and trying to understand the impetus for it in the context of any previous images or statements.

[BadBird]

Sorry, my humor zone was going weird that night I guess. See the quote below. Larry



The car warms up without having to use the fan and then I can maintain a pleasant temperature and "drive in living room comfort" with the control knob only pulled 1/4 of the way out. (Two comments on the attached ad: The driver looks like President Obama, and the little girl should not be riding in her mother's lap in the front seat, especially when it is raining.)

[Luva65wagon]

Ah - that makes better sense then.


Gotta use them quote tools.

But if you think about it... President Obama would definitely drive on the left, not right.

:rolleyes:

[ew1usnr]

Geneva Florida, not Switzerland. Geneva is a little town northeast of Orlando

5639

My local club, the Suncoast Falcons, explained in our last newsletter that they will have our club meeting at this show this coming Saturday on April 30. That was a good excuse to go for a drive so I went ahead and entered "The Wonder Falcon".

You guys would not believe how nicely my Falcon is performing now. The more and more I drive it the better and better it runs. I love the way it sounds, the way it steers, the way the suspension rides, and the way the transmission shifts. The engine runs so smooooth, and I can smoke the right rear tire if I punch the throttle. Gosh, this car is nice. In my mind, I feel like I am driving a sports car every time I take it out. :)

The daytime temperatures have started rising and I noticed this afternoon when I started the car to leave work that the automatic choke did not come on. Evidently the automatic choke releases when its internal bimetallic spring warms up to about 85-degrees. Those Ford engineers of 1963 were geniuses. I love how they did everything mechanically, not electronically, and that everything works just fine.

[Jeff W]

The daytime temperatures have started rising

Maybe it's time to start gathering the parts for a FOMOCO under dash A/C unit and compressor.

I think I would try and use one of the newer type compressors. I believe they are smaller and rob less horsepower from your wonderful 260.

They also make the evaporator coil that hides inside the stock heater box - but I think the big, vintage, under dash units look dynamite. I have one that I will be using on mine, but instead of cooling, mine will hold a small amp and speakers that connect to my ipod.

[Luva65wagon]

Those Ford engineers of 1963 were geniuses.

It was 1967 or 1968 that they starting thinking up all their "better ideas." :bicker:

[ew1usnr]

The Wonder Falcon made it to the car show in Geneva and back to Tampa.
While heading home, I was doing 70 mph in the right lane of I-75. My lane ended due to road construction. I needed to move left, but could not fall back and merge because it was a line of bumper to bumper cars. So I sped up and swung over ahead of the car to my left. I looked at the speedometer and I was doing 80! Yowsa! I was impressed that even while doing 70 mph, the engine still had enough reserve power to be able to speed up and pass someone. :)

5647

I saw a sweet 1963 two-door wagon at the car show.

5648

It had the cow head upholstery, a 144 engine and a Ford-O-Matic transmission. It would be slow, but would get good gas mileage. I had the same tan steering wheel cover on the Falcon wagon that I had while in high school.

5649

5650

I also liked this 1963 Mercury Monterey. It's trunk lid looked as big as the flight deck of an aircraft carrier. The back window rolls down for extra ventilation. I would enjoy driving this car.

5651

I passed 15,000 miles since I have owned my car as I drove home from work today. Yaaay!

Note to Jeff: My Falcon has a four-belt pulley and evidently had air conditioning at some point in the past. I considered adding a modern AC unit, but decided against it for multiple reasons. I already have two newer cars that have air conditioning, so if I really need AC I can just drive one of them. Also, my Falcon is a big nostalgia thing for me. Call me nuts, but driving in the heat with all the windows down takes me back thirty and forty years ago to the cars I had in high school and community college. As it is now, I sit in an air conditioned office all day and the heat actually feels good as I drive home. Plus, the AC would add unwanted complexity, weight, drag, and would require window tinting on my clear glass to be effective. So, .... no AC in The Wonder Falcon.

[dhbfaster]

Wow, nice pics and nice cars Dennis.
I always loved the t-birds of that era. It's almost as nice as your falcon!
That is a really nice wagon. Looks like someone really put their heart into that one.
I don't think I've ever seen one of those Mercurys- huge!
I like the old huge cars, but I think one would take up too much room in my garage.

[ew1usnr]

Huh.

My 260 and Ford-O-Matic had been delivering about 14.5 MPG for routine city driving (18 - 19 MPG highway).

Then for the past five fills the city driving MPG went up to 15.5.

Today I got 16.8 MPG! Wow!

My theories:
Warmer weather is causing the automatic choke to disengage quicker.
The engine not being cold causes the gasoline to vaporize and burn better.
The "summer blend" of gasoline works better in my engine.

[Jeff W]

Today I got 16.8 MPG! Wow!

My theories:
Warmer weather is causing the automatic choke to disengage quicker.
The engine not being cold causes the gasoline to vaporize and burn better.
The "summer blend" of gasoline works better in my engine.

My Theory: your co-worker is adding a gallon to the tank each day you drive to work. Wait until he starts the siphon in a few months...

[ew1usnr]

My Theory: your co-worker is adding a gallon to the tank each day you drive to work. Wait until he starts the siphon in a few months...

My co-workers are pranksters, but they would not put out money to buy gasoline for me (I don't think).

The little Falcon even seems to be running cooler now. The temperature gauge swings up to mid-range when the engine warms up and pretty much stays there. It moves to 3/4 while stopped at an extended red light, but drops to mid range when the car starts moving again.

The weather has been fantastic. It was 67 degrees this morning and 87 in the afternoon. I drove to work with my windows up and drove home with all the windows down. Gosh, this little car ZINGS when I step on the gas. I drive it everyday and am so happy with how it starts, rides, handles, accelerates, and sounds. It is a wonderful little car and it has exceeded my expectations. I am probably the only guy on the planet who LIKES his two-speed Ford-O-Matic transmission. The transmission provides engine braking and makes a sound like VOOO-oooom when I lift my foot off the gas. It sounds so nice. The Ford-O-Matic shifts at about 15 mph if I start off with a soft foot, and will spin a wheel at take off and shift to second at at 50 mph if I floor it from a start. The transmission shifts smoothly and it makes driving so much easier in the stop and go traffic that I commute in.

I waxed my black car this past weekend with Turtle Wax black wax. See: https://www.turtlewax.com/shop/products/turtle-wax-jet-black-black-box-finish-kit
Wow! That is good stuff. It made my hood as reflective as a mirror.

[ew1usnr]

Regular gas is (I think) 10% ethanol. Ethanol attracts water which will cause steel gas tanks to rust. That is why new cars have plastic gas tanks. The ethanol also corrodes carburetors.

I only knew of one gas station in Tampa that sold ethanol-free gasoline and it was quite a bit out of my way to go there. Well, .... they built a new Wawa convenience store that I pass by every day on my way to work and I noticed that it has two pumps that dispense 89 octane ethanol-free gas. Wow! Now I have options.

5746

The ethanol-free gas is, unfortunately, 54 cents per gallon more expensive than the 87 octane regular. It is 29 cents more expensive than the mid-grade 89 octane with ethanol.

5747

I bit the bullet and filled "The Wonder Falcon" with the gasoline that it was designed for.

[Luva65wagon]

I drive right past a, ethanol-free station on my way home every day, but never when I'm driving either of the Falcons or my pickup (63, 65, 66 respectively). I've so far had no issues. I add a bottle of HEET to the tanks (when I remember to). Basically ISO alcohol. Not sure if that negates it or not - but I do it.

The station here charges almost $1.00 more than the most expensive stations around where this station is. That's like $1.50 more per gallon than Costco gas, so don't bother with it in my Kia.

[ew1usnr]

The Wonder Falcon received three comments while I drove home from work today. An older black lady driving a big SUV honked her horn and asked "Is that a 1966?" and we chatted a little bit.

Then I got down the road a little further and stopped at a red light in front of the University of South Florida. A young Indian guy in the passenger seat of a car to my left asked about my car. I did not catch his name, but we talked briefly and he said that he was a mechanical engineering student and a member of the USF race team. I just looked at their web page to see what that was about. Cool stuff. Go Bulls! See: http://www.usfracing.com/

A little further on, I met a young black guy with tattoos who was riding in the passenger seat of a new Chevy Impala. He rolled his window down and asked "What kind of car is that?" I told him that it was a 1963 Falcon and that it was what Ford had as a small sporty car before they introduced the Mustang. He said "Wow!"

The amount of positive attention that this little car attracts is really surprising. Falcons used to be cars that no one paid attention to. :)

[dhbfaster]

That is so cool....and it's driving me crazy:doh::doh::doh:
Granddad's falcon is so close to me being able to just drive it out of the garage...and now after being home for a week and a half, I only had enough time to open the hood and hook up the battery tender. :(
Now I'm back in Ontario. Time to check for car shows.

[ew1usnr]

I was stopped at a red light while driving home from work yesterday and someone said "Excuse me, sir." It was a young black guy with a gold front tooth in a big black SUV. He asked "Who made that?" I said "It's a Ford! A 1963 Ford Falcon." He liked that and gave me a big smile and waved as we drove off. I got a kick out of that. The Wonder Falcon had left him completely baffled as to what it was.

[ew1usnr]

I drive home each day heading west on Busch and then take the on-ramp to go south on Dale Mabry.

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That winding on-ramp has an uphill slope that is more fun than the flat straight roads that are typical of Tampa and I always charge up the ramp with extra zeal. While I was halfway through the curve yesterday, I heard a clanging-rattling sound and saw my front-left Futura wheel cover rolling alongside me on its rim. It hit the outside guardrail and flew into the bushes. There are no shoulders on the road at that location and I could not stop. Darn it!

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On the way home today I parked near the on-ramp and got out and looked through the bushes and found my escaped wheel cover! It was undamaged.
Yaaaay!

[yay]

[Luva65wagon]

Yay indeed! :banana:

You need to massage those retaining tabs out a hair so these caps provide more tooth to hold themselves on. I've got hubcaps on both my Falcons I've had a hard time finding spares for. So it always makes me nervous one is gonna come up missing someday.

[ew1usnr]

My wife and I drove The Wonder Falcon on a 195-mile round trip from Tampa to Kissimmee today to visit Gatorland. :)
It was HOT today. It was a record-breaking 85-degrees! Christmas is next week!

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We drove on highways going there but we drove back on Interstate-4. That was the longest distance that I have driven the Falcon on an Interstate so far. We held it at 70 mph for about 80 miles and the Falcon performed like a champ. Yaaay! An older guy driving a new BMW convertible honked and waved at us.

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[ew1usnr]

My wife and I drove The Wonder Falcon from Tampa to Orlando yesterday on a 219-mile round trip to visit Disney's Animal Kingdom. :)

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We drove there and back on Highways 60 and 27 at mostly 55 - 60 mph. I filled the car with 10 gallons of gas when we got back near the house and found that the Falcon had gotten 21.7 miles per gallon on the trip!!! [yay]

Whoohoo! That is my best gas mileage to date. I have hit around 19.5 a few times before, but never above twenty. This is with a 260 V-8, an Autolite 2100 two-barrel carburetor, and a Ford-O-Matic two-speed automatic with a 3.25 differential.

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[Luva65wagon]

Dennis,

You're having way too much fun! Good to see they give those 'gators plenty of birds to eat.

85 degrees in December... I think we may have a white Christmas instead.

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[Gitanesteel]

I guess those of us in the cold, snowy northwest and live vicariously through you. Nice to see the Falcon is running so well.

My wife and I went to Gatorland back in 1992 - loved it

[ew1usnr]

Woohoo! I drove The Wonder Falcon 6,118 miles in 2016 without a single breakdown. :)

The Falcon is my daily driver and it makes the trips to and from work fun.

Miles in 2015: 4,305
Miles in 2014: 4,280
Miles in 2013: 3,999
Miles in 2012: 291

[Luva65wagon]

That really is a "Wonder Falcon." If I put on 60 miles a year it's a good year, but I'm hoping to do more this year. Maybe 80 miles!

:rocker:

[ew1usnr]

That really is a "Wonder Falcon." If I put on 60 miles a year it's a good year, but I'm hoping to do more this year. Maybe 80 miles!

Hello, Roger.

My goal is to put 100,000 miles on the The Wonder Falcon. It will take maybe sixteen more years at the rate that I am going. I am 55 now, so I need to hustle!

My wife and I drove a pleasant 230-mile round trip From Tampa to Silver Springs on Florida Scenic Highway 301 to attend the "National Parts Depot's 23rd Annual Ford & Mustang Roundup 2017". We drove up on Friday afternoon, spent the night, attended the show, and drove home yesterday afternoon. The temperature dropped to the mid-fifties and I got to use my heater! It worked very nicely and kept us comfortable warm. The car ran smoothly and quietly. Perfect. I felt like I was driving a luxury car. :)

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The awards were given based on "people choice" ballots. I selected the following car as "Best Mustang". It is my ideal Mustang, completely stock with whitewall tires, wheel covers, and a 260 V-8. What a beautiful little car!

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For "Best Ford" I chose the black Model A. The green and tan ones were cleaner and in better shape, but the black one was a little dirty and looked like it had been driven. Anyone who drives their Model A to a car show is a hero and deserves an award.

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For "Best of Show" I bowed before the Wonder and the Grandeur of a 1960 Lincoln Continental. Oh, my gosh.

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... and I loved the 1929 Model A speedster. Dang, I would enjoy taking that little car for a spin.

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We enjoyed the show!

[Jeff W]

A car show in January!

What a great state you live in.

[Luva65wagon]

Yeah... but what's up with all that wetness and people wearing coats? I didn't think people wore coats in Florida.

:rain:

[ew1usnr]

I have not posted for a while because nothing has gone wrong that I needed advice on to fix. My last breakdown was three years ago when the fuel pump quit. I drive my Falcon to and from work every day and all that happens is that the car starts instantly. The automatic choke works perfectly. The Ford-O-Matic transmission performs wonderfully. The car rides smoothly, it handles great, it runs quietly and smoothly, steers effortlessly, and accelerates instantly. The car performs perfectly every time. I marvel at how well this car performs. It does everything that it is supposed to do. The Ford engineers did a fantastic job on the design of this car. It is is an absolute joy to drive. Falcons are wonderful little automobiles. I really really really like my Falcon.

[Gitanesteel]

Love reading this - would love to have a daily driver Falcon myself but can't see that happening unless I am single. ;)


I have not posted for a while because nothing has gone wrong that I needed advice on to fix. My last breakdown was three years ago when the fuel pump quit. I drive my Falcon to and from work every day and all that happens is that the car starts instantly. The automatic choke works perfectly. The Ford-O-Matic transmission performs wonderfully. The car rides smoothly, it handles great, it runs quietly and smoothly, steers effortlessly, and accelerates instantly. The car performs perfectly every time. I marvel at how well this car performs. It does everything that it is supposed to do. The Ford engineers did a fantastic job on the design of this car. It is is an absolute joy to drive. Falcons are wonderful little automobiles. I really really really like my Falcon.

[SmithKid]

Dennis,
I think you forgot to mention something important..........
it's a BEAUTY!

[dhbfaster]

Great to hear Dennis. :BEER: :D:D
(Funny thing is I was just wondering about that.)
....but there's got to be something to tweak?...??
You may need to get another falcon or maybe a ranchero as a project.
[thumb]

[Luva65wagon]

....but there's got to be something to tweak?...??
You may need to get another falcon or maybe a ranchero as a project.
[thumb]

That can be a dangerous thing to wish upon someone...

:NERVOUS:

But Dennis, your daily travels may seem mundane to you, but your writing about them and posting the various pictures of the car parked here and there are great. They exhibit life connected with the Falcon you love to drive. I post a lot of picture of things I'm doing to bring cars back to life, but your pictures are of the life lived with the car. Far, far, better and more interesting to me. [thumb]

[ew1usnr]

But Dennis, your daily travels may seem mundane to you, but your writing about them and posting the various pictures of the car parked here and there are great. [thumb]

Hello, Roger.

I pass this Day Care Center sometimes when I drive home from work, depending on the route I take, and always enjoy seeing the art work. I made it a point this past Friday to stop and take a picture of it:

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My little Falcon continues to run perfectly. The car is so low-slung that I look up at all the traffic around me. Sitting behind that 260 V-8 makes me feel like I am driving a sports car.

I like to think about who the original owners of this car might have been. It was probably a young married couple because of it having an automatic transmission and bench seat. The wife probably wanted something small and practical but sporty. The husband must have had a good income to be willing to spend the extra money to get it in the the fancy Futura trim and with the new small block V-8. They must have thought that they were on top of the world with their new Falcon back in 1963. :)

It is such a nice little car.

[Luva65wagon]

Sitting behind that 260 V-8 makes me feel like I am driving a sports car.

You are driving a sports car Dennis! Your car, outfitted with the 260, is not far from what Carroll Shelby built his first Ford powered car based upon. And you know how that turned out.

Cool building too!

[beerbelly]

I love hearing these stories about daily driven Falcons. I bought mine in 2015, and have put 18,000 mile on it since then. I can't afford to have a car that doesn't start, stop & run well every day. It has to be reliable and do it's job; no yard art or trailer queens for me.

My wife's car is a brand new Honda, and it's really nice- the base model has more bells & whistles than we really need, it's absolutely reliable and averages 39.5 mpg. But it has no soul, sound or history like the Ranchero. When I want a fun drive, the Ranchero is always the first choice.

ew1usnr, I thought it was interesting that you wondered about the original purchaser. I've thought the same thing. Many Falcons & Rancheros I see advertised seem to be 6 cylinders with automatics, yet someone must have been feeling fairly sporty to order my Deluxe Ranchero with a 289 & T10 4-speed. It's certainly the options I would have ordered (if I could have) as a car-crazy 15 year old!

Enjoy the ride :)

[ew1usnr]

There has been a controversy in Tampa over a Confederate memorial statue that is in front of the Hillsborough County Courthouse. The County Commission is anticipated to vote to remove it to Oaklawn Cemetery this July 19. My wife and I drove The Wonder Falcon downtown to see the statue before it was moved:

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Then we drove to Oaklawn Cemetery that is about six blocks north of where the statute presently is. Oaklawn cemetery is the oldest cemetery in Tampa. This marker commemorates the Battle of Fort Brooke where Tampa fought off an attack by a US Navy warship:

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We also saw the grave site of some 2,000 year old Indian remains that were reburied in Oaklawn. The Indian graves are under the slab ringed in red brick. The other two markers in the foreground are grave makers for unidentified soldiers and settlers from Fort Brooke. They date back to 1825 and the Seminole Indian wars.

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The plaque reads:
Here lie the buried remains
of a small band of
Native Americans who perished
about 2000 years ago.
These remains were discovered
in 1987 during construction
of the Tampa Convention
Center.
Let us honor the memory
of these and all Native Americans
who have lived and cherished
the land we call Florida.

[Luva65wagon]

I like your outings. Makes me wish there was more posts like these from us all.

Interesting about the statue. Though I think there is a lot of "baby out with the bathwater" knee-jerk issues ("It upsets me, therefore it needs to go"), but I don't agree with that sort of mandate. I feel there will always be controversy until people finally decide to let history be history for history's sake. Observe and learn from the lessons of history. If you erase history, we may find ourselves repeating it. We only have problems when history, or what should be relegated to history, if bad, evil, unfair, is still held up as a banner for how we should be today.

But then, of course, who decides what is bad, evil, and unfair. I can think of only one answer... the greatest of these is love.

Love, love, love. (add musical note here)

[ew1usnr]

I visited Tampa's "Confederate Memorial Park" this morning. It is home to "The World's Largest Confederate Flag" (as titled on Google) . Tampa has all kinds of things to see. 😊

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[ew1usnr]

Someone took a picture of me driving to work yesterday and posted it it on the Suncoast Falcons Facebook page, asking "Who is this?". It was like in The Lone Ranger shows where they would ask "Who was that masked man?". :)

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[BadBird]

Very cool Dennis. Great pic and story. Keep them coming. Really enjoy your posts and pics. Larry

[Luva65wagon]

Hey Dennis - We'll be hoping Irma skirts on by you this weekend! Batten down the hatches just in case!

Here in Washington (and other places nearby too, I suppose) we are breathing pure smoke these days. It is very eerie to be able to look directly at the sun at noon.

[Jeff W]

Here is my smoked covered Sun picture as well as ash on my car.

[ew1usnr]

Here is my smoked covered Sun picture as well as ash on my car.

Wow! Those smoky photos are eerie.

The hurricane is supposed to arrive near Tampa this coming Monday morning.

I cleared out the garage so that I could park both the Mustang and the Falcon in the garage. (I liked my V-8 Wonder Falcon so much that I had to get the GT Mustang with a V-8 also. :) )

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I covered the Honda CR-V and parked it further back in the driveway so that it was not directly under any trees.

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I installed the aluminum I-beam garage door reinforcements. They have a bottom peg that inserts into a slot drilled into the concrete floor. The post has L-brackets that fit into slots in the garage door.

6546

[Jeff W]

So it looks like you are riding it out. I see certain parts of Tampa have a mandatory evacuation order.

You have made good preparations to manage the risks.

We will all be sending good thoughts your way. Please keep the updates coming.

[ew1usnr]

ew1usnr@mailcity.com
So it looks like you are riding it out. I see certain parts of Tampa have a mandatory evacuation order. You have made good preparations to manage the risks. We will all be sending good thoughts your way. Please keep the updates coming.

Thanks, Jeff.

We are a distance from any waterfront so we are not in danger of being flood by storm surge and are not in an evacuation area. I cleaned the leaves and mud dauber nests out of the tracks and closed my storm shutters today. All the windows are covered. Dennis.
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[Luva65wagon]

Dennis - anxiously awaiting the all-clear message to know you came out the other side OK. Power may be an issue, but hope all is well!

:rain:

[ew1usnr]

Dennis - anxiously awaiting the all-clear message to know you came out the other side OK. Power may be an issue, but hope all is well!

Hello, Roger.

We lost electricity at our house this past Sunday evening. The electricity just came back on this evening (Thursday). Yaaaaay!

This deserves a dancing banana: :banana:

Dennis.

[Luva65wagon]

I think that deserves two dancing banana's at a party sharing beers (or root beers)!

:banana::BEER::banana:

[ew1usnr]

Happy 2018, everyone!

The Wonder Falcon provided me with 5,263 trouble-free miles in 2017 and I enjoyed every one of them. :)

I bought three new Milestar MS775 P175/80R13 86S WSW tires off E-Bay yesterday for $52.97 each including postage (I had already replaced one tire last year).

"Most of the Milestar MS775 tire sizes have the classic white sidewall. It is an affordable touring tire made with interlocking circumferential blocks that are arranged to reduce harmonics for a quiet ride. It also has an open shoulder tread block design that helps with water evacuation and traction on wet roads, as well as solid center grooves for stability and handling."

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[BadBird]

I love reading your traveling stories Dennis. Here's to your new tires giving you many more trouble free miles in your Wonder Wagon. Happy New Year. Larry

[ew1usnr]

As my wife and I were leaving the Silver Springs car show in Ocala this afternoon, we saw a sign that said "Fort King Historic Site". We went to check it out, but I figured that all we would find was a park with a sign saying "This was the site of Fort King". I did not expect to find a full-scale reconstructed fort! Wow!

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After the visit to the fort, we had a Close Encounter.
THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE.

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I Want To Believe!

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[Vikingblu]

Car looks great Dennis. Thanks for sharing your adventure!

[ew1usnr]

OK, my bar for cool is pretty low, but I thought this was cool. I work in the town of Temple Terrace, FL. I picked up a co-worker that was having car problems and saw this historical marker that says that in 1921 Temple Terrace had the World's Largest orange grove. Everything went great until there was a freeze in 1927 and a Great Depression in 1929. My little Falcon continues to run magnificently.

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[BadBird]

Cool, thanks for sharing. The town I grew up in was Haysville Kansas. While I was a kid, it was called the Peach Capital of the World. There were thousands of trees in huge orchards. I worked at one when I was in my early teens.
If you go to Haysville now, I don't think you would find a single peach tree.
It is believed that the oil companies pumped salt water underground to extract more oil which killed off all the peach trees along with thousands of the huge elm trees in that area.
I used to go out in the summer, sit in those peach trees and eat them all day. Wonderful memories. Larry

[Luva65wagon]

Dennis - these days I think all of our cool bars are low.

Is that a vintage or reproduction bumper sticker? Was it on the car when you got it?

[ew1usnr]

Wow! I have now put over 25,000 miles on The Wonder Falcon! :) That has averaged at about 5,000 a year. The car runs marvelously and is super fun to drive.


Is that a vintage or reproduction bumper sticker? Was it on the car when you got it?

Hello, Roger. It is a magnetic reproduction. I save images of bumper stickers from the internet and then upload them at buildasign.com . The stickers give people that are sitting behind me in traffic something to look at. I have a collection of period stickers and alternate them. Here are a few:

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[seaslasher]

You travel stories are very inspiring.

[dhbfaster]

Very cool Dennis

[ew1usnr]

It rained almost every day this past May and we received eleven inches for the month. I don't like driving The Wonder Falcon in the rain, so it sat in the garage the whole time. The weather forecast gave only a 20% chance of rain today, so I drove it to work this morning. The car ran perfectly and it felt so good to be sitting behind my big steering wheel again. :)

[ew1usnr]

We had a good time at the Strawberry Classic. When we left the house, we heard an alarming rattle from the front right wheel. I found that the wheel bearing cap had fell out and was banging around behind the wheel cover. I tapped the cap back in place with a rubber mallet. My wife Francine was concerned and asked "Are you sure that it is fixed? How sure?" I said "100%". We live in Tampa and Plant City is about 35 miles east of us. We arrived in Plant City at about 3:30 with no further issues. It was HOT, though. The Wonder Falcon does not have air conditioning and Francine looked like a steamed clam. There were several nice Corvairs at the show, a neat old VW van with a windshield that could be opened, and an incredible replica of the race car "Lightning McQueen" from the Disney movie "Cars". "Cars" is one of my favorite movies. It is right up there with another Disney movie "Lilo and Stitch".

[Jeff W]

Must be hard to see out of the windows of Lightning McQueen car. Do they just trailer it around or is that stuff removable?

Disney knows their cars. When we went to Orlando in April I saw Goofy had a pretty nice ride...