Saving Granddad's Falcon

[Jeff W]

One silly thought... did you reinstall the spring that goes behind the actuator rod (internal to the handle push button assembly) that pushes the thumb button back out?

I think you had the handles replated... maybe to much thickness is causing it to hang.

[Luva65wagon]

Let's hope he did or the gap will grow even larger... but if you have to push it oh so far to get it to release the door, it may be getting stuck due to the push button traveling to areas inside the handle never seen before by man nor beast.

[dhbfaster]

I did have the handles and buttons replated and that's exactly what I thought the problem was at first. It wasn't that however because when I hold back the lever inside and just push the button if moves freely.

Anyway, problem solved. It wasn't a huge half inch gap as it looked in the picture. I cleaned up the paddle inside really good and stuck on a wheel weight. That took up most of the gap. Then I lubed everything really well from the inside and these handles work great in both doors now. :rocker:

Meanwhile, I installed (after about three hours of being up-side-down under the dash) a new clutch spring inside. Alas...that got a tiny bit better but didn't solve my clutch problem. (Problem 1 being that when you push the pedal down, it doesn't seem to come back up without help from my toe to pull the pedal back up.) I must just not have this thing adjusted correctly. The book just doesn't seem real clear on this to me. I was going to take it to my tranny guy...but he was getting ready to leave on his first vacation in 15 years...so no luck. I did start it up, and it ran great. (Too bad I can't drive it any where...) Pushed in the clutch pedal all the way down to the floor, and it doesn't seem to be disengaging the clutch. Thoughts? I assume I need to play with the Z bar adjustment on the other side?

Meanwhile, all the door locks are in, and I got the drivers door panel installed. :doh::doh: this was a head banger for sure...After very careful trimming, and some dry lube in the channel, It finally appeared as though I had it perfectly installed...but when I closed the door (the inside handle wasn't on yet), it apparently pushed the panel towards the rear a little bit and when I opened the door the panel drug on the door latch and stuffed it up a bit. :doh::doh: This is one of those days when you wish someone else was doing this job! Anyway, I don't think it's bad enough to replace. I'll have to find some of that vinyl touch up paint or a tiny bit of glue somewhere. I'm hoping I don't have to take the panel off and make it smaller...I think it was just the kick panel edge a little too far out causing interference...but I'll check it out in the morning.

I'm going to try and finish the other doors tomorrow. With me luck!

[dhbfaster]

Got one rear door panel modified and installed. Modified the other three and repaired previous minor damage. glue is now drying, but they should be ready to install when I get home from work. The car should almost look done.

The clutch problem has to be something simple staring me in the face.

[Luva65wagon]

Don,

There is also a return spring on the clutch fork, yes? This is supposed to pull the clutch fork back and keep the throw-out bearing off the pressure plate fingers.

The spring under the dash pulls the pedal away from the floor once it reaches that over-center portion.

So really there are 3 springs:
1) The clutch pressure plate has springs working against the throw-out bearing.
2) The fork return spring pulling the throw-out bearing off the pressure plate fingers
3) The under-dash pedal over-center return spring.

[dhbfaster]

Yes, all three springs are there.
To my knowledge, the only one that has an adjustment is the one under the dash. (Other than the total clutch movement which has a spec in the book. I did check and reset that up a bit more...not sure if the carpet/firewall pad has thrown me off on that.

Also, when my wife steps on the clutch while I am looking under the hood, it seems to start to push back on the clutch fork immediately. But- maybe not far enough which is adjustable on the z-bar? Unlike for the shift linkage, I don't have a good measurement (documentation) on exactly where the z-bar adjustment was before, but it seems that it's the only other place I can adjust it. (I suspect this is one of those things that if you were there you would probably see the problem right away.)

Anyway, if you have any other quick thoughts on the clutch that I can try tonight, let me know. I have all but given up on the clutch this trip because I can't afford to spin my wheels tonight. I will focus on getting the door panels finished this evening and I'm off to my other life again tomorrow...back in October and then not back for a while.

Speaking of October....I will be back the week of the 17th, but my wife won't be coming with me so I don't plan to stay both weekends this time. I need to pick my falcon day soon and book flights. It needs to be either Sunday the 16th or Saturday the 22nd of October. I will probably pick one of those days no matter what, but if one of those works for any of you to help me on this....let me know as soon as you can. If it doesn't work, as always...no worries. I will get it figured out eventually...it's not going anywhere.

[Luva65wagon]

With the pedal fully up against the stop up top, go down yonder and see if you can force the fork in (away from the fork push-rod) by hand at all. If you have any travel before the throw-out bearing hits the fingers you adjust the z-bar nut until this play, which is something you can feel, is minimal, but not too much. If too much the clutch pressure plate will not push back enough to force the pedal over center and then the pedal may stay down. If too little the bearing will constantly ride on the fingers and spin 100% of the time, which they are not designed to do. I like to see about a 1/4" or so of fork movement before bearing makes contact. You can feel all of this at the pedal too, but I like the more positive feel right at the fork. If the push-rod can fall out of the divot in the fork when you press on it - that is for sure too much play.

[dhbfaster]

Well...by the time I got home I had about an hour before cleanup time....got one more rear door panel done, and not without a lot of frustration! :doh:
(Note: This is not a job to do after a long day of work.)
I thought I better quit while I was ahead so I cleaned everything up for next time, and gave her a startup. She started up on the first turn and ran great. Maybe next time I can go for a drive...or may be not. :WHATTHE:

[dhbfaster]

Hi All,
Well I didn't get to WA for the holidays, but I did get to visit family and go through a bunch old old pictures. I was hoping to find one of the falcon, but instead I did find this picture of my Dad's old ford truck and Shasta trailer. (And yes that's me and my younger brother on the Honda SL70 which I saved up for and bought used with my own money from mowing lawns when I was 9, $100.) I have been trying to figure out what year the truck it is. I previously thought it was a 57, then I bought a book on old ford trucks and I don't think it's a 57 any more. Of course it's more difficult without seeing the grill. Can any of you tell from this side picture what year it is?

[SmithKid]

I'm certainly no Ford truck expert, but hazarding a guess would be a '58 from the shape of the front fender/hood lines.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/42945203@N00/7761998256

[Luva65wagon]

I could tell you seeing the grille. 57 had single headlights and 58-60 all had dual headlights. Body style was the same on all these.

[dhbfaster]

Yea, I have to say it had the double 2 hi 2 low beam headlights.
Nathan, how about that Shasta trailer?

[dhbfaster]

Hi Guys....
Getting a trip home to Seattle planned. I will be there March 9 to March 18. That gives me 3 weekend days, and I have a couple vacation days I can also take during the week to work on the falcon. (I just have to avoid Th-Fri March 16 and 17.

All I have to do to get on the road is:
1) Get the clutch adjusted so it works. (I can't get it in gear with the car running and the pedal also stays down...even though I already installed a new spring.)

2) Get the steering joints completely back together. (I can't seem to get them to tighten up.)

That's it! if I can accomplish that I can have the maiden voyage!!!!
If I can get those done...of course there are several little things...

Any of my esteemed advisors up to giving me a hand one day?[BOW][BOW][BOW][BOW][BOW][BOW]

[Luva65wagon]

It's hard to see that far into the future, but I'll do my best to come down a day.

[BadBird]

Me also. Larry

[dhbfaster]

Understand....just putting it out there so it can go on calendars or in the back of your minds if desired. I especially hope any of you who have been along for the ride so far can make it and I look forward to seeing you guys. AND I can't wait to finally drive this thing! :D

[SmithKid]

Don, I'm in the same boat.... Nothing on the calendar for now. I assume you're thinking of the 10th thru 12th. If I'm available, I'll make every effort to be there, too. Keep us updated please.

[dhbfaster]

HI Guys, understand if it's still too early, but getting closer to my trip....so just putting this out there (especially for Roger, Larry, Gene...and anyone else that has participated along the way.)

Friday March 10th?
Saturday 11th?
I'm trying to keep these days open.


Clutch adjusted & pedal working, steering rods snugged up, and brake shoes adjusted and this car is on it's maiden voyage v2.0 ... :WHATTHE:

[BadBird]

I think Carol and I will be back home by then. We are in Tucson. My brother added new Trick Flow heads, different cam, new goodies to add more giddy up. Spent this week installing motor, tranny, and finished it up yesterday. Started right up and took it for a drive today. WOW! My car gets up and goes, but lordy, this Fairlane tears up the road. Should be fun at the drag races this year. See you all soon. Larry

[Luva65wagon]

Don, should be available one of those days.

[dhbfaster]

Just keeping this out there guys...
Roger, are you thinking Friday (March 10th) or Saturday?

I can't wait to finally drive this thing...:~::~::~::~:[yay][yay][yay][yay]
Wow, that's a lot of whipping....my wife is going to give me a hard time if I don't get this thing going.

[Luva65wagon]

Whichever day the most people can make it. Either works for me.

People?

[SmithKid]

I'm OK with either also (at this point).

[BadBird]

Either works for me but wouldn't Friday traffic be a pain? Which ever you decide I will be there. Larry

[dhbfaster]

Doesn't matter to me either, but it sounds like we have at least one good reason for Saturday (traffic.) Going once, twice, three times...unless someone else chimes in, Saturday is it.

Kenny...those hub caps are "almost" done...hint hint...:o

[BadBird]

Unless I see something different, I will see you all on Saturday between 9-10 am? If that doesn't work, let me know. Larry

[Luva65wagon]

Saturday it is then. Fingers crossed it's driving when we leave.

[BadBird]

Running a fever for the last 3 days. Very sore throat. If the fever is gone I will be there tomorrow, if not, then I don't want to spread this crap around. Larry

[dhbfaster]

Larry,
Take care of yourself! Totally understand if you can't make it and either way hope you feel better by morning.

Gene and Roger,
What time to think you'll be over?

Also....I need to adjust the brake shoes as these are not self adjusting. Do I need a special tool for that? I recall something from the book but haven't had time to check. If so, I assume you might have that tool Roger? :o

I'm just finishing up work (while I'm supposed to be on vacation today...). Going to take a walk with my wife to get work off my mind and then head out to the falcon and start to dig in on some other little things. It's amazing how much dust can build up over six months. :bicker:

Look forward to seeing you guys! [BOW]
[BOW][BOW]:banana::banana::banana:

[Luva65wagon]

Larry, Hope you're feeling better soon, but if you are and want to carpool with Gene and I, he's meeting me at my house at 8:30AM tomorrow...

...So, Don, expect us down south about 45 minutes to an hour later. Give or take.

I do have a brake adjuster tool or two I can can bring. If you can think of anything else, let us know before we head out in the AM.

To anyone else who might want to see a phenomenal restore of a Falcon, in action, now's your chance. I'm sure Don can put you to work on something, but if you check out this thread even just a little bit you can see the attention to detail this car is getting. Come see it, or lend a hand, if you can.

[dhbfaster]

You bet Roger...if anyone else in the club wants to stop by, just send me a PM and I'll send directions. Love to have you.

Meanwhile, Granddad's falcon did a good job of making me feel more dumber today...so I decided to quit while I'm ahead.

And man...is it getting dirty! but I decided to wait until I get the steering back together...maybe I can actually drive it out to wash it??

I was putting the new window crank knobs on the handles...one broke right in half. :doh: I was hoping to get the handles installed tomorrow...if anyone happens to have an extra knob lying around so I can install it tomorrow, I'd be happy to send a replacement.

AND...I hope you guys know the trick to getting these handles back on. (I do have the clips.)

Roger is there any special tool needed to get the steering arm back together? (Pic). I don't think so, but asking just in case.

So, the list of jobs I seem to be clueless about and could use some help with:

Clutch adjustment

Brake shoe adjustment

Radio antenna install...I played with this for a while today. Of course, the old one has been off the fender for a long time and I couldn't find a picture of where the cable enters the inside of the car. I had no luck poking around trying to get it through. I'm assuming one of you had replaced these a couple times before?

Front door panel install...these are ready to go (I spent a ton of time last visit getting them sized up right.) This is another one that will be easier with the car outside the garage...and maybe a little of your experience will keep me from messing them up.

AND...if we totally hit a home run on all this stuff...that Pertronics is right where you left it Roger...:D[BOW][BOW]

I'm feeling like a kid on Christmas eve again....i really appreciate your help guys.

[Luva65wagon]

Don,

Clean up the hole and the taper pin and that steering will go together fine.

We'll get as much done as possible.

[thumb]

[BadBird]

Best of luck and hope you get everything done. I am so sorry I couldn't be there. I have been looking forward to this day and helping out. Send pics of updates.
It is almost impossible for me not to get sick. With grandkids. Great grandkids coming over, always one of them is spreading something around. Not good, but have to admit, I wouldn't want them to stop coming and crawling on my lap watching cartoons with me. May have to hand out surgical masks or something.
See you all Wednesday, I hope. Larry

[dhbfaster]

What a great day...:BEER::BEER:
Tools all over the place to clean up and got lots done.
Huge thanks to Roger and Gene. [BOW][BOW][BOW]
It continues to amaze me the richness of falcon knowledge in these guys.
Roger, if wealth were measured in falcon knowledge, you would be the Bill Gates of the falcon world. Gene would be pretty rich too. The amount of stuff you guys see and know that I would have no idea about and isn't in the books continues to amaze me. It would have taken me another year to get that stuff done by myself (assuming I was in Washington) and I still wouldn't have noticed that I had the rear brake shoes on backwards on one side!

Stuff we got done:

-Clutch adjusted and working. (but - We didn't attempt to drive in the rain.) It turns out there is a bushing missing...but all is set for now.
-Steering all hooked up.
-Rope threaded into the radio antenna hole to the car- unfortunately the Dennis Carpenter antenna I bought just doesn't fit. (although it says it is supposed to...)
-parking brake system working...this was a bunch of stuff. The replacement cable I bought also didn't fit right- the spring on the portion inside the brake drum is about 1.5 inches too long. We cleaned up the old one and put it back on. Not as pretty, but problem solved. Maybe some day I will clean it up more or find the one that actually fits a 61. (the one in there was the 2nd try.)
- Door panels are all installed. I have a little finishing to do. Most handles are installed but still a few more to do.
- Adjusted all the brake shoes. (Have you guys noticed that Gene loves to be on the cold garage floor on his back? It's like he's made for it.)
- Of course, we discussed and found a few new issues a long the way.

You were missed Larry! Unfortunately we didn't get any pictures. Started to take one of Roger upside down under the dash, but got distracted. Hopefully I can finish the interior and the get the antenna on and take some pictures by next weekend if we can get a break in the rain.

Roger- I have a few questions about the parts list and steering/ turn signal stuff...I'll do another post in a while.

[dhbfaster]

Roger,

Questions about parts and stuff....

1) Horn: "Horn switch" and horn "contact brushes" is what I had written down.
Is this the only part I need? http://www.falconparts.com/ford-falcon-auto-parts/pc/1960-1964-HORN-CONTACTS-WITH-ISOLATORS-85p285.htm

2) Turn Signal: It looks like there's a turn signal switch and a turn signal cam.
http://www.falconparts.com/ford-falcon-auto-parts/pc/showsearchresults.asp?idcategory=0&pageStyle=H&resultCnt=12&keyword=turn+signal+cam
Do you think I need both? (while I'm at it.) (fyi for others, the problem is that the fit up between the male part on the turn lever and the female part on the cam is messed up.) It does seem to switch both ways but I'm not sure of some of the sloppiness is also in the switch itself.

Also, looks like the turn lever is available for $20 in chrome, but a black one is about $90!! Do you think the old lever will work fine in a new cam since you ran the die over the threads?

3) Steering wheel puller: Amazon says they can send this out same day for $20. Is this what I need to do the trick? I might as well buy one-assuming I will have to pull this thing off again. -https://www.amazon.com/Performance-Tool-W150-Steering-Removal/dp/B0002KO0QS/ref=s9_cartx_gw_g263_i1_r?_encoding=UTF8&fpl=fresh&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=&pf_rd_r=RHFPEV3V390KQ0G4NKRS&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=1cded295-23b4-40b1-8da6-7c1c9eb81d33&pf_rd_i=desktop

4) The steering wheel itself- I counted 11 major cracks on it. Add to that the heavy wear on the upper surface that looks like it will take quite a bit of work to get smooth after filling. Obviously this "can" be restored and I prefer to keep the original and restore it if it's not a huge job and within my skill set, but it does look like a pretty big job to me.
(It looks like the process is a) drill/clean out all the cracks, b) fill with PC-7 or similar epoxy, c) clean, prime, and paint. Is it worth it?

Anyone bought one of the aftermarket ones from falcon enterprises? ($149). or the "exact replica" from Carpenter...$199. I can't tell if there's any difference.

Thanks as always

[Luva65wagon]

Started to take one of Roger upside down under the dash, but got distracted.

Thankfully...

Glad we were able to get a lot done for you. I did take one picture of you cleaning up the old e-brake cable. Wasn't the best picture, but the phone rang just as I took the picture. The car is in the background at least:

6178

This horn bits you show are a good start, but you may find them to be OK when you get it apart and just need to clean what they ride up against.

Didn't realize the TS Switch was two-part on your year car. That wealth was not in my knowledge. It would probably be the cam part in yours. Not having the puller and being able to inspect all that is there, or having tested the lights, it's hard to say whether the rest is good or not. The obvious bit to get the lever screwed in was the cam part and not the switch part. It's not clear, if the cam you had was out, whether you could chase the threads in your existing part with a tap.

The lever was pretty chewed up, but you could probably cut the threads off and re-thread the end with a good die. For $90 I would be trying. The Harbor Freight stuff was OK for chasing threads, but was lacking a bit.

That steering wheel puller would probably do the job.

If it were me, I'd probably keep the steering wheel and just repair they cracks. The wear, it's Granddad.

Also, I meant to ask and search for a new clip for the E-brake roller pin, but got distracted. You need to remember to get a clip in that or the pin will fall out.

Hopefully, while you are still in-town, and if the weather clears, you can back it in and out of the garage - at least! Sorry I was the first to move it under it's own power, but felt somewhat privileged to do so as well.

:)

[Luva65wagon]

Also, chatting with Gene yesterday on the drive back I realized the back seats have no other door closing pull than the door handle. No arm rests - right? We both concluded you should pop the rear panels and remove enough board, from behind, to accept the round shape of the entire handle base. This will let you push the handle to the clip, while maintaining the entire vinyl material behind the handle.

[dhbfaster]

Thanks Roger....

AND....I did back it out of the garage and drove it for a loop around the neighborhood today. Clutch is so smooth...wow...and brakes worked ok too. It started to rain so I went back home and gave it the light wash and rinse off that it needed and I put it back in the garage nice and shiny clean again. :3g::3g::3g:

I agree with you on the steering wheel. It's meaningful that it's the same wheel. Any flaws left are certainly part of the character. Maybe I can do it Saturday.
I have ordered the epoxy. What primer and black paint should I use?

I have a note down on the pin for the parking brake...

My wife is going to order the ($250 of) parts first thing in the morning. If I don't need anything, she says she will send it back.

It's looking like a very busy week at work. Hopefully I can do a little more work on the falcon this week.

[dhbfaster]

Guys...a successful day today! :D:D:D:D:D:shift::shift:

Jason and I
-got the horn fixed (it was just that contact button),
-we got the new turn signal cam in...and it was defective-dimensions left it too close to the horn button, but I was able to take the old one and tap it out so that the old turn signal lever fit. AND, we straightened the steering wheel.
- we took off the rear door panels and skimmed off the cardboard around the door handles...put them back on and the handles went on. (Then later when we went for a drive, hit a speed bump, they both fell off!! Oh well, need something to do next time. I think a little silicone sealer might help hold them just enough.)
- We got the new radio antenna on.
- put some nice trim screws in to hold the door panels on.
- and last but not least- installed the hubcaps.

Then we drive it probably a mile and a half all around up and down the hills around here. Everything worked great. Just like a new falcon!! Smiling from ear to ear over here....and here are a few pics. Jason also took some video. Hopefully he will post them on Facebook. Huge thanks to everyone who has helped or supported us to get this far.

[Luva65wagon]

That's a very cool thing to see! Good job.

[yay]

The clips on the rear handles, if going on far enough, should "click" when they go into the grooves. Maybe you can just push a little harder on the to see if that happens.

You'll have something more to look forward to coming back home for now!

[BadBird]

Looking very good. Congratulations and thanks for the pictures. What a beautiful car. I have one rear window handle that comes off every once in awhile. Larry

[SmithKid]

WOW! Looks great, Don. Can't wait to hear the result when you enter it in a show or two.

[PhilC]

Awesome to see it in final form and so happy to hear you got to drive it too! I enjoyed being involved in your project. :cool:

[dhbfaster]

Thanks guys. I was looking to see if I can plan a trip back to enter the falcon in a car show or two? I see the Bowen Scarff show is August 20th. Any other recommendations?

Roger, the rear handles did "click" when I put em on the last time. I think there was just still too much pressure.

[dhbfaster]

Oops, that date was for last year's all Ford show.

[Jeff W]

2017 Early Ford and All Makes Picnic June 4th
Bellevue College

We usually get to this one.

[dhbfaster]

Is that show only for V8's Jeff?

By the way, just fyi, at the last meeting Roger gave me the email about the writer that is doing stories on old Fords...I did email him last week, but haven't heard back yet.

[Jeff W]

The show is actually for all makes and models. It used to be only Ford's but several years ago they opened it up. It is s Ford heavy.

Sadly I just checked the calendar and it is the same weekend as the Girl scouts Father/Daughter camping trip. Looks like I will miss it for the second year. I had gone the previous eight.

[ew1usnr]

Wow! Your car looks really nice. It is an extremely cute little Falcon. You are going to have a lot of fun driving it.

[dhbfaster]

Thanks a Dennis! :p

Guys...any of you ever done a steering wheel restore? (Mine has 21 cracks)

I've seen the Eastwood kit, watched the YouTube videos....my open question: after the cracks are filled in and everything is sanded, then sprayed with adhesion promoter and ready to go, when you get to paint stage what is the right primer and paint to use?

And do you use clear coat? If so, Which one?

[Jeff W]

I have done two, both white.

First one I used "Appliance Paint" in a rattle can bought at Home Depot.

The second Kenny painted for me when he was shooting the white on his motorcycle tin. He used a tap part base/clear with a hardened.

I haven't installed the base/clear wheel yet but they both still look great after 5 or so years.

I should say the paint looks great, there are a few micro-cracks going on where I repaired with epoxy putty.

[dhbfaster]

Guys, here is the video from the first drive with Jason.

https://youtu.be/o5scQ13bUXU

[ew1usnr]

Guys, here is the video from the first drive with Jason.

https://youtu.be/o5scQ13bUXU

Cool! It looked like it has perfectly adequate acceleration. I was impressed with how quietly it runs.

Dennis.

[BadBird]

Good video. Car is amazing and looks like it is running well. Now all you need is some time to take it to the shows. Great job. That being said, you know me. It needs a large V8, open headers and slicks. Just kidding. I am sure your family is all proud of you for restoring your granddads car. Beautiful story and car. Larry:3g:

[dhbfaster]

That might be the retirement project some day Larry...:shift::shift::shift:

[ew1usnr]

That might be the retirement project some day Larry...:shift::shift::shift:

Hello, Don.

If Larry gets feisty, you can start bragging about the great gas mileage that you are getting.

This is a picture of Don ==> [yay]

[BadBird]

There are no feisty bones in my pudgy little body. I just happen to have a right foot that is made out of lead. I posted what my gas mileage was on this forum somewhere but can't find it. It was over 20 MPG I do remember that. Which isn't too bad for dual carbs and a mild racing cam.
When I had the C4 transmission it was no where near that good, but with the T5Z it works out great.
When you grow up like I did, drag racing every Friday and Saturday night I guess you revert back to that when you get old like me.
Everyone has their own desires in rebuilding one of these beautiful cars. For me, it will probably always be in the form of a hot rod.
Which reminds me. I have a new tee shirt ordered that says "Some grandfathers play bingo, I drive hot rods". Larry

[dhbfaster]

So, I think I've got holes where these light switches in the pic go.
I'm assuming mine, being a basic model, never had them...a bit torn as to whether or not to put some in. (One more mod away from the original interior). Are they easy to hook up?

[Luva65wagon]

Yes and no. They feed a dome light, and if you didn't put one in, that could be hard once the headliner is in. You could feed some floor courtesy lights instead, like those on early mustangs and a certain Ranchero I know of.

You'll need a harness too, which I have an extra one of. You probably have the connectors in the dash harness for that already.

WIAI!

[dhbfaster]

There is a dome light there, but it only turns on/off manually by rotation of the headlight knob.

[Luva65wagon]

Oh, that's good. There is a two-wire T'd harness that plugs into where that dome light wire is going and the switches you add get 12v constant on one side (supplied by the harness) and the other side to the dome light connection you have now. So you put 12v to the dome light either by the headlight switch or the door switch. Pretty simple install with the harness.

[dhbfaster]

Sounds pretty simple. Anyone you know of sell that harness?

[Luva65wagon]

I have one or two. You can have one.

[dhbfaster]

Appreciate the offer Roger- I might take you up that if I can get by in June.

I drove the falcon to work Friday afternoon and put about 25 miles on it between there, going to the chiropractor, and driving around before I went home. The engine run absolutely perfect and tranny and clutch seemed perfect as well. I've got to get the right tires. Everyone commented about them....just can't see buying rubber that is going to rot in my garage yet.

Funny thing- Gene, remember that the front ball joints didn't seem like they didn't have enough grease in them? I couldn't seem to get more in with my small hand gun at home so I stopped into Jiffy Lube on the way home to have them try it using a professional gun with more pressure. Guess what- they were out of grease! What kind of place with "lube" in the name runs out of grease? I thought that was pretty funny. :ROTFLMAO::ROTFLMAO::ROTFLMAO:

There's some kind of popping sound when I do a hard turn like out of the driveway or into a parking spot. It seems to be coming from the passenger side front suspension. I was wondering if it's just due to the ball joints not having enough grease (so I thought I'd try that first- but didn't get a chance to.) I suspect it might have something to do with the lower control arm having that twist in it that Larry and Gene helped bang back into shape. I stuck my head under and took a peek, and it seems to not be as straight as when we installed it back on the car. Anyway, that's for next trip to find out. Anyone have any ideas...please post!

I also have some kind of light so "clang, clang" sound coming from the trunk area. Haven't figured that out yet, but I don't think it's the diffy. I heard it once when I closed the trunk, then played with the trunk lid springs a bit and it didn't happen when I closed the trunk after- but I haven't had a chance to drive it again since then.

I also heard the drivers side spring mount knock...Roger, not sure if you remember the front mount for the leaf springs that's bent? So the mounting bolt with the big cup washer does not fit into the cup (the bolt was bent before- I straightened it but maybe shouldn't have. I'll need to figure out how to address that one way or another at some point.

I decided my "take back to Canada" project is the steering wheel. It's in my suit case along with everything else I think I'll need except the paint. I have a free weekend coming up. I hope I can get the paint delivered in time.

Speaking of my flight back to Canada today....it was supposed to be a direct flight. The pilot got on and said the smoke alarm went off for the baggage compartment and the fire suppression system went off and they had to make an emergency landing in Spokane! They were very professional, but I thought there was a small chance that I should have updated my will and make sure the falcon was going to Jason, and then if Jason didn't want it, done it to Roger to use for the benefit of the club in whatever way he see's fit...but about 7 minutes later we were on the ground. :NERVOUS: They stopped the plane immediately and sent the emergency crew out. No fire, and apparently the fire suppression system didn't go off. Four hours later and I'm sure a lot of paperwork they sent a plane from Vancouver and I'm on my flight to Toronto now.

I decide to push the radio project down the road a bit and focus on the steering wheel. I emailed Joe's radio restoration about the tuner and he said there is a clutch in the tuner inside that when you push a tuning preset button disengages so that the button can move the tuner to the channel it's set to. He said they have to take it apart and replace the "clutch" which is basically a plastic rubber like disc that over time gets too hard and slippery. Anyway, I was going to try and figure out the capacitors to order and have them delivered the house for when I am back in June. Planning a two week visit late June and early July including some "staycation." Hopefully I can bring the radio over Roger and check the tubes.

I'll post some pics on the steering wheel project when I get it going. :BEER:

[Luva65wagon]

Appreciate the offer Roger- I might take you up that if I can get by in June.

It may just be in your mailbox when you get home...
6292


There's some kind of popping sound when I do a hard turn like out of the driveway or into a parking spot.

Dry joints would be my first guess as well


I also have some kind of light so "clang, clang" sound coming from the trunk area. Haven't figured that out yet, but I don't think it's the diffy. I heard it once when I closed the trunk, then played with the trunk lid springs a bit and it didn't happen when I closed the trunk after- but I haven't had a chance to drive it again since then.

Trunk torsion springs should have one of them wrapped with a coil of rubber or Teflon or something to keep one from rubbing and clanging against the other. Not the best picture, but you can see...

6293


I also heard the drivers side spring mount knock...Roger, not sure if you remember the front mount for the leaf springs that's bent?

Vaguely recall maybe reading of it. If I looked at it in person, that I don't recall.


Hopefully I can bring the radio over Roger and check the tubes.

I'll make sure my tube tester book lists these specific tubes. If not, then you may just want to buy some of them new to be sure.

[dhbfaster]

I've been working on the steering wheel a bit.
Got the 20 or so cracks all opened up and turned into grooves the pc7 epoxy can go into.
Huge mess! :WHATTHE: I was only in trouble for about a day though. Let's just say I miss not having a garage to do this stuff in.

Meanwhile, I have filled them all with the epoxy and that has cured. It's quite solid. Yesterday I began shaping it all back down so it looks like a steering wheel again. (While I was outside...) still very messy and requires LOTS of patience. :doh: hopefully not more patience than I have!

Ordered the paint from Eastwood 2.5 weeks ago and it's still not here! I'll post a few more pics after I finish all the sanding and shaping. Raining here today...not sure if I will get to work on it or not. I suspect it could be a couple weeks before I'm ready to paint.

[dhbfaster]

I didn't get the steering wheel done but I brought it back so I can drive the falcon this week. It seems at the rate I'm going I'll be lucky to have it ready for next season. BUT, Here for the long weekend on a "staycation." :rocker:
I put 5o or so miles on the falcon last weekend and the odometer just rolled over 100 miles today. WoW! I still can't believe it's all working so well (knock on wood.) Drove it to work Monday just like it was my regular car except I was having more fun. Sunday I drove over to Ruston and back. What a beautiful drive. Mt Rainier was out and everything. [thumb] Man I miss it here. Over there in Ontario what they call "the mountain" is about 200 feet high and the lakes are just gray and boring compared to Puget Sound. Anyway, I ended up on I-5 and got up to 70mph for a bit and it ran great. It was quite warm out- and the wind beating on you through the windows felt just like it used to. The vents down below work amazingly well just like always. Unfortunately I was then down to I-5 stop and go traffic. I did watch the temp gage (picture) go up a bit...normally it has been right in the center or inside the right side of the circle. In the stop and go traffic it got a bit outside of the circle. Fortunately, things picked up a bit and everything was fine...but my question:

What is the point on this gage that I should get worried?? :eek:
Am I ok all the way to the dot?

I heard the suspension noise again tonight...and found it seemed to be only when I bumped a speed bump. I think I found it- It turned out I left the steering loose where it bolts to the frame...that is rectified now. I'll test drive it to work again tomorrow. Got my new classic plates and the club plate on tonight too. I'll have to get some pics of that this weekend.

Also notice the falcon looks really great at night. I wasn't able to get the dash or interior lights to come on though. I'll have to play with that tomorrow night.
Hope all of you are enjoying the show season.

[BadBird]

Don, I don't have that type temp gauge working on my car. My after market gauge gives numerical listings. I used to panic when mine would get to 220 but was told that not to worry unless it boils over. :confused:
Do you know what temp thermostat you have in the car? I would assume that if it gets to the dot, that would be 220?? Heck if I know, my response sounds like a dolts answer:BEER:, but after hearing the guy at the Maltby show so upset that no one answered his query??? Just have to chime in. Now you know a lot more than you did.[thumb] Kidding.
Glad you are getting to drive the car now. Hope it gets to a show soon. Larry

[ew1usnr]

What is the point on this gage that I should get worried?? :eek: Am I OK all the way to the dot?

Yes. You are OK. Do not worry about it unless the needle swings all the way to the right and stays there.
(But if a radiator hose breaks and dumps the coolant your engine will overheat without the gauge swinging to the right).

This is a temperature gauge for a 1963 Falcon. Notice the two larger outside marks and the two smaller inside marks.

6416

The Falcon owner's manual says that the normal temperature range is in between the small marks;

6417

The midpoint on the gauge seems to be about 190 degrees. The boiling point for a 50/50 antifreeze mix with a 13 psi radiator cap is about 257 degrees and that is probably approximately where the gauge pegs to the right.

6418

I have read that "A quality conventional motor oil will tolerate oil sump temperatures of up to 250 degrees, but starts breaking down over 275 degrees."

So, it is like Larry said, if you are not boiling over then you are OK.

[Luva65wagon]

Fresh motors also produce more heat and less after they've broken in. I freak out when the temp gets near 200 on my Autometer gauge, but it is true that it is only when it boils over that it is too hot. But isn't that too late?

:NERVOUS:

I have seen such a variety of temps from gauge to gauge on the same car/engine (other 'experimenting' I've done), so it's almost better the factory "safe range" as opposed to a number... that may or may not be accurate.

So, Don, should I mail you that dome light wire? Will you be there to get it? It would be easy to add while you're under there trying to figure out what's up with the dash and dome light, which sounds like a fuse on the headlight switch to me.

[dhbfaster]

So far so good on the temp.
Well, I didn't really get anything done this weekend but it sure was a great visit with the family. Plus...I put around 100 miles on the falcon and got these new floor mats for Father's day. (which i found on sale a while back.) They look great.

[dhbfaster]

Hi All...checking in. I was just thinking this morning I hadn't seen many forum updates...and probably because I haven't posted much! Then I ran into a guy with a 64 Comet. A two door with a 260. Finally I'm caught up.
I've been spending all my time maintaining everything else while the weather is good up here and making zero progress on the falcon steering wheel.
Looks like my parents are coming down for a weekend in September at the same time Carole and I will be home so ...my Dad will finally see the falcon!:3g::rocker::D

[Vikingblu]

Really excited for you Don! Cant wait to see/hear Dads reaction.
(a street lined with Falcons and the crown jewel in the driveway) :BIRTHDAY:

[Luva65wagon]

Be sure to have him standing on a carpet or something. You don't want him to hurt the bottom of his jaw.

[dhbfaster]

.I need a like button for those comments. Thanks guys. :BEER:
Now The reality is... Dad will tease me a bit by pointing out several things I missed or jokingly (sort of) question a few of my decisions...(you put carpet in the falcon???) but I'll simply switch answers between "Grandad would've done it that way" and "that's the right way to do it" and "I enjoy working on it so I have to save a few things for later." :ROTFLMAO:
Of course he'll be very proud and taking it for a ride with my Dad is going to be a priceless event for me. :D My Dad is at a the age where it's possible he might not ever make it back up here either.
For me, it's just impossible to drive this thing without smiling ear to ear. Its hard to explain, but Its almost like my Grandfather or my father is sitting there next to me.
It's amazing how a car can bring generations and friends together. Assuming my sons have kids while I'm alive that's at least five generations. Add to that, all the friends I have met through this project.

Meanwhile...no progress on the steering wheel yet...
:~:

[dhbfaster]

HI All,

We were in town over the weekend and my parents came out for a visit complete with rides in the falcon. It ran great and I changed the oil for the first time since the rebuild too.

My Dad brought a few CD's of old pictures including the Korean war, and also pictures when I was really young (like my Baptism), and a few years later...there was this video, of the falcon in the snow.

[Gitanesteel]

Very nice. So, what was your dad's reaction?

[dhbfaster]

First, in case it wasn’t clear, that is my Mom and Dad in the car but this was my Grandfathers car, my Dads Dad, then it went to the family lube-n-go business, then my Dad had it for quite a few years, then back to lube-n-go, then to me.

My Mom actually bought a 1960 Comet new so she really enjoyed the ride. That said, you can see the look on her face that sort of says...”is this thing really going to run?” Or “I don’t think this is quite as safe as my Subaru...” She was amazed how well it ran. (I always am too)

My Dad...kept saying “I’m so glad you were able to do this when I wasn’t” “and it’s great that your kids and someday grandkids will be able to enjoy it too.” And “boy, you really did a beautiful job”
That was huge fun- and of course there’s no way I could have done this without this club and a few of you in particular.

By the way, Roger...thanks for the wires for the door dome light switches! I’m glad I’m building a nice little list of projects to really finish this nicely when I finally return to Washington.

[Luva65wagon]

It is always a good feeling when you can share with your family a memorable moment; which, I'm sure this one was huge. I am thankful, blessed really, to have been able to participate in that in some small way.

[dhbfaster]

Hi guys, it’s been a while.
I was back for part of a week and got out for a ten miler...man I miss it. I can’t wait to finally get back and knock the rest of the things off the list.
It’s top secret (I doubt anyone from work is reading this,) but I hope to get back more or less for good by this fall.
Meanwhile I’ll be back a couple weeks in a June and it turns out I’m one of those idiots paying more for their storage unit than the stuff in it is worth. (And they keep raising the rent while I’m gone!)
One of the items wasting away is this “20 ton” press.

https://www.harborfreight.com/20-ton-H-Frame-Industrial-Heavy-Duty-Floor-Shop-Press-60603.html?ccdenc=eyJjb2RlIjoiNDY5NjA4OTUiLCJza3Ui OiI2MDYwMyIsImlzIjoiMTQ5Ljk5IiwicHJvZHVjdF9p%0D%0A ZCI6IjkzOTIifQ%3D%3D%0D%0A

I think 20 ton is an exaggeration (Harbor Freight), but it got the job done for quite a few tasks for my restoration.

Roger, if you or any club members can use it (ideally to sort of stay in the club to be available for members), it’s available for the taking. I will be back the 2nd week of June to hand it over.

I also have a bunch of foam left if anyone is working on their seats.

[Luva65wagon]

Don,

With my housing issue in-flux (floating between a house I'm remodeling and one I hope to get onto the market while the market is...) I'm not prepared to take it and set it next to mine, but hopefully someone else here is willing to stash it for personal and club use.

Good to hear from you, by the way. Hopefully you get to settle back soon.

[dhbfaster]

Totally understand Roger. Anyone else out there need this for anything?
I'm not back to clean out my storage for a few more weeks, so I'll pop this to the top one more time or so before I give up.

[dhbfaster]

Guys, home for just today and just went out to take a look at the falcon...only to find the muffler just hanging there. It wasn’t like that before I left last time and there’s no evidence of impact. See the pic. I thought this stuff was bombproof, but looks like it just pulled out. Not just one, but both of them! It’s probably due to my “customization” job on this...any thoughts?

[beerbelly]

It looks to me like the rubber portion of the hanger tore, letting the muffler drop.

[dhbfaster]

That’s exactly what happened. The factory rivers pulled right through for some reason. But why?

[Jeff W]

I think you son was out jumping some curbs!

I guess they just don’t make rubber the way they used to.

At least it happened in your garage and not on the way to/from a show.

Speaking of repairs, are you willing to lend out the spring compressor you picked up for your front end rebuild?

[Luva65wagon]

Maybe the rubber was dry rotted and one broke while you were driving last and then the other just let go to be cooperative. :confused:

Jeff, if you need a spring compressor sooner than Don can supply it - I have a couple. I've got the typical internal (I've shortened/modified for Falcons) and an external type I've yet to ever use, but would probably be the easier to use, but would maybe require removing the spring shield under the fender.

[Jeff W]

Thanks Roger and I will take you up on it. Maybe the internal one you had luck with in the past. Can you bring to our September meeting?

[ew1usnr]

Hello, Don.

Comment: Wow! Your car is clean underneath. :WHATTHE:

Question: What is the piece of tape on the right side of the gas tank? Is it a heat shield? Where did you get that?

Thanks, Dennis.

6686

[dhbfaster]

Hi Dennis!
Sorry to take so long to reply...life has been crazy lately with a funeral and work- I helped sell my employer...but the good news is I should be back home and to the falcon this fall.
Yes, it’s a heat barrier tape. I’m pretty sure I bought it at Autozone. The original gas tank had an indentation for the muffler but it was around $250 more to buy one with that indentation. So, I went with the cheaper tank only to find out the muffler didn’t fit. So, the muffler is also smaller- and I put the heat tape on there as an added measure.

[dhbfaster]

Got the muffler hangers done today. The picture doesn’t do it justice- makes it look a bit warped, but the guy did a great job. Nice rubber bushings up top and strong enough to hang on- and it’s not going to bump the gas tank any more.

[dhbfaster]

Got my tickets back home guys...I’m going to have to visit back and forth now and then for the next few month but it sure will be nice to be home. :rocker::rocker:
Anyone know where to find the summer show schedule??
It would be nice to tidy up the last few things and show off all the work we did at least once or twice.
Where is our falcon regional this year?
:D

[Luva65wagon]

I'm sure it'll be good to be home. Hopefully we have decent enough weather soon to drive our cars around a bit.

I use this schedule, which is pretty complete:

http://www.cruzinmag.com/calendar.html

We'll have a meeting on March 20 and maybe we can do an early spring cruise somewhere after that. I've not heard anything about a mini this year, but it's probably coming back round to us again... should we decide to.

[dhbfaster]

Wow, that’s a huge list! Any thoughts on the best local shows for mine other than our falcon specific shows?
Definitely looking forward to a little club cruise to catch up with you guys again...weather permitting of course.

[Luva65wagon]

We ought to go have a little snow cruise. That would be fun.

Cruzin's list is long, but not so bad if you weed out the non-local events.

[dhbfaster]

Wow, hard to believe the last post on this thread was so long ago....but, I ate breakfast, and for the first time since since we got back from Canada I asked my wife "What's on the list today honey" :~: and she said "nothing."
I was like...huh? :BIRTHDAY:

So, I was finally able to dig into my problem with the horn not working (It hasn't work since I replaced the steering wheel) and I figured it out. The plate on the inside of the new steering wheel that makes the horn contact was spaced completely different than the old one. Here's the old one 7010 and here's the new one. 7011
Once I figured that out, I was able to just swap the plates. I cleaned the old one up nicely, reinstalled and amazingly the horn works perfectly now. I don't know why the instructions don't tell you that.

Then I went out and picked up a bottle of the Griot's detailer...the falcon was so dusty...now it's beautiful again.
I'm stoked- two things marked off the short list in one morning. Tomorrow, I'll finish off the detail on the inside of the trunk.

[Luva65wagon]

I was hoping to get a lot of detailing done so I could make the jingle-bell at XXX on Sunday, but they delivered all the stuff the other day and set it right in front of the ghetto garage, so I haven't been able to do that. The poor car has been in that Costco garage for almost 2 years and it is looking pretty sad. But that is about to change!

[dhbfaster]

Any body know where to get a new gasket that fits the gas cap?

[Luva65wagon]

You'll probably have to make one, Don. You might find a new cap (maybe an aftermarket cap) with a similar size gasket, but some good heavy gasket material and a razor knife should make one.

[dhbfaster]

Hi Guys,
Those of you that have seen my car may remember that except for my windshield, which is relatively new, my glass is all cloudy and somewhat sand blasted from when the car lived in the desert. The rear windshield was especially bad. Phil, the guy who I was lucky to have paint my car did a little work on it with the Eastwood glass kit I bought, but it still had a long way to go (he was afraid to damage the glass.) So, my wife wanted me to polish the water spots off the showers and bought some stuff called "Glasstastic" that we had used before. ... it was REALLY slow going. The shower looked great, but it took forever. (One down and two to go!) For the second go at the shower, I tried the Eastwood polish...thinking that it would work better. It did NOT work better...the Glasstastic was more aggressive. I just had to get used to letting the drill (with 3" felt pad) and the Glasstastic do the work. So since that shower looked better than new, I decided to take a "falcon day" today and try the glasstastic on the falcon. So, here's how it went.
1) First after taking a nice drive, it gave it a full wipe down with the Griot's stuff to make sure there was no dirt under the plastic, then i covered the whole car in plastic because this stuff makes a mess, and I taped off the windows edges very carefully. I also cleaned the inside as well as I could so I would know if I was cleaning the outside. Here's how the glass looked before I started on the outside.
7012
7013
That cloudy stuff is the outside surface.
I went a section at a time, and found I had to do the each section twice.
7014
In order to tell if it was working, I used a water spray bottle and wiped it off until clear, then sometimes also cleaned it with window cleaner. If I missed some, then I did that section again...
And...here's the result. It's almost unbelievable. Frankly I almost couldn't believe my eyes. It is so clear it's almost like the glass isn't there. Look at the reflection.
7015
7016
That took a full DeWalt battery to do with my drill...I knew from the shower that when I've used a battery up...it means I'm going to be sore the next day. So, I kept going and did the rear door windows on one side...
7017
I think it came out well...as you can see, it was starting to get dark already. For the little corner window I used the drill for 85% of it, then used a red scrub pad for the corners.
After that I had to take a break...After dinner I'll probably see if I can go tape off the other windows so that I can polish them tomorrow.

[SmithKid]

WOW! I agree! What a difference! Great tip.... maybe I'll feel reeeeeel energetic one of these days and give my back window a try. Maybe after I get a coupla winter-time projects done first.

[dhbfaster]

Well, finished work at about 7:30, and got to the falcon at around 8 to get onto the glass...had so much fun I couldn't stop until I was done. I must say, at this moment in time, I just might have the nicest exterior surfaces of original windows on any 1961 fordor falcon. :BEER: (Of course, now that the outside is so nice, I can see the inside needs a little work...but that will have to wait.):doh:
Pics with a cell phone in the garage at night aren't that great, but...here they are anyway:

i like this one...it looks like those side windows are open doesn't it? They're closed.
7018
Here you can see some reflection
7019
And, it was hard to get a descent pic of the other side, but here it is.
7020
These night time garage pics don't do it justice. I'll take some more after I finish touching up the inside of the trunk with the jack.
At this rate, knock on wood, I might actually get her in a show this summer.

By the way, who is the treasurer? On my thread it say's I'm a Senior forum member but it doesn't say I'm a paying member.:WHATTHE: Do I owe some local club dues?

Gene, it's definitely a back and a leg workout. For a desk job guy like me anyway. Let's find a time you can bring yours over in a month or so and I'll do it for you. Meanwhile, maybe you can help me figure out some problems I'm having with the back doors...still can't get the one handle to go on, and on the other side, the window won't go down because the locks rods are somehow out of place. :doh:

[Luva65wagon]

By the way, who is the treasurer? On my thread it say's I'm a Senior forum member but it doesn't say I'm a paying member.:WHATTHE: Do I owe some local club dues?

We've been meaning to have a talk to you about that! :ROTFLMAO:

Actually, there is (was) a means to pay local club dues on the forum, but it is Jeff Watson who is the treasurer. Jeff W is his forum handle. If you PM him and start to type Jeff... it will populate. I'll look for where it is, as well, on this new forum design.

EDIT: Go to Forum Actions - Edit Profile - Paid Subscriptions on the left-side set of selections.

[Jeff W]

Roger is correct again!

You can renew you membership (it is due annually) via that link and use pay pal. We also accept a paper check sent to the address shown on the application form. Also cash is good at meetings.

You will get an email from the forum site when it is time to renew. We do t have any other follow up, just the single email and hope people self-check membership status using the site tool.

[dhbfaster]

Ok, found the place to pay the dues! My wife is in charge of PayPal and already gone for the holidays ... but I asked Siri to remind me next week. :~:

[dhbfaster]

I finally got an afternoon to work on the falcon!
I’m trying to finish off the trunk. I’m stuck on two points:

Wiring- Can anyone give me a picture of How the wiring runs and clips between the tail lights? I have the original wire harness and clips, but for some reason it’s not obvious where they were clipped on before.

Jack- I got a nice restored jack a while back. Does anyone have a picture of exactly where the jack mounts under the spare tire in the trunk?

[dhbfaster]

Well, I couldn’t get the hoses to the fram fuel filter I had, so I put on a new Delco filter with new hose. Ran great, including a trip around the block. So, I decided to drive it to work today. About the time I got to highway 99 it was acting fuel starved. My gage was close to the lower dot (I can’t remember if the lower dot means 1/4 tank or empty...but I was able to get into a gas station and I put 5 gallons in. It started fine...then same problem and it started to get worse...I got turned around and headed for home and barely got it off the main drag. I didn’t find anything loose or obviously wrong. Roger, I tried to call you but I imagine you didn’t recognize my number since it’s been a while.
I did change the oil last weekend...all that still looks good. The only thing changes other than that was the fuel filter. I did double check and the directional arrow was going the correct direction.
So..I ended up calling AAA to get me home. Those guys were great.
I have to say, all of this still beat working. I still want the check so I’m back at work now (obviously working hard). If anyone has any other ideas of what to check let me know. It doesn’t really make sense that this a problem with the fuel filter other than it’s the only thing I know I changed.

[Luva65wagon]

Don and I chatted today and he's going to look at a few things, like points and voltages. Seems to be squirting fuel via accelerator pump, and the fuel pump is filling up a cup fairly quickly. So hopefully he finds it - otherwise I might visit... masked up.

[dhbfaster]

Update: I felt I needed to get a better handle on how good the spark is, because it seemed kind of weak. So, i bought one of these spark testers:
https://www.autozone.com/test-scan-and-specialty-tools/ignition-tester/oemtools-adjustable-ignition-spark-tester/10257_0_0

This thing worked great. I found the spark weak and in some cases almost non-existent and intermittent.
So, most of the ignition stuff was new as of three years ago except for the coil. I took it off and inside the main contact point where the cable hooks it to the distributor- it was awful...this might have been the original coil and one of the only parts I didn’t replace. So, I set out to buy a coil, condenser and set of points. So, which coil to buy...long story short, I ended up giving a nod to my late father in law and bought an MSD coil. Bought everything from Advanced auto parts...but the points have to be delivered. (I plan to convert to Pertronix,but I wanted to confirm what the problem was first and figured I should have an extra set anyway.) I was able to pick up the coil and condenser. I got home, took out the new coil and read the directions...and what? I need to add a ballast resistor. What a pain! But I resolved myself to that and will order that tomorrow. So, what the heck, I replaced the condenser and put the old coil back on...which is when I noticed how bad the contact was. Worked on that a bit...
Engine started right up. That’s the good news...

The bad news..Now every time I try to start the engine, the first time the starter just spins...it doesn’t engage until i turn the key off at which time it seems to bang on the flywheel and stop. Then I try again and it works perfectly and starts right up. After a rest...this scenario repeat two more times! Why this pattern?

So, I looked in the shop manual...and it says, “the drive engagement holding coil contacts have failed.”
Would this be inside the starter?
If so, why is it failing only on first try and not the second?
I’m surprised at this...I had the starter rebuilt at a local shop when I rebuilt the car (which has 312 miles now). I would have thought this would have been part of the starter rebuild?

Appreciate any advice on this one...

[Luva65wagon]

Update: I felt I needed to get a better handle on how good the spark is, because it seemed kind of weak. So, i bought one of these spark testers:
https://www.autozone.com/test-scan-and-specialty-tools/ignition-tester/oemtools-adjustable-ignition-spark-tester/10257_0_0

This thing worked great. I found the spark weak and in some cases almost non-existent and intermittent.
So, most of the ignition stuff was new as of three years ago except for the coil. I took it off and inside the main contact point where the cable hooks it to the distributor- it was awful...this might have been the original coil and one of the only parts I didn’t replace. So, I set out to buy a coil, condenser and set of points. So, which coil to buy...long story short, I ended up giving a nod to my late father in law and bought an MSD coil. Bought everything from Advanced auto parts...but the points have to be delivered. (I plan to convert to Pertronix,but I wanted to confirm what the problem was first and figured I should have an extra set anyway.) I was able to pick up the coil and condenser. I got home, took out the new coil and read the directions...and what? I need to add a ballast resistor. What a pain!

You do not need a ballast resistor. Fords use a resistor wire to do the same thing since the Ford coil needs the same "ballast resistor" function (lowering the voltage from; like, 12 to 9 volts. Most oil filled coils don't like 12v for long so they use the ballast resistor, or in Fords, a resistance wire to achieve this.

When you go to a Pertronix the coil will still want the resistance wire, but the Pertronix will want the 12 volts, so when you get to this point (highly recommend) you will find a wire on the back of the ignition switch with a bullet connector within a couple inches from the switch. The pink resistance wire plugs into this connector and runs only to the bulkhead connector. From there it tee's off into two wires on the engine side and one wire goes to the + coil terminal and the other to the "I" terminal on the solenoid. So, what this does is this: When you are cranking the engine over the solenoid is both turning over the starter and sending 12 volts out the "I" terminal. It sends the 12 volts up to the firewall bulkhead connector, which then allows the voltage to also go down to the coil. Meaning 12 Volts at the coil on cranking. When the car starts and the key is in the run position you get 12 volts out the ignition switch and it then hits that pink resistance wire and by the time it reaches the firewall it is now about 9 volts. So, I make a "T" connector to plug into that bullet connector at the ignition switch to add a new wire at the 12 volt end and run this wire out to the Pertronix. When you get to this point, we can hopefully arrange an assist.


But I resolved myself to that and will order that tomorrow. So, what the heck, I replaced the condenser and put the old coil back on...which is when I noticed how bad the contact was. Worked on that a bit...
Engine started right up. That’s the good news...

May have been the condenser or the yucky coil. Since you don't need to order a ballast resistor now, maybe put the MSD coil on just to get it over with. You should also check the point gap too, and make sure those contacts are clean and not pitted. EVEN after getting a new point set, clean the contacts well with Acetone or similar before installing and setting the gap.


The bad news..Now every time I try to start the engine, the first time the starter just spins...it doesn’t engage until i turn the key off at which time it seems to bang on the flywheel and stop. Then I try again and it works perfectly and starts right up. After a rest...this scenario repeat two more times! Why this pattern?

Not sure I understand the pattern. So, if you try to start it there is just a spinning sound of the starter motor, but the engine doesn't turn over... but when you release the key it sounds like the bendix engages? And the "two more times" is exactly this pattern, but starts on the 3rd try?


So, I looked in the shop manual...and it says, “the drive engagement holding coil contacts have failed.”
Would this be inside the starter?

Ford uses a retractable Bendix that is magnetically driven (most cars do, but do it sometimes with the solenoid being on the starter and being the magnetic part as well). So When you turn the key to START the solenoid sends 12 volts to the starter, which causes a magnetic field to be created. This field pulls a core downward that also pushes the Bendix out into the flywheel to engage the teeth. At the end of the travel of all this magnetic motion is the final switch contacts (you mention) inside the starter that connect 12 volts now, also, to start the starter spinning. The starter should NOT spin until the Bendix (the part with the teeth engaging the flywheel teeth) is fully engaged to the flywheel. If you are hearing spinning of the starter, but no spinning of the engine - it is the Bendix failing - either to engage the flywheel or its internals to stay firm and rotate the engine. They are designed to "kick back out of the flywheel teeth" when the engine starts since you don't want the Bendix to remain engaged with the flywheel with the engine running.


If so, why is it failing only on first try and not the second?
I’m surprised at this...I had the starter rebuilt at a local shop when I rebuilt the car (which has 312 miles now). I would have thought this would have been part of the starter rebuild?

Appreciate any advice on this one...

I'd resolve the points/condenser/new coil and get that all cleared up. Then see if this issue remains. I may have to hear it over a phone call to get a better sense of the sequence. Roger

[dhbfaster]

Put the new coil on last night and started it tonight and it runs fine. A little rough still but maybe it just needs to be driven, and I haven’t had a chance to check the gap on the points yet.
i checked all the voltages at the solenoid upon start and when running...and everything checks out per your description Roger.
Same problem with the starter, except it started the car on first crank and next time the starter just spins and the motor is not turning over...So it’s just not working 50% of the time. voltages at the solenoid near the battery are the same with the key in start position whether or not the starter works or doesn’t work. I also made sure the starter was not loose...it was good and tight. I’ll probably take the starter off tomorrow...

meanwhile...it was very difficult to work the choke cable...it has been getting stuck easily.
The cable seems to be part of the problem-I lubed it up well back at the rebuild, but it’s very stiff.
But see the screw in the middle of the pic that looks loose next to parts that look out of alignment?
Looks like this is part of the cause...I found it loose and tried to tighten it, and it’s stripped. :doh::doh::doh:
is this why everyone seems to have an extra carb??


7112


S

[Luva65wagon]

Put the new coil on last night and started it tonight and it runs fine. A little rough still but maybe it just needs to be driven, and I haven’t had a chance to check the gap on the points yet.

Definitely check those points. If the coil has been weird, or condenser, the points might be burnt a bit as well. But certainly a lot farther along than at first!


i checked all the voltages at the solenoid upon start and when running...and everything checks out per your description Roger. Same problem with the starter, except it started the car on first crank and next time the starter just spins and the motor is not turning over...So it’s just not working 50% of the time. voltages at the solenoid near the battery are the same with the key in start position whether or not the starter works or doesn’t work. I also made sure the starter was not loose...it was good and tight. I’ll probably take the starter off tomorrow...

The four terminals of the starter solenoid "should" have voltage as follows:
Key OFF = 12V on battery cable terminal (left-hand large terminal), 0V on both small and far-right large terminal (to starter).
Key RUN = 12V on battery cable terminal, 0V on left small terminal, ~9V on right small terminal, 0V on far-right large terminal.
Key START = 12V on batter cable terminal, 12V on left, right and far-right terminal.

There is a small, but possible, chance when you let the key move from the Start to the Run position that IF the solenoid were faulty it could provide that ~9V to the starter if the large contacts in the solenoid "stuck" when you released the key to RUN. This could cause the starter bendix to again engage the flywheel while the engine was running. I don't see this in your scenario, but posting it just for clarity.

Because your starter is rotating, and the engine is not rotating, the only possible way for this is a starter bendix getting weird in some way. Usually they don't get predictably bad (bad every time in some predictable fashion), but can work intermittently. The only way this type of starter can spin the motor is by engaging the bendix into the flywheel first to activate the internal motor switch. So, for me, the symptom seems to point to the bendix, which is very hard to test. Most bench testing checks the motor spin function. The bendix can be manipulated by hand, a bit, to see if it feels like it's free spinning (bad) or engaging. But yours might be hard to test. If the starter was rebuilt, did it get a new bendix or did they reuse the old one? The starter for your engine is not a rare beast, so I'd just replace it (again).


meanwhile...it was very difficult to work the choke cable...it has been getting stuck easily.
The cable seems to be part of the problem-I lubed it up well back at the rebuild, but it’s very stiff.
But see the screw in the middle of the pic that looks loose next to parts that look out of alignment?

If, as you say next, that screw is stripped, then it would try to twist things instead of pulling the choke closed, or opening it.


Looks like this is part of the cause...I found it loose and tried to tighten it, and it’s stripped.
:doh::doh::doh:
is this why everyone seems to have an extra carb??

There are not many of your carburetor left in the world. It's certainly the cause of your choke issue. I don't remember any stripped screws when I rebuilt that carb (the second time). But I'd like to see a side view of the cable. Also, loosen the cable clamp and make sure if you move the choke on the carburetor by hand, or the choke knob by hand, both move freely. Might need a slightly longer screw (if there is depth and thread for one) or to try a helicoil if you can get on that small. Probably an 8-32 screw. Might be tough.

And don't get discouraged by all this. It's part of the shake out this car never really got to see because you had to leave for so long. If we could all show up and help it would be a blip on the history scale for this car to resolve these issues. But that's tough these days, so breathe and try to enjoy even these things.

[thumb]

[dhbfaster]

My wife ordered the starter this morning. I decided to spring for a new one from Autozone. I’m growing tired of this reman stuff on this and other parts in the past, and all the bad reviews on the online websites selling starters seem to be for the reman’s. Anyway 20% off for going online, but it has to go to my house next week. Plenty of other stuff to work on while I wait.

Roger, on the Pertronix...I’m thinking about just skipping the hassle and time to mess with the points and going right to the pertronix. It seems like we can get this done “virtually” one way or another and seems like the way to go. So...how are you getting that new added 12v wire through the firewall? What are you using for the T connector? Can you send a pic of that?

[Luva65wagon]

Don, because you want to maintain the pink resistance wire for your coil, you need to make a little male bullet connector on one end, female on the other, wire having a long (probably 18 gauge) wire tee'd into it to feed the Pertronix. I could make you one tomorrow and mail it off to you if you'd like.

You may have a spare hole already in the firewall to sneak this wire through and run it to the distributor. You'll have to poke around and see what you might have. Otherwise a small hole drilled with a grommet could be made in a hidden-ish location.

Hope we sleuthed out the starter problem correctly. Fingers crossed.

[dhbfaster]

Appreciate the offer on the wire Roger. Before I take you up on that, let me stick my head under the dash and see what I’m dealing with.

Back on the carb front...I disconnected the cable and when not connected to the carb the cable itself is smooth as silk. It seems the leverage and alignment between the banana shaped arm and the screw on the lower right with the spring on it is part of the problem. See pic.71137114
not sure why the second pic is up side down, but I was trying to show how the alignment at both extremes, which is worse with the screw loose.
I took the loose screw out and cleaned the threads. The hole is not much longer than the screw, but lots of width. Hardly any threads at all left on the female side.

[Luva65wagon]

OK, just let me know. It will be no sweat since I have so much original wire, with bullet connectors, to make it from. Will be a simple plug and play.

That screw will need to get tightened some how to make things work right. Can't tell if it's an 8-32 or a 10-32 screw, but if it's an 8-32 it would be pretty simple to open the hole to a #21 drill and tap it with a 10-32 bottom tap to increase the screw size. The opening of the bracket would need to be increased a little too, but that's hopefully the resolve to this. If it's 10-32 already... a 10-32 helicoil would be my recommendation.

[dhbfaster]

Original wire with BULLET CONNECTORS?? :WHATTHE::)[thumb]:banana::banana::banana: Sold!
That would be awesome. Thanks much.

I'm not looking forward to the crick in my neck I'm going to getting upside down with my head under there...but it's going to be worth it I'm sure. While I'm under there, I can get those door light switches plugged too!

That screw is 8-32. I was thinking about tapping it to 10-32, but I don't really want to take the carb off to do it.
(by the way...pardon my noviceness...what size drill bit is a #21?) I do have a 10-32 tap.

The helicoil kits seems surprisingly expensive...and it seems like you have to drill it out anyway.
I didn't think I would have to open the bracket...I will double check that.

What do you think about the loctite form-a-thread stuff?
https://www.amazon.com/Loctite-442-28654-4-80ml-Thread-Stripped/dp/B000WSEUII
If it's actually as good as they say, and it keeps me from taking the carb off, and if it keeps me from having to open the bracket which could make it off center of where it should be a bit...seems like it would be well worth the $25. I will get a new screw with fresh threads to go with it.
I have almost zero experience with all this stuff, but I do have a cheap (but not used much) tap and die kit...Harbor Freight.

[Luva65wagon]

Original wire with BULLET CONNECTORS?? :WHATTHE::)[thumb]:banana::banana::banana: Sold!
That would be awesome. Thanks much.

I'll work on it over the next couple days or so to get it sent to you next week.


I'm not looking forward to the crick in my neck I'm going to getting upside down with my head under there...but it's going to be worth it I'm sure. While I'm under there, I can get those door light switches plugged too!

Better you than me, but been there, done that enough times to already feel your pain (and it's not due to my own degenerative C5/C6!). Fortunately the door light harness just lays on the bottom of the dash "tray" and is a pretty easy install... relatively.


That screw is 8-32. I was thinking about tapping it to 10-32, but I don't really want to take the carb off to do it. (by the way...pardon my noviceness...what size drill bit is a #21?) I do have a 10-32 tap.

Drills come in 3 size designations. Fractional, Letter, and number. Number drills go from 1 all the way to very small, like #72 or something like that. Letters go from A-Z. To tap a 10-32 thread you use a #21 drill. I have about 50 of them, so if you hold off until I send the wire, I'll send you one for your own. And... you should use a 10-32 bottom tap, which will let you tap near to the "bottom" of a hole. Most taps are pointy on the leading end. Again, have many to spare.


The helicoil kits seems surprisingly expensive...and it seems like you have to drill it out anyway.
I didn't think I would have to open the bracket...I will double check that.

You'll need to open it up until a 10-32 screw will go through.


What do you think about the loctite form-a-thread stuff?
https://www.amazon.com/Loctite-442-28654-4-80ml-Thread-Stripped/dp/B000WSEUII
If it's actually as good as they say, and it keeps me from taking the carb off, and if it keeps me from having to open the bracket which could make it off center of where it should be a bit...seems like it would be well worth the $25. I will get a new screw with fresh threads to go with it.

I considered suggesting something similar, but didn't think it was sufficiently successful to handle this task. I'd give it a 50/50 chance, whereas going to 10-32 (assuming there is room for a bigger screw, etc) or using a helicoil would be a 100% fix.


I have almost zero experience with all this stuff, but I do have a cheap (but not used much) tap and die kit...Harbor Freight.

Don't risk the H/F set on this. Be wary, at least. I use the heck out of their 3-piece step drills, and find them quite good, but other items, like this, I've used (I have all USA taps/dies) have been kind'a OK, at best. They seem to be going to a Good/Better/Best thing there now, so maybe they have Best stuff now, but haven't looked.

[dhbfaster]

It sounds like I better take the carb off to do the tapping of those threads.
I think that means I'm going to need a new gasket to go between the carb and the mount- and you made the one I have for me.
Any chance you have an extra piece of gasket material lying around so I can make another one while I'm at it?

The Harbor Freight tap and die set is definitely a super cheap one...but it did help me do some basic thread cleaning which is what I bought it for.
Most the HF stuff I have bought has been the so-so category, not in the good or best...but some parts do work and serve their purpose.

[Luva65wagon]

No doubt I do, Don. I'll let you know.

HF stuff is what it is. Some is quite good. They do have a fairly reasonable return policy too.

I'll get something mailed out to you first of the week.

[Luva65wagon]

This should get you going Don. I'll get it off to you on Monday unless you wanna come get it all. If there is a remote chance I happen to be near you tomorrow, I'll drop it off.

[dhbfaster]

Nice! I found a nice 10-32 screw at a lumber store in Burien...stuck it in there to see how much I’d have to open up that hole. Went right in...Screwed in perfectly and snugged right up. :WHATTHE:
I have no idea how the 8-32 was holding at all because it had to have been the wrong size...or maybe the falcon angels were watching And tapped it for me Friday night. It’s so solid though...I’m not asking any more questions...just taking this as a win. Then I worked on the sliding surface of that choke “banana”...works pretty smooth now. Carb done! On to the installation of the Pertronix, no need for the bit, tap or gasket material now.
(Meanwhile the starter is off and waiting for the new one. )
No need for a special trip on the wire if you can get it in the mail.
I’ll work on gettin the pertronix in the distributor and ready to go, and get the routing for the wire all set up.

[Luva65wagon]

:banana: on the carburetor!

I'll keep the wire with me today, just in case, but at the very least I'll mail it off.

[dhbfaster]

Well...Got the wire plugged in, got the starter installed, and adjusted the timing...it starts and runs. Didn’t get much chance to play with it yet though. Need to try it and see how it starts up cold.

[dhbfaster]

:doh: Problems with the choke cable now. On the inside of the dash, the metal Cable cover Slips inside the piece that holds it to the dash. I only had 15 min of falcon time today...anyone experienced this before? I thought about just sticking some gorilla glue on there, but I figure I should probably take it completely off the dash and get a good look at it. If anyone already knows a good solution to this...

[dhbfaster]

Well guys...I got the tires for Father’s Day. Went with the Milestar whitewalls and I have to say after all the surveys and looking at pics and old ads...I think I made the right choice. They look great. They’re about 3/4” bigger in diameter than the old tires and just slightly narrower. The ride is better too.
I got the choke cable all fixed up too. I cleaned it up, put some glue in where it was slipping and clamped it tight with the vice. So far so good.
it was a great falcon weekend! Now to finish tuning it up.



7129

[Luva65wagon]

Looks awesome Don. That picture should become your new thumbnail!

[dhbfaster]

Well I tried the new thumbnail pic from the iPad...it doesn’t take the new pic up for some reason.

So I got the timing advanced and the idle back closer to 500 when warm but it seems to idle a bit rough. (Pertronix installed) overall runs great, especially going up hills at lower rpm...which is much smoother and stronger now-but it just seems like a cylinder is missing now and then- especially noticeable at idle.

all the cable connections seem good. Now that I have a more powerful coil, should I check or change the gap on the plugs or change to a different plug?



7163

[Luva65wagon]

When it's at idle in the garage, and warmed up, adjust the air/fuel mixture screw (base of the carburetor - not the idle screw, the other one) until the idle speed just stops increasing at that pedal position. Might be all you need to do.

[dkutz]

Just read all 42 pages of this post and oh boy so much info. Great car Don. Maybe some day our 62 Falcon will look that good.

Question on the tires...are your new ones closer to the stock diameter as the originals? The tires on ours are small and causes high rpm driving at highway speeds.

[dhbfaster]

Yes...the tires I had were about 3/4 inch too small...which doesn't seem like much but felt like a lot to me!
I did plenty of comparisons and fretting a lot about it...I ended up with the Milestar P175/80R13 86S M&S. Love them. Rides great, and looks much better too.
Of course you can also go with Coker... the Milestars are actually about 1/4 inch bigger than the 6.0 tires that came with the car. They are closer to the 6.5 tires that came on some of the wagons, etc. They're about 1" taller than the tires that were on there when I got the car.
I bought the Milestars at Walmart for about $50 each.

By the way, I have a bunch of other threads...
I think if you use this link it will take you to all the threads for my car:

https://www.rainierfalcons.com/forums/search.php?searchid=30012

There is one just about tire size somewhere...

[dhbfaster]

Hello guys!
I finally got out for a nice drive, 34 miles or so and rolled over the 500 mile mark on the engine.
7595
Now I can finally stop using the break-in oil and change to 10w30. YaY! Plan to take care of that tomorrow.
On the drive though, it really seems like the driveline (pretty sure it?s the rear end) is both loosening up a bit (quite sloppy) and getting noisier. I was starting to get concerned.
Those of you who followed my thread ?back when? will recall that I rebuilt the rear axle myself (I felt way over my head on that...) with all new bearings, but kept the original ring and pinion that did have some pitting. So...looking for your thoughts...
1) Sloppiness...did I not shim the pinion tight enough?
2) The noise...is like a hum, seems to be getting a little louder than it was before, especially when I get up to 55mph or so. Would that be from the pitting that was there?
7596
Thoughts?

[Luva65wagon]

It's tough Don to make an assessment on a rear-end noise in most cases without actually pulling the cover and just seeing how it's setup. The pitting I see hear wouldn't make much of an audible, but having the pinion engaging poorly, or in the wrong spot, could contribute a lot. The bearings all being new should nullify them, so I'm thinking it's probably sloppy or misaligned somewhat.

[Falcongek]

NIce!
Read your posts about saving the falcon a while ago. Nice to see you've got it running.
I've got a pertronix with a flame thrower coil as well.
I've got a pertronix 1 in the car.
I also had some troubles with idle and hesitations even though I had a pony carb that was supposed to eliminate the stumbles.
I tuned the car with a vacuum gauge, timing light (after I swapped my slipped old balancer for a new one!!!)and the screws on the carb.

Basically you ere aiming for as high a vacuum you can get and then try to dial in the idel as close to the factory setting with the idle speed screws.

It turned out my timing was way too retarded.

Good luck with the rear. I'd wish I could help you on that one, but My only experience with rebuilding my spare diff resulted in me having to swap in my original diff due to a broken refurbished diff (extensive oil leak past the input flange caused it tu run dry without me realising how severe it was).

Greetz Rinke

[dhbfaster]

Found these two old pics in a box at my Parents place.
7652
7653
posting from my phone...sorry they are sideways...
anyway, that?s the falcon in the one pic by itself, and in the other it?s on the right.
that?s me on the left car with my Granddad, and my Mom and Grandmom on the right.
fun stuff.

[BadBird]

Really cool that you have that link with your grandfather and the pictures to look at now. Thanks for sharing. Your Falcon and the story are amazing. Larry