My 1964.

[Tikitime]

Hey All,

I have officially been bitten by the bug. Here are a few pics of my 1964 Futura.

[Tikitime]

More Pics.

[Tikitime]

So far in this adventure I have:
replaced a carb,(a couple times) added a fuel pressure regulator and filters.
Can you believe the mechanical fuel pressure pump was putting out like 9psi? That is about 8 too much for that old 1 barrel carb.

Replaced the 200ci 6 and tranny from a mustang. (my fordomatic tranny was leaking like a sieve)
replaced a fuse that gave my dome light back :)
replaced the accelerator pedal with one from a ford truck that uses a cable.

Now that it runs and drives (with some dodgy transmission linkage and dodgy carb linkage.) I am tempted to do things like headers, a weber 32/36 and other thing to make it drive and perform better.

So far the only true disappointment I have with this car is the integrated intake on the motor, And it has a bit more rust that I noticed when I bought it.

-Michael

[ew1usnr]

Hey All,

I have officially been bitten by the bug. Here are a few pics of my 1964 Futura.

Your car looks really nice. Is that original upholstery?

Dennis.

[Tikitime]

I am not sure if it is original or maybe a replacement cover.

Either way, I cant take credit, but they were in pretty amazing condition when I bought it. The carpet definitely needs replacement though and the headliner has some rips, but it came with another headliner in a box!

[Gitanesteel]

Nice car. Looks like a fun project. Are you going to leave the steel wheels and go with hubcaps.

[Tikitime]

Right now pretty much everything about this falcon is up in the air.

Ive got it running and driving, but the shift linkage and the carb linkage is sub optimal.

I thought I would be relatively happy with the inline 6 in there, as it is the 200ci. But either it badly needs tuned, is tired, or my expectations are too high.
Probably some sort of a combination of all three....
On that note, the one biggest downer thing about this is the intake is not removable from the head. That really limits my upgrades.


The next thing that will probably be done is for safety. The brakes are just not up to even 1970's standards. But before I even go there I need to make some decisions. Whether or not I upgrade to say a grenada? front end pieces from a junkyard (cheap) ~300$?

Or a nice disk setup like: ~600$?
http://www.discbrakeswap.com/Mustang%20Disc%20.html
SWAP.1.3/M/F: 5 lug manual disc brake conversion kit for 5 lug 63-65 Falcon/Comet or 62-65 Fairlane, manual or power steering

Or do something more radical like a complete front end swap which would let me remove the shockt towers, so I could swap in any motor I wanted in the future: ~1500$
http://www.ebay.com/itm/IFS-Front-End-Kit-Mustang-II-2-for-60-65-Ford-Falcon-Car-58in-2in-Drop-/151616802461?_trksid=p2352135.m2548.l4275


Any and all advice/experience is appreciated.
-Michael

[BadBird]

I opted to replace the front end with the Independent suspension system from Heidts. I love it and am glad I made the transition.
There are quite a few upgrades that can be made though without going to that extent though.
The engines that you can install are limited to the small block fords, 260,289,302.
They make headers now that will fit with those engines and away from the shock towers.
I would say that there are benefits to changing over and in leaving it stock. It's just what you want out of the car. I am not sure of what parts you need to update the steering and suspension if you remain stock appearing. But, there are guys on here who I am sure can help.
The car looks good, have fun and good luck with which ever way you go. Larry

[Tikitime]

How much work was it to swap that front end over?

[Bill Pierce]

The next thing that will probably be done is for safety. The brakes are just not up to even 1970's standards. But before I even go there I need to make some decisions. Whether or not I upgrade to say a grenada? front end pieces from a junkyard (cheap) ~300$?

Any and all advice/experience is appreciated.
-Michael

Michael,
I did a front disc conversation on my 63 this summer using scarebird hardware. Using this kit. https://scarebird.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=65&product_id=115

If you don't care about running stock wheels you can do it even cheaper by going this way.https://scarebird.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=65&product_id=93

I'm very happy with the way it turned out. A couple of advantages of using this kit. Allows you to fit them behind the stock 14" wheels. I really wanted to keep the stock bottle cap hub caps.

Some may be offended by the use of chevy calipers and honda rotors. To me it's just old school hot rodding, by using what is cheep and effective.

I bought rebuilt calipers with pads and all off eBay for $65. Rotors were less than $50 for the set. And I used a dual master for safety. No need for a balance valve. I bought one but it's wide open and the rears don't lock up. This setup works best with a 15/16" bore master.

If you are careful this job could be done for about $400 total.
http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc164/billpierces/IMG_1044_zpsliox5hxf.jpg (http://s218.photobucket.com/user/billpierces/media/IMG_1044_zpsliox5hxf.jpg.html)

[BadBird]

Michael, I had never welded before except for a short class on acetylene welding 40 years ago. It was something I decided for my Falcon as soon as I started. I hated the front suspension, the power steering was horrible, and I wanted to have room a different engine and headers. Removing the shock towers made that easier.
Now, you don't need to do any of that to achieve a better suspension, and they also have headers that fit with the shock towers still in.
The total job was not hard. Heidts sent detailed install sheets with each part and each step was easy to follow.
I am attaching install instructions from their website. Remember, every change has good points and bad points. I knew I never wanted a restored car. I wanted a show/hot rod. If you are concerned about cutting and removing the shock towers, then go a different path.
You can install a small block V-8 without touching the towers and there are tri-y headers that fit. There are some updates that several guys on here can help with to improve your suspension. Good luck. Larry


http://www.heidts.com/inst/in-113.pdf