Wheel Alignment 61 Falcon

[charlescfp]

Greetings... I am looking for a shop that can do a "modern" electronic alignment on a 61 Falcon. I have the capability and tools to do an alignment at home but would like to have a shop at least check/compare the alignment against my home results. As you know, the early Falcons, especially if lowered, do not allow the shops to attach the fixture to the rear wheels and I have not found a shop locally (Camano Island/Stanwood area) with the capability. I've been told that Hunter makes a setup that mounts the mirrors side to side horizontally on the rear wheels but have been unable to find a shop that has one.

I have upgraded the front suspension and steering to accept modern radial alignment specs (see below). Any recommendations appreciated.

The car is a 61 Falcon Futura with a mild build 302 based 363 Dart Block stroker with a C4 automatic.

As a side note related to the front end, I have just finished removing the stock coil springs I had shortened and installed the Specialty Products (SPC 94215) Tubular UCAs that have the Shelby Drop and 3 deg Caster built-in, as well as the SPC adjustable Strut Rods. I also installed the CSRP 1.4" Drop Spindles and new Eaton stock height springs.

I also installed the Borgeson Power Steering box with Saginaw Pump which makes the steering effort much easier, especially with the added Caster. I originally installed the Borgeson upgrade and retained my column shift automatic... but without the room for a rag joint or steering damper, the hydraulic noise is transmitted from the steering box up the solid shaft to the steering wheel. Very annoying hiss, so I moved the shifter to the floor by adding the factory style manual floor shift tunnel hump extension and a Lokar Shifter. The result gives the appearance of a factory 4-speed car. And this gave me the room to add a Borgeson Damper on the shaft.

Apologies for the rambling but that it may be helpful to know up front in my quest finding an alignment shop.

Also, if there is any additional interest in any of the upgrades, I can move the conversation to the right forum (if necessary) and provide more info and pics.

Thanks

[dave]

Hi Fred - I always use Clark's Auto Alignment in Kirkland, 425 821-8304. They do all the cars from the rod shop I use, including my 1934 Ford PU, 1955 Chev, and 1964 Falcon Sprint convertible. My Falcon also has a 363 motor from Ford Strokers in Chicago. Also a C4 and 9" rear. The suspension is all TCI. I used a floor shifter from a Mustang. The TCI setup gets rid of any bumpsteer and uses a R&P steering. Dave

[charlescfp]

Thanks Dave - I called and talked to Robert to confirm their equipment would play nicely with the '61. He was sure it would, but because of the trek from Camano to Kirkland we agreed it best to send him a pic of the rear wheel clearance. Pictures sent... I'll let you know what he says.

My 363 short block was also built by Woody @ Ford Strokers. I finished it with some AFR Heads, Doug's Tri-Y headers, a Lunati cam and Edelbrock RPM Air Gap manifold with MSD Atomic EFI. Mild build with target of 1500 RPM to about 6000 RPM. I have used a TCI C4 and an 8" rear from a Maverick.

I also included a pic of the Lokar Shifter on the factory style tunnel extension. I like the way it turned out.

Thx again for the info, I'll let you know how it turns out.

Fred

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[Luva65wagon]

Great info! I just did a bunch of work on mine as well and will be awaiting further feedback on your experience and will contact this place too. I added electric power assisted steering and Shelby/Arning 1" drop and I may need some caster adjustment to help the EPAS return to center. Still have one thing to do before I actually do my initial test of all this work I did, and some non-slick roads, of course.

[charlescfp]

Thanks... It's a never ending project. I would have gone with electric assist if I wasn't originally trying to retain the column shift automatic. I bought the Borgeson conversion for the early Mustang but had to use a solid couple at the the shaft to box connection... no room for a rag joint so transferred hydraulic noise to steering wheel. Borgeson box is about 2" longer at firewall. Anyway, since I had the Borgeson stuff, I moved the shifter to the floor and used a shortened/modified floor shift column. The damper fits inside the column. Didn't need u-joint but couldn't find a straight couple with correct spline for steering box. Reduces the noise considerably.


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I'm sure you're familiar with the old, original bias ply manual steering vs the modern radial tire alignment specs. With the P/S I set my "home" alignment to 0.25 deg (-) camber, 3.0 deg (+) caster and about 1/16" (about 0.25 deg (+). If you don't have P/S, I found 1 1/2 to maybe 2 deg (+) caster about the max for decent low speed steering effort... at least for me.

Here's a couple of pics of the floor shift conversion for anyone interested. Also had to change carpet to floor shift style.

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Also, just got an answer from Robert at the alignment shop... he said I had plenty of room. I'll try and set up an appt. weather permitting and update you on the results.

Fred