60s Ford Falcon Wagon – Tailgate Treasure Restored
1963 Ford Falcon Power Tailgate or Squire Trim
For those of you following along at home, I’ve been SLOWLY wrenching on my 1963 Ford Falcon wagon in between creating the website you’ve found here, MyRideisMe.com. I decided to fill you in on a couple details of what I’ve been up to. (see, I’m doing something!)
On display this time is the crown jewel of my Falcon wagon, the chrome tailgate bezel found on Falcon Squire models and on some sedan deliveries. Even before I had it restored and re-chromed, it was my favorite part on the whole car. It oozes cool!
Taking you back a few steps, here’s what I originally purchased: (click to see larger pic)
Sexy as hell, but pitted and in need of restoration. This is what happens to pot metal, so no need to panic. I did call in the help of an expert though, Norm Huie at Shine on Me Automotive Trim Restoration. Norm had a flawless 1965 Falcon Wagon I called, “Plain Jane”. If you’re a Falcon guy, it’s worth a look. For a very reasonable price, Norm fixed all the pitting in the bezel and had it re-chromed. I think it’s fantastic!
The last piece needed was this lock assembly that I purchased online. It’s part number: C2DZ-5943505-B lock cylinder that’s listed for the station wagon and sedan delivery, but it’s the same part number as the trunk for all the other Falcons. I checked around and the consensus is, they’re the same part. I hit the lock on the stainless face with the buffing wheel and it shines like a new penny.
Last, I want to tell the story how I found the tailgate with all the power goodies for my wagon. I was searching on Craigslist (no relation) as usual for Falcon parts and found a power or Falcon Squire style tailgate for sale nearby. It was listed at $150 for the whole tailgate. Of course, I didn’t need all those parts, but it was worth a look so I drove over, checked it out and made the deal.
When I got it home, I scrambled to get everything apart and check to see if the motor worked. (fingers crossed)
I found a wiring diagram in a Falcon manual I had, applied power and… nothing. I was bummed. BUT… could the motor be burned out? How many times would a tailgate go up and down? Determined, I opened up the motor to look inside.
I found the inside clean with even a little bit of grease. I inspected the brushes and they had tons of material left and it looked like they were making good contact, but they weren’t! On one side, the torsional spring that keeps the brush in contact with the armature had corroded and broken off. There was no tension. I simply unwound one turn of the sprint to recreate the leg that had broken off, reassembled and BAM! It worked. For $150, I had a real gem.
Look for more updates soon or keep following this thread: 1963 Ford Falcon Wagon Build
Tags
Related Posts
Share This
You scored with that tailgate purchase, Craig! Now, with your restored bezel and new lock cylinder, you’re in serious business. One of the most pesky things on every guy’s wagon list … check! That tailgate will be the talk of the town someday. When our wagons are parked side-by-side at the next Falcon nationals in CA, we’ll break out the cigars!
hey their im looking for tailgate parts also for a 1962 falcon wagon tailgate motor &part# /regulator /glass/ linkage/arms /switch /handle ect. every thing . thanks rich
Hi, Richard! You may have posted this long ago and if so, I apologize for not getting back to you. Did you get this resolved?
Doing a 62 2 door Deluxe wagon , and doing the Shelby drop, glad to see some one else had done it I was worried about the new location not being fully in the reinforcement peace , but i going ahead with it. also i have the elect tail gate set up minis the motor, Do you have any idea where to find just the elect motor its self?
RT, sorry for a VERY late reply… no I don’t know where to just find the motor. Maybe a motor off another Ford wagon isn’t too different?