Gettin’ Started on my Ford Falcon
1960 Ford Falcon Project
I recently pulled my Ford Falcon into the garage with plans of figuring out what’s going on with it. This weekend I dug in and really enjoyed myself! For years, most wrenching days have had a deadline. When Studie was my only car I had to get things fixed right away, which meant some stressful times in the garage. This weekend’s job was nice and relaxing (albeit dirty!) Here’s what I did…
I began with a good solid de-greasing of the engine. Boy was this a messy job! Every inch of the engine and oil pan was covered in oil and grime. One can of engine gunk, one can of brake clean, a good amount of Purple Power, some wire brushes, a scraper, and a roll of shop towels later… The engine was clean but boy was I greasy!
Once the engine was clean, I figured a good place to start was the plugs. Not knowing the history of this engine, I have no idea what’s been done to it! As I pulled the plugs things didn’t look too bad until I got to spark plug #4. Have you ever seen such an ugly looking plug?! It was handy that we’d just covered reading plugs at the last Gasoline Girls meeting – although it wouldn’t take a rocket scientist to tell you that this plug is seriously messed up!
After all the plugs were out, I proceeded to do a compression test on the Ford straight six engine. For those of you out there who are wrenching beginners – compression tests are great, learn about them! They’re a simple way to take a “pulse” of your engine and will give you a picture of what’s going on in each cylinder.
Unfortunately, my Falcon’s compression test didn’t look so good. The 1960 Ford Falcon manual states that the compression of each valve should be 170 +/- 10 psi. As you can see from my notes, my Falcon is WAY off! Cylinder 1 being the worst with a mere 50 psi – not even a third of what it should be. The amazing thing is… this engine still ran! I drove it into my garage!
Now that I’ve got some solid information, I need to decide what to do next. I could just remove the head and investigate further. Or I could pull the entire engine out – anticipating that it isn’t only the head but the bottom-end too that needs work. Another option is my boyfriend’s favorite… pulling the engine and dropping in a Mustang 5.0 engine and transmission he has ready to go.
What do YOU think? Leave a comment and let us know!
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i took a ’62 Falcon in on trade for a MGB, it was a great running car, and simple to work on. The 6 banger had plenty of pep. I’d stick with it if I had a choice.
Well if the 5.0 is free, I’d do it..I hated my Falcon’s 2 speed tranny so that Stang tranny will be quite nice thank you…just resist the urge to mash on the pedal..haha
i would keep the six…its just cool that way..but i would say to have the six rebuilt with a little performance goddies in it…maybe a little bit bigger cam…some headers to make it RUMBLE a little bit…maybe a two barrel carb…it would still be good on GAS…but have enough power to keep up with traffic…..if you put the 5.0 in it…you wont be passing the gas stations…keep it simple and clean..! less worries….and the thing will probley run forever…
I’d go with the 5.0 personally. You don’t state in your article if the transmission is a T-5 or AOD, but if it is a T-5 you should easily get better gas mileage than the current 6 cyl. In that light falcon you should top 25 MPG on the freeway, plus have the fun performance factor.
Good luck and keep the articles coming :D
If you are going to go with the 5.0, you will need to make a lot of mods. You will have to replace the entire front end suspension to the 64-65 suspension to handle the extra weight. Then you have to cut out the tranny tunnel and replace it with a larger one to accommodate the larger transmission. Not to mention the rear end, that needs to go in favor of a 9 inch. With that comes changing the rims to a 5 bolt in back and front plus new tires. Then you have to get an aftermarket shifter . You will need a new radiator to handle the cooling duties of the larger engine in such a small compartment, too. Transmission cooler, maybe electric fans, exhaust headers and new exhaust.
After all that, then comes all the unexpected things that always pop up and cost a ton more money.
I would just rebuild that motor for now unless you want to spend more on mods than you spent on the car to put in a ” Mustang 5.0 engine and transmission he has ready to go”.
But good luck if you go with the 5.0, be sure to do a write up on the experience.
Thanks for the advice Leo! Yeah, I’ve decided to stick with the straight-six. I’d like to keep the Falcon straight classic since my 1955 Studebaker has already been hot rodded out.