Bone Stock Marries Plain Jane: Falcon Wagon

All right then, I’m a wagon freak. You could even say I’m a Ford Falcon wagon freak. I’ve written before about the problems I have (Extra W Chromosome) and the 63 Falcon wagon project I’m re-doing. I’ve learned to live with those issues and I’m doing my best in the hot rod society. But then I saw this totally clean 1965 Falcon wagon owned by Norm Huie of San Clemente, CA at the Cruisin for a Cure Show.

More precisely, it’s a ’65 Ford Falcon 2 door wagon in the original Prairie Bronze paint. It’d get boring if I kept saying original since Norm’s taken great pains to restore his wagon back to 99% stock himself.

Norm’s always been into Falcons but chose this odd-ball 65 because it was the last year of this model.  I say odd because it’s a 2 door, no-doubt more desirable than the mor-door cousin I own. Then, it’s got the factory V8 another plus, but from there, this car is plain-jane! It’s a non-Deluxe, non-anything car but it does have power steering and power brakes and a rare cargo light inside near the tailgate. Odd right?

Otherwise, the interior on Norm’s wagon is totally correct, but a taste boring compared to the Futura or Deluxe models, but hey, it’s correct! Notice it doesn’t even have a horn ring!

You’ll be hard pressed to find another Falcon with better bright work and trim. That’s because Norm owns an automotive trim restoration shop called “Shine on Me” at shineonmetrim.com. Every part from the dash insert to the bumpers and grille are perfectly straight and so bright they looked better than new to me, but Norm assured me, that’s how they should look. It’s too bad there’s not more trim to shine up!

Nice meeting you Norm!

Please leave your comments below.

Scopin’ Out Ken Scobies 1934 Ford

It was an early morning wandering around the quaint streets of Stevensville, Montana. The last thing I expected to see was a slammin’ 1934 Ford Hot Rod Pickup. If it wasn’t for my own pre-morning-coffee-haze I would’ve gone into the Full Moon Saloon and inquired who the owner was. Lucky for me (and you) that I ran into this pretty truck along with its owner Ken Scobie, once more that evening at the Stevensville Summer Picnic & Car Show.

With 2 trophies under its belt in a mere 4 weeks since being completed, this truck is worth giving a peek. Its been built from the frame up by Ken Scobie, a San Diego native that migrated on up to Montana 35 years ago while still working as mechanic. He’s since retired, and at the age of 69 says “For a poor kid growing up in the days of cool rods it has always been a dream of mine to build a rod in the old school style.”

Build a rod he did! “Finding this beauty was the real treat. She was in Helena, Montana behind a house out in the weeds. After two solid years of negotiating, she was all mine.” Taking into account where it came from, it’s surprising that the body had very minimal damage, no cancer, and no bullet holes – which partly accounts for why Ken decided to leave the body in its original state. Besides…I think he likes it that way – regardless of the fact that about every other person commenting on it at the show in Stevensville asked “So when ya painting it?”

Every bit of the work other than some minimal machining to the engine was done by Ken’s own hands. Ken informed me that every piece o’ this baby is a Ford part with the exception of a couple rounded headlights. It’s obvious that this is a guy who knows what he wants…even if he did have to wait awhile to get it. Ken says “I had to wait 75 years but it’s a helluva ride and the chicks dig it!”

All this work took Ken a couple years to finish – and now that he’s drivin’ the 34 around he’ll be startin’ work next on a 36 Ford 5-window coupe arriving from Oklahoma(keep your eyes open for updates on this!) And even way up there in Montana, I’m sure Ken is helped along by his comrades in The Shifters Car Club based out of Lolo, Montana (not to be confused with the So.Cal Shifters.) Ken says The Shifters formed just 3 years ago with 5 guys and has currently grown to over 100 members (girl members included!) So if you ever find yourself up in Montana, give Ken a call and maybe he’ll bring his spunky 34′ over to the Full Moon Saloon and share a beer…if ya can’t make it all the way up there, leave a comment and let him know what ya think!

The Details….

• Owner/Builder: Ken Scobie of Stevensville, Montana
• Car: 1934 Ford Pickup
• Paint/Body: original
• Engine: Ford 268 Flathead – Polished, ported, relieved by owner
• Carb: Dual 97s
• Transmission: 1963 Ford 4-speed side shift converted via Jeep C7 to a top-load floor shift
• Brakes: Disc in front with Chevy Vega cross steer and 3/16^th stainless steel lines
• Rear End: Ford 9″ with 3.56 ratio attached via 1936 radius rods and a transverse spring
• Front Axle: Chromed 4″ dropped Bell I beam with Pete and Jake hairpins as well as front and back panhard bars
• Exhaust: hand built with Scotty mufflers
• Fuel: Electric pump with 3/8″ polished fuel line
• Interior: In progress
• Contact Info: kscobie34ford@yahoo.com

How-To: Bullitt Gas Cap On A Late Model Mustang

Leave a comment below… Why should you win? That’s all there is to it!

Want to add a little “Frank Bullitt” style to your late model Mustang?  AmericanMuscle has just the accessory for you!  The slick looking aluminum Bullitt gas cap is the first modification you need before you start jumping your ‘stang on the streets of San Fran’ a la Steve McQueen.

MyRideisMe.com provides the installation guide of a Bullitt gas cap on a 1994 Dark Green Mustang GT (McQueen would dig it!).  The Mustang you see here might look subtle but it packs a punch at the dragstrip, with its horseman banging the gears to a best of 12.85 @ 106mph on 8″ slicks and stock motor and cam.  This Bullitt gas cap will let those Camaros know this is no ordinary pony.

Follow along as we take you through the installation.  It’s very straight forward and can be done by a novice with simple hand tools in about 30-45 minutes.

Step 1: Open the box and make sure everything is accounted for and in good shape (nuts, studs, lock nuts, washers, magnets, cap and ring).  AmericanMuscle is pretty good about getting you a good unit if yours happened to be damaged or missing a component (ours was missing one of the magnets).

Step 2: Here’s the tools you’ll need;  T-20 Torx bit, 7mm wrench and socket/ratchet, allen set and a file/sandpaper/dremel.

Step 3: Remove the 2 Torx head bolts from the stock cap which attach the cap to the body and you’re ready for the Bullitt cap.

Step 4: Using the allen wrench, remove the investment cast hooks from the bullet cap.  They’ll need to be turned around 180 degrees and reinstalled onto the car/cap.  Our hooks required very minor deburring of the castings where the pins eject the part out of the mold.

Step 5:  Remove the “bumpers” with the T-20 torx bit, trim the bumpers just above the bolt head as seen in this picture (cut or grind about 3/16 ” off the end).

Step 6:  Slip the unit into place, put the studs in stock holes and re-attach the cast aluminum hooks and tighten with the allen wrench.

Step 7:  Install stock gas tank cap plastic lanyard first, then a washer, followed by the nut, then the lock nut using a 7mm socket /ratchet.

Step 8:  Finally tighten the lower stud using a 7mm wrench.  This takes a minute or two because there’s limited access.  Just take your time here and patience will pay off shortly.

The install is short and sweet and gives your Mustang a slick, purposeful look.  Steve McQueen would be proud!  Get your Bullitt gas cap at AmericanMuscle today.

Hechtspeed

3 Steps to Personalizing your Hot Rod

I’ve always liked my car… Good thing, right? I guess I always wanted a hot rod. Bonnie, as in Bonneville, sure has changed since I bought her at a Goodguys show. The 3 pictures shown here are the 3 evolutionary changes of the car.

Step 1: As I bought her: I was thinking of buying a Zipper bodied Lakes Modified until I found out there’s a 6 month wait to get one. I felt pretty lucky to grab this when I did.

You’ll see the long split wishbones hooked to a 3 inch dropped axle. The rear axle is a old school banjo. The wheels are the 1935 style wires with some hard as hell bias ply or tractor style tires. I’m not sure what kind of paint the original owner used, but that yellow is tough as NAILS!! The engine block hasn’t never changed, but it did get updated. I’ve got the original header on it too. The quarter elliptical spring suspension front and back is there, but there’s friction shocks (only better then nothing at all!) in the front and nothing in the rear.

Step 2: My Redo: Since I was never a fan of the wires, even on lakes-style modifieds, I went to 15 inch steelies with wide white walls. I’ve always (like so many other people) liked the look of a red wheels with a white wall. It’s classic. I went to radials too. The front and rear suspension was updated. The front cause I had to. The axle had a crack in the passenger side king pin bushing. If that would have failed, the wheel comes off. NOT good. I changed to hairpins front and back too. I like the look of the wishbones, but setup the way they were, the rear axle is bound up. I found a pretty nasty crack on one side where the rear wishbone mounted. The rear axle is now an 8 inch with a 4.11 gear. I installed shocks front and back too. There’s alot of pictures of the front and rear suspension in my garage. I built the head from 1/2 of a small block Chevy kit that I split with a dude on Ebay. The red paint lasted about 30 minutes. Still, no interior.

Step 3: How she is now: Well, as Bonnie gets closer to being a “finished” car, the less interested I am in her. I still like this car, but I find myself thinking of building/working on my 63 Falcon wagon and 61 Rambler American wagon more. Maybe I’m getting old?

In the latest incarnation, I went to 16 inch steelies with Firestone bias ply tires. The ones in the back are TALL! It has a little more rake to it then I’d like, but nobody else thinks so. I made a new header a while back, but that’s changed since step 2. There’s more pinstriping on her now and I’ve added the custom MyRideisMe.com piston logo to the door. My buddy Joel from 1320 Designs hand painted it for me. We’re still planning to “antique” it a little. Last but not least, the interior’s in it. More on that later.

What do you think? Which one’s your favorite? Have I made steps forward or back? It’s all a matter of taste, but that’s what makes My Ride is Me, right?

Please join MyRideisMe.com and get your own Custom Garage Space (that one’s mine!) to put pictures of your car, project or whatever you’re driving!

Falcon Build Update #4 Tailgate Drama

Ford Falcon Wagon Tailgate

I should have called this “The Good, The Bad and the Ugly” as I update everyone on the MyRideisMe.com 1963 Falcon Wagon build. It no doubt I drastically underestimated the work needed to get ready for paint! Also, my plan for the Falcon changed from a quick paint job to, “I might as well do it right” which of course is the right way to go. I’ve made some good progress on the body work even though Arizona’s held 100-plus degrees making it damn hot in the garage. It’ll be another 20 days before it cools down, so waiting’s not an option. Damn! I’m writing about the weather!

Want the good, the bad or the ugly? OK, bad first. Remember the blog when I showed off my skills filling the back-up lights in the tailgate. Please disregard everything I said! I screwed up that tailgate beyond reasonable repair, at least for me. Luckily, I have Mr. Freeze, (my buddy Rob) backing me up with another tailgate on hand (and rust free!). The original tailgate was repaired (another big pile of manure the previous owner didn’t mention) and had some pretty thick filler in it, so it’s just as well. This big pic shows the tailgate after I filled the backup lights and the Falcon trim piece above the window crank. Then, here comes the ugly, somehow it warped so bad, I couldn’t believe it! The filler required to make it straight was unreal! I ground it all off just to show how bad it warped. Those red arrows show the 1/4″ of gap. (click on the picture to see it bigger) Bad times. I decided to punt. I want to know what the heck happened, so for that, I went back to Doug Jerger from Squeeg’s Kustom. I can’t say how lucky I am to have a professional painter like Doug available to help. He’s already been a big help and doesn’t make me feel like a dumbass for asking simple questions. Doug said that when you weld up a hole like the backup lights, the panel will warp no matter how careful you are with heat. The trick is to manage the warp as you go. Not sure how to do that yet, when I figure that out, I’ll pass it on. (Any advice to add? Leave a comment please)

Call me a sellout, but for the next tailgate, I’m keeping the backup lights and I’m gonna use that Falcon trim piece too! [By the way, did you know that wagon's and Ranchero's use the same tailgate? Makes sense, right?] By looking at the new tailgate, you’d say I’m lucky, and I am, but that’s not the original paint, so this piece too had a few hidden treasures. This tailgate became my mission. If I can’t get this thing straight, I better punt on the bodywork all together!

The good: I did it. Here’s some things I learned making this tailgate straight. I wish I had planned better, or you might say, “I wish I knew what the hell I’m doing!” Moving forward, I’ll apply all these lessons to the hood I started on and the rest of the car.

What I learned: Bodywork 101 continued..

Mixing and applying body filler in Arizona’s heat is tough. I even tryed putting the filler into the refrigerator before I start working. Not sure if that’s helping. Maybe. I’m constantly battling – Not enough hardener vs. Kicking too quickly. Alot of that has to do with my filler spreading skill. I’m slow and sloppy. I’ve pretty much decided to mix fairly small batches of filler and apply it several times. It sucks for productivity, but it’s better then throwing away a huge batch of filler cause it’s kicked. Also, once it does start to firm up, quit spreading. It’ll be a mess, believe me! (learned the hard way)

Next, I started out chasing dings and dents in the tailgate. I think this might be an OK way to start, but at some point, as Doug said, you have to apply a thin coat of filler over the entire panel. Otherwise, you make new low spots filling in other dents near spots you already filled. Makes sense now! In these two pictures, you can see the dent filling and then the full cover I did. I also used some guide coat so I knew where the low spots were as I sanded. The goal is no black spots showing low and now bare metal poking through as high. (Actually “high” usually means there’s low near by) You might say there’s alot of filler on there, but not really. It’s on thin and after sanding, it’s almost see through in most places.

Make sure to clean out any trim holes unless you can reach them from the back. Doug told me after spreading to clean out all the holes then drag the spreader around all edges to clean them up too. You want to let the filler go over the sides a little. The tailgate was low right next to the edge, almost all the way around. If you wait until the filler gets hard, you’ll need to sand it off cause I found that trying to break it off will make it chip off where you need it. Bummer.

Finding high or low spots has really been tough for me. I guess some people feel better with their strong hand and some with their off hand. Really? I think I’m learning, but it’s tough. To check a panel, hold your fingers tightly together, then I run my hand across the panel fairly quickly. I also look away from the panel so I’m not distracted by the color variations from several coats of filler. If you feel anything (vague enough?) there’s probably something wrong. This is a pic of the tailgate ready for primer.

Then finally, the order of your work is important. I want to use Squeeg’s primer because it’s does not shrink like other production primers and offers the best rust protection. Looking back, I would have followed this plan: 1) Strip paint (either by sanding or preferably media blasting) down to metal or the original primer. 2) Paint 2-3 coats of Squeeg’s primer, then 3) Do the bodywork on top of the primer – this is another advantage of Squeeg’s primer. But, before I asked Doug, I started doing bodywork. So, I’ll follow this plan: 1) Same as above – strip paint, 2) do bodywork, especially the roughest parts, 3) shoot 4-5 coats of primer. Then, for both plans, that’s all followed by tons of block sanding to get it totally straight.

I better quit here before I start sounding like I know what I’m doing! I do feel like I’m getting better. Last weekend, I spoke many words kids shouldn’t hear and I felt like I’d never get this done. Now, I’m optimistic.

In closing, one more bit of wisdom… Doug Jerger asked me, “So how much time do you have in that tailgate?” I said, “Damn, I don’t know, alot!” He then said, “That’s why a paint job costs so much.” I get it now. To get a perfect paint job like the ones he does, you need high quality people and alot of labor. There’s no shortcuts.

Click HERE: All the Falcon Wagon Project Build Blogs.

Thanks to my current sponsors:

• Heat and sound insulation from Auto Insulation
• A great new steering wheel, a stock one from Cesar at Vintique Inc.
• Doug Jerger and Squeeg’s Kustoms for the Epoxy Primer Filler

More sponsor opportunities available!

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