Jalopnik
Going over so many nightmarishly fun potential project cars while creating this series, I inch ever closer to the abyss of my next car project. I've had only reliable, sane beaters in my stable for a few years now (after a series of Tercels, I now have a '97 Crown Vic and a '92 Civic hatch), and it's time for something more hellish! I tried to buy the 20R-powered Sprite in the very first PCH, but someone beat me to it. Now I hear from Jay, my Econoline-restoring friend, that he wants to sell his Falcon wagon to make room for an über-rare 2-door Econoline panel van...
We'll have more on Jay's ungodly cool collection of rare flat-front Econolines later on, of course; in any case, he definitely knows his way around 60s Ford hardware. I've always liked this mean-looking wagon, so I came right over when I heard it was for sale.
The first thing he did when he got this wagon a couple decades ago was to ditch the 6-banger and drop in a 289/C4 combo. Then he installed a dual-reservoir master cylinder (they weren't required in the US until the '66 model year). Then he rebuilt the suspension and fixed all the little stuff that didn't work. The cool thing about this car is that everything works.
He wants to keep the 289, which is fine with me; were I to buy this wagon, I'd grab a 5.0 HO out of a late-80s Mark VII and drop it in. Right there you get weeks of hell, what with Ford's 5 million different bellhousing/flywheel combos, plus the wiring and fuel-injection plumbing.
Then, of course, I'd need a manual transmission; if you're going to have a bench seat, you must have a floor-shift manual trans! I know a guy with a Toploader he'll sell cheap, but the junkyards are full of Mustangs with T-5s. Naturally, Jay has all the Falcon clutch pedal/linkage hardware I'd need.
Hell, he even has the Falcon-only shifter housing for the transmission hump!
This wagon has a bunch of 60s-vintage travel stickers on the rear side glass. Oh yeah!
The Biggest Little City in the World! Every station wagon needs faded travel stickers.
So, if I got this wagon, I'd soak it with a thick coat of black primer. Then apply the biggest wheels and tires that fit in the wheelwells. Chop a few inches out of the front suspension. Cherry Bomb exhaust, of course, and maybe a nice JC Whitney fiberglass hood scoop.
The problem is, I wouldn't be breaking any new ground with such a project. I've had a bunch of 60s Fords, so I'd be able to evade some of the pitfalls that make Project Car Hell so maddeningly fun. Then, too, the hot-rodded primered station wagon has become a bit too hipster-ish for comfort in recent years. And, of course, there's the godawful suspension on these cars; just ask the Mustang guys how much it costs them to upgrade the front suspension from "dangerous" to merely "sucky" and you get the picture. At least it's no sweat throwing disc brakes on the Falcon/Mustang, thanks to the ready availability of Ford Granada parts.
It's got a bit of California-style roof rust, too. Not that I'd care too much, of course, but leakage is a drag.
So, really, taking on this project would be sort of a punt for me, albeit a punt with a seriously fun car as the end result. What I'm mostly considering for a project, however, would be something involving junkyard turbocharging and Megasquirtage. I like the idea of a (smog-exempt) '75 Volvo wagon with a Detroit V8 and remote turbocharger gear in the cargo area, or an early-70s Buick Apollo/Olds Omega/Pontiac Ventura with a turbo-ized GMC 292 six. But there are other options as well. What say you, readers?
Comments
Buy it, but don't paint it flat black. That's incredibly overdone these days. Paint it up nice, or just leave it as-is and enjoy the patina.
TURBO CHEVY V8 VOLVO, just love how that rolls of the toungue. Scare rice boys away, and carry all the kids in the back on one drop of the hammer.
Early sixties Plymouth Valiant wagon with 5.7 Hemi...
I was ready to say, "Go for the Falcon" until you vooiced your misgivings for not breaking any new ground with that project. If you're remanding yourself to hell, it seems to me you need the most inspiring project you can to pull you through.
The Volvo project is just the opposite of the Ford: untried and innovative, so I voted for that.
Falcon.
Its a station wagon, though. It'll NEVER handle like a Shelby Mustang no matter what you do. Why not go easy with a 5.0 or a 289, depending on the laws in your state. A four speed auto.
I agree the satin black is passe. Why not satin beige? maybe with flames, if you must, or some retro pinstriping?
You'd have a quick, reliable hauler for beer runs/swap meet/flea market/road tripping use.
Or what about this?
[losangeles.craigslist.org]
You can build a Road Runner STW...
@bobash: Mmm...tasty...
@TexanIdiot25: I forgot to say about the Twin Remote Turbo Volvo- I'd make it look as Berkeley as possible, down to the "Love Your Mother" and "Free Tibet" bumper stickers and pine cones on the dashboard. Quiet mufflers and a decoy 1" diameter single exhaust visible in the back. It would be the sleepiest sleeper ever. I'd probably need to get serious window tinting, though, because all the plumbing, intercoolers, etc in the back would give the game away.
@biminitwst: Thing is, I've had a couple of these things already, so I know how bad the handling is. They practically came from the factory with 3/4 turn of slack in the steering wheel and brake pull so bad that the car is practically begging to eat tree.
That said, station wagons rule, and I know the seller knew what he was doing when working on it. This is a tough one.
gotta do the volvo. Especially as you have already done the Ford, plus there is something really nice about a sleeper Vovlo wagon
@MurileeMartin:
I posted, go for the Volvo before I read your follow up post, like a newbie... But making it 'as Berkely as possible" is certainly a clincher; the complete hippy hot-rod, cool
@MurileeMartin: Flat black spray paint at walmart, and paint the front of the intercoolers, so its not obvious. Then get the electric exhaust cutouts so you can flip on the loud when you want, and suffocate it sleeper every where else.
As for the junk in the trunk, just get a cargo cover, like on the 4 door Blazer/Jimmy's. It retracts to one side when not in use, and then you just pull it out, and hook it on the other side to hide the contents.
Or, just go for broke, and buy a blanket and toss it over the stuff. More sleeperness!
@biminitwst: Flat beige is a great idea. Flat black or gray works because it's a kinda of an "unpainted" paint job.
But flat beige adds a little color while retaining the "I'm not going to spend my fortune/life on something that doesn't make my car go faster" message.
@MurileeMartin: None of the old Berkeley hippies would tint their windows, you either have to cover the windows with political sickers or insulate the turbo plumbing and then fill the entire back of the Volvo with flea market junk to cover it up.
If you want to go the turbo route with this car you could always throw in a SVO Mustang turbo motor.
The handling alone is hellish enough. Buy the Falcon wagon already!
The Volvo w/ the smallblock swap is the hell of choice. Getting that kind of thing dialed-in is its own special annoying hell. Go with an LS1 for extra style points and the headache of finding someone to hack on the ECU to make the immobilizer and smog programming go away.
Man, I had to vote for the Ford, and I'm very much not a "Ford guy", I'd rather deal with a GM anyday. I don't think any of us should condemn you to hell, and that Ford looks like something you might actually be able to have some fun with for your money in a reasonable amount of time. Besides, that faded Reno sticker is itself cooler than any other car you could ever buy. If you do stuff a fuel injected 302 in there the fuel injection wiring is going to be more than enough hell for any one project.
I'm with the crowd urging you not to prime it flat black though. I say it's beautiful the way it is, just clearcoat the patina if you don't want it to get any worse. You might have to weld a patch into the roof to keep it from leaking, but that too should be left bare or clearcoated once welded. Forget about turbo plumbing, plumb a beer keg into the cargo area with a tap mounted to the tailgate. Make it look less like a keg and more like a beer "tank" of some kind.
It would be nice to put a more recent vintage engine in it, like the 5.0 HO out of a late-80s Mark VII you mention. But why not get it and restore it to its full 1960s exterior goodness while making all the under the sheet metal changes.
The advantage of that is that you could rent it out as a film car which could eventually pay for the project and fund the next one. Plus you would get a nice sleeper wagon.
The Falcon Wagon...
Straighten the sheet metal (& patch where necessary) but at the same time keeping the patina intact as you possibly can.
Stuff in an FI'd 302/T5 combo, upgrade the steering and suspension, throw some brightly colored Mexican blankets over the seats and you'd have an awesome sleeper in my book.
Please do the Falcon. With it's history, and your own history, you could really make an epic piece. Paint it that horrible Mustang green (sage gold? lime gold? I think it depends on the year...the 1965 is more subtle). Then do the green house posts in flat black, like the PO has done. No other tip-offs, it would just look clean and simple. But under the hood, 300-400 hp of vintage 289 updated with roller cams.
Swedespeed Volvo V8 wagon
Volvos with V8s have been done before and are actually quite a well-known, if infrequent, modification in the Volvo performance community. I'd rather see righteous Buick Turbo power in a 245 than something as boring and commonplace (and boring!) as a Bow-tie 350.
Did I mention that the Simca Chambord has a 2.1 liter V8? A flathead 2.1 liter V8?
I think the Falcon Wagon with some trick suspension/engine work would be sweet, and all the more so if you just left the bodywork as it is. If you REALLY want a project car hell, what about swapping in the front clip out of a 5.0. There's plenty of handling bits out for that, and you could fab up a rear 4-link yourself. Bonus points for using a Watts link in the rear. Go ahead and put patches in any rust spots and just primer over em, and leave it the mix of primer and original paint. I'd drive a car like that any day of the week.
Holy shite! There was a Falcon wagon? No choice then. Falcon all the way. Because once this project is done you will have such a stunning prize of a ride. Do not hesitate good sir!
Where's the "All of Above" option...?
@Lacclolith: I was looking for that option as well.
Wagon - check
Bench seat - check
Manual trans conversion - check
Coolness factor - check
Rarity - check
I say it is a go! then again, I'd like to have a close neighbor with a XB Falcon so we can share hell (Lucas electrics are KILLING me right now!)
PS We still need to coordinate the photo shoot.
@BrendanSF: Hey, do you have a connection for Australian Ford engines? One of those DOHC sixes might be fun...
Yes, photo shoot. Email me when you think of a good time.
Those are all really tempting projects, but I had to vote Dekotora Econoline. It's goofy enough that it'll stand out anywhere, any time. The turbo Chevy Volvo is especially intriguing. This Falcon, however, while really cool, is not anywhere near Hellish enough.
As and aside, I saw a super rusty early 60s 2nd-gen Ranchero today, but I couldn't get my girlfriend to stop so I could take pictures. It made me immediately think of Jalopnik.
If you're gonna go to Hell, it should be for something you really want, not just something that's kinda cool. A Falcon wagon with a Pick n Pull 5.0 doesn't really do it for me (don't get me wrong, if it was in my driveway, I'd drive it), but if it does for you then go for it. It's a sound project and it will be cool and entertaining when it's done. Knowing the current owner and history of the car is a big plus.
If you REALLY want to destroy your sanity, I will donate my 1964 Pontiac Catalina to the collective good (slash destruction) of the jalopnik.com. I have a pending trade for a Marty McFly style Toyota truck but should that fall through, the teal monster is all yours should you want to tow it from Florida to your location.
Project car hell solved, I have the ultimate hell for you right here just waiting...
@Paul Y: Were you in Mass, cause i have a super rusty 66 ranchero in my driveway
I love listening to the Cali guys fret and moan regarding "smog-exemptness". Too bad so sad.
Volvo hands down, make it a wagon
I have to vote for the Falcon, but do a "period resto" to it! There's one I see around my hood that looks SO cool. Chrome smoothies with blackwalls, and a period surfboard rack on top. Keep the 5.0 quiet, and you've even got a bit of a sleeper.
@ChuckyShamrok: No, the westernmost corner of NY, and the one I saw was a 60-63.
Volvo absolutely. but screw the remote turbo plumbing. There's plenty of room under the hood, from the few articles I've seen on these conversions. (I've even got one I saved from, I think, Car and Driver that tells about Paul Newman's personal 5.0 Volvo wagon and the guy who built it. I could fax it ot you if you like).
Get one of the early 70's wagons with the chrome bumpers.
You may have heard of a remote turbo kit for F bodies that mounts in front of the rear axle in place of the stock muffler. They claim no turbo lag. Something like that could be used in the Volvo [or the Falcon] and be completely hidden.
Hmm. Why not a turbo/supercharged flathead ford V8 in the Falcon! I've never seen a flattie Falcon.
[www.btc-bci.com]
[Biminitwst takes a well deserved bow]
I voted for the Volvo, but realistically the Ford is probably the better project.
I don't know.
I'd go for the Volvo, but how about a Duramax or Powerstroke instead of the oh so common 350 ;)
@PeteJäyhawk™: Yeah, here's a few buzzwords: 'snow', 'rust', 'fire ants', humidity', 'Republicans'.. All things the Golden State doesn't have to deal with with any appreciable quantity. There's a reason CA real estate costs what it does.
Pros & cons, my friend...pros & cons.
@biminitwst: 'Never' handle as well as a pimped 65 Mustang? Not that it's much of a yardstick. And that they share the same chassis.. Probably the same reason Ol Shel initially declined the opportunity to have a go at the little pony.
I love wagons, so I'd do the Falcon project. Upgrade the engine, brakes, etc. but make the car look stock on the outside; you know, retro paint job, stick bigger wheels on but use vintage hubcaps... the ultimate sleeper.
I will be thoroughly disappointed if I find out that a fellow Jalop (and a master one at that) turns his head and hard-earned cash away from joining the glorious ranks of owning a 50s/60s Ford wagon.
Though you may NOT want to fall into the same ranks that I succumbed to some 2 years ago, the fact remains that it's a wagon. It's classic Detroit Fe. It has a V8. And it's a wagon.
[Vader] *hissssss* *succcccck* *hisssss* *succcccck* Search your feelings...you knooooooow it to be true. [/end Vader]
@KingRoyale: I've already had a (non-wagon) Falcon, though. And a Ranchero, so I have the tailgate thing down. Maybe I need a big Ford wagon now! Country Squire with woodgrain! Hey, I have a pair of D0VE-C 429 heads already- I'm already partway there!
Embrace the lousy handling of the Falcon and go with the gasser look and a straight axle. Wagons give better weight transfer too. A nicely done 289 and headers that can be uncapped. Then a flat red paint job with a cheeky name and graphics.