I ran across a guy at the gas station the other day with a 1940 Ford. As I was talking to him, he was telling me everything it had such as air conditioning, disc brakes, new engine, trans, power steering, power brakes, etc. The only thing old was the body. So if you really gotta do something like that, and don’t mind spending some money, you can pretty much drop the Falcon body on something newer. The Chrysler cars in the 60’s were pretty good cars, too.
I like Bing’s idea. Friend took an old and beautiful, IMO, Jaguar sedan, and dropped in a Chevy 6 with a two speed power glide. Like the Falcon, the hard of hearing will never know the difference and you could have what you wanted. Really, an older 57 Chevy with a 283 would be my first choice.
My Best Friend Owned Many Cars And One Them Was A 65 Falcon.
He bought the car in the 60s when he was a teenager. His mother drove a brand new 64 1/2 Mustang. I logged quite a few hours as passenger in both machines.
His 65 Falcon had a 289 V-8 and 4-speed manual. It was bright red and had black interior. It was quite attractive and I liked the styling of these cars much better than the mundane looking earlier Falcons. I always considered this to be one of the nicest cars of many he owned, although the German built Capri he had was pretty cool.
The only problem I remember him having involved bent or broken shift forks in the transmission and he figured that warranty would pay for this. However, the Ford mechanic told his mom (called in to help finacially) that there was only one way the transmission damage could have occured . . . street racing. Oh darn.
I also remember how he could mysteriously wash/wipe the windshield without touching anything. I later found out that these cars had a foot pedal to activate this feature.
CSA
There’s very little information about them because nobody saved or restored them. And very few people used them as a base for a hot rod. They were “use 'em up and crush 'em” cars. Very basic econoboxes. They had no cult following.
I had a '64 Fairlane with a 260 V8. Ford also offered a souped up version called the “Thunderbolt”, but I know nothing about it. I do see an occasional Fairlane of this vintage around, but never a Falcon.
A work friend during a summer job in the early 1960s owned a Falcon. His oil pump drive would shear off a part while driving. The oil light would come on and he would stop the engine immediately and get a tow. It happened at least twice. I have not heard that this is a regular problem with Falcons but it happened to his car. I don’t recall which 6 cyl engine his car had but do recall that the 144 CI engine was not as durable as the larger 6.
When the oil pump gear pin sheared the engine would die. That gear turned the distributor and oil pump. The 6 cylinder engines were not very strong by any measure but if well maintained and driven conservatively they often outlasted the body. The Dodge Dart and Plymouth Valiant that competed with the Falcon/Comet seemed a much stronger car. I traded the Falcon for a Valiant and enjoyed many years and many miles driving it.
If you are looking at the 60-63 models, you have to consider that Robert S McNamara was president of Ford at the time. quality of all Ford products during that period deteriorated to the point that in 63 they had to stop the production line and come out with a 63 1/2.
The brakes were NOT that bad. Drum brakes were actually very reliable, but they had no backup. The did not need power assist, in fact, power assist made them too touchy. As far as wet weather goes, they only lost stopping power if you went through a puddle that was deep enough to completely submerge them. If you learned to apply the brakes lightly as you went through one of these puddles, it would keep the brakes dry. The biggest problem in the rain at that time was the tires. You can’t even get tires that bad today.
It will be a high maintenance vehicle, but it could be a daily driver if you have the mechanical abilities and your weekends are free.
My brother purchased a used red 1963 Falcon Futura convertible (with bench seats, automatic transmission, 6 banger) around 1966 and sometime after that sold it to our parents. My mother loved that thing (it was her car to drive). It did look kinda cute, but it wasn’t very impressive beyond that. I think my brother bought it back (and it eventually rusted away) when they bought a 1966 Impala Convertible (that my sister still has and it’s mint, but has a factory 6 banger too). In regards to the Rambler, I bought a 1963 Classic 770 with about 40k miles 15 years back or so that was also in mint condition…even had the owners manual with the name of the owner that I authenticated (I purchased it through a antique car broker). Anyway, once my mechanic found an older mechanic that could adjust the carburetor correctly, it ran like a top. Good mileage, great room for 6, lots of room in the trunk and it was fun to drive! Solid as a rock!! I’d collected too many older cars by that time and storage was becoming a hassel, so sold it for about $2,200 (loosing money) about 8 years ago. It went to a good home though.