65 Ford Falcon Squire Wagon

[johncharlesb]

The drilled drum is new to me. As Philo stated, cooling holes in the backing plates was popular in the day. There was some sweet drum tech on the old race bikes.

[philofab]

Bikes always had cool drub brakes... nothing like duel leading/trailing drilled drums.

[SteveG]

A split mc is still a must incase you loose a line or wheel cylinder.

That's high on the to-do list.

[PBR]

ch topping is the guy i was telling you about, he is the man!

[SteveG]

ch topping is the guy i was telling you about, he is the man!

Ha! Nice. I'll have to call and ask about the drilling.

[Wood]

http://www.pbase.com/xl1ken/image/75803081

[Nick]

http://www.pbase.com/xl1ken/image/75803081

That thing is sweet!

[SteveG]

Man is this thing a piece of cake to work on. The seller gave me an extra radiator with the car since the one in it was in pretty rough shape (but still held water). I sent the extra to the radiator shop and had it checked out. Supposedly it's in excellent condition and is an OE piece. A rod-out, a coat of paint and it looks almost new.

I installed the radiator, a new fan belt (it's only got one) and one of the heater hoses in about 30 minutes. It's been a long time since I've owned anything that was this easy to work on.

I also got a carb kit for it for $16. How can you not love that?

[ChaseTruck754]

And you guys wonder why I dig the 70's Fords so much...

Smiple, easy to work on, dirt cheap to buy, strong as hell and no smog. Cool factor goes through the roof with all that - just like your surf wagon!

[philofab]

Man is this thing a piece of cake to work on. The seller gave me an extra radiator with the car since the one in it was in pretty rough shape (but still held water). I sent the extra to the radiator shop and had it checked out. Supposedly in in excellent condition and is an OE piece. A rod-out, a coat of paint and it looks almost new.

I installed the radiator, a new fan belt (it's only got one) and one of the heater hoses in about 30 minutes. It's been a long time since I've owned anything that was this easy to work on.

I also got a carb kit for it for $16. How can you not love that?

It's funny how new cars aren't really much better. Sure, disk brakes and fuel injection are good improvements but cars are not much faster or get better mileage than they did in the 60s. Get that thing running right and smog it. You'll be surprised how LITTLE it actually pollutes. My 1964 Rambler (Motor trend car of the year) regularly got over 25mpg with a worn out engine. It tested at about 30mpg when new. With 40 years of technology we should either all have 400+hp cars or everything should get 40-50 mpg, not 16 cup holders and friction devices on grab handles.

[SteveG]

And you guys wonder why I dig the 70's Fords so much...

Smiple, easy to work on, dirt cheap to buy, strong as hell and no smog. Cool factor goes through the roof with all that - just like your surf wagon!

Oh, trust me. I know. All of the above is why I bought this thing.

It's funny how new cars aren't really much better. Sure, disk brakes and fuel injection are good improvements but cars are not much faster or get better mileage than they did in the 60s. Get that thing running right and smog it. You'll be surprised how LITTLE it actually pollutes. My 1964 Rambler (Motor trend car of the year) regularly got over 25mpg with a worn out engine. It tested at about 30mpg when new. With 40 years of technology we should either all have 400+hp cars or everything should get 40-50 mpg, not 16 cup holders and friction devices on grab handles.

I think there have been a lot of improvements, but fuel economy certainly isn't one of them. I have no doubt this thing runs clean. I bet it runs cleaner than my Bronco with a fresh engine and computer controlled carburetor.

EDIT: I forgot to mention how cool it is that this car requires truly simple hand tools. It's actually a pleasure to work on it instead of a chore!

[Blueblood]

nice ride steve

[SteveG]

Thanks, Mike!

John has been a part of all my builds, so I didn't want to leave him out on this one. I got one of the limit straps mounted tonight.

[SteveG]

Scratch the limit strap. It didn't secure the child seat like I'd hoped. I just ordered a Corbeau 3-point harness for the big kid.

[SteveG]

I had no idea seat belts was going to eat up so much of my time! I'm happy with the end result, but it sure did take a ton of research and brain cells. I left the interior panels off since I'm planning on removing the carpet soon to wash it out. I thought I'd blown it on the color choice but it's growing on me and seems to fit well. I'm also going to replace the bolts with a lower profile head and add washers.

[SteveG]

I drove the wagon to the Central Valley and back this past weekend... she ran like a champ! I didn't have to push it at all to keep up with traffic, it trucked up grades with ease and ran cool the entire time even through almost 100 degree weather.

Straight sixes rock!

[BajaBronco13]

Man that wagon looks a lot like my dad's old ride we called the Blue Goat. Not sure why the name other then the color but my pops would drive us from LA to El Paso and straight down to Durango Mex in that thing. Good times were had. Wish I knew where that wagon is now.

Keep the pics coming Steve.

[yikes]

You know, that thing would be the ultimate prerunner. No bulged glass. Just cut it down the middle and make it 2ft wider. Roll on 37's with steel wheels and stainless rings. Mod the center caps to fit. Make it an 6 seater so you can give us all rides. Man, I'm already have'n a good time just typing this nonsense. Do it!

[BajaBronco13]

You know, that thing would be the ultimate prerunner. No bulged glass. Just cut it down the middle and make it 2ft wider. Roll on 37's with steel wheels and stainless rings. Mod the center caps to fit. Make it an 6 seater so you can give us all rides. Man, I'm already have'n a good time just typing this nonsense. Do it!

Funny you mention that B because I know a guy building a 1930 Model A into a prerunner and made the body wider by 12". He didn't want me to take pictures of it but so far it's looking pretty crazy.

[flyinbronco]

Steve,

This is the first time I checked out this thread. Bitchin' new ride. Amber will love it. She's got a thing for station wagons. I think you've got to restore the wood grain side panels though no mater what color you paint it. This guy pulled it off pretty well. http://www.rickwrench.com/wood.html