62 Falcon - $5k challenge, how will it rise from the ranger's ashes?

[milner351]

OK - here's a question - the tubular lower control arms I'm using on the M2 front end to eliminate the strut rods have already had catastrophic ball joint boot failure.... how do I determine what ball joints they are and how do I get replacement boots?

no - the fab company they came from on ebay had no sort of information as to what parts they used, and after some googling it appears that some of these places use Volare upper ball joints as lowers on the fabbed M2 c-arms... WTF?

[STINEY]

Oh man! If you were local I'd have the solution......I drop mystery parts off at our local NAPA (they have been here forever and are really good) for them to ID and source replacements.

They have done that a bunch of times for me, it works well for them as I am not usually in a hurry and they can work on it when they have slow spells.

Maybe you have a similar source?

(Underside picture looks good to me.....these aren't Riddler cars after all! Bet painting that bottom was fun?)

[1946Austin]

I think it's the case where lighter cars don't need to run the crazy heavy-duty driveline parts.

Depends on how it hooks up. I don't think he'll have a problem either way with the HP and torque. Some of the high HP, high torque cars still run 28 spline, but go to after market axles to get the diameter larger past the splines.

[milner351]

That's strange that the Ranger and the Crown Vic brakes are different a guy just told me that has done it says that they will fit on a 8" or a 9" with no problems they have the same bolt pattern all you have to do is use a snap ring as a spacer to take the movement out of the axle so the brakes don't float around. I have not tried this yet,but he has done several he is buying all the rear ends we have for this reason he restores old cars.

Thanks Greg - I can say the drums I took off the old 7.5" axle bolted right up to the 8.8. So there are two different 8.8 axle ends - like the 9" and I got the smaller one.
In hindsight - I should have just gotten a 3.73 31 spline disc brake explorer axle to begin with. Oh well - drums are fine on the back end of cars lots faster than mine!

[Beagle]

Keep it off it's roof and nobody will be able to see the floor, or are you planning on somebody critiquing your giant wheelie?

"What a great wheelie!"
"What a crappy floor job"

Which one do you think you would hear?

[SuperBuickGuy]

buy generic poly boots?

[milner351]

from where and how are they sized?

[odmarco]

Russel - not sure which formula's you are using, ones that I have used in the past with good correlation for a street driven car give:
Weight - 2750, HP - 300 at the wheels = 111.8 mph and 13.16 in the quarter. Last time I used the formula for my project "second hand GT" it predicted 14.41 in the quarter and I ran 14.4009, 14.4038, 14.5006. (last run had very tall slicks that hurt my 60ft)

I think with slicks and the high stall converter he will be about 0.1 faster in the 60ft which should equate to 0.2 seconds in the top end, so worst case its a 12.96 car.

Also I think that 2750 lbs might be a bit conservative...that car might fall under that with the driver depending on how much the new interior weighs.

[milner351]

Marco - you may be right on the weight - I just did a little searching and found that the 302 with aluminum heads fully dressed weighs in around 380lb, nearly identical weight to the 144/170 inline six with all iron manifolds. I have not been able to find any weight information for the old 2 speed fordomatic, or the AOD for that matter.

I'm sure the 8.8 weighs more than the tiny little axle that came with it, and I've added maybe 50 pounds worth of steel tubing for the sub frame connectors, jacking rails, not sure how the weight of the Mustang 2 stuff compares to the old steering box, shock towers, etc. So - it's possible this car will weigh around 2600 with me in it..

Here's another source showing just how light these things were new.


1962 Falcon (109.5-inch wheelbase)
Weight (lbs.)
Price (new)
Number built

Deluxe 2-door sedan
2,249
$2,071
143,650

[mike343sharpstick]

OMG, that's amazingly light, This thing is going to be FUN!
Add 90 pounds for 15 gallons of fuel (~6lbs per Gal). When I weighed my car it had a full tank. Also helps F/R balance of a front engine car.

[odmarco]

Think the AOD is right around 110 lbs, i recall it being a few pounds heavier than the T5's when i was looking at differences btwn the fox bodies. Have the FMVSS data somewhere in my desk.....

I would say AOD is about 40 lbs heavier than the 2 speed based on the FWagon swap experience. so yeah 2400 lbs seems reasonable.

new calc would be 2600lb car 300HP = 113.9MPH and 12.920 ET....so lets say 12.7-ish. Better have a good helmet!

[Russell]

Russel - not sure which formula's you are using, ones that I have used in the past with good correlation for a street driven car give:
Weight - 2750, HP - 300 at the wheels = 111.8 mph and 13.16 in the quarter. Last time I used the formula for my project "second hand GT" it predicted 14.41 in the quarter and I ran 14.4009, 14.4038, 14.5006. (last run had very tall slicks that hurt my 60ft)

I think with slicks and the high stall converter he will be about 0.1 faster in the 60ft which should equate to 0.2 seconds in the top end, so worst case its a 12.96 car.

Also I think that 2750 lbs might be a bit conservative...that car might fall under that with the driver depending on how much the new interior weighs.

The link to the one I used is in post #1526. It maybe better for an all out drag car than a street car. Thats why I was saying if it hooks. Your numbers maybe better, I am sure you have done this much more than me I am more or less a keyboard racer! Crappy the capri ran ~ 13.7 @102 w/a 2.10 60'. John has better heads, more cam, and a lighter car. If the falcon has enough stall to up into the cams rpm range, and it hooks I think it could run at least a sec faster than crappy! But I am just a keyboard racer. What ever it runs it will be a victory going down the track!

[SuperBuickGuy]

from where and how are they sized?

almost any of the big parts houses (and little ones) stock new rubber boots. And any of the poly-makers have them as well.. they all go by size (diameter x height).. throw a tape measure on it - I'll see if I have one in my stash that will work (I got a billion when I did the C3)

[milner351]

Turns out that the mustang 2 lower control arms I had, had ball joints with good boots - that fit the lowers on the tubular lowers.

Front end is all buttoned up now, torqued tight, and cotter pinned.

With Marco's help - we got ALL the brake line plumbing done - once we get the right hardware to connect the master cylinder pushrod to the pedal ... it will be time to bleed them.



the plumbing around the master is somewhat unconventional - and no - there isn't a proportioning valve or a brake light switch - for now.

[pintoboy77]

Looking good John keep up the progress any progress is better than I am doing right now.