`62 winter projects

I'm planning a few weekend projects to complete this winter and I'm looking for advice.

1. I'd like to swap the stock 5/8" sway bar for a 1" or bigger. The only 1" I can find that says it is specifically for a `62 is from falconparts.com. $125 which includes polyurethane mount bushings with brackets and end links with poly bushings. I've seen some 1-1/8" but it says they fit `63-65 Falcons. And I'm sure I could find a cheaper one for the `64.5 Mustang but don't know if that would work.

2. Strut rods. I've never dealt with the bushings and I'm assuming they're original. Would putting in some fresh rubber help or maybe poly? The rubber is intact but I'm sure they're hard as a rock.

3. Monte Carlo bar. The only one I've found for a six-cylinder is from Delta Bay Mustang. $45 unpainted but I think I know a powder coater who works for cheap!

4. Headers. I've had mine on for a year+ and the POR-15 coating I put on is not holding up. I think I'll take them to Performance Coatings in Auburn and have them done in ceramic. I'm hoping the fact that I've had them on for awhile won't matter. Looks like it will run about $200 but that should make them last as long as I'll be driving!

Comments are welcome. I'm hoping the MC bar, beefier sway bar, and strut rod bushings will help with the cornering and improve the ride.

1) I'm running a Mustang 1" anti-sway on the front of my 62 with poly bushings. It fit and works well. You're welcome to come over and take a look.

2) Get new rubber bushings for this location. Don't use poly on stock strut rods. You can look at some of the rod-end style bars. I'm running Global West strut rods.

3) MC bar is good. I think you have a good plan there. It's a nice place to lean when doing engine work. Maybe also look into the export brace. It really opens up the engine bay and makes the brake master much easier to access.

4) There is no problem coating used headers unless you have rust holes. The coating will be inside and out. You can get it is a variety of colors.


Get some roller spring perches. Also drop your upper control arms (aka Shelby Drop).

Kenny, look up c3dz-16051-s at dennis-carpenter.com its 42.00 and powder coated. thats what I have...jh

Thanks for the advice. I'll probably wait until after the XXX Jingle Bell Cruze to remove the headers and get them down to Performance Coatings.

And I'll wait on the perches and Shelby drop until I do the Scarebird front disc conversion. Maybe next year??

I'm not sure I could put a straight MC bar on mine. I like the big, stock air filter. The one from Delta Bay Mustang has a curve and is offset to the carb side of the engine. And the powder coating will hold up better if I'm always leaning on it!

Hello, Kenny.

How hard and at what speed would you have to corner before you would notice the advantage of a one-inch sway bar (over the stock 5/8") plus a monte-carlo bar and/or an export brace?

Those things would add weight to the car, and it seems that the condition and width of the tires would be more important to how hard you could corner than the front end on the car flexing. The speed that you can veer right and left is also limited by how fast you can turn your big 17-inch steering wheel with however many turns it takes (five?).

I've never driven a Falcon with all that added, so I have no idea of the difference it would make. But, .... it just seems that the degree of flex of the front frame of the car would be a minor handling factor in comparison to the general condition of the springs, shock absorbers, ball joints, tie-rod and sway bar bushings, tire/wheel size, etc.

Thanks, Dennis.

I'm not sure how much difference it would make since I've never experienced a before and after. Pat has made these mods (and many more) to his suspension so he may be able to say.

Sometimes you just have to try it out and see if it helps. There's a loop on my route home from work that would be a good test. It goes from Harbor Island (or W. Seattle) to 99 North. That loop really makes it lean.

My suspension parts are all fairly new. I did many of them a few years ago that had to do with steering and maybe 10 years ago had control arms and ball joints replaced. And I have it aligned and checked out at Tru-Line every few years or after some project that requires it.

But I'll know more about condition and probably do some upgrades next year with the disk brake conversion. Maybe we'll make a tech day of it!

This article says that the Monte Carlo bar and export brace make a difference in the car's overall feel and that "Even during smooth highway driving, it was noticeably more solid."

It looks like installing them can be a lot more difficult than one would guess, though. The article says that they had to have an alignment shop jack the car up and spread the shock towers apart by one inch before the export brace could be bolted on.

See: http://www.fly-ford.com/MM0105-How_T...Carlo_Bar.html

What is the difference between the bolt-in export brace many of guys have (jon h, pat, roger, steve) and the Ford welded in braces my Wagon has now?

Is it simply ease of engine repair since it is removable or is there more?

Kenny, is the cowl repair on your winter project list?

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Originally Posted by Jeff W

Kenny, is the cowl repair on your winter project list?

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Saving that one for retirement and new paint job. For now my magnetic sheet covering the cowl vents will have to do...

Jeff the only difference in the braces is that yours work and came with the car and the others cost money. I didn't take mine out when I removed the motor for what ever thats worth :BEER:...jh

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Originally Posted by falcon cobra

Jeff the only difference in the braces is that yours work and came with the car and the others cost money. :BEER:...jh

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Great! Glad I wasn't missing something. My work is done then.:banana:

You could fab some stainless covers for them and they would look just fine. my welder fab guy wanted to know why I didn't do that. he has worked with stainless for years...jh

I bought a PST sway bar for my wagon right after I bought it in 1997. Made a world of difference - especially on a wagon, which is typically squirrely as it is. Bill Williams sold me one (same brand and size) for my Ranchero, which I will be installing soon as well. I'm pretty sure the locations are the same 60-65 for all these brackets and bushings. Not sure why they'd say otherwise. I used the poly bushings on the wagon with no issues so far, but have read complaints about squeaks, IIRC. Been too many years ago.

I assume you have a belly bar under it, but I will probably fabricate one for the Ranchero, as well as a Monte-Carlo bar. Adding a V8 to the Ranchero, when it doesn't have torque boxes - I think it will appreciate any rigidity I can throw at it. The stock 6 belly bar will not fit (I tried) due to the V8 motor mounts. The MC bars I've seen, where they make provision for the air cleaner - I think defeat the purpose of having them. You can't expect a "bent bar" to provide any strength on push/pull and are for looks only, if you ask me. It will simply flex. The bar must be straight to be rigid - unless it is heavy wall and much bigger... like the sway bar is.

I had my headers coated after about 5 or 6 times off getting sand-blasted and painted with everything that claimed to withstand the temps. None did. Finally took it to Performance Coatings too, and has been fine since. You may save a buck or two if you can sand blast it, but they're gonna do it again, I imagine, to deal with the internal cleanliness.

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Originally Posted by Jeff W

What is the difference between the bolt-in export brace many of guys have (jon h, pat, roger, steve) and the Ford welded in braces my Wagon has now?

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They do look cooler. That should account for something. Probably account for about $150 less in your bank account.

I do see some improvement to access things, but not enough to justify doing it just to do it. I had to cut off my cowl, so it was a no-brainer to do. It wasn't (for me) a simple bolt on, but nothing has been on that Ranchero.

If you cut out your shock towers like I did, the bar comes in real handy. I like this setup if you still have towers.

Well, the MC bar is a done deal and on it's way to Steve for powder coating. Hopefully the curve won't allow too much flexing. I've got to believe it's way better than nothing at all. And I do have a belly bar already.

I'm guessing that changing the strut rod bushings might require a front end alignment? If so, I may hold off on that until I do the front disk brakes, Shelby drop and a few other suspension upgrades.

So does this sway bar kit look like it would work on a Falcon? It's titled "Mustang 1965-66 Grab-A-Trak Front Sway Bar Kit". And made in the USA to boot!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/111197863960

Kenny it looks just like the one I just put on thedelivery but they don't have any measurement specs. I'd send the seller an email and ask them.
Can powder coat those too. Just sayin?

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Originally Posted by redfalken

So does this sway bar kit look like it would work on a Falcon? It's titled "Mustang 1965-66 Grab-A-Trak Front Swat Bar Kit". And made in the USA to boot!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/111197863960

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That is the exact same one I have and it fit fine.

I was under the impression from Jay Baker (who had a Mustang sway bar he was selling) that the Mustang bar was too wide for the Falcon (drag link is, for instance).

But you can't argue with experience.

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I have a Mustang sway bar (1") on my '65.

I think I'll end up giving the Grab-a-Trak a try. I couldn't find a website for the manufacturer but I emailed Mustangs Plus to see if they had any feedback on the fit. Hope I get a reply tomorrow.

If you search through TFFN, there are so many conflicting opinions. Some say they're running this exact sway bar on a `62 and they fit fine, some say they stress the end links, and some say they won't fit and suggest the Falcon Enterprise bar that says it's for the Falcon.

:doh: I'll post back when I find out for sure. Pat - I'll call this weekend and see how it fits in yours.

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Originally Posted by Luva65wagon

I was under the impression from Jay Baker (who had a Mustang sway bar he was selling) that the Mustang bar was too wide for the Falcon (drag link is, for instance).

But you can't argue with experience.

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What Jay bought was very different than what Kenny found on eBay. Jay's was one of the uber high tech racing versions with adjustable end links. I can see why it didn't fit.

Hello, Kenny.

Check out this article on the difference between a 1962 and a 1965 Ford Falcon front suspension. Interesting stuff.

See: http://www.cometeastcarclub.org/PDFs...ingUpgrade.pdf

Nicely done article. It's great that someone took all the time to put it together. It says the comparison is between the `63-64 and the `65. I'd have to go crawl under the car to see if my `62 is different.

'65 bits install on all years (60-65) as far as I know. I have 65 V8 parts in the Ranchero. The 63/64 years were the first in a Falcon with a v8 and they did a different front end on these than the 65, which got more the Mustang style.

Falconparts.com do a good write-up too on this and suggest to do a full updaye to 65 parts - since the 63/64 are all but impossible to find for one, and expensive if you do.

http://www.falconparts.com/ford-falc...ersion-d19.htm

I ran all 65 V8 manual steering parts in mine until I switched to the RRS stuff.

I've got a few projects done but this crappy weather has slowed down my progress! :rain:

The Monte Carlo bar is installed and looks great. The powder coating Steve used matches my engine bay perfectly. The curve goes around my stock air breather and seems sturdy.

I took the steering box out and brought it to Red Head to have a look at. They rebuilt it originally and over the last year or more it seems like it has been getting sloppy. The one year warranty was up 2-1/2 years ago but they only charged me for the parts. They installed a brand new sector and ball rack, free labor. And it came back with another fresh paint job!

Spent a few hours this morning removing the headers. I've a lot of the bolts out and things removed that are in the way but have a few more hours to go. Headers are nice but a PITA to install or remove. I'll drop them off at Performance Coatings in Auburn for some ceramic coating. My POR-15 hasn't held up and they're getting a light coat of rust already. Should have done this from the git go but now I know!

And as to comply with the "every new project is an excuse to buy a new tool" rule, I got a floor jack. 2-ton, goes from 2-3/4" to 19-5/8" and has the quick pump feature. Love it! I was always having to stack a couple of 2x4s on my old one to get the Falcon tires off the ground and it barely fit under my Accord. This solved both of those problems!

I think the guy who powder coated that bar should get a bonus. Damn that looks good. :ROTFLMAO: all kidding aside that looks great Kenny. I've been busy myself, all the "little" things to finish up. Can't wait to get to a show with everyone and have my own car finally. [yay]

That bar REALLY adds a nice look to it. :cool:

I also have completed a couple of projects this winter. I took advantage of a friendly powder coating guy and had him powder coat my brake/clutch pedal assembly and then installed the roller bearing kit as mentioned in another thread. I also (with a couple of other peoples help) swapped out my cam and lifters for one that gets me a bit more vacuum, a better idle, and also a bit more low rpm grunt. I also don't feel that I lost any noticeable amount of ponies. I used a Edelbrock 2122 setup. I also added the rocker nuts that allow adjustment of the stock rockers. So far I'm very pleased with the results.

I better get busy with my stuff and stop powdering everything, no wonder I'm behind??:ROTFLMAO: I want a ride in yours Gene :3g:

I've got a question about the strut rod bushings. The sheet that came with them shows a centering collar. Nothing like that when I removed mine although there was a fragment of metal you can see to the left of the nuts.

So I'm guessing the illustration is just generic and the protrusions that come together when you push the bushings together over the sleeve do the centering?? Didn't see anything about a centering collar in the manual.

And they talk about torquing the nut to 75 ft. lbs. but I've heard others say they tighten until the length of the spacer prevents you from compressing any further.

Any strut rod tips appreciated. It sure is nice to finally have a few hours of sunlight after work to get things done during the weekdays.

I've seen a variety of configurations on these. I have a new set around here somewhere that had the rubber only. This style uses the sleeve as a crush/stop to keep from over-compressing the bushings. But you do torque this style (with the sleeve) and not on the other. The other type used the lock nuts and that was it. Tighten until the bushing bulges.

You show two nuts - are they for one side? Being lock nuts that doesn't make sense and the instructions doesn't show them drawn in. Usually you have a rear nut and a forward nut, but the rearward one is usually not that style. The narrow side of the nut would be the stop against the washer. It would work, I guess.

:confused:

Some strut rods didn't use a rear nut - the stop was part of the rod and was not adjustable. I've not seen that style on an early Falcon.

They give you two compression nuts per side. I'm leaving the rear nut that's on the rod now where it is. I don't see much sense in cranking it all the way up those fine threads just to put a shiny one on. The old one's in good shape and turns freely for alignment adjustments.

Since I'm changing these bushings, have disconnected most of the steering linkage, am putting on the thicker sway bar, and reinstalling the rebuilt steering box, I will be bringing it in for alignment when it's back together. I'll ask them to check my work!

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Originally Posted by redfalken

They give you two compression nuts per side. I'm leaving the rear nut that's on the rod now where it is.

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Probably a good idea. This type of lock nut is not made to act as a stop in this sort of instance, where the rear washer would be hard up against the coned side of the nut. That's just wacky! And you can't start these reversed to allow the flat side to ride flat against the rear washer. Best bet is to use the old lock nuts as long as they are not too loose. They were nylon lock nuts, but where the nylon was like a dowel pressed into the side of them as opposed to what you are more used to, as in the nylon being a ring all around the top edge of the nut. They should turn, but with some force needing to be applied to them.

If you've not taken them apart yet you should make some reference measurements between a known spot on the front edge of the frame/core support to the lower control arm. Then when you bolt on the new bits remeasure these same spots and adjust the two nuts (torque them when measuring) and you should be able to at least get back to the original spot, but with new bushings.

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