Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 15 of 636

Thread: Saving Granddad's Falcon

Hybrid View

Previous Post Previous Post   Next Post Next Post
  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Location
    Federal Way
    Posts
    906

    Saving Granddad's Falcon

    Finally… My own thread. This one a bit more about the story and later the restoration process-not so technical. My cousin just sent me the picture of the green version attached-so that got me going on the story. My falcon has always, and will always be “Granddad’s Falcon.” Apologies in advance if it’s too long or gets a bit mushy, but I hope you enjoy it anyway. This is the first part of the story.

    The Early Days
    “Granddad’s Falcon” is a one family falcon- a 1961 fordor, with the 144 straight six and a three speed shift on the fly transmission with bench seats. Not exactly a hot rod, but it was Montecarlo Red with a Corinthian White top. No air conditioning (we lived in El Paso where it’s normally over 100F all summer), no seat belts, and pretty much no other extras except an AM radio. It was built June 23, 1961 and there were 159,761 units produced of this model that year. Base price was $1976. It was purchased new from Kemp Ford in El Paso, Texas by my Grandfather. My Grandfather was a West Pointer, and retired as a Colonel from the U.S. Army in El Paso, Texas after 30 years of service. Even though he was retired, everywhere we went, everyone just called him “Colonel.” I called him “Granddad.” He always had a late model T-Bird, and a couple years before I was born, he bought our falcon because he wanted an economy car to drive to work (after the military) so the T-Bird could stay in the garage and go to the grocery store & out to dinner every now and then.

    My Introduction to the Falcon
    I really started to get to know the falcon when I was about 9. The falcon was about 11 years old by then and an “old car” for our family. Every Saturday all summer, Granddad would pick me up at my parents house in the falcon and take me down to his house to mow the lawn and work around the house. I had already been mowing my parents yard and making some nice cash $$$. To me, my Grandfathers yard was big- much bigger than my parents yard. I was a business man, so I was ready for a tough negotiation. I got up my courage and suggested $4 was appropriate for such a big yard. My Grandfather said he would give me $5, but I’d have to really work hard to earn the whole $5. I was on top of the world (and very proud of my negotiation skills!) I could go on with story after story, but as you can probably guess, I had some really great grandparents. I ended up working at my grandparents Saturdays half the year well into high school- mostly on the yard, but on other stuff too. He taught me a lot and I ended up being their “favorite” grandson. (I learned later that my brother and all my cousins also thought they were the favorite, but I really was!) He taught me how to change the oil on the falcon and he and my dad explained how (unlike the T-Bird) it was one of the last simple cars you could still work on yourself. I remember I loved the simplicity of the falcon- especially the engine compartment- painted the same color as the body as if the whole car was just dipped in paint- that’s about as simple as it gets. We’d always take the falcon to the hardware store, or if we were going anywhere without my Grandmother- we ALWAYS took the falcon. It was our go-to car, our utility car- it was a working car.

    The Lube business Years-Our falcon was a workhorse.
    In 1976, my Dad and his brother started a quick lube business before quick lubes were everywhere. They were able to start it with $500 each, (a bank loan,) and…Granddad’s falcon. My Granddad gave the falcon to my Dad and it became their first hard asset in the business. I remember being a bit worried about the abuse the falcon would take being driven full time, but true to it’s purpose, it was a workhorse, so it made sense. They painted it green, and put the logo on the door. It was used as a delivery vehicle for a few years too- they even removed the back seat so they could easily load it with boxes of oil and air filters- and they also used it for marketing. The pictures attached are from a time when they were promoting the oil change business- before people knew anything about quick oil change businesses. That’s my Dad standing next to the falcon. My Dad also had a place in his heart for the falcon. Later the falcon was painted in a yellow theme, and used in TV ads- the point being- take care of your car and it will run forever and take care of you. Of course, eventually the business grew and the falcon retired- usually only to be used in promotions.

    My High School Years
    I worked for the lube business the summer between my Junior and Senior Year of High School. There were several locations by then. My Dad told me that since I was going to college, I needed to learn what it was like to “make a buck.” I was put to work as a “pit man.” I knew as the bosses son, I would have to work extra hard to win the others respect. I did. My Grandfather and my father already taught me a lot about hard work. The first week in the pit, I came home covered in oil from head to toe and had a few minor burns here and there from the 100F temperatures the cars were driving in before they came in. I loved it. I remember several times that summer we set a new record for cars done in one day. Hard work was the first step to earning respect. The next step was not so much about work-it was after the work was done- I knew I was going to have to go up against some of the local champions for the oily rag popping competitions. This was serious. You take one of those red shop rags- get it nice and oily with a really thin zep oil, twist the rag up a bit and stretch it out nicely, then snap-it…and pop! The game is: you get on one side of the pit, and the other guy gets on the other side. You put your leg on the “curb” that is the edge of the pit. The objective is to “pop” the other guys leg in a painful enough way enough times to get him to remove his leg from the curb before you had to remove yours. Some guys would come in proud and show off their dark welts from the games the day before. I remember only one guy I never beat at least once- the location manager- he was an absolute master at this game. A small guy, but terribly fast on the snap. It was probably good that I didn’t beat him. There was one more right of passage I went through. The drinking age was 18 back in those days, so that meant there was lots of alcohol at parties. I wasn’t that much of a partier, but one Friday night it really got me. The next morning I was sure I had the hangover to end all hangovers. I had to be at work at 7:30am on Saturday morning- our busiest day of the week. Let’s just say it’s a good thing I worked in the pit that day with large plastic trash cans around. It turned out I took a step forward that day- my buddies at work coached me through it, fed me their hangover cure-menudo (Mexican soup made from pig stomach), along with lots of water, and I transitioned from the bosses son to part of the brotherhood. Word spread. I worked often seven days a week as the fill in Pit Man at every location in El Paso that summer. I learned a lot that summer, about cars, about people, and I learned success in the business is all about the process- and the team that runs it. Today, in business with degrees and certificates and 30+ years of experience later and it’s still all about the process- and team that runs it. (Although a little cash doesn’t hurt either.) Anyway, every now and then that summer one of the supervisors would drive by with Granddad’s falcon.

    The Falcon’s Retirement
    Ultimately, my Dad and his brother sold the business to one of my cousin’s- but my Dad kept the falcon and took it up to Colorado with him to really retire full time. Every now and then he’d drive it, and every now and then he’d fix something on it. He kept it running, but by now the falcon was pretty well worn. By this time, I had a family with three boys. We visited the falcon at least once a year, and it was always great to see my parents too. (Just kidding! I always said hello to my parents before going out to see the falcon.)

    Back to El Paso
    Meanwhile- the quick lube business was sold again to…to yet another cousin and her husband, whose family still successfully runs the business today and they have quite few locations across Texas and New Mexico. My family (me, my wife and three boys) had moved to Washington to follow my career but we still always visited Colorado and the falcon at least for the holidays. I always wondered what was going to happen to the falcon. Eventually, my Dad’s health took a step for the worse and my parents decided to sell their place in Colorado and move to a retirement community in San Antonio where there would be less to take care of every day. My Dad put the email out…”Don, you’ve got first dibs on the falcon- it’s yours if you want it.” It was a difficult decision, but timing wasn’t good. One of my boys was in college and two were on the way, not to mention I had a fresh pay cut from the recent economic downturn, and worst of all- I also had a BOAT. (Break Out Another Thousand.) Practicality got the best of me so I asked my Dad to see if anyone else wanted to take it. So, my Dad expanded the emails- and luckily, my cousins family at the lube business was willing to take it back to El Paso and I had visions of them restoring the paint job-first class this time, and using it in parades and promotions again. Perfect! I thought… more people will enjoy it, and I can enjoy it when I’m in El Paso every year for the holidays and it won’t cost me any money.

    To be continued in the next post...Home for the holidays....notice that sign in the back window???
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by dhbfaster; April 9th, 2015 at 10:34 PM.
    Don Bartlett
    Federal Way, WA
    61 Four Door Sedan
    144-6, 3 on the tree



  2. #2

    Granddad's Falcon

    Hello, Don.

    That was a great write up. I look forward to reading the next chapter!

    I like the way the car looked when it had the green paint and yellow "Lube n' Go" business logo. It gave the car a sturdy appearance and showed that it was not being pampered and that it was so reliable that it was being used as an everyday work car.

    Does your car have a tinted windshield? In the third photo of the front of the yellow-painted car it looks like there is a tint band along the top of the windshield.

    Does your car have a heater?

    How did the right front fender get dented? It looks like something heavy was dropped on it from above.

    Thanks, Dennis.

    Ford is my car.JPG
    Last edited by ew1usnr; December 20th, 2014 at 05:01 AM.
    Dennis Pierson
    Tampa, FL
    "The Wonder Falcon"

    '63 Futura Hardtop (260, Ford-O-Matic, bench seat)

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Location
    Federal Way
    Posts
    906
    Home for the holidays
    My in-laws still live in El Paso so we visit every Christmas. My wife and I are blessed with lots of wonderful family. Christmas at Nana’s house is always a big deal and there’s lots of food involved. It had been a while since I’d seen the falcon. My wife and her Mom went off to the grocery store. I got a phone call. “Dear…, you’re not going to believe this, but I’m sure I saw Granddad’s falcon and it has a for sale sign on it.” “What? …(gulp)…falcon?” “Your Granddad’s falcon was yellow right?” “Yea” “I’m telling you, it’s parked out front of the Lube N Go near the grocery store and they have a for sale sign on it.” I couldn’t imagine. Impossible- I thought. It must be some mistake. So, my son and I drove over to go see it with our own eyes. There it was. It had a for sale sign on it. I just stood there, and although I never understood it before, as a flood of emotion came to an otherwise not that emotional guy, I now understood how a man can get emotionally attached to…a car… I tried to shake it off. A young guy, likely the pit man, came out and said “Hey how’s it goin? You interested in buying the falcon?

    The Conversation
    Here I was, and a guy just asked me if I wanted to buy what was basically my own falcon back! I said, “Humm….uh, well, yea, I’m thinking about it.” (Yea, right, like I’m going to buy my own grandfathers, and fathers falcon back after it was supposed to be going to falcon heaven?) He said, “It’s really cool, I wish I could afford to buy it.” I sat down in the car- all the memories came back like it was yesterday- it even still “smelled” the same. I told the guy…nicely…”Actually, my Dad and his brother started this company with $500 and THIS FALCON. I worked in the pit for a while too.” “Really? Wow” he said. “How long ago was that?” “Like 30 years ago…” “Uh, wow.” I got back to the in-laws and my wife said, “That was it, that was your Granddad’s falcon wasn’t it?” “Yea, it was.” “What are you going to do?” she said. I said I would think about it. Car restoration is ridiculous after all. The next day she just looked at me and said “I know, you have to take it. Just go get it.” (I love that woman.) A couple emails and a phone call later and the falcon was mine (at no charge) of course. I have absolutely no hard feelings about it with my relatives. In fact I’m glad they had it while they did through the economic downturn. They just didn’t have the history that I did with the falcon. They needed some more warehouse space- practicality won over and after all….”it wasn’t a T-Bird or something like that.” It sure wasn’t. It was Granddad’s falcon- a working car, not a cream puff that sits in the garage all day- and it’s going to be a lot easier to restore than a T-Bird too.

    As the fourth generation is now restoring the falcon with me (using some of Granddad’s tools), it won’t be a hot rod, but it will be beautiful again, and it will be garaged now- more of a crème puff than ever, but it will be an occasional driver, still earning it’s keep just like it was always meant to.
    Don Bartlett
    Federal Way, WA
    61 Four Door Sedan
    144-6, 3 on the tree



  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Location
    Federal Way
    Posts
    906
    Hi Dennis,
    It does have a heater, and it always worked quite well. The corner windows work amazingly well for ac too.
    The windshield does have the tint band across the top. The original one did not. This one is fairly new.
    My grandfather had a fender bender a long time ago which was responsible for the bondo, and the sort of bend in the hood, then we think something fell off the shelf in the lube n go warehouse and created the dent that's there now. I found another hood and grill here locally. Meanwhile, the falcon is on its way to Spokane, wa tomorrow to get all the paint and body work done. It will be great to have the garage to work on all the other stuff. My remanufactured engine is already due back Monday!
    Don Bartlett
    Federal Way, WA
    61 Four Door Sedan
    144-6, 3 on the tree



  5. #5

    Another Wonder Falcon

    Quote Originally Posted by dhbfaster View Post
    My remanufactured engine is already due back Monday!
    I'm excited for you, Don!

    You have a really cool little car and I am very much looking forward to reading about your impressions and experiences when you get it back on the road.

    That 144 was designed to be a Volkswagen fighter. I want to hear what what gas mileage you get and about the performance it delivers while driving around town. Take it to the grocery store and see how the bags fit in the trunk. Have your son take it for a drive while you enjoy the ride as a rear-seat passenger. Try out the rear doors for ease of entry and check out the back seat for leg room and roll the rear window up and down.

    The car was designed to carry six adults. Get your friends and family together and give it try. Put six people in there and see how the suspension, brakes, and acceleration perform under that load. And have someone take pictures with all six of you inside!!!

    You should have a lot of fun with that little car once you get it back together.

    Ford sock it em multiple.JPG
    Last edited by ew1usnr; December 21st, 2014 at 05:58 AM.
    Dennis Pierson
    Tampa, FL
    "The Wonder Falcon"

    '63 Futura Hardtop (260, Ford-O-Matic, bench seat)

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Location
    Federal Way
    Posts
    906
    Jason (and Makena our dog) and I had a great trip over to eastern wa Sunday and brought the falcon to Phil for paint and body...a major next step! It's in good hands for sure. Really looking forward to March...
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Don Bartlett
    Federal Way, WA
    61 Four Door Sedan
    144-6, 3 on the tree



  7. #7
    Hello Don,
    Great story! I remember living in Alamogordo NM, and my dad driving our Falcon back and forth between there and ElPaso. Small world. I'm an Air Force brat who's dad loved Falcons and Comets
    Bill Proctor .. 1963 Falcon Sprint. Looking forward to learning new things.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Location
    Federal Way
    Posts
    906
    Hi Bill, thanks for the feedback! I took many trips to and through Alamogordo and white sands mostly up to the mountains for camping or backpacking with Boy Scouts..almost once a month. Nice towns and beautiful mountains. Quite different from here, but beautiful in its own way. The falcon had quite a few work trips to las cruces and Albuquerque too.
    Don Bartlett
    Federal Way, WA
    61 Four Door Sedan
    144-6, 3 on the tree



  9. #9
    Paint it Green!!! I love that old Machine Green color, I'm considering painting my car that color (if I paint it).

    Enjoyed the story, good luck on the resto!

  10. #10
    So, I told Don he'd have to do the play by play, it is after all, his baby. However, I just can't resist taking a few moments to add some photos of the paint removal process yesterday.

    Jeff selected a rear door to start with and held the nozzle quite a way back to soften the media impact just enough to remove the black and reveal the vintage, hand painted signage. We both just stood there looking at it, amazed at the skill of the sign painter, and even now, how nice it looked.

    I hadn't read Don's story in it's entirety. Just a few lines and a quick glance at the pictures before heading off to some other task. I took the time to read it all today, and having lost both my grandpa and my dad, can really appreciate what it means to Don and his family.

    That said, I thought it appropriate to post a few pics of the car as it sits this morning, stripped back to bare metal, and as a fond farewell, the last moments of the vintage signage.

    What a great story Don.
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Phil

  11. #11
    A few more pics. Now the real work begins.
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Phil

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Seattle
    Posts
    1,430
    Roger is correct again!

    You can renew you membership (it is due annually) via that link and use pay pal. We also accept a paper check sent to the address shown on the application form. Also cash is good at meetings.

    You will get an email from the forum site when it is time to renew. We do t have any other follow up, just the single email and hope people self-check membership status using the site tool.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Location
    Federal Way
    Posts
    906
    It sounds like I better take the carb off to do the tapping of those threads.
    I think that means I'm going to need a new gasket to go between the carb and the mount- and you made the one I have for me.
    Any chance you have an extra piece of gasket material lying around so I can make another one while I'm at it?

    The Harbor Freight tap and die set is definitely a super cheap one...but it did help me do some basic thread cleaning which is what I bought it for.
    Most the HF stuff I have bought has been the so-so category, not in the good or best...but some parts do work and serve their purpose.
    Don Bartlett
    Federal Way, WA
    61 Four Door Sedan
    144-6, 3 on the tree



  14. #14
    No doubt I do, Don. I'll let you know.

    HF stuff is what it is. Some is quite good. They do have a fairly reasonable return policy too.

    I'll get something mailed out to you first of the week.
    Roger Moore

    63 "Flarechero"
    powered by: 347ci stroker | Tremec T5 | 8" 3:45 TracLoc rear



  15. #15
    This should get you going Don. I'll get it off to you on Monday unless you wanna come get it all. If there is a remote chance I happen to be near you tomorrow, I'll drop it off.
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Roger Moore

    63 "Flarechero"
    powered by: 347ci stroker | Tremec T5 | 8" 3:45 TracLoc rear



Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •