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  1. #1

    63 Ford Falcon Restoration

    Note: edited to correct the tire info. I had assumed the tires were rotten & not fixable but I went out and actually looked at them tonight, they're not anywhere near as bad as I thought and i was able to change out the bad one & inflate all the rest, so i think they're good to go.

    Please forgive the length of this article/ad but I feel it pertinent information regarding the sale of this car.

    My father-in-law was driving past a small dealership in Spanaway about five years ago and saw this 1963 ford falcon and purchased it for $1500. He drove it home from Spanaway to NE Tacoma (Federal Way/Brown's Point area) and parked the car. The car smoked really bad out of the muffler like something is bad wrong with the engine but I have no idea what it would be. We then put a cover over the car. A couple of summers ago I was going to sell it so I uncovered it and fired it up, still smoked really bad but started up. Had a few guys come look but no takers (was asking $1600 back then).

    So again this summer I uncovered the car (charging the battery to start it now), took a bunch of pictures and posted it on Craigslist hoping something would happen and I could finally sell this car. One guy called and offered $500 for parts but I felt it was just too low.

    Finally a guy named Mike from Spanaway (who is a member of this club) came to my rescue! He came by and looked at the car and explained in detail what was good and what was bad about it. He showed me what pictures I should be taking and what parts knowledgable Falcon owners are actually interested in. He also told me to get it off Craigslist (and I did) and onto this site so I can connect with people who know what I have and who know what they want. THANK YOU MIKE!!!!

    So admitting I only know what I learned from Mike, here is the car info and pics.

    Here are the tech specs that the vin number pulls up:

    Body - Falcon Standard 2 Door Sedan
    Color - Code=P Number=1454 Color=Mid. Green Met. Sales Name=Silver Moss
    Trim - Code=18 Scheme=Lt. Gold and Lt. Gold Met.
    Date Completed - September 06, 1963
    Domestic Special Orders - Code=74 District=Seattle
    Axle - Code=5 Ratio=3.50:1
    Trans - Code=1 3 Speed Manual Shift
    Assembly Plant - Code=R Twin Cities
    Engine - Code=S Straight 6 -144ci Over Head Valve
    Assembly Number=101757 - number 1757 off the assembly line

    Like I said I will get the engine running in the next couple of days but Mike said its a must to start the car up for people.

    Front wind shield is cracked and the back right window is gone altogether.

    The driver and passenger windows are original and have the logo (see pics).

    Has some pretty heavy rust problems in spots. The front floor board is rusted through, also in the trunk and at various spots along the sides (rear quarter panels) but under the doors are good (see pics).

    You can see the condition of the interior from some of the pictures, looks rough in areas but some parts seem good and original.

    Certain chrome pieces are good so I have attached the pictures of them.

    My father-in-law would love to see someone purchase and restore the car to avoid losing one more Falcon but sellers can't be choosers I guess so if your are looking to buy and part out this car might interest you. We do not have the time or desire to part the car out so we are selling the whole thing not individual parts.

    Here is a link to 50ish different pictures of the car so you can see its condition.

    https://www.dropbox.com/sh/2bubct00r...hCXS6ntXa?dl=0

    Dan

    P.S. Mike you the man!
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by dank2882; August 24th, 2015 at 10:26 PM. Reason: Updated to correct info about the tires

  2. #2
    Dan,

    First of all I hope you do find someone who will revive the car. That is the ultimate goal of this club. I will be honest with you though - you are in for an up-hill battle.

    When you look at the condition of the car, and I have looked closely at every picture, and then look at the high-retail price range this car might command, which is currently between $3500 and $6500 (maybe toward the higher if restored to the level Don is doing on his '61 - see the "grandpa" thread currently running), I think the price is quite a bit high. It was probably a quite a bit high when your father-in-law bought it.

    Just doing a basic clean-up, reseal of windows, weatherstrip on doors and trunk, finding and replacing bad or missing glass, replacing the interior and headliner, engine work, and rust repair - not including paintwork, brakes, suspension which will all need doing - the cost will ramp up to low retail very quickly and probably surpass it. Just in parts alone - not including purchase price. It will have to be a project of love and "knowing loss" as opposed to anything close to an investment. I really see nothing that doesn't need to be touched. Touching anything costs money.

    Being the sport roof model as well, getting some of the missing glass parts will be a little harder.

    Not trying to bust your bubble or anything, though I probably may be. Just offering a perspective from someone who does a lot of car building.
    Last edited by Luva65wagon; July 28th, 2015 at 10:54 AM.
    Roger Moore

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



  3. #3

    Thanks so much!

    Roger thanks for taking the time to review the photos and the car and give me an assessment. Not sure what we are going to do but we felt like putting online with good pictures and detailed description would be a good start. Your input has given us a bunch to think about.

    Thanks again,
    Dan

  4. #4
    Dan,

    I figured it would - and I hated bearing news that was less than favorable.

    If you want my best guess of what it would take to get the car tight and sound and a nice driver - you would be in the neighborhood of about $4000. Just doing new math in my head. Then you'd be into it about $5500 at this selling price and it would be worth then about $2000-3000.

    I do agree with Mike who came out that getting it very clean and driving with tires that hold air. I would go so far as remove the headliner (leave the bows in place by tying string between each down the center to hold them up there and in order) - because no headliner is better than one that dangles in you hair. And put some Goodwill blankets over the seats. Will go a long way towards taking the ick factor away.

    And post those pictures.

    Good luck!
    Roger Moore

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



  5. #5
    Again thank you, it is encouraging to hear we are on the right track. So as an update last night I got the tires either pumped up or changed out so I have four inflated tires on the car right now! I will totally take the headline and blanket advice and we are going to do a little sanding and putting primer on the outside. I also plan to get it turning again and my father-in-law is going to cut a board we can put on the drivers side to cover the hole. We will see what happens but either way we are working on cool old cars which is a win!

  6. #6
    Roger knows of what he speaks. I would say he was dead on with the prices in this market. And we have a pretty robust market around here in general so you have that going for you. And I also agree that your father-in-law overpaid so it may be tough to get your money back. But there are lots of things you can do that don't cost much and will help you get the price up a bit.

    Also consider posting on craigslist for the entire west coast as well as Idaho, Nevada, and however farther east you want to go. The more lines you have in the water, the more likely you will land a buyer. And it may end up as a donor for someone fixing up another bird but at least it will give up the ghost helping another Falcon to get restored.

    I don't think this has been addresses but the smoking engine may be leaky or broken off valve seals. If the smoke is very heavy when you start it after sitting for a long period and then gets better as it warms up, it may be oil leaking around the valve stems and into the combustion chamber.

    These seals aren't too difficult to change and are inexpensive as well. I may have a set I will send you unless they were sold at the swap meet. But you do need to know the "rope through the spark plug hole" trick and maybe buy a spring compressor. These seals are black rubber, umbrella shaped, and tend to get brittle and break apart over time.

    Good news is it's easy to see if that's the culprit. Just remove the valve cover and peek inside the springs to see if they look intact. Sorry, I'm not sure what your knowledge level is with old cars so I'm keeping this kind of basic. But fixing the smoking engine would be a huge plus. Here's an image I found showing the umbrella valve seal after the spring was removed.
    Attached Images Attached Images

    Kenny Likins
    Ballard, Seattle, WA
    www.redfalken.com

    `62 Tudor Sedan (`69 200, C4, 8-inch 4-lug 2.79 rearend, Duraspark II, MSD, Weber 32/36 DGEV)

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