Thought it was time to do a formal introduction, especially since I've been lurking for the past month. I'll provide a little background on my families affection with Falcon's then get into the story of the '65 Sprint.
My Dad has had a place in his heart for Falcons since they first came out. Growing up he told me a story of test driving a 63 1/2 Sprint one afternoon and having a blast with the car until he had to return it. He never said it but considering we had 3 Falcons growing up that he liked having something other than a Mustang. But it wasn't only Falcons that he/we had an affection for, it was anything Ford. Always said I was born and bred Ford and it is still holding true (for the most part!).
Our first Falcon was a '65 Futura. Nothing fancy but a car that my two older brothers shared during HS and college. It was eventually sold to an individual in our home town (Colfax, WA) who restored it. To my knowledge it is still there but I have not seen it in ages.
The second Falcon was a '64 Sprint. Dad and my brothers performed a top-end rebuild on it, had it repainted and reupholstered the interior. In the early 80's that was about as close as we got to a "restoration". The 289 backed by a toploader close ratio 4 spd and 5.14 posi gears hooked up and was a blast to drive, until you hit 70 and that was about all you got! The car had matching gold Enkei wheels (which have been on the '65 Sprint since it sold) and looked great. Dad sold the car to an individual in the Edmonds area who wanted the stock wheels on it. Dad said it was one of the scariest drives he had when he delivered it. Unfortunately he did not maintain the individuals name and I was unsuccessful in attempts to track it down.
The '65 Sprint was purchased (ok, bartered for) in the early 80's. The engine needed rebuilt and Dad decided to build a 302 for it and use a local mechanic to help. After several years of no progress Dad towed the car home so we could complete the engine build. In the process of breaking the engine in we scored the engine and it always smoked a little from one of the banks, which didn't please Dad, and resulted in another engine build (see below). It was a 15 year project for Dad, my brothers and I to complete the work on it, which included suspension, interior and paint. The headers alone were a task by themselves and I remember many an evening leaning over the front fenders trying to get the bolts started since I had the smallest hands!
Dads Toy 2 came about as a result of another car. Dad also had a '61 Galaxie Starliner, which didn't require as much work as the Falcon so it took precedence for several years. When it was in the body shop I gave Dad a Father's Day gift and asked the bodyman to paint "Dad's Toy" on the trunk. It was nothing fancy but just a little something. Dad appreciated it so much that when the Falcon was painted he had Dad's Toy 2 painted on it.
During those 15 years Dad considered selling the car more than once and I was able to convince him to keep it, while I was still living with him but as HS ended and college and marriage progressed I didn't have the ability to stop the inevitable. In 1998 Dad put the Falcon up for sale and the day before I made him an offer he sold it. To say I was disappointed was an understatement but at that time in my life, newly married etc. it was probably for the best.
About 10 years ago I decided that it was time to start looking for some of Dad's old cars, they all meant something to me personally as well as the family. Searches took several forms but Craigslist was by far the easiest. This summer, in the midst of a move to Central WA, I came across a '65 Sprint on the Seattle Craigslist site residing in Reno, NV. Told my wife that it was Dad's and she said not possible. I asked for one photo, of the trunk, and the next morning I was shaking as I looked at a picture of Dad's Toy-2! I contacted the seller and stayed in touch with him through our move and settling into a new town. In November I was able to fly to Reno and see the car, which was an incredible experience to see it after all of these years. The weekend before Thanksgiving my Dad, brother and I made a 3-day trip to pick it up and bring it home. One of the photos is Dad with the Falcon after 16+ years. He was speechless the first time he saw and heard it.
Ok, that was a little longer than you probably wanted. About the car, it is still running the second engine that Dad built for it, a 347 Stroker. The last owner changed out the cam (we can't determine why) and added the Milodon oil pan (nothing like 12 qts of oil) but that was about all that was done to the engine. Drivetrain items that we didn't complete were done, which included a Toploader, Auburn locker with 4.11 gears in the rear-end, traction bars and sub-frame connectors. Other than the addition of the teardrop hood and blacked out treatment the paint job is the same one Dad had sprayed on it 18 years ago (and yes, it will need a repaint eventually).
My plans for it are cruising and car shows with the family. Have a list going and can't wait for winter to be over so I can take it out and enjoy it. There are little things that I want to do but it will depend on the cost (would like to eliminate the blacked out look and get back to chrome bumpers etc). That and I am balancing time/$ on the Falcon with working on my '66 F-100 4x4 as well as getting my '70 Mach I back up and running.
Hope you enjoyed the story and the photos and I'm looking forward to participating in the Club.
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