Door lock link

This past Wednesday I tried to use my key to lock the driver's door and the key just turned back and forth without moving the lock.

This afternoon I took the driver's side door panel off and saw a link rod hanging down. I pushed it back in place and reassemble the door panel. The rod in question is the "top" or outermost rod and I pushed it through the top hole that is connected to the key lock mechanism (tumbler).

Attachment 5582

Attachment 5583

The key lock works now but I need the little retainer snap that goes on the end of the link rod that goes through the hole to make sure that it does not come undone again.

Does anyone know what that little retainer snap is called and where I can get one?

I had to buy a few for my 64 and I think I got them from Falcon Parts. com. I didn't realize it but there are different types for your car. Here is a link to one.


http://www.bonanza.com/listings/60-6...FUmRfgodB9oLew

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Originally Posted by BadBird

Here is a link to one.

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Thanks, Larry.

I will order a set.

Another interesting item is that while messing with the door I saw where the drain valves are supposed to be. There are three of them along the bottom of the door. In my case, the little plugs were in place next to the drain holes, but the rubber "valves" were gone.

"1963 Ford Falcon BOTTOM OF DOOR DRAIN HOLE PLUG"
Attachment 5584

See: https://www.autokrafters.com/Ford-Fa...hole-plug.aspx

I can't see any need to replace them, though. The valves are $3.95 each and they look like they would impede drainage.

Dennis,

I have a set in a pile of parts I picked up a few years back. They were for a different year, I think. I still have them, may have to look at them (again) now.

Never knew they existed until then, nor what the function actually was. Seems anything stuffed into the holes would impede drainage and collect crud and promote rust. But I've honestly never given them more than a moments thought.

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Originally Posted by Luva65wagon

Seems anything stuffed into the holes would impede drainage and collect crud and promote rust.

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Hello, Roger,.

I am beginning to think the same thing about my "rear bumper seal". I installed it because it was supposed to be there, but I am thinking of taking it off because all it seems to do is catch leaves. Do you have these things on your cars? Do you have an opinion on them?

"1960-1965 REAR BUMPER SEALS: This is the seal that fits between the rear bumper and the rear body panel."

Attachment 5585

See: http://www.falconparts.com/ford-falc...ALS-11p314.htm

Update to Larry: On closer inspection, the description for the door lock link clips says: " They are front door lock rod clips for 1960 1961 1963 1964 Ford Falcon (except body code 63);" Well, darn. The hardtop is body code 63. I wonder why these clips would not work on a hardtop. Don't you have a hardtop?

See: http://www.bonanza.com/listings/60-6...FUmRfgodB9oLew

Thanks, Dennis.

Dennis, I do have a Hardtop, but it's a 64 which is different for some odd reason. I do think I got mine from Falcon Parts.com. They are not my favorite vendor, but?
As far as the bumper seal? I cannot tell you what the purpose is. I took one off and put a new one on. Didn't really thing about it I guess. Good questions. Larry

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BadBird

Dennis, I do have a Hardtop, but it's a 64 which is different for some odd reason.

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I can't find a clip that is specifically labeled as being for for a 1963 Falcon hardtop. This pair of "1964-65 Ford Fairlane Door Lock Rod Retainer Clips C3AZ-6221952-A, Pair" is $8.95 with free postage from e-bay and they sure look like they would work.

Attachment 5586

See: http://www.ebay.com/itm/1964-65-Ford...xU6T5l&vxp=mtr

The number C3AZ indicates 1963. It fits a 1964 Falcon Sprint which is rather similar to a 1963 1/2 Sprint (which is a hardtop).

"This part is compatible with 82 vehicle(s).
Year Make Model Trim Engine
1964 Ford Falcon Futura Sprint 4.3L 260Cu. In. V8 GAS Naturally Aspirated"

These also have the little plastic insert. Mine has a (probably broken) black plastic insert.

Attachment 5587

I've always heard the rear bumper seal is there to prevent rocks from flying up and bouncing off the inside curve of the bumper, trashing the paint on the rear panel. Even small gravel or grains of sand can get going pretty fast when you're clipping along at 60 mph and then bouncing off that chromed steel. Just like a media blaster.

But I don't know this for a fact. Probably could also help with the dust buildup if you travel dirt roads.

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Originally Posted by redfalken

I've always heard the rear bumper seal is there to prevent rocks from flying up and bouncing off the inside curve of the bumper, trashing the paint on the rear panel.

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The corners of the rear bumper are two little air scoops.

Attachment 5592

I have wondered if it would make the car more streamlined if those scoops were sealed against the body. But then I considered that the car is creating a vacuum behind it as it moves at highway speed. The air being scooped by the bumper will empty out behind the car and reduce the vacuum. Maybe the Ford designers actually considered this when they designed the aerodynamics.

Then what you are really saying is Chip Foose is ruining the aerodynamic design Ford and other car makers intended! :WHATTHE:

Actually I think a lot of it was to keep under-car fumes from getting translated upward. I know on a wagon you can't drive around with the rear window open - even with this added. I do have these on both the wagon and Ranchero, but don't have issues with leaves. You need to drive them, or at least have them outside, to have that sort of issue.

:rain:

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Originally Posted by ew1usnr

The corners of the rear bumper are two little air scoops.

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While speaking of air scoops, I thought that it might be nice to have a cowl vent air scoop. It would keep leaves from falling into the cowl while the car is parked and would increase air flow through the vents while moving.

Attachment 5593

I tried explaining it to another engineer friend at work. I started laughing though and had a difficult time finishing, while describing a mass of hurricane velocity air whooshing through the vent ducts "WHOOOOOOO" while driving at 80 mph.

"High Flow Air Scoop in Smoke - Increase the efficiency of your heater and air conditioner and improve airflow through your vents. Available in dark smoke or chrome, easy installation with no drilling required."
See: http://www.quadratec.com/products/13006_11.htm

The commercial examples use double sided tape or adhesive to stick them to the cowl. If I were to make one as an experiment, it could be made out of ABS sheet plastic. It could have "L" brackets on the right and left to lock it into the cowl vent. It would have to made with a curvature to match the curve of the cowl vent. It is something interesting to think about.

That's something I really liked about my '56 F100, the cowl vent scoop. On hot days this was the best thing ever! Maybe you could come up with this scoop and make it a quick-release thing using some sort of quarter-turn fastener.

This is not a picture of my ex-truck, but it is the same:

Attachment 5594

The actual air intake for the heater was on the passenger side just in front the door. Many folks fill this in with a patch panel, which I've debated more on the Falcon than I ever did on the truck:

Attachment 5595

On the Falcon most of us just use the magnetic cowl cover now to keep crud out, but then forget to pull it off and wonder why the heater doesn't work very good. Ask me how I know.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Luva65wagon

That's something I really liked about my '56 F100, the cowl vent scoop. On hot days this was the best thing ever! Maybe you could come up with this scoop and make it a quick-release thing using some sort of quarter-turn fastener.

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Hello, Roger.

That was a good idea about the quarter turn fasteners. "L" brackets on the right and left will not work because they have to be rotated while inserting them. The opening in the vent grill are only 3/16" wide and only allow for a tiny bit of "rotational radius".

Here is a commercial example of a clear plastic cowl vent cover:

Attachment 5596

They say: MUSTANG SCOTT DRAKE COWL COVER 1965-1966 ACC 16741 65 “The low-profile design cowl cover simply sits on top of the cowl vent grille. It mounts by pressing and twisting the spring loaded tabs down through the vent bars. This cover can be easily installed or removed in minutes.”

The spring-loaded quarter turn fasteners they use are exactly what I need.

I did a google-search and saw this "quick release quarter turn fastener" that looks kind of like what they have on the Mustang cowl cover. Maybe Lowe's or Home Depot has something like this.

Attachment 5597

This might work: a 1/8" toggle bolt at Lowes.
See: http://www.lowes.com/pd_326597-10457...d=3385762&pl=1

Attachment 5601

I got something like this and was able to get several out of one sheet. $12.50 w/free shipping

http://www.ebay.com/itm/12-x24-Blank...sAAOSwHjNV-1dV

I bought it in red but would actually advise getting some bright, obnoxious, contrasting color so you are more likely to notice you should remove it. Like Roger, I'm usually going down the road 30 mph before I realize I forgot!!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Luva65wagon

That's something I really liked about my '56 F100, the cowl vent scoop. On hot days this was the best thing ever! Maybe you could come up with this scoop and make it a quick-release thing using some sort of quarter-turn fastener.

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Hello, Roger.

The cowl vent air scoop is coming along.

I sort of made my own quarter turn fastener from a 1/8" toggle bolt. The toggle wings would not fit through the vent louver slot, so I used just the hinge-pin nut from toggle wings. I burred the thread below the nut so that it would not come off.

Attachment 5604

The side supports are attached to the cowl vent.

Attachment 5605

I have the air scoop top cut to size, but it has not been glued to the side supports yet. This is made from 1/8" thick textured black ABS plastic.

Attachment 5606

Attachment 5607

Dennis,

I suspect the center-back of this vent will want to lift up and may tear the thing to pieces. Wind drag is a powerful force than increases exponentially with speed. It may go POOF!

Just a thought.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Luva65wagon

Dennis, I suspect the center-back of this vent will want to lift up and may tear the thing to pieces.

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Hello, Roger.

My cowl vent air scoop prototype is complete (I think) and I will drive the car to work tomorrow morning and see what happens.

I considered anchoring it along it along the back side, but it looks to me that the wind will push the scoop with a clockwise torque (when viewed from the driver's side). That means that it would push the trailing edge of the scoop down, not lift it up.

Attachment 5608

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Luva65wagon

Wind drag is a powerful force than increases exponentially with speed. It may go POOF! Just a thought.

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Attachment 5609

Agreed. I will keep the vent doors and a vent window open to give a clear flow path for the air and minimize stress on the scoop. I will accelerate slowly and watch the scoop for shaking, flapping, or bowing and hope that the quarter-turn anchors do not pull loose. My top speed in tomorrow morning's traffic will probably be around 45 mph and I will keep a screw driver handy in case I need to pull over and take the thing off.

I drove the Falcon to work with the windows up and the vents open. The morning temperature was 62° and it forecast to be 82° and mostly cloudy at 5:00. The cowl vent air scoop worked nicely. It channeled more air through the vents and made it breezy the inside of the car with just a vent window tilted open. I turned on the heater and directed air flow though the heater core and it worked fine. I hit a top speed of 55 mph and the top of the scoop shook a little bit. A center support would increase the scoop’s structural rigidity and eliminate the shaking.

So, the cowl vent air scoop did work:
Attachment 5610

Sixty square inches of Ram Air:
Attachment 5611

But .... I drove home with all the windows down and the vent widows tilted all the way out to act as air scoops. Under that setting, I could not tell that the vent air scoop was adding much to the general air flow. There was some air blowing against my left leg from the vent, but it was rather insignificant compared to the amount of breeze that was present as a result of all the windows being open. I removed the air scoop when I got home.

Analysis:
Once again, I cannot improve on the stock ventilation design that was selected by the Ford engineers of 1959 who designed the Falcon. Those guys really did a good job. The vent system of the early 1950's that Roger referenced used a "ram air" concept.

Attachment 5612

The Falcon's design engineers, however, seem to have achieved a better understanding of aerodynamics. If a vent scoop would have worked better, they would have included it. They instead selected "cowl induction" over "ram air" to supply the best ventilation for the Falcon. When air flows over the hood and hits the windshield, it has to slow down while it changes direction. It piles up on the windshield and creates a high pressure bubble that will follow a path of least resistance.

Attachment 5613

The Ford design engineers placed the Falcon's ventilation intake grill at exactly where there is a high pressure air supply that will rush down through the open vents. The stock ventilation system of the Falcon is perfect as is. A cowl vent air scoop providing ram air is not needed. Dennis Pierson from 2016 speaking to the Ford engineers of 1959 who designed the Falcon: "I understand what you did and you did a good job!".

Addendum: On reflection, however, it would have been nice if Ford han made the vent inlet louvers removable so that the cowl drains could be accessed and cleaned if the became blocked.