1969 Ford Falcon Futura wagon

[QUOTE="Gonna get the windows tinted, along with a tint strip at the top of the windshield...... all of that will look cool... :cool:

Some day, maybe some Cragar classic 5-spoke chrome wheels???

Now your starting to ruin it. Keep it as original as possibly and your will have nice vintage ride.[/QUOTE]

I have thought of original 14” steel wheels and hub caps/trim rings..... we’ll see..... the Lincoln wheels that are on it now go ‘round and ‘round just fine.
I have always loved the looks of the Cragars, though..... again, we’ll see.

It gets hot enough around here in the summer that tinted windows will be much appreciated.

(Here’s a thought...... anyone who would like to donate their personal preference of wheels? I’m game! Get enough sets of tires/wheels, I could swap them out occasionally.... :thumbs:;):))
 
Last edited:
Now your starting to ruin it. Keep it as original as possibly and your will have nice vintage ride.

I have thought of original 14” steel wheels and hub caps/trim rings..... we’ll see..... the Lincoln wheels that are on it now go ‘round and ‘round just fine.
I have always loved the looks of the Cragars, though..... again, we’ll see.

It gets hot enough around here in the summer that tinted windows will be much appreciated.

(Here’s a thought...... anyone who would like to donate their personal preference of wheels? I’m game! Get enough sets of tires/wheels, I could swap them out occasionally.... :thumbs:;):))[/QUOTE]
Key is just don't change any thing that can't be easily changed back and enjoy your ride. Don
 
Crager S/S, Torque Thrusts or slots like Ansen Sprints are all era wheels that would look great! The car isn't bone stock anyway so why not add a few nice bolt-on's to your taste? I'm with Chris on the big wheel small sidewall thing except a bit more of an extreme dislike than that even on my part. Nausea can best describe my feelings when I see that stuff. Needless to say I experience a lot of that feeling at car shows nowadays---guess I ain't hip with today's trends---LOL!

DAC
 
Crager S/S, Torque Thrusts or slots like Ansen Sprints are all era wheels that would look great! The car isn't bone stock anyway so why not add a few nice bolt-on's to your taste? I'm with Chris on the big wheel small sidewall thing except a bit more of an extreme dislike than that even on my part. Nausea can best describe my feelings when I see that stuff. Needless to say I experience a lot of that feeling at car shows nowadays---guess I ain't hip with today's trends---LOL!

DAC

Yep..... our 1981 Bronco has the stock brushed aluminum rims, pretty standard tires, no lift...... 1995 F250 had steel 16" wheels and wheel covers. Both vehicles don't break the bank when it comes time for tires.
I really cannot stand the tall wheel/low-profile tires...... except for the ones that were on a 1994 Pontiac Firebird Firehawk that I had..... they were nice looking, not gaudy, and went well with the car.
20112465624.jpg

I bet we end up with some 5-spoke Cragars or similar......
 
Tire and wheel combination is a big factor in ride quality. Those big wheel skinny tires are like wanon wheel for ride. There is a reason manufacturers put a certain size wheel and tire on a vehicle. Lot of those spoke brushed aluminum wheels look good when new but after a several K miles they start looking crappy. Driver or show car is the question.
 
Wheels on our Buick with 80+ K on it looked pretty bad.
Pretty surprizeing it was so easy to restore them to like factory new.

413568597.jpg


413568596.jpg


Get a lot of great car comments and even more of WOW how did you/they keep the wheels so nice?

Many of this type of wheel in salvage yards but 98% have a small indent in them that is 100% rusted and no way to remove it except sand it down and rechrome or use paint.

Those tri sheild caps are nearly impossiable to find in decent shape and you pay for them.
Found a guy who had four on a trailer. cost me 25.00 each for them.
Ones on E Bay are the smaller SkyLark wheel ones and run about $200.00 a set

:D Al
 
Last edited:
Yep..... our 1981 Bronco has the stock brushed aluminum rims, pretty standard tires, no lift...... 1995 F250 had steel 16" wheels and wheel covers. Both vehicles don't break the bank when it comes time for tires.
I really cannot stand the tall wheel/low-profile tires...... except for the ones that were on a 1994 Pontiac Firebird Firehawk that I had..... they were nice looking, not gaudy, and went well with the car.
View attachment 16080

I bet we end up with some 5-spoke Cragars or similar......

Those wheels on that Bird look like they belong there. So many of those big wheels are so huge and overpowering that they completely distract the eye from the car, or truck for that matter. Don't know why people want just the wheels to show up before the car but that seems to be a trend that won't die. My wife's '06 Denali has stock 18's but the sidewall proportionally looks right.

DAC
 
The Falcon flies again!!!!!

Got the bearing pressed on the shafts this morning. Afternoon was spent putting it all back together and cleaning up. A nice ride around town proved to be very nice!!!!

Got inside as it was getting too dark to see anything.

Another project finished!!!!!
 
Last edited:
Gave the Falcon it’s first oil change since we’ve owned it. I used O’reilly Auto’s synthetic 10W-30 and a WIX 51515 oil filter. Added a quart of Lucas oil additive.

While under the car, and since this is the only vehicle we have with a Ford AOD transmission, I got a good visual of the throttle valve location and how it connects to the shifter and the foot feed. There is a lot of slop in the cable that goes to the accelerator pedal bracket..... the little I have read about an AOD transmission tells me that the slop in that cable might be the reason for the hard shift between 1st and 2nd gears. More reading and investigating to do..... anyone here know about AOD’s? Input appreciated.
 
Was told about a transmission shop recommended highly by the repair shop that does work for me. Trans shop is not even 2 miles from my house. I spoke to the guy on the phone last week about the AOD transmission in the Falcon. I will hopefully get the car dropped off sometime this week for him to adjust the throttle valve and then see how it drives.

Other than that, I received some parts I had ordered. Got the worn out rear air shocks replaced with some coil-over load-adjusting shocks. The car sits nicely and I am looking forward to driving it today to see how it feels. Also received some minor front suspension parts. Will be replacing the stabilizer bar links, hopefully this evening. The rubber bushings on the current ones are disintegrating. Also received a set of spark plugs, and the plastic turn signal cam that goes inside the steering column. I will be really glad to get that replaced because I have to help keep the turn signal lever in place when making a right turn.

Little by little, getting the odds and ends done.

We drove the car to see the inlaws over the weekend. 250 mile drive...... LOVED the car!! A friend there told me he might have a set of 5-spoke wheels I can HAVE... He was going to see what they are and see if they are anything I can use. Sounds like a classic 5-spoke with the grey centers.
Maybe like this??? https://www.summitracing.com/parts/...2214710524569&utm_content=GSAPI+5ba1044d7f557
 
The Falcon certainly rides better with the new rear shocks. This evening, did a little repair work on the tailgate. The switch that allows the electric rear window to operate when the door is closed was intermittent. Just needed some cleaning and lubrication of the latch hardware and linkages. Then installed the new stabilizer bar links. Super easy to do. Didn't get a chance to test drive yet.

When I was going to pull the Bronco back into the garage........ not even a click when I turned the key. My best half had parked it in the drive when she got home as I was working on the Falcon. Checked everything and really couldn't believe that the battery had just quit like that, but sure enough..... after a lot of problem determination, I took the battery from the Falcon and installed it in the Bronco..... started right up and the alternator is charging good. Got the Bronco back in the garage, put the battery back in the Falcon, and will make a trip to Battery Outfitters in the morning. That old battery is three years old.
 
Back
Top