'65 falcon 2 dr wagon resto

Today went back to the metal replacement pieces starting with the steering column firewall first....prior owners tried to install a power brake booster and ended up making the firewall look like s***....I ended up shaping, cutting, and measuring the new replacement piece from the donor metal I got...now just need to take out the steering shaft/steering box, cut out the old piece, and weld in the new donor piece

 

Man I hit the home run with this one....I contacted Todd over at www.falconfarm.com (NC) and he said he had a 4 dr '65 falcon wagon that he is parting out...come to find out the roof is very solid and rust free...I worked out a deal with him and next week I will be going up to NC on a road trip...pretty much he is going to give me the shell of the vehicle minus: doors, radiator core support, all glass including windshield, seats, hood, dash, and tailgate....plus since this car was garaged alot the cowl is very nice from the pics he sent me....cowls and the roof are very hard to find in rust free condition and that was something I couldn't pass up...plus the rear quarters aren't too bad as they aren't repopped as well...so all in all I got hooked up...hopefully the HOA doesn't give me a hard time as I will have to part it outside and throw over a tarp on it...I have been searching for months for a rust free roof....persistence does pay off

 

Way to score!

Any pics of the firewall beef-up? That's always a challenge.

So you're going to bring what's left home and disassemble? Where's a ranchero when you need it? You could run down the road, looking like a double-decker!

 

65...man...i dont even know what to say

 

Wow wow wow

Well 65 I looked at your resto thread after you posted in mine, holy cow what a piece of Sh*T! LOL Just kidding, man you have tackled quite a project, I commend you , I have no where near the patients for all that metal work. I guess thats what you have to deal with in Florida? WOW WOW WOW.

I guess we are lucky here in California, my wagon was born in Los angeles and stayed here, I am pretty lucky no real rust issues? Good luck and keep posting, good to meet you guys!!
Ryan

 

Blacksnake,

yeah she is a piece of **** alright but will be a thing of beauty after a makeover....unfortunately she was abused like a crack hore! The thing about this car is the history plus it is an original v8 a/c Florida car with a 3 spd toploader tranny....also found out it has the ultra rare sun x tinted glass...Ford offered this option in '65 with their a/c cars....I am fortunate that all of the glass is ok and unbroken.....this resto has been enjoyable because I am thinking about the end result not all of the metalwork and hunting for parts....It is like a giant puzzle where you have to find the pieces to finish it....this week coming up will be a huge puzzle piece found with the roof...can't wait until Thursday when I get it

 

I envy you a little cuz I like to watch the transformation, but my I have no patients. Lookin good and I will stay posted to this thread. BS

 

Yeah boy I just got back from NC with a new gift in the driveway! Todd over at the falcon farm hooked me with a nice '65 falcon parts wagon...the roof is rust free which is what I have been looking for for months...the cowl is even still good! Now I just have to hide it from the HOA (home owner's association!) They can be a real pain in the ass about these things but that is what a car cover is for right? Anyone I plan on cutting the roof off at the bottom posts...unfortunately the geometry of the 4 dr roof is different compared to the 2 dr so I have no choice but to weld it on on the upper post....so pretty much I am going to be a metal surgeon and cut off anything that I want to hang onto which includes the roof, cowl, rear quarters...it was funny how people on the highway would look and stare especially the passengers....thank god it wasn't the driver huh or there would have been some accidents yesterday

 

Where's the principle that a man's home is his castle? Build a moat full of crocs around it.

 

Well I have revised my plan for the roof.....it appears that the A & D pillars are the same for both rooves....the difference is in the B & C pillars....what I need to do in this case is remove the spot welds in the upper part of the post on the old roof (2 Dr)....on the 4 dr roof the B & C pillars need to come off completely...basically on the transfer I can either cut the posts half way down or where it meets the body lines on the new roof

 

You've got 2 shear points to worry about. At the roof, at the beltline. People slam doors, and the wind pressure at and on top of the roof. The lower the better, as I see it. :confused:

 

Stormin Norman,

I am leaning more towards the bottom as well.....would like to "sleeve" it in as that will give it more strength....the A pillars go all the way down to the cowl on the falcon wagons

 

Yeah, I think that's best strategy. If you ever open the windows at 150 MPH, the roof won't stay behind.

 

Today I made a "droptop" out of the parts wagon.....cut that bad boy off at the bottom of the posts....with the help of the dewalt sawzill it was done in about an hr...my buddy, Chris helped me hoist it up on top of the wagon in the garage

 

A wig raising

Now for the hoa, hoa, hoa.