Okay, so I finally got my hands dirty with this 1964 Ford Falcon sedan I picked up a while back. It wasn’t exactly a barn find, more like a ‘forgotten in the back of the driveway’ kind of deal. But hey, it was mostly complete, and I’ve always liked these simple little cars.
First Steps – Just Getting It Movable
First thing was just getting it rolling properly. The tires were flat and cracked, typical stuff. So I sourced some cheap rollers just to be able to push it into my workspace without tearing up the driveway. Had to wrestle the old wheels off, those lug nuts were really seized on there. Lots of penetrating oil and patience. Once it was inside, I spent a good afternoon just clearing out the junk inside. Found some old maps, a surprising amount of dried leaves, and thankfully, no major critter infestations.
Looking Under the Hood
The engine bay was grimy but looked untouched, which can be good or bad. It’s the standard small six-cylinder engine these came with. I decided to start simple.
- Pulled the spark plugs. They looked old but not fouled too badly. Cleaned them up.
- Checked the oil. Looked dark, really dark. Drained it and the filter. Put in some fresh, cheap stuff for now.
- Looked at the coolant. Rusty water, pretty much. Drained that too.
- Battery was obviously toast. Got a new one hooked up just to see if anything would happen.
Turned the key… and nothing. Well, okay, the solenoid clicked. Progress? Cleaned up the battery terminals and the main ground connection to the engine block. Tried again. This time, it turned over! Slowly, but it turned. That was a good sign.
Fuel and Spark Issues
Getting it to run was the next big hurdle. I figured the old gas was varnish by now. Didn’t even want to try pulling that through the lines. I rigged up a small temporary gas can directly to the fuel pump inlet. Checked for spark at the plugs – weak, but it was there. The points in the distributor looked corroded, so I filed them clean and set the gap best I could by eye for now. Sprayed a little starting fluid into the carb, cranked it, and boom! It fired up and died immediately. Did it again, same thing. Okay, so spark was happening, but fuel wasn’t getting there consistently.
The carburetor needed rebuilding, no doubt. Pulled it off, which wasn’t too hard on these. Took it apart on the bench. Full of gunk and sticky stuff. Ordered a rebuild kit online. While waiting for that, I blew out the fuel line from the pump to the carb with compressed air.
Putting It Back Together (Sort Of)
Carb kit arrived. Spent an evening carefully cleaning all the little passages and putting it back together with the new gaskets and bits. Bolted it back onto the engine, hooked up my temporary fuel can again. Checked everything over. Turned the key, cranked it a bit to let the fuel pump fill the carb bowl… and it fired up! Coughed and sputtered for a bit, but this time it stayed running. Idled rough, but it ran!
Let it run for a few minutes, keeping an eye on things. No major leaks popped up immediately, which was a relief. Smoked a bit, probably burning off junk that’s been sitting in the cylinders and exhaust.
Where It Stands Now
So, the Falcon runs. That’s a major step. It’s not driveable yet. The brakes feel like stepping on a sponge, so that whole system needs going through next – master cylinder, wheel cylinders, hoses, the works. The transmission fluid needs changing. The cooling system needs a proper flush and new hoses before I trust it. And obviously, the main fuel tank needs to be dropped and cleaned or replaced before I can hook the fuel lines back up properly. But yeah, progress. It feels good to bring something back from sitting silent for so long.
