What do I want to do with this 63 FALCON?

[M.T.]

Several years ago I started building this nice little 63 falcon for my daughter. I found a nice 289 and c4 combo for it. I pro streeted the rear end and built a cage in it. I hacked out the front shock towers and built a front sub frame with a Heidt's Mustang 2 front end. The project stalled as I got ultra busy with the business so I gave it to a buddy for a father son project. The understanding was that if he decided to get rid of it I got the call first. About 5 years have gone by and out of the blue I get the call. Come on up and get it! So not knowing what to expect I hooked up the trailer and off I went. Got there to find the wheels motor and tranny had been sold. the front end was in the back seat. And the cage had been stripped and un painted so it is natural surface rust now. The seats I had built for it were gone and it hadnt been touched for at least 4 years. I got all pissed off and loaded it on the trailer and drug it home. Now my 23 year old daughter decides she would enjoy driving it. I was going to throw a 5.0 with a 5 speed in it til I heard she wanted it. Now Im trying to decide just how far I really want to go? Good thing is she really doesnt know what has been started here. She is sure I built the cage to give her protection in crazy traffic. She's not sure what a spooled and narrowed 9" is but it sounds neat... Ive decided to get this thing going for her but what should I put in it and not go backwards with everything else Ive done? Need some help and direction here guys! Talk me off this ledge please...

[cffisher]

put the 5.0 in it and let her drive it. Of course finish the interior.

[turtlespeeder]

I'd put a 5.0 in it as well, but I would change up the rear end to something more street-able than a pro street setup. That car is in great shape!

[rspears]

Yeah, if she's driving it for transportation I'd think you'd lose the spooled & narrowed 9" in favor of a TracLoc or posi unit and some reasonably big rear tires. Since you cut out the shock towers, what would be really cool would be to get a 4.6 mod motor takeout, complete with computer from a Mustang. Once the junk is cleaned off the top they look great, and will have everyone asking. It's a wide engine with huge valve covers, so do some measuring first....

[turtlespeeder]

If the 4.6 is an option, why not go with a new coyote motor? I think there's plenty of room under the hood either of those motors

[rspears]

If the 4.6 is an option, why not go with a new coyote motor? I think there's plenty of room under the hood either of those motors

If money's no object then by all means, the Coyote is super cool. A 4.6 or even 5.8 takeout package is plentiful, reliable and good power.

[turtlespeeder]

If money's no object then by all means, the Coyote is super cool. A 4.6 or even 5.8 takeout package is plentiful, reliable and good power.

Haha well there's bound to be a junkyard or 2 out there with some wrecked new ponys

[Bob Parmenter]

Another vote against the spool here. I can remember a few years back (which probably really means anything from 5 to 20) when guys who weren't life long gear heads were getting interested in 60s muscle (probably some form of mid-life crisis or nostalgia overload). After their first drive in a reasonably accurate vintage car they'd get a quizzical look as if somehow they'd gotten a shot of vinegar instead of Tangueray. Comments like; I didn't know those steering wheels were so skinny." or "They don't corner very well do they?" and so on. Don't know if your daughters life experience would be in that vein or not, but it might be an idea to test her on something similar if you can negotiate a test drive. If it's a total turn off for her then you are closer to an answer. If it lights up her eyes and fires some excitement then have at it!

Personally I've never been a fan of pro-street and spools. Kinda like a hot looking chick who turns into a high maintenance b@#*h after one night. Since your buddy kinda undid all/most your previous efforts maybe a dial back to a pro-touring kind of deal. Muscular looks with useable road manners.

[jerry clayton]

I would replace the spool with a trac-loc----------


since in California, whatever you do you should look foreward to the licences/smog/emissions---keep whatever you do looking like the 63 period of time so 260/289/302 with maybe an edelbrock efi add on--------soooooooooo, I would be looking for hydraulic roller lifter 302, a nice set of bucket seats----

[M.T.]

Thanks guys... She has a really nice late model Jeep Cherokee for her DD. I'm thinking just the opposite of you guys. I'm thinking Id like to use it as a bar hopper... Maybe build it so its not fun for her and I can keep it! Just kidding!

I have access to a couple of good running Fox Bodied 5.0's that I was going to use. Complete cars so I think that will be the way to go for me. I build seats so that is taken care of. Maybe just pull out the spool for now and see how that works. being its already narrowed. I did just pick up a nice set of 16" X 10" original Cragar mags with new set of dot Hoosier's cheaters. I didn't even know they ever built 16" cragar mags back in the day... And yes I know these dot's are not street legal, but why not? why dot approve something that is not street worthy?

Oh Jerry, in Ca. anything 76 and older is smog exempt, or is it pure 76? anyway we are fine shape with the 63. Thanks for the replys. Hummm, now you guys have me really thinking.

[jerry clayton]

then put an FE in it with dual quads

[34_40]

And I was going to voice an opinion for a Fox Body donor... It can be rather cheap to do, give a good amount of power but still get decent mileage and if she doesn't like it, You can get out if it cheap and easy.

I think all of us would vote out the spool. Only one place to use that, on a dragstrip. I wouldn't even sweat posi at this point. Give her something to try before you go in to deep.

[M.T.]

I agree with all this sound advice so far... Sounds like it is pretty much where I think I want to go with it. Might put a mild cam in it to help it lope a little and sound meaner than it is. Throw a chain through the hood so her brother and nosey little boy friends cant get in to fiddle with it. LOL There good kids, they just have to fiddle with things they know nothing about... makes me nuts. Now if it was a rice burner it would another story!

Think I will pick up one of these Fox Body Mustangs in a few weeks and see where it goes. So what do ya think auto or 5 speed?

[rspears]

..... So what do ya think auto or 5 speed?

My son who grew up with a hot Fox body Mustang convinced me that the takeout OEM 5 speeds are mostly grenades waiting to explode. Just about all of the were driven hard by kids who were big on abuse, and once overstressed they stress crack and continue to degrade. If you're going takeout package the 302/AOD is a nice package, and a shift kit really tightens them up a bunch.

[Whiplash23T]

Definitely go 5 speed gog box and , just my opinion, I like the 289/302 mutli carb idea over this new fuel injection boring looking stuff. Keep her, the '63 looking a bit period correct... Just don't paint it pink please ...