Vehicle: 1963 1/2 Ford Falcon Sprint Hardtop
Owner: Andrew Brown
Location: Parker, TX, right next door to Allen and Plano, TX
Color: Finished in Corinthian White exterior and Crushed Blue vinyl
Mileage: Just over 100k and we call it "unrestored"



Suspension:

Front: AirRide Shockwaves bolted to an otherwise stock Falcon suspension. The Shockwave is a combined airspring/damper unit that fits in place of the OE shock/spring and perch. There is an top mount under the shock tower and a top plate that together sandwich the structure and provide a load path for the ShockWave. The OE shock top hats are no longer used. The system mounts in all the factory holes and the car can be returned to conventional coil/shock set up with no problem if desired. The Shockwave has a 16 position adjustable damping knob, which in combination with air pressure can be used to tune the ride to the set up and the particular car.

Rear: AirRide AirOverLeaf, which is an air spring fitted to a bracket over a reduced stock leaf pack. The top of the air spring mounts to the frame and the shock is in the standard location, using KYB Gas-a-Justs. In this fashion, the rear capacity is partly provided by the remaining 3 leafs and partly by the air spring. In addition, a 2"x 3" spacer is placed under the axle perch to lower the car.

The choice of air suspension was made because:
Ride quality
Tunability
Handling
Reversibility
Ability to lower the car with minimal to no loss in ride quality

The control unit for the system is also by AirRide, a combined packaged unit called the AirPod. This unit fits nicely in the LH corner of the trunk and the molded cover adds a just right touch to the installation.

The suspension is controlled via an electronic key pad, whose cable was routed from the AirPod to the center console, concealed under the rear seat and carpet. The control allows for any adjustment of pressure at each corner among other things. There are 3 presets of which #2 is "ride height" and that is automatically ensured at each time the key is turned on. Settting #1 is for full drop and #3 for extended, such as oil change or trailer loading. Of course all driving is to be done at Ride Height, setting #2.

Wheels and Tires:

After much thought, consideration and trial of several wheels to verify fitment and appearance, I went w/ the American Racing Salt Flat in gray. I had hoped to make an 8" wide wheel fit, the rear is a challenge and with the car lowered that much more so. So I went w/ 7" wide and I am very happy with it. American Racing Custom Wheel Shop's back order time was long, promised at 8 wks but delivered at 14 wks, just in time for the 2008 Falcon Nationals in Springfield, luckily! The wheels were custom ordered w/ these specs and are aluminum cast center powder coated old school gray that are welded to a polished aluminum rim:
17x7
5 on 4.5" bc
4.75" backspacing
tires BfGoodrich KDW2's in size 215/45 17 all around

Brakes:

Stone stock, single master cylinder and drums at all four corners.

Engine:

Per previous owner, the 260 (original block) was merely rebuilt to stock specs. A reground cam was installed the the heads were rebuilt to include hardened valve seats. Carb is a 2 bbl. It has the Sprint valve covers and a reproduction Sprint style chrome air cleaner.

Description:

I have been a Mustang guy since 1989 and still have my Fox body coupe. As I gained interest in the 60's cars, I wanted a car not seen on every corner. Reading up on the history of the Falcon, I was sold. I found Tffn, began the learning process and watched a few car across Ebay. One day on Craigslist, I came across this Sprint in Arizona. It is far from a perfect car, and the high end cars AZ is known for may have kept this car down at the lower end of interest, perhaps. It was the opposite for me. With a couple of small kids, a busy job and a great wife that puts up with my car hobby, I really wanted a 60's car that could be enjoyed right away. Not a project, and wanted to stay out of the paint shop but small fun to do things I really enjoy.

The owner was glad to share the details. He and a close friend had owned the car since 1990; the first owner Mr C had passed away and his sister had sold the car. The incredible part is the first owner Mr C was meticulous about filing paperwork. He was the son of 2 Italian immigrants and lived and worked as a gardener for the city of San Fransisco, CA. I must have 2" thick worth of paper trails on this car from 1963. You name it, it is in the file. CA black plates, first buyer's order, window sticker, registration yr by yr, tire rotation and even Mr C's death certificate from 1990.

The then current owner Mr H was able to email photos and fax a few documents at my request - buying a car unseen can be nerve wracking. Mr H had a small paint and car restoration shop in AZ, and was a good communicator. We struck a deal and I jumped a flight to Phoenix. We spent that whole day, going over the car, bank, license office, shared a meal and it was funny - his dad and he had not spoken for some time; but when his dad heard the Falcon was leaving, he came over, and their relationship had a new start it seemed. I had a plan to drive the car back to Texas, but 110d AZ and not being yet familar with the car, plus the generous offer to keep the car safe in the garage while I arranged transport sealed the deal. I was back on the plane w/ several lbs of paperwork to sift through on the way home.

So yes the car needs weatherstripping, attention here and there, there are chips, nicks and the RR quarter refinish is evident - but the car is great fun to drive and gets a lot of compliments. Many thanks to all at Tffn who perhaps without this website and photos I would have missed out on the enjoyment of Falcons!