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jerrysarcastic (Forum Supporter)
jerrysarcastic (Forum Supporter) Reader
12/14/20 7:17 p.m.

The front end on the car is tight, but just doesn't corner particularly well. 

Did the previous owner leave the upper arm in the stock location?  By all accounts Ford engineered positive camber gain into the front suspension, which I’m sure is something that made sense when everyone was riding on skinny bias ply tires, but definitely hurts handling.

With that in mind you may want to try doing the “Arning Drop” on the upper arm (if the PO didn’t do it already) to correct the camber curve, just like Shelby did.

I’ll say that it made a huge difference (like night and day) when I did it, and improved cornering grip even with stock components.  You can do it in an afternoon, and I just used a paper template printed from the internet and a little measure twice cut once so in my case it was totally free. At a minimum it will make your car easier to live with until you get to bolting on the shiny stuff.

mickpiston
mickpiston New Reader
12/14/20 9:27 p.m.
jerrysarcastic (Forum Supporter) said:

The front end on the car is tight, but just doesn't corner particularly well. 

Did the previous owner leave the upper arm in the stock location?  By all accounts Ford engineered positive camber gain into the front suspension, which I’m sure is something that made sense when everyone was riding on skinny bias ply tires, but definitely hurts handling.

With that in mind you may want to try doing the “Arning Drop” on the upper arm (if the PO didn’t do it already) to correct the camber curve, just like Shelby did.

I’ll say that it made a huge difference (like night and day) when I did it, and improved cornering grip even with stock components.  You can do it in an afternoon, and I just used a paper template printed from the internet and a little measure twice cut once so in my case it was totally free. At a minimum it will make your car easier to live with until you get to bolting on the shiny stuff.

I've read all about the Shelby Drop, no clue how I never came across that in my Mustang days. I'm not sure if it has been done on this car, but looking at the control arm mounting locations from inside the engine bay they seem to be original. Unless the new holes were drilled and the old ones filled in, it has probably not been done. I will probably do that some weekend coming up, seems quick and easy to improve what I've already got on the car.

mickpiston
mickpiston New Reader
12/14/20 9:35 p.m.

Accomplished a few things after work today.

Got my new shift knob installed, it was a huge project. I'm really liking it.

I also got the new Grant wheel installed. I'm pretty impressed with the quality of the wheel itself, the wood is nicely done, and the brushed stainless looks good. However I'm really not very impressed with their mounting adapter system, and especially the horn button setup.  I was getting out of the car after installation and bumped the turn signal switch and the horn went off haha. Only on right turn, but still....not good. It looked like the custom hub to fit the Falcon column fit just fine and would clear the turn signal mechanism, but maybe not. Got to pull the wheel back off and check all that. It does fit well and look good though, so I'll work out the bugs and keep it for now.

I also got my new console, unfortunately found it is way to narrow to fit well in between these ProCar buckets. I've had a Classic Consoles unit in my old 66 Mustang, and it fit perfectly, with the stock bucket seats. They must have been wider than the Procars. Anyways, need to figure out a better mounting system for the console, but shouldn't take long.

Well damn, now I'm running out of things to do waiting on the damn in-tank fuel pump for the Sniper system. It's currently 25* and snowing so I'm not driving the car at the moment, but we can get nice weather any day so I don't want to take it out of commission for the EFI install until all the parts are here. Guess I should continue tear-down on the Moto Guzzi!

03Panther
03Panther Dork
12/14/20 10:19 p.m.

That view of the interior is the stuff my dreams have been made of for 45 years!!!!

amg_rx7 (Forum Supporter)
amg_rx7 (Forum Supporter) SuperDork
12/15/20 12:23 a.m.

Nice knob 

err wait...

mickpiston
mickpiston New Reader
12/15/20 12:25 a.m.
03Panther said:

That view of the interior is the stuff my dreams have been made of for 45 years!!!!

haha I agree. I love a nice 60's car interior. Comfortable, functional, looks cool and does the job.

mickpiston
mickpiston New Reader
12/15/20 12:25 a.m.
amg_rx7 (Forum Supporter) said:

Nice knob 

err wait...

I get that all the time. Really. I swear.

mickpiston
mickpiston New Reader
12/16/20 12:45 a.m.

Some interesting adventures with the Grant steering wheel.  Like I mentioned above, the horn would blow when the turn signal stalk was moved. After some dicking around, it would also blow when turning the wheel more than 45* or so.

Lots of investigation led me to multiple issues.

I blew the horn about 15 million times trying to figure out where the short was coming from. The wife was pretty annoyed. I finally disconnected the horn wire under the dash, and setup my multimeter showing continuity to ground on that wire, so it would beep at me when the horn circuit was being triggered.  On the 61 falcon, the horn button on the wheel grounds a wire, which triggers the horn relay. Luckily there is no hot side to short to ground in the horn assembly in the wheel.

First, the turn signal issue. It turned out the turn signals were causing the horn to blow because I needed to readjust the steering column to wheel hub gap. Grant of course mentions this nowhere in their instructions. 

This was causing the hub (and therefore the grounding slip ring on the bottom of the hub for the horn contact) to rub on the turn signal canceling cams when they were activated (which pushes them inwards). These are the springs top and bottom in the next picture. The horn contact is on the left.

Once I set the gap better, they couldn't touch no matter which way the turn signal was engaged, yet the spring loaded horn contact could rest on the grounding slip ring. Which leads to the next problem.

The horn would blow when turning the wheel off center. At first I blamed Grants crappy hub design. I still don't like it, but I don't think that was the problem. I drank a couple beers to charge up the head computer, and realized I should check out the horn contact after looking at the hub when I removed the wheel for the 10 millionth time. I noticed I had wrecked the horn grounding ring from turning the wheel trying to figure out what was going on. (Calling Grant tomorrow, hope I can get a replacement hub)

Turned out the spring loaded horn contact sits in a plastic base, and that base was cracked. It looked OK with the wheel off, but when the hub was in place and pressing against the contact, the cracked base let it slip sideways. This gouged up the grounding ring, but caused the horn to blow when turning because it would rub on the self canceling trigger (black thing in the center) that I had swapped over from my stock wheel.

I removed it and it became clear just how bad of shape it was in. I guess it held up OK with the old wheel in place, but after being relieved of pressure after 60 years, the plastic base was toast.

So, I got the wheel back on, insulated the horn wire in the column, and the car is good to drive. I ordered a NOS horn contact/base that should fix the problem. I'll call Grant tomorrow and try to get them to send me a replacement hub, if not guess I'm buying another mounting kit ($30 more down the drain). We'll see.

And sorry for this crap picture with no light, but I got my console put in. I love these things, had one in my Mustang forever. Unfortunately it's made to be pressed in between the stock bucket seats, which hold it steady (also velcroes to the carpet). These Procars must be narrower bc there was a large gap and it was much too loose. I'm going to mount it  to the floor with a bracket or something, but for now I took some wood scraps I had laying around, covered them in leftover headliner material, and used them to shim the console between the seats. Not ideal, but will work for now.

Til next time! I looked through the build book and have a pretty cool parts list for the engine in the car. Will post that up soon.

tester (Forum Supporter)
tester (Forum Supporter) Reader
12/16/20 8:26 a.m.

Just a warning, those Grant wheels were know for wearing and loosening up at the hub. I think there is a DIY fix for it, but it has been a long time sense I looked at an early 60s Ford steering column. 

notsafeforwork
notsafeforwork Reader
12/16/20 9:03 a.m.

Are you gonna add some more wood accents to the interior to balance out the wood wheel?

If not it's going to continue to look out of place all alone in there . . . you need more wood stuff if it's staying as is.

"Just a warning, those Grant wheels were know for wearing and loosening up at the hub"

Yeah those Grant wheels are crap, you REALLY need a six bolt Momo or eight bolt Moto lita/Lecarra/Formuling wheel for safety.

mickpiston
mickpiston New Reader
12/16/20 1:12 p.m.
tester (Forum Supporter) said:

Just a warning, those Grant wheels were know for wearing and loosening up at the hub. I think there is a DIY fix for it, but it has been a long time sense I looked at an early 60s Ford steering column. 

Interesting, I'll keep an eye on that. The fit at the splines is good and tight. I don't see how the hub could come loose or wear the splines unless the nut was very loose. I don't think this is the best quality wheel setup out there, but it will do the job for now. More money to spend on faster parts haha.

mickpiston
mickpiston New Reader
12/16/20 1:16 p.m.
notsafeforwork said:

Are you gonna add some more wood accents to the interior to balance out the wood wheel?

If not it's going to continue to look out of place all alone in there . . . you need more wood stuff if it's staying as is.

"Just a warning, those Grant wheels were know for wearing and loosening up at the hub"

Yeah those Grant wheels are crap, you REALLY need a six bolt Momo or eight bolt Moto lita/Lecarra/Formuling wheel for safety.

No, not planning on any other wood. I'm fine with the look the way it is. Where else would I put wood? I wouldn't mind suggestions.

Unfortunately I can't go back to the stock wheel now, the hub for the spokes pretty much disintigrated when I removed it from the car. It was badly cracked all around, and didn't survive being removed. I'm sure it could be epoxied back together or something, but I'm not going to try to reuse it.

I agree, I'm not a huge fan of the Grant wheel. This is my first one, and it didn't impress. However, it was about $170 for the wheel and install kit. I don't want to spend double that right now on a better wheel. I doubt I'll keep this one on for too long, but it's the plan for now.

Boredom
Boredom New Reader
12/16/20 2:11 p.m.

I have been running a similar wheel from grant for a couple years now in my dart, except the middle section is black instead of the brushed, that is the only difference as far as I can tell. I had a similar issue with the horn blowing randomly but I cant say for sure if my fix was the same or not (can't really remember). 

Either way, I have not had any issue with it falling apart or any looseness with it or any issue for that matter since but that is just my own testimonial so take it with a grain (wood grain?) of salt.  Also my car might have sat more than drove in those two years, so yeah.... 

The car is looking good, the wood wheel pops to me but I like the contrast. Personally I like it with the all black interior and white knob. Really good vintage vibes. I don't think I would change a thing! 

notsafeforwork
notsafeforwork Reader
12/16/20 3:32 p.m.

"Where else would I put wood? I wouldn't mind suggestions."

 

Maybe dash panels and console as was done on the early Mustang Pony Package? Honestly though, I don't think that the Falcon lends itself to any wood elements at all.

If you might like a brand new/never used black anodized aluminum spoke, leather wrapped Grant steering wheel that might go better with your all black interior, give me a shout, you can have it for just the shipping costs. Maybe $15 . . .  looks like this one:

 

03Panther
03Panther Dork
12/16/20 10:44 p.m.

In reply to mickpiston :

Where else would I put wood? I wouldn't mind suggestions.

Fair warning... the crowd here is being kind to the new guysmiley   That could go down hill quickly! But that's the beauty of this place, its all in fun. 

I think the wheel of sets the white 5 speed knob, and the black interior well, keeping it period custom looking. More wood would start getting cheesy looking, in the falcon. 

03Panther
03Panther Dork
12/16/20 10:56 p.m.

In reply to notsafeforwork :

I do like the wood highlights in the pony's, but agree not for the falcons. But, as I said above, I think just the wheel works ok, but my age (and coming of age time) might be an influence! Not necessarily a good one surprise

That black spoke leather wheel is exactly what I wanted in my ol' 48. But found a smaller one, although chrome, for a bit more room for my knees. I would love that in the OBS F 450; if Mick p. isn't interested I'd love to work something out with ya.

mickpiston
mickpiston New Reader
12/16/20 11:22 p.m.
Boredom said:

I have been running a similar wheel from grant for a couple years now in my dart, except the middle section is black instead of the brushed, that is the only difference as far as I can tell. I had a similar issue with the horn blowing randomly but I cant say for sure if my fix was the same or not (can't really remember). 

Either way, I have not had any issue with it falling apart or any looseness with it or any issue for that matter since but that is just my own testimonial so take it with a grain (wood grain?) of salt.  Also my car might have sat more than drove in those two years, so yeah.... 

The car is looking good, the wood wheel pops to me but I like the contrast. Personally I like it with the all black interior and white knob. Really good vintage vibes. I don't think I would change a thing! 

Glad to hear the Grant worked OK for you. I think it's worth about what I paid for it. Not the nicest wheel system, but it looks alright and will do the job. I like the interior as well, thanks.

mickpiston
mickpiston New Reader
12/16/20 11:23 p.m.

In reply to notsafeforwork :

Thanks I appreciate the input. I looked it over again, and I don't think I'm a fan of any other wood on the interior. I just always liked the wood wheel since my Mustang days. This does the job for now. I really appreciate the offer, but I'm not a fan of the black leather wrapped wheels. I don't think it's the right look for the car. Thanks much for the input though!

mickpiston
mickpiston New Reader
12/16/20 11:25 p.m.
03Panther said:

In reply to mickpiston :

Where else would I put wood? I wouldn't mind suggestions.

Fair warning... the crowd here is being kind to the new guysmiley   That could go down hill quickly! But that's the beauty of this place, its all in fun. 

I think the wheel of sets the white 5 speed knob, and the black interior well, keeping it period custom looking. More wood would start getting cheesy looking, in the falcon. 

I can take the criticism, no problem here! Really cool forum, I really like all the input and conversation. Thanks for the comments on the interior, I think I like it this way as well.

mickpiston
mickpiston New Reader
12/16/20 11:25 p.m.
03Panther said:

In reply to notsafeforwork :

I do like the wood highlights in the pony's, but agree not for the falcons. But, as I said above, I think just the wheel works ok, but my age (and coming of age time) might be an influence! Not necessarily a good one surprise

That black spoke leather wheel is exactly what I wanted in my ol' 48. But found a smaller one, although chrome, for a bit more room for my knees. I would love that in the OBS F 450; if Mick p. isn't interested I'd love to work something out with ya.

Thanks, glad you like it. That wheel is all yours if you want to work something out. I'm sticking with the wood wheel for now.

03Panther
03Panther Dork
12/16/20 11:29 p.m.

In reply to mickpiston :

I wasn't thinkin' bout criticisms. Just suggestions of where you could put "wood". My wife says I have a 5th graders sense of humour...

Around here criticisms are even usually very obviously constructive smiley

mickpiston
mickpiston New Reader
12/16/20 11:31 p.m.

In reply to 03Panther :

hahaha that went straight over my head. Which is weird because I'm usually on high alert for dick jokes. I'll do a better job in the future I promise.

mickpiston
mickpiston New Reader
12/17/20 11:23 a.m.

Was going through the binder of receipts from the build the PO gave me. Some cool pics he had in there I thought I'd share.

mickpiston
mickpiston New Reader
12/17/20 11:34 a.m.

Also some details on the motor build:

It's a 1999 Ford 5.0L roller cam block from I think a Ford Explorer or similar.

Heads
ASA Performance PC3038
Pro Series Ford Aluminum heads 201cc complete
From the receipt. They were purchased on ebay. They don't seem to sell them anymore, can't find any info on them.

Head Studs
ARP-154-4001 head stud kit from Summit

Cam
Ford Racing M-6250-F303
From what I've read online this is an awesome choice for this motor. Lumpy idle but really streetable.

Main bearings/rods
All Sealed Power brand from Autozone.

Pushrods
Trick Flow TFS-21406500 Chromoly pushrods

Intake
Weiand Stealth

Carb
Holley 4150 double pumper

Distributor
Performance Distributors 68720BL

Headers
Hooker Ford Competition headers HOK-6901HKR

rustomatic
rustomatic Reader
12/17/20 3:33 p.m.

Cool hotrod!  I've been there.  Just know that when your Falcon digests a Corvette, like below, there's no going back.

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