And the Matamata Hotsprings! Yes Baypark, and Puke. A Standard 8 was good for that as there was no bootlid for the security guys to open and see :)
Great work Paul. Looking really good.
Yes we use to try hiding in the boot to get into the Drags at Meremere....never worked !
Thanks Guys,
I used to own a 1960 Ford Fairlane 4 door (AKA the Mothership) I am pretty sure we fit 3 in the trunk of that one time.
Old fart have you been sprung, by Ken?
Cheers
Thanks Steve, I only have seam sealing to do now. The painter is coming on Thursday to have a look at the car. It has been a mammoth task integrating the fiberglass panels but most rewarding now to see it done and functional.
Cheers
Also,
Nice to also see everyone fessing up to days gone by from last century ^^
We were poor then, and you think licking tar from t'road was bad, we had it tough....We got evicted from our hole in t'road :)
Ahhh the good old days!
Here is a great link to a web site about Graham Hill, a great story and some great pictures. The site looks like its South American, so as you scroll down select english language, the translations are not the best but worth a look.
http://www.pilotos-muertos.com/2017/Hill%20Graham.html
I took a break from sanding and finished engineering the gearbox cross-member. Holman Moody made a reinforced cross-member for these cars. The factory OEM cross-member is somewhat flimsy and only has 1 bolt holding the entire gearbox mount in.
This is a pic of the OEM cross-member (the leaf spring on this is for a 6cyl and auto models)
Attachment 53583
So the reinforcing was 2 pronged:
1. reinforce the cross-member with 2 x 3mm steel plates which support the chassis mount points and welded in 2 x 3mm cross plates to the 2 new chassis mounts to support the actual rubber mount point, which is then bolted to the new structure.
2. So I needed to look at the single bolt, so I fabricated a 2mm steel plate which captures the gearbox mount spring, should the bolt fail, the new capture plate will support the gearbox so as to overt a disaster on the track.
Attachment 53584
Attachment 53585
It looks relatively simple but it was quite a bit of engineering to finish correctly. (The leaf spring on my part is for the 4 speed models only)
Paul,
You continue to amaze. That is beautiful work my friend.
Ken.
Thanks very much Ken.
Its all coming together nicely, hopefully it will be in the paint shop in about 1-2 weeks (For Primer) depending on how busy the painter is.
Wimbledon white is the colour for the outside.
Cheers
I have been finishing the car for paint but in between I have designed the front and rear tow hooks and had them water jet cut from my design, finished and painted, Its 9mm medium tensile steel
Here is a pic of the water cut job as I got it back
Attachment 54105
And here is a pic' of the finished product, deburred & all prettied up
Attachment 54106
I have finished the seam sealing, quite a big job and very messy. I followed the original workshop manual for this job plus remembered many spots that were not in the manual such as the roof drip rail and the inner, lower rear quarter below the rear quarter window etc.
The original 1960s seam sealer hardens after 50 years and cracks. This was all removed when the car was dip stripped
The modern seam sealer is very strong and durable stuff, it also has a level of flexibility and does not split or crack, and looks exactly the same as the original stuff.
When applied to a correctly to a prepared surface, it not only seals all the spot weld construction points/seams but it also adds a very strong bracing factor which supports the spot welds and seams.
Attachment 54107
Once the fire wall and inner fenders are painted semi gloss black it will all blend in and hardly be noticeable
Attachment 54108
Attachment 54109
The underneath of the floor was originally painted a Red oxide primer and will be repainted the same colour again
Attachment 54110
The A pillars will be finished in white paint but are predominantly covered by Stainless bright trim
Attachment 54111
I just some small repairs and touch ups to finish prior to primer.
Paul,
Bloody marvelous workmanship as usual.
So when are you going to move the steering wheel over or are you going to work for the Post Office and deliver mail ?
If you run out of things to do I have some projects here that need to be done properly and not hacked by someone my wife knows well !
I will also provide free transportation to Sonoma or Laguna Seca if we plan it accordingly.
Seriously, you do outstanding work and may it all come together easily for you from here.
Cheers,
Ken H
Beautiful work Paul - a really great job. This is one car that everyone will want to examine when it hits the track.
Thanks Ken & Mike,
The steering wheel will for sure stay on the left side. we would love to come over to your part of the world Ken at some point. But for now I will continue finishing this beast off. Will stay in touch.
Mike, That will be the nervous thing ... when everyone examines the car! No pressure to get it done right!
Cheers to all.
P
I replaced the hinge pins on the drivers door of the car, after 50+ years of door opening and closing the hinge pins and bushes wear out.
You will see the door will sag at the opposite end of the hinges, once it is opened, it is not uncommon for the door to drop 3mm to 6mm due to the wear. This makes the door hard to close as it does not line up correctly with the door striker plate. (this usually results in a "slam" to get it to close). The other issue is when the worn door is closed against the striker plate it will move up and down while driving, Not an ideal situation. I think this possibly may contribute to doors popping open in a collision.
So a worth while job to do
Most of the older Fords all have the same types of hinge pins and flange bushings.
This is a pic of the kit with the OEM hinge pin (rusty) on the side. There is 1 pin and 2 bushes required per hinge. The pin supplied needs to be cut to size and the end beveled/chamfered to match the OEM
Attachment 54133
First job to do is mark the top of both parts of the hinge. Only do 1 hinge at a time so not to mix up parts
Next, using the cut piece of pin or old pin, use this to press out the old pin, and then drive it out with a punch
Attachment 54134
Then you need to press out the old Bushes. First, knock the flange off 1 of the bushes (they are nickle copper) so it is fairly easy with a punch and hammer. then press out both bushes from the end the flange has been removed
Attachment 54135
Then lightly de-burr the pin & bushing flange surfaces on the hinge (using a light file or emery paper) clean all the hinge pin parts and surfaces. then moderately tap the new flange bushes into place using a flat hammer being careful not to bruise it.
Attachment 54136
Then cut and chamfer the new pin, clean it and grease it and the newly fitted flanges, then press it in place to the new assembly.
Job done
Attachment 54137
Back in the early 60s racing and NASCAR were really going ahead. Ford were racing the big heavy full sized fords all race prepped by Holman Moody. The 1960 Ford Starliner was really the first of the many Ford fastback styled cars. They were a very different design during that time, particularly in the rear wings. They were not every ones "cup of tea" but I think they are super cool, unique and different.
This clip is really an updated road car but will give you a bit of an idea on how they looked in the day.
The engine is a lowish output 390ci, but the 1960 cars were originally raced with 352ci and in 1961 a hot 390ci with 3 x 2 barrel carbs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHGV8-wMTsQ
That is a very cool car, great period sound too. (interesting Nor Cal scenery)
I hope yours is driven like that.
Maybe Bruce, I always like to hear a couple of thousand more revs to put a smile on my dial.
But they are a very cool machines.
Interesting, in 1962 there was no fastback roof (but a 406ci big block) for the full sized Fords and then came the very cool 1963 Galaxie Fast back roof and the big 427. then all the good fun happened from there.
Rhys, I was researching an old Motorsport Magazine article from 1964 that very interestingly it covered a road test on a 1964 Monte Carlo Rallye Falcon and they stated in that article that the "fiberglass panels were wafer thin" so you are right they would have looked like the pacific ocean when looking down the side of a painted fiber panel. I have left some of that type of deflection in my build (it is fairly marginal though).
They also commented on how surprisingly well the American Falcon handled and how relatively light the manual steering was.
Group 2 footage at Brands Hatch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Dxg_AT35GA&feature=youtu.be
Great footage Bill!
Thanks for posting.
Cheers
Wow, fantastic video! Thanks for posting Bill. I think it might be Group 5 though, as opposed to Group 2. The BSCC used Group 5 from 1966 - 1969. Group 5 allowed more freedom than Group 2. Group 5 was used in New Zealand from 1968 to circa 1972. Group 2 was used during the 1966 and 1967 seasons, introduced by MANZ alongside the Allcomers, as they wanted to get the cars back closer to showroom stock.
Here is some colour footage of the Group 5 Falcons at Brands Hatch in 1967.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVIv_uOw1-s&feature=youtu.be
Here is some colour footage of Falcons at Oulton Park 1967.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYQKKlir6sY&feature=youtu.be
Excellent Footage & great viewing from 67' Brand Hatch Bill, very much appreciated!
Cheers
Graham Hill is really giving that Mk II Cortina some curry until he had a ride into the shrubbery.
Good spotting Mike, he had his trademark helmet on.
I did not spot that on first view.
Cheers
I have painted the roll cage now but had some deliberation over what colour to paint it as I wanted something that would be neutral and unobvious. Also I wanted a metal look finish on the cage.
So I settled on a Satin Nickle colour and I think it looks great.
Attachment 54570
Attachment 54571
The cage is Homologated and I have received my log book.
Congratulations Paul, you are now past first base and you have a race car
Paul,
Again your attention to detail is amazing. Looking forward to seeing you out and enjoying it.
My gift to you this evening is this Jack Sears documentary and especially about the 17 minute 40 second mark, I know you will enjoy.
Cheers mate, Ken.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ebdtu9Jar7w
Ken H, what a good video, the story, by the Men of the Time,
Thanks for sharing..
Ken,
Absolutely brilliant video (post #313), some excellent racing and history.
The Big 1963 Galaxie, John Willment Racing Team, Raced by The late great Jack Sears at 17.40 is one of the very rare factory lightweight Holman Moody racers. (the car was sold on 9/9/2017 at Bonhams for a record £471,900.00) !! more than NZ$900,000
https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/24122/lot/217/
There are some great pics of the original car on this site
The light weight cars were also available through Ford dealers. Amazing how well they did given the size of the huge car but brute HP prevailed
I just love these big beasts and those 7 ltr big blocks thundering around the race track is surely another sight to be seen.
Attachment 55021
Bonhams Photo
Thanks very much for posting!
John, Yes your are right all I have to do now is get it painted and assemble the beast.
Cheers
By way of an update, earlier this year I sold my 1964 Falcon Rallye Sprint replica after 28-years of fabulous racing enjoyment. It has gone to a new owner in Melbourne who has upgraded from a '64 Mustang. My soft landing was a 2004 Mitsubishi Evo VIII MR which I am using in speed events (time trials) and thoroughly enjoying all the 'mod cons'.
All the recent nostalgia stuff on this thread prompted me to go find some of my old stuff. I was fortunate to spend the 1992 British Grand Prix weekend at Silverstone with (Sir) Jackie Stewart; courtesy of British Aerospace who were trying to sell my company some new aircraft. At the time JYS was heavily involved in Paul Stewart Racing who were contesting F3 and F3000.Their drivers (with whom I got to spend quite a bit of time) were Gil DeFerran and Dario Franchitti. Both went on to great feats in motor racing.
Knowing of my Rallye Sprint racing, JYS had arranged lunch (at the BRDC) with Jack Sears. We spent a leisurely lunch (2+ hours) talking all things Lotus Cortina, Falcon and Galaxie. I managed to get a couple of happy snaps which are attached. I was saddened to hear of Jack Sears' death in May this year.
When I find them, I'll also post some details of my visit to Alan Mann on another trip to the UK.
Attachment 54620
Attachment 54621
It must have been a fantastic trip Bill, and being able to have lunch and talk to two racing legends.... epic!
Looking forward to seeing your post regarding your trip to meet Alan Mann from Alan Mann Racing UK, another epic trip for you.
Thanks very much for posting.
Cheers
The close cousin of the 1964 Falcon Sprint.
https://youtu.be/zx5ibowTLlE
Thanks Bill,
The Mercury Comet Caliente 427 A/FX where a fantastic machine. Ford claimed 425hp on the high riser engine but it was more like 525hp at 7200 rpm.
Great to see such a nice example of an original survivor car.
Certainly gets my blood pumpin!
Well it has been a big weekend getting the Falcon Rallye Sprint in for pre-paint primer. The car is looking great. It will come back to my garage and will be carefully hand blocked for the final colour spray.
After this point, it will get a very light first cut with 320grit then a guide coat applied and moderate 400grit longboard, then a light 500grit.
Attachment 54712
Attachment 54713
Attachment 54714
Attachment 54715
Attachment 54716
Attachment 54717