(^86) themotorhood.com
1966 FORD XR FALCON
ENGINE: Grout-filled 351 Cleveland block,
girdled and dowelled bottom end, ARP studs,
4MA crank, 5.95-inch Eagle H-beam rods, JE
custom pistons, Total Seal gapless rings, solid
roller cam, 4V cast-iron ported heads, Ferrea
5000 valves, Comp Cams triple valve springs,
titanium retainers, Comp Cams roller lifters,
Pro Magnum roller rockers, custom sheet-
metal manifold, twin 1050cfm Dominator
carbs, BLP external secondary linkages, Enderle
twin-carb linkage kit, twin 200hp cross-hair
Induction Solutions nitrous plates, MagnaFuel
fuel pumps, MSD Grid 7 ignition, crank trigger,
MSD coil, offset distributor, 8.5mm leads, custom
two-inch header primaries, 19-inch-long header
pipes, alloy radiator, Datamaxx data logger,
Melling high-volume oil pump, CVR electric
water pump, Moroso vacuum pump
DRIVELINE: Powerglide transmission, 5500rpm
stall converter, transbrake, nine-inch diff,
Strange 35-spline axles, Strange ultralight head,
4.86:1 gears
SUSPENSION: Tein (Mazda RX-7) front struts,
Strange rear coilovers, chromoly four-bar rear,
Escort steering rack
BRAKES: Wilwood pedal, Strange master
cylinder, line lock, Strange discs, Aeromotive
four-piston front calipers, Strange rear calipers
WHEELS/TYRES: 15x4.5-inch and 15x15-inch
Weld Draglite wheels, 26x4.5-15 and 33x16.5-15
Hoosier tyres
EXTERIOR: Two-door conversion, removable
front, fibreglass hood, custom roll pan, removed
front bumper, Lexan windows
CHASSIS: Cawthra Racing mild-steel tube
chassis
INTERIOR: RJS seats, B&M Pro Stick shifter,
Auto Meter gauges
PERFORMANCE: 9.33 seconds at 144mph with
more to come
Only then, with drag motor in hand, did Alan set
about searching for the right car to build. What
he came across wasn’t actually a car at all but a
set of doors for an American Ford Falcon. With
the American Falcon being the same shape as the
Australian-assembled XR Falcon, but with fewer
doors, this set the path of the build — and what a
build it would be. For Alan, part of the desire was to
learn along the way, and, being a builder by trade,
he wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty by doing the
bulk of it himself.
Knowing that two-door Falcons were few and far
between, and having a hankering to get involved
in some serious metalwork, Alan hunted down a
four-door — a harder task than expected.
Under the watchful eye of Gary, who helped
out on the weekends and then gave Alan some
homework to do during the week, the build began
to take shape. Normally spending his days playing
with wood, Alan went on a polytech welding
course to learn how to use his newly purchased
welder and pipe bender. That course must have
worked, as, before long, the four-door was
converted to two, and plenty of other fabrication
had begun. Not a month would go by without a
purchase of one form or another for the car; this
would continue throughout the four-year build.
Although the original plan was simply to back-
halve the car, peer pressure soon mounted, and
Alan made the decision to go full tube frame — a
move that couldn’t have happened without the
ongoing help and supervision of Gary.
A BUILDER BY TRADE,
HE WASN’T AFRAID TO
GET HIS HANDS DIRTY
frankie
(Frankie)
#1