Unique Cars Australia – September 2019

1973 FORDFALCONXAGTRPO83

SUSPENSION&

BRAKES

Creaksandgroans

fromsoftspringsand

tiredball-jointsare

hardtoavoidbutnot

expensivetorectify.

A completefront-end

rebuildshouldcostless

than$1500forparts.

Rearleavescrackand

violentacceleration

canbendtheaxle

housing.If therear

tyresareedge-worn

besuspicious.A soft

brakepedal,pulsing

throughthepedal,

dirtyorleakingfluid

areallsignsthata

majorbrakeoverhaulis

due.Howeverwithcars

liketheRPOtheissue

canjustbelackofuse.

Uprateddiscrotors

andreplacement

boostersareeasily

found.Carswithrear-

discbrakesarevery

likelynotauthentic.

If thecarhasnon-

standardwheels,check

thatthetyresaren’tin

contactwithsteering

componentsorthe

bodywork.

BODY& CHASSIS
XAGTsweren’t
immunefromrust.
Hardtopssuccumbed
morethansedans.Rust
repairsectionsare
beingmadebutfora
longtimethecostof
replacingrustedmetal
andrepaintingcould
beuneconomical.
Eventodaycarsthat
wererestored20+
yearsagomaybe
sufferingrecurrent
rustsolookcarefully
atrearquarterpanels,
therearpillars,boot
floor,wheel-arches,
innermudguards
andplenumarea
betweenthebonnet
andwindscreen.Also
checkdiscolourationto
roofvinylfordamage
tothemetalbeneath.
Hardtopdoorswere
sharedwithvansand
utilitieswhichmight
maketheprocessof
findingreplacements
a littleeasier.Hinge
repairkitsfortwoand
four-doorcarsare
available.

ENGINE&

TRANSMISSION

V8Fordenginesare

tough,simpleand

cheaptorebuild.

Retainingand

rebuildingtheoriginal

motoris especially

importantwhenthe

caris asvaluableand

significantasanRPO83

butit wasn’talways

thatway.Checkengine

numbersmatchthe

car’sdocumentation.

Oilleaksaroundthe

cylinderheadsare

standardfare,however

mainbearingseal

failureis morecostlyto

fix.Thecorrect780cfm

four-barrelcarburettor

isn’tfrugalbuthardly

anyownersaregoing

tocareaboutfuelcosts.

Bewaryofa gearbox

wheredown-changes

easilybewilderthe

synchromeshandmake

crunchingnoises.Borg-

Warner’s‘top-loader’

four-speedwasfitted

tovariousAustralian

carsandis notdifficult

tofind.

SM

AR

TBUYER

'S

T

RO

UB

LESHOO

TI

N

G

RIGHTDrivinglights

tobrightentheway.

LEFTWhichever

takesyourfancy,two

orfourdoors.

NUMBER BUILT: 130 sedan,

120 hardtop

BODY STYLE: All-steel integrated

body/chassis four-door sedan or

two-door hardtop

ENGINES: 5766cc V8 with

overhead valves and single

downdraft carburettor

POWER & TORQUE : 246kW @

5400rpm, 515Nm @ 3800rpm

PERFORMANCE:

0-96km /h – 7.6 seconds

0-4 0 0 metres – 15.2 seconds

TRANSMISSION:

Four-speed manual

SUSPENSION: Independent with

coil springs, telescopic shock

absorbers & anti-roll bar (f) Live

axle with semi-elliptic springs,

telescopic shock absorbers and

anti-roll bar (r)

BRAKES: Disc (f) drum

(r) power assisted

TYRES: ER70H14 radial

INTERIOR &

ELECTRICAL

Very few RPO83s are

going to be displaying

worn interior trim,

however it is good

to know if you do

find a car showing

the effects of neglect

that replacement

vinyl, carpets and

headlining are

available. Remoulded

dash surrounds and

refurbished fascias

are available but

expensive. New gauge

lenses and surrounds

are being reproduced

and some switchgear

is also available. Fuel

gauges are unreliable

so don’t assume the

car has fuel. It is also

important to ensure

before test-driving

that all the warning

lights are connected.

The correct GT starter

motor is difficult to

find.

VALUE

RANGE

FALCON

XA GT

(RPO83 Sedan)

FAIR

$100,000

GOOD

$175,000

EXCELLENT

$250,000-plus

(Note: exceptional cars

will demand more)

People’s Obsessions) for a rotisserie rebuild

that would take almost three years to

complete. The work involved an obviously

large financial commitment however Perry

believes that these cars haven’t as yet come

close to reaching their full potential.

“They were built in smaller numbers

than GT-HO Phase 3s and the prices for

what they are just haven’t kept pace,” Perry

commented. “You look at Phase 4s and

people say they could be worth up to $3

million but we know what RPOs have sold for

and it’s a lot less than that for a car that’s not

all that different.”

and increasingly generous offers hadn’t

convinced him to sell. By the time Perry

Bitsakis became aware of the car’s plight

it was suffering significantly from rust.

However the internal shell and rear

quarters were still sound and he was

confident the car could be saved.

“Once I heard about the car and verified

that it was indeed the only all-black RPO

sedan I blew the owner out of the water

with an offer that I was confident would be

accepted.”

As a passionate GT enthusiast, Perry

knew that this very special sedan must be

returned to showroom condition and sent

it to Dean Hampton at RPO (Restoring