PAGE 1:MY CAR,
PAGE 2:CURRENT MODEL FALCONS

This is my XB on purchase day July 16 1974,I got this photo off my uncle.

This is my GS optioned Ford Falcon 500.The GS kit gives you a GT dash with 140mph speedo, 7000rpm tacho, oil pressure ,voltmeter,water temp & fuel level,hood with scoops and lock down pins,steering wheel three spoke,dual exhust,grill with spotlights,and different suspension and a few other bits like the pinstripes but without the engine of the GT. so it was kind of a budget GT,like the XR8 is these days.I have had this car for 7 years now.I bought it off my uncle who was the first and only owner before me, so it is in very good condition.Mechanicaly it had a 302ci cleveland(wich is just a destroked 351) with a 2 barrel carb & manifold, 2v quench(closed chamber)heads,coil spring single plate 10 inch clutch,4 speed full synchromesh floor shift borg warner gearbox,borg warner drum brake differential with 3.23:1 ratio and power disc brakes on the front.

I never actualy drove it before i pulled it apart so i dont know how quick it was completly stock.The service manual says that a 302ci with 9.4:1 compression made 230bhp @ 5000rpm and 300ft-lb @ 2600rpm but i think that that was gross hp with dyno headers, no waterpump or aternator So it might have had about 200hp to the flywheel and do a 16second 1/4 mile.So i started to pull it to bits as it needed a new paint job & engine rebuild.I pulled all the panels and doors off and started sanding the old paint off and found a few rust areas so i got a panel beater to fix them for me.I pulled everything out of the doors including the glass and rust proofed inside them i put new bushings in all the hinges and got new exterior handles, got the glass tinted.it didnt have a pasenger side mirror so i put one on also.i striped out the interior and repainted the dash and door pillars and the top and bottom of the doors were the trim doesent go.the only thing i replaced in the interior was the carpet.

I shot all the primer and blocked it back myself then I painted the inside of the doors and the door jambs under side of the hood and trunk in the original polar white acrilic.I put the doors back on and got a spraypainter to paint the top coat for me.I color sanded it and then started to put it back together with all new rubber seals,rechromed bumpers,new tinted windscreen and so on.

Then came the mechanical repairs. i took out the engine and got it bored out 20thou put all new bearings in it got a 351 crank and rods and put them in.put new valves and hardend valve seats so it could run on un-leaded fuel.got a reground cam that was a bit more rough on idle,new pistons and rings.I got a ford 4 barrel square bore manifold and a holley 600 vac secondary for cheap at the wreckers.and thats about it for the engine pretty much stock but not in original format.I figure it has a compression ratio of above 10:1 thanks to the closed chamber heads and 351ci displacement.I took it up to willowbank drag strip and pulled off a few low 15 sec quarter mile passes so going by that and the aproximate wieght i guess it has about 240hp.
I've put lowered springs on(30mm),new suspension bushes,tie rods,ball joints,pitman arm,idler arm, and a new exhust system comprising of Pacemaker 4-2-1 headers and dual 2 1/4 inch pipe with a single muffler per side and 3 inch tips.Im not sure if it was the extra power or it's time was up but the diff blew up only 3 days after i got the new exhust on.so i got me a 9 inch disc brake rear end out of an XC panelvan sans center, then i bought a non LSD center with 3.25;1 gears.i kept the gears and put a 28 spline detroit locker in the carrier.I fitted it myself and as these cars came out with this diff it bolted staight in.

This is the car in the process of getting the new diff put in.I did it at home in about 3 hours,the hardest part was to get the tail pipes off as i have them running under the diff.I used the old tail shaft as it was only about 10mm shorter in difference in distance after the swap I just had to get another uni-joint to fit the flange in the 9inch .
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this is the old diff next to the new 9inch locker.I dont think I will ever have to replace it again as its the toughest diff around .It has disc brakes as well wich is a good improvement over the drums,an interesting fact is that the XB Falcon was the first aussie car to come with four wheel disc brakes.It has alot more traction now and is interesting to hear the locker clonking in and out.I would not recomend to get a locker for your daily driver tho.

Here you can see most of my exhust system.I have dual 2 1/4inch pipes running under the diff for better flow.It also has new stiffer leaf spings and bushes that you might be able to see.

This is the stock hood,the same as a GT hood.It has the twin scoops and the twist lock pins to hold the hood secure at high speeds.The scoops arent ram air they just let fresh air in.