Just put on my 32/36, literally. Set the idle mixture and speed. Traced the carb top and cut the stock air cleaner to fit. Packing up to drive home from the shop now. We shall see....
If you swap out the stock distributor and use one with mechanical and vacuum advance, you also need to change the spark control valve on the stock carb if your keeping that. It has holes in it opened to the outside and will make the car hard to tune even with petronix in place of the points. I believe holley makes a similar valve but without the holes.
Damn, I can pass on the freeway now! There is a whole new top end too. Just a little flat spot coming off of idle, if I really hammer it. Should be easy enough to tune that right out.
Have you done your T5 deal yet? I'm kinda holding off to see what you think of the deep first gear before i decide which one goes in my wagon.
Not yet. Finances are a bit tied-up by dental work, at the moment. I am getting anxious, though. The 3-speed is noisy, and the clutch grabs a little high. I keep eyeing the Chevette T5 gear set. It has the 3.76 first, but the .89 overdrive.
For those guys who emailed me about buying that head---I am informed that Bill Belmont has a Falcon head with Hilborn injection for $1295 and an Australian 250 aluminum head with a four barrel intake also for $1295. Phone 781-326-3270
Scored 4-14x5.5-4 bolt Western wheels for my Falcon at the local flea market today. Didn't used to like these but think they will look pretty good on my deluxe Falcon with the other gold trim. Anyway four bolt 14s are pretty hard to find now. Yeah Chip I'm getting close to getting back on my moor door Falcon.
I'm finding the distance of say thirty years or so is making me rethink many, many things that I didn't like in the past! Well done sir!
Isn't it funny how the passage of time and events in your life can change your thinking on any number of things.
I bought a 64 falcon futura new and it had the early 170 with the 1/4 " dist. drive . Wore that engine out along with another 170 later on. Then i got a 65 200 from a mustang and it's a better engine. I don't remember the original block color on the 64 170 but it was blue or black with red valve covers and air cleaner. The air cleaner inlet tube was pointing to the drivers side. It had the fuel pump with the filter on top of it. Wipers are electric single speed , i change to 2 speed later. It had the Dagenham 4 speed transmission with 4:11 rear gears from the factory. Came with power steering , very rare in the 6 cylinder falcons , most were in the v/8 ones. 4 lug 13" wheels came on it . I still have the car but have changed everything over to V/8 , but still have all of the 6 cylinder stuff including the power steering . I change the power steering over to the v/8 parts which are a little different.
New distributor and Weber carb on and its a new car! Starts easy and runs about 100% better! Time for a t5?
Would I steer you guys wrong? just wait until you get the T-5 action going! These cars with a modern first gear ratio and an overdrive are incredible.
If I keep bruising my ankles on this T56, it might just end up in the Falcon. It came out of my A, 'cause I can't fit 3-pedals between the tunnel and cowl, on the channeled car. It is completely rebuilt, and has a forward-shift conversion. Put in a free-to-me Ranger 8.8, with 5.71:1 gears, and the 0.50:1 second-overdrive should sing. It already has a steel adapter that makes it "look" like a T5, and could be easily re-drilled (it's big enough) to mate to either the stock bell, or the early Econoline bell that I have. Now, if I can find a 1-1/8" 26-spline 8-1/2 clutch.
All my listings are showing 10-splines. Hmmm. I can find plenty of sprung-hub 26-spline 1-1/8" shaft discs, in the tractor supply house catalogs. Looks like a John Deere 670, 770, 790 disc would do the trick, I guess....
Now, to see if it can be crammed in there without overbutchering the tunel. It was an F-Body T56, but I removed the original shifter tower, for clearance.
Yup, it looks like it is just too big. Oh well, at least I proved it out, and did not guess. T5, it is. Clutch parts are on the way. For those more ambitious, this WILL actually work, with minimal machining (flywheel, redrilled extant adapter). The only issue are the tunnel and seat, in terms of fitment, speedometer and shifter aside. It just is not cost-effective for most, who don't have a pile of transmissions lying around.
I know people seem to be fond of the S10 T5, but I used the 2.3L mustang T5 and its been great! Shifter location is perfect on my Fairlane. It does have a steep first gear, but it's not that bad. Mine runs about 2300 rpm at 60 mph with my 3.55 rear end. I found an 8.5" clutch from zoom at summit racing for only $40 and the pilot and throwout I got from napa. I did have to get a new slip yoke to fit the T5 shaft. The only expensive part was the adapter plate, which I bought from modern driveline. I did not have to alter the length of the driveshaft. Whole project was less than $500 , well worth it!! Just some info I case anybody else was thinking about it.
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