Okay, my friend who is helping me with my suspension is interested in building some mostly bolt-on air suspension kits for Falcons and Rancheros, which would include some sort of link kit for the rear. The idea is to eliminate as much welding as possible so that the average person could install it, possibly with the help of a couple of friends. This post is strictly for info and to gauge interest. So, some questions: Are '63-65 Falcons/Rancheros essentially the same as the '60-63? Meaning, are the measurements pretty much identical? Are the leaf springs the same length between all models? In order to make things as easy as possible, it'd be nice if the distance between the front leaf spring mount and the center point of the axle were the same across the board. My friend does not really want to get a bunch of phone calls and e-mails, so he has asked me to be a go-between. Here are some samples of cars/trucks he has had a hand in building: By the way, he has sectioned a newer F-150, so airbags for a Falcon will be cake. haha I know that interest is also based on price, so I'll try to have that in the next couple of weeks. However, I'd still like to see a show of hands as to who would potentially buy such a kit within the next couple of months. The reason I'm putting a timeline is that people tend to say "Yeah, I'd buy it" but then fail to mention that they'd be buying it in two or more years. That's fine too, but we would need to know approximately how many kits to produce in a short time frame before putting the jigs away. The last question: If interested, would you prefer to source your own bags/fittings/compressor/tank/etc., or would you want everything included in one package? And of course this would be cheaper than the ART stuff. No sense in doing it otherwise. Thanks for reading people.
i'd definitly be interested in a well built air bag kit. pricing is a factor though. and ease of installation would also be another consideration. front suspension is what has me worried cause of the stupid tight squeeze in the unibody. also the 63 v8s have a battery indentation in the front passenger fender/radiator support thats not similar to regular 6 cylinder cars. my cars lowered about 3 inches from stock and my passenger side front tire rubs the battery box, and mine was cut by the previous owner before i ever got it. so when i turn left it gets awfully close.
Hmm, well that might have to be something that the owner would have to modify since it would be in the way anyways. If you wanna send me some high-res pics of what you're talking about I can see what we can do about it, if anything. EDIT: The discs shouldn't change anything. I'm putting the Granada setup on my Ranchero at the same time that we're gonna be building the kit. The mounting points on the upper control arms should be exactly the same.
Cool. Could you guys also post up the year and model of your mini-Fords? Also, if anyone has the measurements I asked for above that would be cool. Otherwise we're only going to have a '60-63 Ranchero kit available. haha
as far as i know the three technically SHOULD be the same. but don't quote me on that, as i've always owned only '63 models of falcons and rancheros. and my car is a '63 ranchero original V8 car. P.s. also are you going with the discbrakeservice guy Ramblux?? i shopped around dude and that guy seriously has the best prices i've found. the junkyards take off all granada front ends even before they hit the yard and sell them to some company back east from what i hear. so i couldn't go the SUPER cheap route
I actually got my setup from Cooter here on the boards. He had a Maverick and only wanted the rear end out of it, so I bought the complete uprights for $150 from him. Then I got a new loaded pair of '65 Mustang upper arms off Ebay for $100, and the tie rod adapters from Mustangsteve on Ebay as well ($40 shipped) since I have the smaller tie rods on my '62. All in all I think I did alright. Saved me a bunch of trips to the junkyard!
serious, sweeping the junkyards for parts takes it's toll. i picked up parts here and their for the front end rebuild as well. a buddy at work got some extra a arms and stuff shipped to him when he rebuilt his mustangs front end. he sold me the extras brand spanking new and then hit up napa and the other places for the extra parts i needed. came out cheaper than buying the whole kit from a shop.
Obviously price depending I'd be in. But it would probably be closer to six months or so before I could drop the loot. But I would need a kit for a 64.
Apparently the '64 and '65 Falcons have wider leaf springs than the '60-63s, so that might be addressed with machined bushings as long as someone gets some measurements to me to confirm. If anyone wants to get their '64-65 on a lift for me and take some pics of the rear suspension, it would definitely help. Then there's the issue of the rear link lengths, which could be addressed with multiple holes for axle locating pins. I'm guessing that the front suspensions will all pretty much be identical for the most part, with minor mods being necessary depending on the car.
I think it is a good idea to have a kit for 60-63 (and up?) Falcons. I already have air suspension on my car, so I'm not in the market for it, but I think it's a good idea. The shop that did my car had to fabricate lots of little things to make it work. Keep in mind that in the rear, the axle pumpkin will hit the trunk floor with just a tiny drop. We had to cut out part of my floor and build a box for clearance. Even then the driveshaft rubs at full drop, so it needs to be done again to get the deepest drop. If the proposed kit is to be bolt-in, there will be some limitations. I'm just pointing this out. Looks like your buddy has lots of experience building cars that lay on the ground.
Yeah, he's not scared. haha He just finished up a mid-engined, Northstar-powered '73 Elco that lays flat on the ground too. I know what you mean about the pumpkin and driveshaft. My Ranchero's driveshaft wore a hole through the floor before I could get around to fixing it, so we'll be cutting that out and raising it. Basically, it'll be up to the individual owner as to how far they want to take the drop. Mine will lay the body on the ground, but it's going to take more cutting than the average person might be willing to do -- raised driveshaft tunnel, cutting the floor above the axle, possibly notching the "framerails", etc. Bags may or may not be sleeves depending on whether or not we can do a leverage system. If the only suitable location for the bags will put them at a 1:1 lift ratio, they'll definitely be sleeve bags to preserve the ride. Now, if people wouldn't mind a weld-in kit, things might be easier, but I'll have to see what you guys think about that. Haring, thanks for your input!
62 ranchero 6cyl front suspension seems to be a bit of a odd ball compared to other years from my experience. So be careful of a "one kit fits all" approach. As for the battery problem, it fits nicely underneath the removable panel in the bed, also works nicely for weight transfer. you might want to check these places for interest also. fordsix.com falconclub.com tffn.net good luck
Thanks. I'm actually a member on each of the sites you mentioned. As far as the '62s go, the only difference would be the size of the upper ball joints. The arms, for the most part, are otherwise the same. There shouldn't be an issue with what in essence is just a replacement for the coil springs. Anything else, as stated earlier, would possibly need slight modification/adjustment to fit, but we're talking minor cutting and/or grinding. Hopefully I'll have some progress in the next few weeks. The rear end went out, so I have to get the truck back to the shop somehow soon.
Roundbodies have 2" wide leaf springs, and Squarebodies have 2.5" wide springs but the bushings are the same width. I have '64 and up front leaf spring bushings in 2" springs on my '63 Ranchero. The hardware for the front eye is different on Squareboies than Rounbodies. check out this link for the differences. http://www.falconparts.com/search_r...xtsearchParamVen=ALL&txtFromSearch=fromSearch Ranchero & Wagon springs are longer cause they attach to the frame rail differently than passenger cars. But if you're going to make a 2-link with a panhard bar you can probably use the same kit for all because the I believe the extra length is behind axle centerline.
DP is right on with this information. From what I've found, $1000 will put all the pieces in hand to bag a Falcon. Bolt-ons add much more frame work, bolts, etc. The tunnel has to be raised to really do it right, meaning you have to break out the welder. I'm lowered only three inches and with a road bump or two, I tag the underside with my 8" center section. And that's only three inches lower. Why bag it if you can only get three inches? Raise the tunnel and now you can really drop the car. Again, this brings us back to welding. www.discbrakeswap.com is about to release dropped spindles (Granada Style). That combined with cut coils and reverse-eye leafs will get you 3" and a great ride without welding and all for less than $500. I'd say, that's your competition. Cool thread, Ramblux. Your buddy seems to know what's going on. I'm anxious to see how this pans out. Who knows, I may be dragging out the welder, raisin' my tunnel and baggin a bird. Over on fordsix.com, Falconizer_62 is about to bag his wagon, you should contact him. He's in Garden Grove, CA.
Well, I actually have some front airbag mounts that I can have replicated now, but the problem is still the rear. I think it's going to require more welding than anyone will want to do for a "kit". The front, however, is completely bolt on except for the shock relocation. I haven't looked into that yet.
if he is not already getting a dealer discount on air kits let me know. i can get him hooked up with some killer prices on Airlift Crafter Packs that would be great for what he wants to do. i've concidered doing the same. i've sold a couple kits to HAMBers for those cars and they fabbed their own mounts. get ahold of me if ya need anything.
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