Falconaut: 66 Club Wagon, page 3 of 3

1966 Deluxe Falcon Club Wagon
The Rolling Restoration Begins

I think it's important not to use the term "restoration" too lightly. A restoration, in my mind, is a serious undertaking worthy of respect. A restoration should truly bring a vehicle back to factory condition. I'm not looking to do that. Let's face it, at their best, the Econolines were utility vehicles, not slalom racers or luxury sedans. So I apologize for using the term "rolling restoration," but I like the way it sounds.

Ideally, if I had the time or money, I would want to do the van like most modern customs -- a nice blend of old style with modern running gear. But I don't have the money or the experience. And this van is now my daily driver, so work needs to be done in stages. So my goal is to keep it running and work on what I can. I'd like to keep it mostly stock with just simple changes, like carpeting. That's not a lot to ask, is it?

It has been several months since the first installments of my progress. I can say that the van is running and driveable now. I honestly don't know how the previous owner drove it. I know that he used it as a driver (I saw it zipping around in town several times). I should say that all of the work I've done so far has been while the van was parked curbside in front of my apartment, often with me sitting in the street nearly getting crushed by crazy SEPTA buses.

Here's a quick summary of the work I've done up to this point (01/25/99):

Fixed broken shift rod/column
Installed replacement turn signal/horn switch
Brake overhaul: new MC, wheel cylinders, hoses, hard lines, brake shoes
Reconditioned drums: replacements from junkyard for the rear, all 4 sandblasted, turned and painted. New front wheel bearings, grease caps and lugnuts
New anti-sway bar links (had to drop out the whole front axle to free a seized shock bolt)
Adjusted steering box
New battery
Stripped front floor to bare metal, patched some rust holes in floor pan and front fenders with anti-rust paint and fiberglass

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©1998 Fedora World Media Industries This page was updated on 01/25/99.

1966 Deluxe Falcon Club Wagon The Rolling Restoration Begins
I think it's important not to use the term "restoration" too lightly. A restoration, in my mind, is a serious undertaking worthy of respect. A restoration should truly bring a vehicle back to factory condition. I'm not looking to do that. Let's face it, at their best, the Econolines were utility vehicles, not slalom racers or luxury sedans. So I apologize for using the term "rolling restoration," but I like the way it sounds. Ideally, if I had the time or money, I would want to do the van like most modern customs -- a nice blend of old style with modern running gear. But I don't have the money or the experience. And this van is now my daily driver, so work needs to be done in stages. So my goal is to keep it running and work on what I can. I'd like to keep it mostly stock with just simple changes, like carpeting. That's not a lot to ask, is it?
It has been several months since the first installments of my progress. I can say that the van is running and driveable now. I honestly don't know how the previous owner drove it. I know that he used it as a driver (I saw it zipping around in town several times). I should say that all of the work I've done so far has been while the van was parked curbside in front of my apartment, often with me sitting in the street nearly getting crushed by crazy SEPTA buses. Here's a quick summary of the work I've done up to this point (01/25/99): Fixed broken shift rod/column Installed replacement turn signal/horn switch Brake overhaul: new MC, wheel cylinders, hoses, hard lines, brake shoes Reconditioned drums: replacements from junkyard for the rear, all 4 sandblasted, turned and painted. New front wheel bearings, grease caps and lugnuts New anti-sway bar links (had to drop out the whole front axle to free a seized shock bolt) Adjusted steering box New battery Stripped front floor to bare metal, patched some rust holes in floor pan and front fenders with anti-rust paint and fiberglass
Back to Editor's Falcons <<