THE SONOMA COUNTY FALCONS FOR FUN CHAPTER
STEVE LANE'S 1965 FUTURA CONVERTIBLE
Steve's Falcon alongside the beautiful central California coast.
The convertible is powered by a
1990 5.0 EFI motor and a 5-speed transmission. The exhaust is 2 Flowmaster 2 chamber
mufflers that give it a very strong sound.
The motor and tranny were installed at a local shop. The fit for the engine was very
tight. The 289 hi-po exhaust manifolds were hard to find. The driver side
brace from the firewall to the shock tower had to be notched a bit but was reinforced
underneath. The Falcon was was re-wired with a wiring harness out of a totaled 90'
mustang. Prior to the installation of the wiring harness, it was modified for the
Falcon by Windsor-Fox Performance. The oil pan is off of the old 289 that I pulled out.
It bolted right up! The radiator is from a 90 mustang, and fits very snug.
The Mighty EFI!
The fan that I currently have it too noisy, so I am thinking of switching to a slim electric fan. The 5-speed comes through the floor a bit farther back than it should, but it's not that bad (even with the bench seat). I put an older style shift handle on it. The shifter looks original and puts the lever in the perfect spot so you don't have to reach.
The suspension was all done by my son and I. We did a front disc brake conversion by using the parts off of a 79' Granada. The front springs are from Mustangs Plus, which are fairly stiff and drop the front end a couple of inches. The rears are 4.5 leaf reverse eye, so it sits a hair above the front. The rims are American Racing Torque Thrust II's 15x7's all around.
I had the interior as well at the top done a year ago. It came out very nice. The only thing that it needs in the inside is the replacement of the dash.
By the end of this
year I plan to have the body stripped down and everything re-chromed and a new paint job,
most likely in a similar color.
Photos and information provided by
Steve Lane.