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I 'discovered' something today...; I may have learned something...
Topic Started: Jun 9 2017, 09:06 PM (318 Views)
b2young
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Sad firefighter
about cars after all.

I never thought much about it before, not being knowledgable about cars or having much desire in knowing more about anything but some fire apparatus. And even that was mostly from an aesthetic view....some car designs and styles I liked, some I didn't. Same for the fire engines.

Well, for a couple of months I've been admiring a sleek black car sitting on a trailer across the old farmstead behind my house. I've never met the owners of the land and haven't ever gone over...their farm separates the subdivision I live in from the ones to the north. Anyway, it's about 100 yards away and without binoculars I couldn't read anything on the car (can see the entire front end and the passenger side).

Somehow, perhaps simply because I've seen them on the road during my lifetime, or I've seen photos here or elsewhere, it made me think it is a Falcon. I guessed '60s. I really have no idea how I could even venture a guess about the year....but the 60's stuck in my brain. (Okay, I grew up in the 60s...)

Today I decided to google Ford Falcon and search the images to see if I could pin it down--still not certain I was right about Falcon. With binoculars in hand, I could see the distinctive grille....all vertical-slats...that distinctive wide wedge/ridge above center...single headlamp on same level each side...no "FORD" on the nose, though my brain tried to fool me into thinking I could see an "R" and a "D"....(I couldn't). (Maybe the 'shadow' of those letters left in the faded black...)

Guess what I learned? It would seem (and most of you probably have known this forever....) that sometimes each model year gets a complete makeover. I really had no idea, or at least it never made a conscious appearance. So I learned I can identify a '62 Falcon 2-dr sedan. The side flaring (horizontal 'dishing'?) or whatever the contours of the car's sides is called is distinctive, too...no chrome strips, and the badging is missing on the pax side....until today I "paid no nevermind" to how different each model year could be. (Ignoring if there was a 'luxury' or station wagon or Ute/Ranchero in any given year...but I notice the '62 Ranchero had the same grille).

I never knew....

I can tell a 'modern' or current Mustang from a '65 or '72, but I couldn't guarantee I'd be able to correctly differentiate a '60s model from a 70s model. I remember some discussions here where grille differences were mentioned, and perhaps I took some of it in as I read it?

Anyway, here's to newfound knowledge....this old dog learned a new trick! (An obvious, blatant 'trick'...but "new" nonetheless.)

[I figure it would take longer to learn the differences between the other model years of the Falcon, not to mention the Australian vs "American"...but my short google "research" sure made it look like the '62 was the only year with vertical grille fins and no horizontal crosshatch... :detective: You'll probably tell me the '62 is the easiest one to id, won't you....]
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Pegers
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Pony Car
congrats on putting the time in to get the info you wanted.
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coldpopcarl
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I live a VW way of life eat breathe sleep dream & was HOME 16 years
Do always KEEP in mind too that PROFESSIONAL KUSTOMIZERS or even just simple Kustomizers can alter parts of a car TO what they like example puurting a 62 grille or whole front end onto a 68 car , or even a FORD HEADLUIGHTS onto a CHEVY or such as TAILLights onto a different car maker BUICK TL onto a FORD etc
Not saying this as to this car JUST facts of indentify cars by trims , lights , grilles etc can get tricky or confusing sometumes

VW Bus 68-78 can sonetimez play tricks on me EVEN FACTORY made , being VW IS big on changing changes during a model year , or USA and uk thw new style body is a next or oevious year 1984 jetta good examle 1980-1984 1st body USA but 1984 UK the 2nd gen body was introduced



Vw bus BAY windo 68-71 taillights and front turn signals

71 bus can have the new lights and placement HIGH 68-71 ( low by bumper Then they went bigger andup high by vent and headlights So there is EARLY YEARS with TURN SIGNAL u High and not at BOTTOM for the same year early run later run



If you ever can CAN GET VIN numbers ir Factory plates ( but even these can be switched out



Cheers from ALASKA ,col'pop coldpopcarl
Edited by coldpopcarl, Jun 10 2017, 06:38 AM.
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juantoo3
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

While what Coldpopcarl says is true...if you have the money or talent and time...generally speaking that vintage Falcon is a fairly unique vehicle, although I recently learned that body style continued in Argentina I think it was for quite some time after. Where Carl is most correct is that grill, most likely (I've never actually done it) should transfer with a few screws between the 60 through 63 models. There wasn't even a Mercury corp cousin, that didn't come about until the 64 model year, and body parts didn't *readily* interchange between the two generations.

But the odds are you probably nailed it. Quite frankly, better than me. I know the first generation body style so can narrow to the 4 years, but without a program I couldn't tell between those years (without seeing the taillights up close and personal, a little trick I learned from an old mechanic...the plastic lens casting has a date on it).
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b2young
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Sad firefighter
juantoo3
Jun 10 2017, 09:35 AM
While what Coldpopcarl says is true...if you have the money or talent and time...generally speaking that vintage Falcon is a fairly unique vehicle, although I recently learned that body style continued in Argentina I think it was for quite some time after. Where Carl is most correct is that grill, most likely (I've never actually done it) should transfer with a few screws between the 60 through 63 models. There wasn't even a Mercury corp cousin, that didn't come about until the 64 model year, and body parts didn't *readily* interchange between the two generations.

But the odds are you probably nailed it. Quite frankly, better than me. I know the first generation body style so can narrow to the 4 years, but without a program I couldn't tell between those years (without seeing the taillights up close and personal, a little trick I learned from an old mechanic...the plastic lens casting has a date on it).
In the google results the 60-61 and 63-on models seemed to have noticeably different sides (what I called the "horizontal dish")...so if a grille was switched out, wouldn't the sides of the car remain a clue to the actual model year of the car? (Not including the Argentinian models...)

No biggee, anyway. Thanks for the comments and further information, especially from Girdwood! (Did I ever mention I spent my high school summers working my cousin's set-net operation on Nikiski beach.....leaving all the high school bikini-clad girls to sun on the southern California coast while I plucked salmon out of nets day in and day out? I was a southern Cali flower child....and an Alaska commercial fisherman...)
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Atencio
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Station Wagon
I have learned quite a bit on the little difference between model years from putting cars in my database.
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juantoo3
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

b2young
Jun 10 2017, 09:55 AM
In the google results the 60-61 and 63-on models seemed to have noticeably different sides (what I called the "horizontal dish")...so if a grille was switched out, wouldn't the sides of the car remain a clue to the actual model year of the car? (Not including the Argentinian models...)
I'm not sure what google showed, and I realize ford likes to run 3 year generations back then, the tbird for example. falcon was an odd duck from the get go. if I recall, it was the first production ford unibody, and I think first to market at least in the states...all had been body on frame prior.

I'm positive change to the next gen started 64, the first mercury falcon cousin, called comet appeared. Buddy had a 64 comet he bought off the strip and rebuilt the basket case 260 v8, I helped...mostly just watched. mom had a 63 wagon, inline 6, I was too young to know or care the size, but I think ford had a 200 around that time.

most already know, the first mustang was a glorified 64 falcon. the experience ford gained building the falcon let them build cars "cheaper," and falcon sales were good but could be better, so they turned the design studio loose to see what they could do and the rest is history.

funny how as old cars go, others from this era get a lot of attention, but the non mustang fords generally get overlooked, even though they outsold the competition in most categories through the 60s. that may have something to do with it, fords were just so common people didn't notice, so the oddball cars got the attention. only now are falcons just beginning to appreciate the way other cars from this era already have among collectors.

ford was capable, but dodge had the strongest engine, and chevy had the bulletproof transmission...ford had the rearend that was near indestructible.
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juantoo3
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Just want to clarify...merc comet was around earlier, but prior to 64 it was based on the fairlane. in 64 they put the name on a restyled falcon.
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